RECENT TRENDS IN COMMUNICATIONS
(INTEGRATED COMMUNICATION SYSTEM)
KOSHY ALEX (III-T.C)
P.V.SURENDRA BABU (III-EEE)
VELLORE INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY.
VELLORE, TAMILNADU.
electro_babu@yahoo.co.in, alexkoshy16@yahoo.co.in
Abstract: Even as the age of nomadicity
progressively made way for the age of neo-
colonialism,even as the settlements and clans
metamorphosised into cosmopolitan nations -
Defence has remained the progenitor of the good of
the masses and the development of the cult as a
whole. National Defence and national security share
an indispensable reliance on communications which
in turn calls for constant improvement, not
compromising on discretion and advancement at the
same time. In this regard the latest and the most
sophisticated communication equipment being
developed by our country is the Integrated
Communication System or INCOM as it is mostly
called. The INCOM system is an airborne V/UHF
transceiver intended for air to air & air to ground
two way half duplex voice communication. The
equipment covered by this specification provides
radio frequency reception & transmission of AM or
FM signals and also provides single wide band
antenna for its operation. It is modularly
constructed for easy serviceability and maintenance.
The unique feature of this INCOM set is that it has
got a Built In Test Equipment (BITE) facility and a
MIL-STD (Military Standard)-1553 Bus
compatibility. An additional feature of this set is its
Standby Intercom facility.
1. INTRODUCTION.
In the field of defence, communication plays a vital role
in deciding the defence strength of a country. In the
olden days fighting a war with out arms can prove to be
fatal, in the same way in the present scenario the
defence of a country can prove to be fatal without
sophisticated communication system. In this regard we
are witnessing many advanced technologies in the
defence communication. In view of this we are
presenting the latest advancement in Integrated
Communications, which is INCOM. In this field we are
dealing with a particular set INCOM-1210A. INCOM
is an air borne V/UHF transceiver intended for air to air
and air to ground two way half duplex voice
communication.
2. SCOPE.
This technology offers a very wide scope not only in the
defence systems but also in other areas where we require
high security and realibility.This Integrated
Communication system is used in some of the planes such
as MiG BIS (UPG), MiG – 27 (UPG),
DONIER (N) & ADVANCED JET TRAINER (AJT)
available in the armoury of INDIAN AIRFORCE.
3. BACKGROUND.
As per the proverb “Leap Before Sit Down”, we have to
see the previous technologies and the problems associated
with them. There are at least two problems with
conventional wireless communications that can occur
under certain circumstances. First, a signal whose
frequency is constant is subject to catastrophic
interference. This occurs when another signal is
transmitted on, or very near, the frequency of the desired
signal. Catastrophic interference can be accidental (as in
amateur-radio communications) or it can be deliberate (as
in wartime). Second, a constant-frequency signal is easy
to intercept, and is therefore not well suited to
applications in which information must be kept
confidential between the source (transmitting party) and
destination (receiving party).
In the view of developing and usage of this technology,
we are equipped with different versions or sets, which
differ from field and place of application. In this paper we
are presenting one of the versions which is being used for
communication in defence planes, which is INCOM
1210A.
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 4. SALIENT FEATURES.
This technology offers a wide variety of unique features
which made this technology invariable and efficient.
Some of them include:
• Facility to select AM or FM modes of
operation.
• Remote Controller and Repeat Display.
• Facility to program 40 preset channels.
• Standby Intercom facility.
• Single wide band antenna operation.
• Modular construction of the equipment makes
it easy for serviceability and maintenance.
• BITE (Built-In-Test Equipment) facility is
provided.
• A wide frequency range of 108MHz to
399.975MHz and a very good channel spacing
of 25 KHz are offered.
5. MODULAR REPRESENTATION.
Actually the set has a Duplexer, through which it can
select the receiver action or the transmitter action.
The signal is received from the antenna as the T/R switch
is switched to receive mode then it goes to the Main
Receiver RF input port which further sends it through the
overload protection switch. The output obtained from the
overload switch is amplified and sent to the 3dB splitter
which splits the output into two parts. One part of the
output goes to the Guard Receiver input port. The other
part is amplified or attenuated depending on the signal
strength and then filtered by UHF tuned filter (UTF) or
VHF tuned filter (VTF). This filtered output is mixed with
the 70MHz IF output of the locally generated crystal
oscillator and filtered again to obtain 500 KHz IF output.
