RFGeolocation
Testbed for RF Geolocation by Nathan Catt
The goal of this project, Testbed Development for Geolocation of RF Emitters, was to improve upon the testbed used in conjunction with the Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) geolocation algorithm. The military has many applications where locating radio signals are important. Locating downed pilots or pinpointing communication signals of the enemy are just a couple of examples. Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology is currently working on compressive sensing algorithms to help locate the source of radio frequency (RF) signals. These algorithms will be implemented on a ground based mobile platform as part of this project development. The mobile platform will be controlled by a user. A system must first be designed that includes reconfigurable sensors with at least one transmitter and two receivers. The mobile testbeds will need to demonstrate the ability to receive signals and locate the transmitter. A final demonstration will be completed at the AFRL. This testbed could be made autonomous or implemented on an aerial platform in future development. The main goal of this project was to create a system that had individual sensors that can navigate through a predefined grid and use the received signal strength taken at different points and angles to locate the emitting signal. Our team used a mobile platform that has a programmable motor controller, a Software Defined Radio (SDR), a microprocessor, and various sensors. Our team was able to implement an Xbox 360 remote as a user control for movement and access to sensor data. The initial plan was to have an autonomously controlled system, but the accuracy of the off-the-shelf GPS was not sufficient. Our team suggests using a more accurate GPS sensor in order to implement a waypoint navigation algorithm.