Software Defined Radio Based Drone Receiver Payload

A drone receiver (RX) payload is built as a combination of an embedded software defined radio (SDR) and a low noise amplifier (LNA) and limiter circuit to sample radio frequencies (RF) that are transmitted from long distances. The system will be deployed during Costal Land-Air-Sea Interactions (CLASI) experiment in June in Monterey CA to measure EM propagation under ducting conditions [2]. This compact and lightweight system can be attached to a drone for collecting and recording data at high altitudes while maintaining the drone's mobility. This system is cost-effective and simple to operate. Since the SDR is embedded, the software can be uploaded into the SDR after which it can operate independently with no computer control. Limiter LNA both improves the overall noise figure of the receiver payload to ~ 3–4 dB while also acting as a limiter to protect the SDR.