This 500 KHz output is further amplified by Gain
Controlled amplifier and converted into digital form by
using A/D converter. This digital output is passed to the
DSP processor for demodulation.
Receiver Block Diagram

This set which is extensively using in various

planes as stated above for air to air and air to ground
communication will have a modular construction as
stated below. It contains 12 modules which are listed
below
¾ Synthesizer assembly
¾ Motherboard
¾ Receiver assembly(Main receiver)
¾ Guard receiver
¾ Interface assembly
¾ DSP assembly
¾ Modulator assembly
¾ Bus interface control card (BICC) assembly
¾ Data recovery card (DRC) assembly
¾ Delay locked Loop (DLL) assembly
¾ Power Amplifier
¾ Power Supply
Out of these 12 modules, the 2 modules which are
necessary for any communication and what makes this
type of communication different and superior to other
types of communication which are related to working of
this equipment as a communication unit have been
described below.

6. FUNCTIONAL ANALYSIS.
The working of this set is easily and clearly analyzed by
studying its receiver and transmitter function.
6.1. Receiver Function (VHF/UHF):
The working of the set as a receiver is better explained
with the help of block diagram as shown in the figure.
The DSP processor not only demodulates but also does
audio Filtering, Digital Volume Control, Squelch
Function, Synthesizer code for Local Oscillator
generation and BITE status of the system. This
demodulated output from the DSP is sent to the D/A
converter to convert it into analog audio output and hence
it is mixed with audio output from the Guard receiver.

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This mixer of audio outputs is then filtered by Audio
Band pass filter and hence boosted to the required level
to drive the headset. The volume of the output is
adjusted or varied by using the control voltage
generated by the DSP module (based on the Digital
Volume Control level set by the user through the
Controller)
The 500 KHz IF output is generated in the same way
for both AM & FM signals in the Main Receiver
module except that the VHF tuned filter or UHF tuned
filter is selected depending on the operating frequency
(VHF or UHF). The demodulation is carried out by
different software algorithms, based on the AM or FM
mode in the DSP module to generate the demodulated
audio in the Digital form. The further D/A conversion
and audio processing of this demodulated signal is
carried out in the same way for AM & FM modes to
drive the Headset.
6.2. Transmitter Function (VHF/UHF):
If transmitter mode is selected in the Duplexer of the set
then it will function as a transmitter, which helps to
transmit the messages in air to air or in air to ground
mode of communication. As stated earlier that we can
select the mode of transmission either in AM or in FM,
the working of the set in both the cases is explained
here. The block diagram showing the functioning of the
set as a transmitter is as shown in the figure.
6.2.1 Amplitude Modulation:
For the purpose of transmitting a message signal and for
the conversion of these voice signals into electrical
signals, a microphone having not less than 250mV RMS
is provided to the user. The microphone output is passed
through the Voice Operated Gain Controlled Device
(VOGCD), which generates constant audio output level
for modulation.
The output obtained is then given to the Power amplifier
module for Amplitude modulation. 70 MHz drive
required for Preamplifier (in Main Receiver) is generated
in the Modulator module by a Voltage Controlled
Oscillator (VCO). The VCO output is phase locked with
10 MHz system reference by a Phase Locked Loops
(PLL). 10 MHz system reference is generated by a high
stability Oven Controlled Crystal Oscillator (OCXO). The
phase locked 70 MHz output is passed through the DLL
(Delay Locked Loop) module for filtering. The filtered
output is mixed with the Local Oscillator (LO) and sent to
the Main Receiver Module For UP conversion. The
obtained output is now passed through UTF or VTF
depending on the operating frequency. This filtered output
is amplified by the Pre-amplifier and hence given to the
Power Amplifier for further amplification.
In the Power Amplifier module, the pre-amplifier output
is sent to the PIN attenuator where the attenuation is
controlled by Automatic level Control (ALC) voltage.
