Effective organisation of communication channels in autonomous information and measurement systems
(AIMS) is a burning issue. It is particularly challenging for areas where, for a number of reasons (primarily
unprofitability or immaturity of the wired infrastructure), telecommunications can rely only on wireless
technologies, i.e., radio channels. Arctic regions of the Russian Federation, where most of Russia’s gas and
gas condensate deposits are located, constitute a typical example of such areas. The key challenges during
construction of wireless communication channels are associated with the fixed range of frequencies that can
be used without a licence. For the purposes of radio traffic, the frequency used by AIMS transmitters and
receivers depends on the frequency of the quartz crystal resonators used in such devices. The stability of this
frequency determines both the number of radio channels that can be used and the efficiency of data transfer.
Key factors affecting the quartz frequency include temperature and “ageing” of quartz crystals. Known
methods for increasing the frequency stability generally allow compensation for the temperature drift of the
quartz frequency. In addition, such methods are increasingly energy-consuming, which is unacceptable in the
Extreme North. This article suggests using GPS receiver data for frequency adjustment. With a minor increase
in energy consumption, this technique enables full compensation for quartz crystal resonator frequency
drift, no matter what the cause of such drift, eventually allowing operation of more radio channels within the
authorised bandwidth with preserved channel separation. In general, it helps increase the efficiency of data
transfer in the telemetry systems of gas field operations.