Software defined radios (SDRs) such as the KiwiSDR receiver, the RFZero transmitter, and the QRP Labs QDX digital transceiver can provide the hardware components for an innovative application - a propagation path analyzer. The main software for the system is FST4W, a recently added protocol within the widely distributed WSJT-X package. Using straightforward time series and scatterplot data analytics of spectral spread and signal level or SNR different propagation modes can be identified. These include the obvious daytime one- and multiple-hop magneto-ionic refraction in the F2 layer of the ionosphere. The SDR and FST4W combination also gives a 'fingerprint' for less commonly known modes including two-hop side scatter that can dominate at frequencies above the maximum usable frequency for a band and time of day. Over long paths ionosphere-to-ionosphere modes can be identified, including chordal hop and perhaps ducting. The changes, or evolution, over a day in the propagation modes between pairs of stations can also be studied. Using a variety of paths originating in Europe and terminating in Europe, in the Arctic across the Auroral Oval, across the Atlantic, and to Australasia we show how applying the combination of SDRs and FST4W provides insights into propagation paths that cannot be obtained simply from SNR.
Camera & Edit: FurStreaming
Sebastian Kipp, DL5WN
Marc Diensberg, DO1BOL
Torben Hellige
Негізгі бет SDRA'23 - 04 - G3ZIL & G4HZX: Propagation path analysis on HF, using SDR and FST4W
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