Design and Validation of Probes and Sensors for the Characterization of Magneto-Ionic Radio Wave Propagation on Near Vertical Incidence Skywave Paths

This article describes the design and validation of deployable low-power probes and sensors to investigate the influence of the ionosphere and the Earth’s magnetic field on radio wave propagation below the plasma frequency of the ionosphere, known as Near Vertical Incidence Skywave (NVIS)...

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Main Authors: Ben A. Witvliet, Rosa M. Alsina-Pagès, Erik van Maanen, Geert Jan Laanstra
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2019-06-01
Series:Sensors
Subjects:
Online Access:https://www.mdpi.com/1424-8220/19/11/2616
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author Ben A. Witvliet
Rosa M. Alsina-Pagès
Erik van Maanen
Geert Jan Laanstra
author_facet Ben A. Witvliet
Rosa M. Alsina-Pagès
Erik van Maanen
Geert Jan Laanstra
author_sort Ben A. Witvliet
collection DOAJ
description This article describes the design and validation of deployable low-power probes and sensors to investigate the influence of the ionosphere and the Earth’s magnetic field on radio wave propagation below the plasma frequency of the ionosphere, known as Near Vertical Incidence Skywave (NVIS) propagation. The propagation of waves that are bent downward by the ionosphere is dominated by a bi-refractive mechanism called ‘magneto-ionic propagation’. The polarization of both downward waves depends on the spatial angle between the Earth’s magnetic field and the direction of propagation of the radio wave. The probes and sensors described in this article are needed to simultaneously investigate signal fading and polarization dynamics on six radio wave propagation paths. The 1-Watt probes realize a 57 dB signal-to-noise ratio. The probe polarization is controlled using direct digital synthesis and the cross-polarization is 25−35 dB. The intermodulation-free dynamic range of the sensor exceeds 100 dB. Measurement speed is 3000 samples/second. This publication covers design, practical realization and deployment issues. Research performed with these devices will be shared in subsequent publications.
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spelling doaj.art-ce3a027f639249ef9e174b963b5b314e2022-12-22T03:45:29ZengMDPI AGSensors1424-82202019-06-011911261610.3390/s19112616s19112616Design and Validation of Probes and Sensors for the Characterization of Magneto-Ionic Radio Wave Propagation on Near Vertical Incidence Skywave PathsBen A. Witvliet0Rosa M. Alsina-Pagès1Erik van Maanen2Geert Jan Laanstra3Centre for Space, Atmospheric and Oceanic Science (CSAOS), Department of Electronic and Electrical Engineering, University of Bath, Claverton Down, Bath BA2 7AY, UKGrup de recerca en Tecnologies Mèdia (GTM), La Salle-Universitat Ramon Llull, Quatre Camins, 30, 08022 Barcelona, SpainSpectrum Management Department, Radiocommunications Agency Netherlands, P.O. Box 450, 9700AL Groningen, The NetherlandsData Science–Data Management & Biometrics (DS/DMB), Faculty of Electrical Engineering, Mathematics and Computer Science, University of Twente, P.O. Box 217, 7500AE Enschede, The NetherlandsThis article describes the design and validation of deployable low-power probes and sensors to investigate the influence of the ionosphere and the Earth’s magnetic field on radio wave propagation below the plasma frequency of the ionosphere, known as Near Vertical Incidence Skywave (NVIS) propagation. The propagation of waves that are bent downward by the ionosphere is dominated by a bi-refractive mechanism called ‘magneto-ionic propagation’. The polarization of both downward waves depends on the spatial angle between the Earth’s magnetic field and the direction of propagation of the radio wave. The probes and sensors described in this article are needed to simultaneously investigate signal fading and polarization dynamics on six radio wave propagation paths. The 1-Watt probes realize a 57 dB signal-to-noise ratio. The probe polarization is controlled using direct digital synthesis and the cross-polarization is 25−35 dB. The intermodulation-free dynamic range of the sensor exceeds 100 dB. Measurement speed is 3000 samples/second. This publication covers design, practical realization and deployment issues. Research performed with these devices will be shared in subsequent publications.https://www.mdpi.com/1424-8220/19/11/2616deployablemagneto-ionicmagnetic fieldpolarizationfadingionosphereradio wave propagationNear Vertical Incidence Skywave (NVIS)circular polarization
spellingShingle Ben A. Witvliet
Rosa M. Alsina-Pagès
Erik van Maanen
Geert Jan Laanstra
Design and Validation of Probes and Sensors for the Characterization of Magneto-Ionic Radio Wave Propagation on Near Vertical Incidence Skywave Paths
Sensors
deployable
magneto-ionic
magnetic field
polarization
fading
ionosphere
radio wave propagation
Near Vertical Incidence Skywave (NVIS)
circular polarization
title Design and Validation of Probes and Sensors for the Characterization of Magneto-Ionic Radio Wave Propagation on Near Vertical Incidence Skywave Paths
title_full Design and Validation of Probes and Sensors for the Characterization of Magneto-Ionic Radio Wave Propagation on Near Vertical Incidence Skywave Paths
title_fullStr Design and Validation of Probes and Sensors for the Characterization of Magneto-Ionic Radio Wave Propagation on Near Vertical Incidence Skywave Paths
title_full_unstemmed Design and Validation of Probes and Sensors for the Characterization of Magneto-Ionic Radio Wave Propagation on Near Vertical Incidence Skywave Paths
title_short Design and Validation of Probes and Sensors for the Characterization of Magneto-Ionic Radio Wave Propagation on Near Vertical Incidence Skywave Paths
title_sort design and validation of probes and sensors for the characterization of magneto ionic radio wave propagation on near vertical incidence skywave paths
topic deployable
magneto-ionic
magnetic field
polarization
fading
ionosphere
radio wave propagation
Near Vertical Incidence Skywave (NVIS)
circular polarization
url https://www.mdpi.com/1424-8220/19/11/2616
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