Determination of the Direction to the Source of Radio Signal Using Two Channel SDR Receiver

Authors

  • A. V. Brusko National Technical University of Ukraine “Igor Sikorsky Kyiv Polytechnic Institute”
  • O. Yu. Myronchuk National Technical University of Ukraine “Igor Sikorsky Kyiv Polytechnic Institute”
  • M. V. Oliinyk National Technical University of Ukraine “Igor Sikorsky Kyiv Polytechnic Institute”

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.31649/1997-9266-2024-174-3-132-137

Keywords:

DOA, SDR, MUSiC, GNU Radio, direction finding, radiolocation

Abstract

The topic of radio direction finding is quite broad and complex, as it has applications in many areas of life, from domestic to industrial. Despite the large number of possible systems and their purposes, there are accessible solutions which allow starting research in this field of radio engineering and signal processing and can also serve as a basis for further development of specialized systems. One of such solutions is SDR transceivers and receivers. Software-defined radio is a radio-electronic device that contains all the necessary components for digitizing received signals (in case of receivers) and reproducing a specified signal (transmission, in case of transceivers). Structurally, these devices contain a heterodyne for signal shifting in the frequency range, as well as ADC/DAC for reception and transmission, respectively. This work implements a system for determining the direction to the source of a FM radio signal based on a dual-channel SDR receiver and a personal computer. Direction finding is performed using the MUSiC algorithm. GNU Radio and Matlab software solutions are used for signal processing. Both programs are widely used in digital signal processing. The GNU Radio is unique because of its graphical block editor that is used for signal reception, processing, storage, and transmission. Matlab is known for its versatility and is used in many areas besides radio technology. It’s use in this work is justified by its convenient handling of matrices, and therefore the MUSiC algorithm was presented in detail and implemented accordingly. The MUSiC algorithm belongs to methods for estimating directions to the source of radio emissions by maximizing the spatial power spectrum of the received signal. The advantage of the MUSiC algorithm over other popular DOA (direction of arrival) estimation methods is its effectiveness even in negative signal-to-noise ratios. The result of the research on the implemented setup is the determination of the azimuth to the radio tower in urban conditions. The research was carried out by analyzing the signal from an FM radio station at a frequency of 100.6 MHz. The error in determining the direction to the radio signal source was 6 degrees.

Author Biographies

A. V. Brusko, National Technical University of Ukraine “Igor Sikorsky Kyiv Polytechnic Institute”

Student of the Department of Radioengineering

O. Yu. Myronchuk, National Technical University of Ukraine “Igor Sikorsky Kyiv Polytechnic Institute”

PhD, Senior Lecturer of the Chair of Radioengineering Systems

M. V. Oliinyk, National Technical University of Ukraine “Igor Sikorsky Kyiv Polytechnic Institute”

Post-Graduate Student of the Chair of Radioengineering Systems

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Published

2024-06-27

How to Cite

[1]
A. V. . Brusko, O. Y. Myronchuk, and M. V. Oliinyk, “Determination of the Direction to the Source of Radio Signal Using Two Channel SDR Receiver”, Вісник ВПІ, no. 3, pp. 132–137, Jun. 2024.

Issue

No. 3 (2024)

Section

Radioelectronics and radioelectronic equipment manufacturing

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