Self-organising radio systems have been proposed for aeronautical and maritime
communication, navigation and surveillance applications. In aviation, the introduction of
the VHF Data Link (VDL) Mode 4 is currently being discussed, while the implementation
of Automatic Identification Systems (AIS) is planned in the maritime domain. Operating in
an autonomous mode, a self-organising radio system employing Time Division Multiple
Access (TDMA) does not require a terrestrial infrastructure, such as base stations. The
concept of self-organisation is based on the cooperative behaviour of a large number of users
sharing a common VHF radio channel. Analyses have shown that uncoordinated stations,
so-called hidden users, can cause interference in self-organising radio systems. This paper
presents two different approaches to autonomous self-organisation together with the results
of investigations of intra-system interference. Such analyses may help to introduce potential
improvements to the system performance, which reduce the effect of hidden users in this very
promising GNSS-based technology.