Random Error in ARGOS and SARSAT Satellite Positioning Systems

ARGOS and SARSAT are two satellite Doppler navigation systems in which low cost ground beacons transmit bursts of stable frequency signals. The Doppler shifted signals received by the satellite provide the positions of the beacons. The positioning error is dominated by a random component, due mainly to the short-term frequency stability of the beacon oscillator. Theoretical analysis and explicit expressions of the random errors are given.