This paper surveys the signal properties of 18 commercially
available GPS jammers based on experimental
data. The paper is divided into two distinct tests.
The first characterizes the jamming signals, and the
second test determines the effective range of 4 of the
jammers. The first test uses power spectra from discrete
Fourier transforms (DFTs) of the time series data
to show that all the jammers employ approximately the same jamming method, i.e. linear frequency modulation
of a single tone. The spectra also show that
there are significant jammer-to-jammer variations, including
between jammers of the same model, and that
a given jammer’s signal may vary over time. The first
test also includes measurements of signal power within
frequency bands centered at the L1 and L2 frequencies,
along with the sweep periods and the sweep range at
both frequencies. The second test presents measurements
of the attenuation of the jamming signal necessary
to allow a commercially available GPS receiver to
acquire and track signals from a GPS simulator. From
the attenuation levels and some assumptions about the
antennas used, upper limits on the effective jamming
ranges are calculated for 4 of the jammers, with a resulting
maximum range of 6–9 km.Aerospace Engineering and Engineering Mechanic