A Description of the August 2006 XG Demonstrations at Fort A.P. Hill

On Aug 15-17, 2006, Shared Spectrum Company (SSC) and the U.S. Department of Defense's Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) demonstrated, for the first time, a six node network of next generation (XG) radios capable of using spectrum over a wide range of frequencies on a secondary basis. The cognitive radios making up several formations of XG networks sensed radio signals over 225-600 MHz and adapted frequencies automatically to prevent interference to existing military and civilian radio systems. The XG networks were tested on a military test range (Fort A.P. Hill, Bowling Green, VA) in front of an audience of over one hundred military and government spectrum management agency representatives from the Army, Navy, Air Force, Coast Guard, Joint Spectrum Center, the Federal Communications Commission and the National Telecommunications and Information Administration. This paper describes the XG radio system and test scenarios. A companion paper presents a detailed account of the test results.