On the Development of Modern Ionospheric Sensors Using Software-defined Radio Techniques
Open Access
- Graduate Program:
- Electrical Engineering
- Degree:
- Master of Science
- Document Type:
- Master Thesis
- Date of Defense:
- July 22, 2013
- Committee Members:
- Julio Urbina, Thesis Advisor
- Keywords:
- software-defined radio
- digital radar
- radar
- SDR
- CIRI
- IRIS
- GnuRadar
- USRP
- PARIS
- PISCO
- Abstract:
- As the field of electronics continues its trend to becoming faster, smaller, and lower-powered, opportunities continue to open up for digital systems, that rival, if not exceed, traditional analog systems in performance, reliability, and affordability. Software-defined radio systems add reconfigurability and flexibility into the mix, making use of high-speed analog-to-digital converters, digital-to-analog converters, programmable logic devices, and advanced digital signal processing techniques to extend the capabilities of radio transmitters and receivers. Three remote sensor systems designed to study several upper atmospheric properties were developed at The Pennsylvania State University, taking advantage of the benefits software-defined systems have to offer through the use of the Universal Software Radio Peripheral (USRP) platform. The design, implementation, and operation of each of these sensors are presented, with preliminary results to validate their use and to encourage further development of software-defined radio techniques in the field of ionospheric science.