The WM 102 P code channel beats a full house of squared channels

Abstract

It is shown that P code processing of the GPS (Global Positioning System) L2 signal is consistently superior to squaring techniques. The difference is so great that the WM 102 P code channel outperforms multichannel squaring receivers. Because the squaring bandwidth of the L2 signal is defined by the P code bandwidth of +or-10.23 MHz, the L2 squaring process suffers a massive penalty in signal-to-noise ratio. In order to compensate for the signal-to-noise ratio penalty, squaring receivers must use very long time constants when tracking the L2 signal. Therefore, such a channel is severely limited in its ability to follow signal dynamics. It is shown that, because of its superior signal-to-noise ratio, the WM 102 P code channel is more effective at sampling the ionospheric refraction dynamics than a multichannel squaring receiver.<>