Miniature Frequency Agile RF Beacon Receivers for Ionospheric Effects Monitoring

Space Environment Corporation (SEC) proposes to develop a new, low cost, passive, beacon monitoring instrument that will provide extensive near-real-time information about the state of the ionosphere and impacts on operational systems. The instrument is the result of an innovative combination of engineering and physics-based approaches. It consists of receiver hardware, control/analysis software, and ionospheric/propagation assessment software. Each instrument will identify signals over a wide frequency range (3 kHz to 3 GHz) and will be linked into a network. The low-cost of the instrument will allow for a wide deployment, which, in turn, will allow for high-resolution propagation specifications and space weather maps. A ray-tracing signal strength analysis is used with a background ionosphere model to obtain a modified 3-D ionosphere that is consistent with all of the received signals. Solar flares, winter absorption anomalies, sporadic E, auroral oval precipitation, and F-region irregularities will be identified. Ionospheric structures ranging from 10 to 1000 km will be resolved. The instruments output is a local (or regional) ionosphere with its impact on systems and operations.