What do the antennas do?

What do the antennas do?

• A. They provide GPS timing signals
• B. They are used to connect to satellite communications
• C. Two blade antennas, fore/upper and aft/lower, connected to notch filters, provide Link 16 receive/transmit signals
• D. They filter RF emissions

Answer: (C)

The antennas are there to carry the Link 16 data link, which operates in the UHF band and requires bidirectional, reliable transmit and receive. Having two blade antennas placed fore/upper and aft/lower gives solid coverage around the platform so the radio can see other Link 16 nodes no matter the attitude or orientation. The notch filters in the path help keep the Link 16 channel clean by suppressing unwanted out-of-band energy and preventing interference between transmit and receive paths, ensuring the system can both send and receive data effectively. GPS timing and satellite communications have their own dedicated antennas and paths, so they aren’t the primary function of these Link 16 antennas.

The antennas are there to carry the Link 16 data link, which operates in the UHF band and requires bidirectional, reliable transmit and receive. Having two blade antennas placed fore/upper and aft/lower gives solid coverage around the platform so the radio can see other Link 16 nodes no matter the attitude or orientation. The notch filters in the path help keep the Link 16 channel clean by suppressing unwanted out-of-band energy and preventing interference between transmit and receive paths, ensuring the system can both send and receive data effectively. GPS timing and satellite communications have their own dedicated antennas and paths, so they aren’t the primary function of these Link 16 antennas.