RF Engineer
NOC Manager
Dealing With Intermittent Aircraft or Radar Interference
Learn how to recognize and manage intermittent pulsed interference from aircraft altimeters and radar that can be mistaken for random satellite link outages.
By Vega Engineering Team
·
·
Updated February 24, 2026
·
5 min read
This article is part of our Satellite Interference Operator Playbook: 6 Common Scenarios and How to Fix Them
Intermittent Aircraft or Radar Interference
Objective: Recognize and manage intermittent, often pulsed interference that can be mistaken for random outages.
Typical Symptoms
Brief but recurring C/N dips or packet loss:
- Correlate with flight paths (near airports) or ship movements (coastal radars)
Spectrum shows pulsed signals in bands adjacent to your downlink (e.g., radar in 2-4 GHz S-band, aircraft altimeters near 4.2-4.4 GHz).
Immediate Actions (0-15 Min)
Confirm pattern:
- Compare to known air traffic times or radar sweep patterns
If the site is highly critical:
- Consider temporary power increase (within limits) or additional coding margin until a structural fix is in place
Investigation and Mitigation
- Use RTSA with pulse analyzer options to characterize radar signatures
- If correlation is strong (e.g., near an airport):
- Coordinate with relevant authorities and sat operator to:
- Adjust frequency plans or
- Implement directional filtering or shielding and improved LNA front-end protection
Prevention
- Mark high-risk RF zones in your planning (airport or port proximity)
- Deploy more robust RF chains and filtering by default at those locations