Field test of an air-to-ground communication link using a bare optical fiber

Results of a field demonstration of an air-to-ground communication link using an airborne bare optical fiber are presented. The demonstration was conducted by the Johns Hopkins University, Applied Physics Laboratory at the TCOM, L.P. Test Facility in Elizabeth City, NC in May 2006 using a 38 in, tethered aerostat raised to an altitude of 2100 ft. A bare, single mode optical fiber attached between the aerostat and its mooring station was evaluated as an optical link for several hours. Wavelength Division Multiplexed channels operating in the 1550 nm band with data rates of I and 10 Gbps were tested to achieve error free data transfers. A separate, continuous wave channel was also multiplexed for performance monitoring. BER vs. link power measurements and eye diagrams will be analyzed for data transfer performance over the airborne bare optical fiber.