October 05, 2013

So what else was going on at CFS Carp anyway?

I received a comment regarding CFS Carp on a previous post which got me thinking...

CFS Carp, now the Diefenbunker Museum, is known to have been a nuclear shelter for the government in case of nuclear war.  However, I'm sure it had more than one hat over it's career, and there were multiple facilities that shared its name and were in close proximity to it.  Back in the day, messages by would be sent to CFS Carp using the following routing identifiers, and then those messages would be delivered to the appropriate parties at the designated locations.  But what were these locations?  Here are he routing identifiers and corresponding locations; I've made a stab at several acronyms with some help from people in the industry :)

RCCRCMA    CFS CARP    CAN
RCCRCMA    LCO CANADA CARP    CAN
RCCRCMA    MIC CARP    CAN
RCCRCMA    NICS TCF CARP    CAN
RCCRCMA    NICSCC CARP    CAN
RCCRCMA    SGT F8 CARP CA    CAN

LCO Canada - Launch Control Officer for Canada?
MIC - Multinational Interoperability Council ? (The Multinational Interoperability Council was founded in '96, after CFS Carp closed)
NICS TCF - NATO Integrated Communications System Technical Control Facility
NICS CC - NATO Integrated Communications System Communication Centre? Command Centre?
SGT F8 - Satellite Ground Terminal F8


NATO Satellite Ground Terminal Carp (F8)


The dome SW of CFS Carp was not really part of CFS Carp, it was a Satellite Ground Terminal (SGT) for NATO SATCOM (NATO IV constellation, I think), but the facility was shut down in the 1990s.  Was this directly related to the CFS Carp shutdown and the CFS Carp detachment shutdown?  I have not found a "proper" name for the facility other than a designator of "F8", in one document it is referenced as "SGT F8 CARP".  Another document references that "we have recently closed F8 at CARP in Canada, We now intend to have only 4 fixed ground terminals for UHF instead of 11 but as I have already mentioned we have now over 200 UHF mobile terminals in use which were not foreseen."
So, does this mean the SGT Carp (F8) was a SATCOM UHF repeater of some sort?

NATO SGT F18 at Folly Lake stayed open while NATO SGT F8 Carp closed; I'm not sure about Folly Lake's purpose either.

2013.10.14 - Former NATO SGT F8 Carp
NATO SGT F8 Carp

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NATO SGT F18 Folly Lake

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NTP 2 SECTION 1 (D)
ORIGINAL 2-14
The communications subsystem may simultaneously employ full Earth coverage, area coverage, and narrow coverage modes for transmission and reception. Using the MBAs, the capability exists to provide narrow coverage, area coverage, or selectively shaped area coverage by combining multiple, simultaneous narrow coverage patterns. A high gain, narrow transmit coverage capability is provided by the GDA.
The receive MBA capability includes the ability to eliminate or reduce the effect of jammers by putting them in a null between sidelobes of an NC beam or by forming nulls in a broad area (up to full Earth coverage) antenna pattern. The receive and transmit MBAs have the ability to simultaneously cover multiple areas, thereby maximizing link gain between terminals in the illuminated areas and reducing the effect of off beam jamming signals. This capability is not normally used during naval operations, but may be employed as directed for contingencies.
Each transponder channel is capable of relaying, with minimal performance degradation, time-division multiplexer (TDM)/ FDMA, CDMA, and time-division multiple access (TDMA) signals. When relaying FDMA signals, the transponder HPA must operate in an essentially linear mode. CDMA and TDMA signals permit operation in a near-saturated mode. The gain of the transponder is controlled prior to the TWTA/ HESSA to ensure the desired degree of TWT saturation for varying input levels. Input variations depend on the number of uplink signals and the EIRP of the Earth terminals.
204. NATO/ ALLIED SATELLITE SYSTEMS A. NATO Satellite System. The NATO Satellite System consists of an active communications satellite, 27 satellite ground terminals (SGT), 2 control centers, and the NATO school segment at Latina, Italy (see table 2-9). To communicate with NATO SGTs, Navy ships serving NATO support roles must shift to the NATO satellite and join the NATO spread spectrum network. NATO SGTs may provide naval support upon request. However, Navy circuits must be extended to NCTAMS Europe/ Central (EURCENT) or Atlantic (LANT), or NCTAMS EURCENT Detachment London for baseband support.
B. NATO IV-A Satellite Description. The NATO IV-A satellite became operational in 1991. It is a three-axis stabilized vehicle with a total weight (at lift off) of 1,452 pounds (660 kilograms). Two solar array panels generating 1200 watts of electricity provide power for the spacecraft and its payload. NiCd batteries provide power during solar eclipse. The TT& C subsystem operates in the 8-GHz band and employs spread spectrum protection with encryption. The altitude and orbit control subsystem uses infrared Earth sensors to maintain position. The design life of the satellite is 7 years.
The NATO IV-A satellite provides communications in the SHF and UHF bands. The SHF transponder provides four channels. The UHF transponder provides two channels. The frequencies, antennas, EIRP, and channel bandwidths are reflected in table 2-10. Spacecraft control is maintained by the Royal Air Force (RAF) with assets at Oakhanger, UK. Operation control is maintained by the 32
http://www.fas.org/spp/military/docops/navy/ntp2/ch2.htm

As part of the ongoing operational initiatives we have reviewed our requirements for the static ground terminals as a result of which we have recently closed F8 at CARP in Canada, We now intend to have only 4 fixed ground terminals for UHF instead of 11 but as I have already mentioned we have now over 200 UHF mobile terminals in use which were not foreseen.
http://ftp.rta.nato.int/public//PubFullText/AGARD/CP/AGARD-CP-580///AGARDCP580.pdf
Fantastic German web site about Military SATCOM
http://www.satellitenwelt.de/uhfmilsat.htm

NATO Integrated Communications System Technical Control Facility

If TCF refers to a Technical Control Facility, I don’t know if it was co-located at the CFS Carp facility or at the Richardson Detachment, but from the definition I found on an unrelated web site it seems to fit and make sense.

Each NCTAMS and NTCS operates a Technical Control Facility (TCF) which contains the equipment necessary for ensuring fast, reliable, and secure exchange of information and typically includes distribution frames and associated panels, jacks, and switches and monitoring, test, conditioning, and order wire equipment. The TCF allows telecommunications systems control personnel to exercise operational control of communications paths and facilities, make quality analyses of communications and communications channels, monitor operations and maintenance functions, recognize and correct deteriorating conditions, restore disrupted communications, provide requested on-call circuits, and take or direct such actions as may be required and practical to provide effective telecommunications services.
Tech Control also performs basic functions for receiver and transmitter sites remotely. These include tuning, equipment patching, quality monitoring of received or radiated signals, switching or directional control of antennas, primary ship shore circuit operations, and the submission of required reports.
http://navybmr.com/study%20material/NTP%204%20%28E%29.pdf
If the CFS Carp facility, and associated facilities, was a communications hub integrating Canadian Forces and NATO HF, VHF, UHF and SATCOM, it makes sense why I cant find very much open source information on it.
However, I'm totally spit-balling.

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