The Voltage Operated gain Amplified Device (VOGAD)
output is super-imposed on this ALC voltage for
Amplitude Modulation. The Amplitude Modulation and
level controlled UP converted carrier is passed through
stages of amplifier chain to boost the power of the signal.
The final amplified output obtained is passed through the
T/R switch, filtered by the VHF or UHF low pass filter
depending on the operating frequency of the system. The
filtered output obtained is fed to the Antenna through the
directional coupler. Directional coupler couples the
portion of the RF power output to generate the ALC
voltage required for the level control. The coupled RF
output is detected & compared with the reference voltage
set for the rated power. The output of the comparator is
given as ALC voltage and it keeps the RF output power
within the limits.
6.2.2. Frequency Modulation:
The microphone output is passed through the Voice
Operated Gain Controlled Device (VOGCD), which
generates constant audio output level for modulation.70
MHz drive required for Preamplifier (in Main Receiver) is
generated in the Modulator module by a Voltage
Controlled Oscillator (VCO). The VCO output is phase
locked with 10 MHz system reference by a Phase Locked
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Loops (PLL). 10 MHz system reference is generated by
a high stability Oven Controlled Crystal Oscillator
(OXCO).
The phase locked 70 MHz output is passed through the
DLL (Delay Locked Loop) module for filtering. The
filtered is mixed with the Local Oscillator (LO) and
sent to the Main Receiver Module For UP conversion.
The obtained output is now passed VTF. This filtered
output is amplified by the Pre-amplifier and hence
given to the Power Amplifier for Further Amplification.
In the power amplifier module, the pre-amplifier output
is sent to the PIN attenuator where the attenuation is
controlled by Automatic level Control (ALC) voltage.
The Voltage Operated gain Amplified Device
(VOGAD) output is superimposed on this ALC voltage
for Amplitude Modulation. The Amplitude Modulation
& level controlled UP converted carrier is passed
through stages of amplifier chain to boost the power of
the signal. The final amplified output obtained is passed
through the T/R switch, filtered by the VHF. The
filtered output obtained is fed to the Antenna through
the directional coupler. Directional coupler couples the
portion of the RF power output to generate the ALC
voltage required for the level control. The coupled RF
output is detected & compared with the reference
voltage set for the rated power. The output of the
comparator is given as ALC voltage and it keeps the RF
output power within the limits.
7. GUARD RECEIVER
The guard frequency corresponding to the band of
operation is monitored continuously for reception by an
independent guard receiver. The guard receiver output
audio is added to the final audio of the output of the
system whenever the GUARD ON (GRDÆ ON)
command is selected through the controller. The
received Guard RF from the antenna port is passed
through the T/R switch located in the power amplifier.
The switched output is fed into the main receiver RF
input port which further sends it through the overload
protection switch. The output obtained from the
overload switch is amplified and sent to the 3dB splitter
which splits the output into two parts. One part is use to
process the main signals an the other part is sent to the
guard receiver input port (to process guard signal) The
guard signal is now filtered by a crystal filter which
selects one of the three frequencies 121.5 MHz or 156.8
MHz or 243 MHz.
The filtered output is now DOWN converted to 21.4 MHz
Intermediate Frequency (IF) and filtered by a selectivity
crystal filter and amplified by Gain Controlled amplifier.
The amplified output is mixed with 20.945 MHz to
generate 455 KHz second IF and amplified by Gain
Controlled amplifier and sent to Demodulator hardware.
The demodulated audio is passed to the Interface Module
where the main audio is added to it. It is then filtered by
Band Pass Filter and hence boosted to the required level
to drive the Headset.
The volume of the output audio is varied by using control
voltage generated by the DSP module based on the
Digital Volume Control level set by the user. Depending
on the operating frequency bands of the system the Guard
Receiver is tuned to one of the Guard frequencies.
Frequency Guard
Band Frequency
VHF
(108-155.975 MHz)(AM) Æ121.5 MHz
VHF
(156-173.975 MHz)(FM) Æ156.8 MHz
UHF
(225-399.975 MHz)(AM) Æ243.0 MHz
8. CONTROLLER.
The controller is used to select the modes and operating
frequencies of this transceiver. It makes use of state-of-
the-art, all solid state, high reliability circuits using 87C51
Microcontroller system. This Microcontroller processes
the received information and updates the display. The
controller can be located in the cockpit to facilitate the
user (Pilot) to have remote access to the system and is
interfaced with the transceiver through MIL-STD
(Military Standard) 1553 Bus. The Controller front panel
displays the mode and the preset channel number selected
by the Pilot.
