First Results for the TBBCERTO Radio Beacon Measurements

1
First Results for the TBB/CERTO Radio Beacon
Measurements

• Paul A. Bernhardt
• Plasma Physics Division
• Naval Research Laboratory
• Washington, DC 20375
• With Contribution From Steven Franke (UIUC),
  Trevor Gardner (ARL/UT), Gary Bust (ARA), Jim
  Secan (NWRA), Martin Prochazka (Northrop
  Grumman), L-C Tsai (NCU)

2
TBB/CERTO Overview

• Overview of TBB/CERTO
• Status of Transmissions
• 150 MHz, 400 MHz, 1066 2/3 MHz
• Interference with GOX
• Antenna Pattern for TBB L-Band
• Evaluation by UIUC
• Ground Receiver Sites
• Chung-Li, Taiwan
• ARL Univ. of Texas
• NWRA
• Air Force RADCAL Network
• NRL Progress
• Conclusions

3
NRL Radio Beacon Sensors
DMSP/F15 1998
SEEK2 Rockets August 2002
CERTO on ARGOS
CERTO on PICOSat (2001-2005)
(1999-2001)
Past
CERTO/TBB on COSMIC (2006)
CERTO on C/NOFS (2008)
EQUARS (2008)
CITRIS on STPSAT1 (2006)
CERTO/LP on NPSAT1 (2006)
CASSIOPE (2007)
Future
4
NRL CERTO Radio Beacons and CITRIS Receiver for
Ionospheric Tomography
INCLINATION
Check Out
Operation
Extended Operation
SATELLITE
98.6? DMSP/F15
862
80? CASSIOPE/EPOP
325 x 1500
70? COSMIC 6
800
70? COSMIC 5
800
70? COSMIC 4
800
70? COSMIC 3
800
70? COSMIC 2
800
70? COSMIC 1
800
35? NPSAT1
560
CITRIS Receiver
35? STPSAT1
560
20? EQUARS
750
15? C/NOFS
375 x 700
2006
2007
2008
2009
5
CERTO Beacon Orbits

• Global Coverage
• Ten New Beacon Satellites
• 6 COSMIC Satellites First Launch of Tri-Band
  Beacon System

6
Radar and Radio-Telescope Sites Supporting CERTO
Beacons with Ionospheric Measurements
.
.
AMISR Poker Flat
.
VLA
MU RADAR
STPSAT1 Orbit Boundary
COSMIC Orbit Boundary
7
COSMIC Satellite Instruments and Mechanisms
8
150 MHz Antenna Pattern for TBB/CERTO Beacons
Receivers
10 dB
0 dB
Angle From Boom Axis
9
TBB/CERTO 150 MHz Circular Polarization
10
400 MHz Antenna Pattern for TBB/CERTO Beacons
Receivers
10 dB
0 dB
Angle From Boom Axis
11
CITRIS 400 MHz Circular Polarization
12
1067 MHz Antenna Pattern for TBB/CERTO Beacons
Receivers
10 dB
0 dB
Angle From Boom Axis
13
TBB/CERTO 1067 MHz Circular Polarization
14
TBB/CERTO Antenna Pattern Summary

• Good Phase and Amplitude Match at 150 and 400 MHz
• Acceptable Performance at 1067 MHz

15
UIUC 150 MHz Discone Antenna

• 150 MHz Antenna
• Set Up to Record COSMIC TBB/CERTO
• Vertically Polarized Discone
• Elevated 40' on Push-Up  Pole
• Located at Champaign-Urbana

16
COSMIC TBB 150 MHz Signal Doppler

• Doppler Spectrogram
• 150.012 MHz beacon  from FORMOSAT C
• 16 Minute Time Period Starting 0236 UT on 10/2/06
• Time runs from left to right.
• Doppler frequency runs vertically.
• 4 kHz Around Center Frequency
• 2048 Point FFT size
• 8 Hz Doppler Resolution
• Weak Sidebands Probably from Downconverter

17
COSMIC TBB Signal 150 MHz Carrier-to-Noise Steve
Franke, UIUC

• Carrier Strength
• Carrier Plus Noise in 8 Hz Band
• Peak Carrier/Noise Ratio
• 25 dB with 8 Hz BW
• 34 dB with 1 Hz BW
• Very  Healthy Signal
• Good for High-Quality TEC Measurements
• Larger Than Expected Variability Signal Strength
• Possible Source Polarization Fading and Elevation
  Lobes in Discone
• Better Ground Antenna Needed for Scintillation
  Measurements

