B-AMC (Broadband Aeronautical Multi-carrier Communication)

B-AMC stands for Broadband Aeronautical Multi-carrier Communication. It’s a proposed technology for L-DACS (L-band Digital Aeronautical Communication System).

It’s based on VHF frequencies and is similar to MC-CDMA concepts. The B-AMC spectrum sits between two DME channels, each with a 1MHz bandwidth. B-AMC itself has a spectrum bandwidth of 500KHz.

The specifications for this proposed system are summarized in the table below. It uses OFDM modulation techniques.

The forward link is used for transmissions from the Ground Station to the Aircraft Stations, while the reverse link is used for transmissions from the Aircraft Stations to the Ground Station.

Specifications

Effective bandwidth500KHz for both forward and reverse link
Subcarrier spacing10.416KHz
Used subcarrier48 total
FFT/DFT size64
Sampling interval1.5 µS
Sampling frequency666.6KHz
OFDM symbol duration96µS
Cyclic prefix24µS
Total OFDM symbol duration120 µS
Number of OFDM symbols per frame54
Data OFDM symbols per frame48 in the forward link and 50 in the reverse link
OFDM frame duration6.48ms