Abstract
In this paper, a new dedicated multi-channel ionospheric oblique backscatter sounder is described. A miniaturized L-shaped antenna array was employed for the receiving of the oblique backscatter echoes in the present system. Firstly, two typical adaptive beamforming algorithms were introduced to improve the anti-jamming ability. Then, simulations were carried out to verify the beamforming performance in azimuth and elevation simultaneously. Furthermore, the experimental results by the present sounding system were used to test the performance of the adaptive beamformers. Results show that the radio frequency interference and the interference of the vertical echoes can be effectively suppressed by the adaptive beamformers. In particular, the use value of the beamforming in the receiving of the ionospheric oblique backscatter sounding is described in detail through the analysis of the signal sequences in several typical frequencies. And after the constant false-alarm rate processing, the oblique backscatter ionograms processed by the adaptive beamforers have clearer and continuous leading edge compared with the original ionograms. As a result, the adaptive beamformers of great significance to improve the detection ability of the ionospheric oblique backscatter sounding.
Highlights
High-frequency (HF) radio waves with frequencies between 3 and 30 MHz are an important frequency band for radar to sense the Earth’s environment [1]
In order to verify the practical application effect on the ionospheric oblique backscatter sounding of the system with the miniaturized L-shaped antenna array proposed in this paper, a verification experiment was carried out on 14 January 2019 at Xiantao, in Hubei province, China
The transmitting subsystem was set at Wuhan (114.48◦E, 30.50◦N), and the multi-channel receiver and antenna array are placed at Xiantao (113.50◦E, 30.17◦N)
Summary
High-frequency (HF) radio waves with frequencies between 3 and 30 MHz are an important frequency band for radar to sense the Earth’s environment [1]. Employing the beam forming technology and the antenna array, directional detection can be realized and transmission power can be fully utilized. At present, some such systems have been built and widely recognized, such as Nostradamus OTHR, Jindalee sky-wave OTHR, and Super Dual Auroral Radar Network (SuperDARN), etc. A new dedicated multi-channel oblique backscatter sounder with a miniaturized L-shaped antenna array is described. The leading edge of the oblique backscatter ionogram is clearer and steeper It is of great significance for the trace extraction, which may further affect the inversion accuracy and improve the effective observation range
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