18
Chung-Li COSMIC TBB/CERTO Amplitude
28 1

• 13 October 2006, 2013 UT
• Amplitude Variations Along Satellite Orbit Track
• E- and F-Layer Projections of Orbit

Signal Strength (dB)
19
Chung-Li COSMIC TBB/CERTOAmplitude and Phased
20
Chung-Li COSMIC TBB/CERTOTEC and Elevation Angle
21
Coherent Ionospheric Doppler Receiver (CIDR)
Systems

• Diamonds indicate ARLUT CIDR systems
• Triangles are NWRA ITS30 systems
• Future deployments are planned in New York and
  Columbia
• All Receivers only use 150 and 400 MHz TBB/COSMIC
  Transmissions

22
Sample Pass for Receiver at theState University
of New York College at Oneonta

• TEC Measurement
• Slant TEC Converted to Vertical TEC
• Relative Measurement with Unknown Receiver Bias
• Pass Starts UT1038
• Nightside Trough
• From 44 to 45 GLAT
• Location 57 MLAT).

23
Status of COSMIC Beacon Measurements by ARLUT

• CIDR systems in the American sector are presently
  measuring slant TEC with the COSMIC-CERTO beacon
  signals
• Efforts are underway to put the data on a public
  database
• For case studies, please contact
  garner_at_arlut.utexas.edu for slant TEC data

24
Data Samples with CIDR and ITS10 Receivers19
August 2006, 1434 UTCordova and Delta Alaska
25
Data Samples with CIDR and ITS10 Receivers19
August 2006, 1434 UT, Gakona Alaska
26
Data Samples with CIDR and ITS10 Receivers19
August 2006, 0807 UT, Oneonta, NY
27
Data Samples with CIDR and ITS10 Receivers19
August 2006, 0931 UT, Oneonta, NY
28
Data Samples with CIDR and ITS10 Receivers19
August 2006, 1043 UT, Oneonta, NY
29
Data Samples with CIDR and ITS10 Receivers19
August 2006, 1803 UT, Oneonta, NY
30
Data Samples with CIDR and ITS10 Receivers19
August 2006, 1929 UT, Oneonta, NY
31
NRL Campaigns for TBB/CERTO Measurements

• Alaska (31 July to 10 August)
• Chistochina Station ITS30 not Working
• Gakona Alaska ITS10 Work Fine
• Conjunction with HAARP Heating Experiments
• Kwajalein (September 2006)
• Radar Support
• VHF at 158 MHz
• UHF at 422 MHz
• NWRA ITS30 Receivers
• Kwajalein (Not Working)
• Roi Namor (Not Working)
• SCION Receivers not Ready

32
RADCAL Observations of TBB/CERTO

• Air Force RADCAL Receiver Network
• 20 Magnavox MX 1502 DS Receiver Sites
• Records TEC from 150 and 400 MHz for RADCAL and
  GFO
• Support for TBB/CERTO Available Upon Request
• NRL Writing Data Conversion Software for RADCAL
  Format

33
Near Term NRL CERTO Receiver Additions to Support
the COSMIC Satellites

• Current Receivers on Order
• 2 SCION-3
• 2 NWRA ITS30-3
• 4 ARLUT CIDR
• Pan American Tomography Array (PATA-1)
• 5 Receivers between Jicamarca and Arecibo
• PATA1 Aligned with COSMIC Ascending Orbit
• Pan American Tomography Array (PATA-2)
• 5 Receivers between Manaus and Ottawa
• PATA2 Aligned with COSMIC Descending Orbit

Chesapeake, Virginia
COSMIC Satellite Orbits
PATA2
Arecibo, Puerto Rico
PATA1
HRTA
Ancon, Peru
C/NOFS Orbit
34
Summary

• TBB/CERTO Radio Beacon
• Dual Frequency 150/400 MHz Receivers
• TEC Data and Radio Scintillations
• Existing US Tomography Chains N-S Configuration
  not Usable with COSMIC
• 36 Ground Receivers in Operation with US Support
• 9 ARLUT 6 NWRA 20 USAF RADCAL
• 1 UIUC Spectrum Monitor
• No Tri-Band Receivers in Operation
• Future Plans
• NRL 8 Tri-Band Receivers in 2007, 10 More in 2008
• University Projects for Receiver Development
• UIUC Prof. Steven Franke
• Clemson University Prof. Miguel Larsen
• Virginia Tech Dr. Brent Ledvina
• Collaborative Efforts
• TIP and TBB for Scintillation Studies
• GOX and TBB for Radio Tomography