Guide Air Labs

Development of RTL-SDR Signal Monitoring System

For this project, students will work to develop a signal monitoring system using RTL-SDR (Software Defined Radio) to study and monitor ionospheric effects on communication signals. The system will capture and analyze radio frequency variations caused by ionospheric disturbances, providing valuable data for aerospace and terrestrial communications. This hardware-centric approach is directly relevant to aerospace and communications research. The system will be designed to capture and analyze GPS signals in real-time, using RTL-SDR for wideband signal acquisition. The system’s scope includes hardware integration, software development for signal processing, and testing for robustness in variable conditions. The design will focus on creating a distributed network of GPS monitoring stations, with each node consisting of an RTL-SDR receiver, a high-performance GPS antenna, data logging hardware, and communication interfaces for real-time data transmission. Critical performance criteria include the network's spatial coverage, signal accuracy, and synchronization between nodes. The system must handle continuous data streams and provide real-time alerts for ionospheric disturbances, with a focus on scalability and reliability in outdoor environments. The desired outcomes this student team will work to achieve include a fully operational GPS signal monitoring network with distributed nodes that collect and transmit real-time data on ionospheric disturbances. Deliverables will include detailed hardware designs, a functional prototype of the monitoring network, and performance evaluation reports.