The eLoran system is an international standardized positioning, navigation, and timing service system, which can complement global navigation satellite systems to cope with navigation and timing warfare. The eLoran receiver measures time-of-arrival (TOA) through cycle identification, which is key in determining timing and positioning accuracy. However, noise and skywave interference can cause cycle identification errors, resulting in TOA-measurement errors that are integral multiples of 10 μs. Therefore, this article proposes a cycle identification method in the joint time–frequency domain. Based on the spectrum-division method to determine the cycle identification range, the time–domain peak-to-peak ratio and waveform matching are used for accurate cycle identification. The performance of the method is analyzed via simulation. When the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) ≥ 0 dB and skywave-to-groundwave ratio (SGR) ≤ 23 dB, the success rate of cycle identification is 100%; when SNR ≥ −13 dB and SGR ≤ 23 dB, the success rate exceeds 75%. To verify its practicability, the method was implemented in the eLoran receiver and tested at three test sites within 1000 km using actual signals emitted by an eLoran system. The results show that the method has a high identification probability and can be used in modern eLoran receivers to improve TOA-measurement accuracy.

The wireless communication technology is now widely used in many different applications. For example: communication, surveying and mapping, navigation and national defense and other fields. However, the frequency resources of wireless communication are becoming more and more tense, especially the related time service means used for time transmission, satellite time service, short wave time service and other technologies have been very mature. As a new time service method, time transmission using FM broadcasting additional channel will not occupy new frequency resources, nor will it interfere with the original audio broadcasting A very useful technique.In this paper, we propose a new method for transmitting time information through an additional frequency modulation (FM) broadcasting channel, based on the existing FM broadcasting technology. As a result, the transmission and reception technology required is mature and readily available, which makes this approach accessible as well as affordable. A field test was conducted, which demonstrated that the proposed method is feasible and accurate. This method meets the channel conditions and is conducive to accurate acquisition and tracking of the receiving end. This approach is expected to achieve higher accuracy, of sub-millisecond order, than existing methods, which will make it suitable for applications such as regional and battlefield formation time synchronization signal systems.

This article introduces the eLoran timing system principle, the characteristics of the eLoran and GNSS systems, and the current development status of eLoran in China. This article elaborates on the significance and scale of this high-precision ground time service system currently being constructed in China and describes the technical methods used in the high-precision ground time service system. Finally, it analyzes and elaborates on the signal and data channels of the eLoran time service system.

To improve the coverage and timing capability of enhanced Loran signals, three enhanced Loran transmitters are planned to be built in Western China. The most appropriate antenna configuration can be determined by comparing domestic and foreign mainstream small and radio antennas. By analyzing and comparing the electrical and structural parameters and signal propagation curves of the transmitting antenna, it can be concluded that the single tower umbrella antenna provides the best performance in all evaluation indexes, and the enhanced Loran signal can be transmitted to areas 1000 km away through the single tower umbrella antenna so that the enhanced Loran signal covers most areas of Western China. Therefore, it should be widely used in the construction of enhanced Loran transmitters in the future.

The monitoring system is one of the indispensable components of the eLoran system, which can monitor the reliability and integrity of the eLoran system. In this paper, an eLoran monitoring system is designed based on the BPL time service system, and an integrity monitoring method based on the receiver time difference prediction model is designed according to the stability and accuracy of the receiver time difference. The deviation between the solved time difference and the predicted time difference is utilized to assist in integrity monitoring at the user’s end. And the test results show that the monitoring system can effectively determine the signal quality and system health of the eLoran system and provide early warning service for the system performance.

In integrated PNT systems, due to defects in satellite signals and long-wave signals, VLF signals can be an essential supplement. However, there is currently a lack of VLF timing systems in the world, and it is impossible to evaluate the impact of the propagation delay of these signals. Based on the theory of very-low-frequency propagation, this paper determines the waveguide mode propagation at ultra-long distances as the main research direction, establishes a signal phase change model, gives a theoretical formula for the phase velocity of VLF signals, and analyzes the main factors affecting the phase velocity of VLF signal propagation. Finally, combined with historical observation data, the phase change is predicted, compared, and analyzed. The results show that the theoretical calculation is consistent with the measured data. The average error of the delay prediction is 0.015 microseconds per 100 km, and the maximum error of the delay prediction is 0.152 microseconds per 100 km.