9. REPEAT DISPLAY.
A separate Repeat Display Unit is provided which can be
located in the cockpit. Any information sent to the
controller for display is also sent to the Repeat Display
Unit. The Repeat Display converts these signals to the
format required for alphanumeric display by using the
interface, decoder and driver hard wares.
10. SOFTWARE DETAILS
INCOM-1210A transceiver can be restricted to work
with limited performance by different software versions.
As per the user requirement, corresponding software
version is loaded in INCOM transceiver. Controller
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transceiver software is updated, when the selected
software is loaded. The version number is set on the dip
switch in INCOM transceiver. Dip switch is available
in the transceiver in the BICC module. This information
is sent to the controller on MIL-STD (Military
Standard) 1553 Bus. Controller reads this data and
accordingly applicable portion of the software is
activated. The most commonly used software is
VERSION 4: CONV-AM & FM- VOICE- NORMAL.
11. FREQUENCY HOPPING.
If we adopt this technology in fields like defence, where
high security and reliable communication systems is
needed then Frequency Hopping technique is added to
this set. Frequency hopping is one of two basic
modulation techniques used in Spread Spectrum Signal
transmission. It is the repeated switching of frequencies
during radio transmission, often to minimize the
effectiveness of "electronic warfare" - that is, the
unauthorized interception or jamming of
telecommunications. It also is known as Frequency
Hopping Code Division Multiple Access (FH-CDMA).
Benefits include improved privacy, decreased
narrowband interference, and increased signal capacity.
In an FH-CDMA system, a transmitter "hops" between
available frequencies according to a specified
algorithm, which can be either random or preplanned.
The transmitter operates in synchronization with a
receiver, which remains tuned to the same center
frequency as the transmitter. A short burst of data is
transmitted on a narrowband. Then, the transmitter
tunes to another frequency and transmits again. The
receiver thus is capable of hopping its frequency over a
given bandwidth several times a second, transmitting on
one frequency for a certain period of time, then hopping
to another frequency and transmitting again. The length
of time that the transmitter remains on a given
frequency between "hops" is known as the Dwell time.
A few spread-spectrum circuits employ continuous
frequency variation, which is an analog scheme.
As a coin has two sides, the disadvantage of this
hopping technique is that it requires a much wider
bandwidth than is needed to transmit the same
information using only one carrier frequency.
12. ADVANTAGES.
This technology offers a wide range of advantages due
to its unique features and efficient functionality. Some
of them include
™ This INCOM set can be equipped with
Electronic Counter Counter Measures
(ECCM) features which hence enhances the
perform ability and security of the data
transmitted through this set.
™ These INCOM sets can be linked up with
the satellite for communication when the
plane is out of range of the Air Control
Tower (ATC)
™ Only the same transceiver set can receive
the information sent from the plane (as the
software version differs in each variant of
these sets)
™ These sets have an Erase All (EA) switch.
This switch automatically erases the
software from these sets when the plane
crashes. Hence the knowledge of the
software is kept safe.
™ Due to its modular construction the software
contained in these sets are not affected by
the Ultra Violet radiations of the higher
atmosphere.
™ These sets have a Remote Controller and a
Repeat display.
™ Facility to program 40 preset channels.
™ Power output is 20Watts. Provision to select
High/Low (20/10 watts) power
™ Extensive BITE facility provided.
13. CONCLUSION.
Due to the multiple advantages which have been
described above, these sets prove their mark in defence
communication with its versatile functional and technical
features by keeping up all the security measures required
for data and voice transmission. Additional features like
frequency hopping further increase the security of these
INCOM sets, hence not compromising on discretion and
advancement at the same time.
14. REFERENCES.
[1] Hindustan Aeronautics Limited, Avionics Division,
Hyderabad.
[2] http: // cas.et.tudelft.nl