Avionics Help

I am so lost. I am trying to better understand avionics.
Specifically, communication electronics vs. navigation radio vs.
navigation products. More specifically, these are Rockwell Collins'
core franchises and I am trying to understand what firstly
Communication avionics for a commercial aircraft entails? Is this the
HF VHF stuff? What is the radio navigation then? What's the
difference.

What is Rockwell Collins really known for in terms of communication
products on aircraft? What do these products do?

Thanks so much!

Aero Dana wrote:
I am so lost. I am trying to better understand avionics.
Specifically, communication electronics vs. navigation radio vs.
navigation products. More specifically, these are Rockwell Collins'
core franchises and I am trying to understand what firstly
Communication avionics for a commercial aircraft entails? Is this the
HF VHF stuff? What is the radio navigation then? What's the
difference.

Most domestic civilian aircraft these only have VHF radios for communications.
Overseas flights still use HF for communications. Navigation radios are
can be low frequency (in the case of ADF and Loran), VHF (in the case of VOR,
& Localizers), UHF (DME, transponders) and ultimately SHF and above (GPS).
The difference between navigation and communications radios is only in the
modulation/demodulation method and information content and processing.

What is Rockwell Collins really known for in terms of communication
products on aircraft? What do these products do?

Collins has been around since the very early days of radio communications
(AM and FM broadcasting) building all sorts of communications electronics
equipment for industry and military/government. Collins has made aircraft
radios also since the early days of aircraft radios but mostly in larger
commercial airplanes. Not sure how big a player they still are today
because all of my experinece is in General Aviation and there isn't much
use of those radios in smaller General aviation aircraft.

what is modulation/domodulation method?

What is DME?
What is SHF?

So GPS is thru a radio?

Did collins make the first aircraft radio?

On 2006-02-10 14:46, Aero Dana wrote:
Did collins make the first aircraft radio?


No, not according to this site:

http://earlyradiohistory.us/1963hw14.htm

(26 july 1912, Wireless Specialty Apparatus Inc.)

Btw, what is Google used for?

(This sounds more and more like a school questionnaire.)

Not in school, just trying to finally understand this field.

GPS -- is considered radio navigation
But IRS, FMS, and MMR considered just navigation.

Is that a correct way to break it out?

Also in terms of flight communications, what is SATCOM? Is that also
through a radio?

If I were to guess, I would say that you're a consultant that was just put
on a new project and who needs to get up to speed on your client's industry
buzz words.

You need to go through Wikipedia for a couple of hours. It's much more
efficient and immediate than this newsgroup.

Marco

"Aero Dana" wrote in message
oups.com...
Not in school, just trying to finally understand this field.

GPS -- is considered radio navigation
But IRS, FMS, and MMR considered just navigation.

Is that a correct way to break it out?

Also in terms of flight communications, what is SATCOM? Is that also
through a radio?




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Aero Dana wrote:
Not in school, just trying to finally understand this field.

GPS -- is considered radio navigation
But IRS, FMS, and MMR considered just navigation.

Is that a correct way to break it out?

Also in terms of flight communications, what is SATCOM? Is that also
through a radio?

These questions are very general; huge in fact.

I suggest a bookstore (new or used), perhaps a good pilot shop that has
many technical books of a basic nature regarding aviation electronics,
and a friend in the electronics hobby,.

A good google search whould be a help.

"Aero Dana" wrote in message
oups.com...
Not in school, just trying to finally understand this field.

GPS -- is considered radio navigation
But IRS, FMS, and MMR considered just navigation.

Is that a correct way to break it out?

Not really. Simplifying somewhat; GPS, IRS, and MMR are nav sensors. FMS
is a multi-sensor navigator. The sensors feed position data to the FMS.
The FMS tells you how to get from where you are to where you want to be.

Also in terms of flight communications, what is SATCOM? Is that also
through a radio?

SATCOM is SATellite COMmunications. It's a radio that talks thru a
satellite link.

If you're looking for a decent introduction to the field, I recommend the
following book:

Principles of Avionics, Third Edition by Albert Helfrick

It's available from Amazon.com:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/188...Fencoding=UTF8

Gerry