TY - Generic T1 - Construction of a Table-Top Antenna Range for Learning Electromagnetics Concepts T2 - HamSCI Workshop 2024 Y1 - 2024 A1 - Augustine Brapoh A1 - Matthew Dittmar A1 - Aidan Szabo A1 - Robert Troy A1 - Nathaniel Frissell A1 - Stephen A. Cerwin AB -

Antenna construction and measurement provide an effective method of teaching electromagnetic and antenna concepts, including polarization, gain, directivity, and reflection. During the Spring 2024 semester, the University of Scranton EE 448 Electromagnetics II class is undertaking a project to build a table-top antenna range at 2450 MHz (λ = 12 cm). The table top range will give hands-on visual and intuitive reinforcement of abstract concepts covered mathematically in the course textbook. This frequency was chosen due to the convenient size of antennas and the fact that the antennas will be usable in the 2.4 GHz Industrial, Scientific, and Medical (ISM) and amateur bands. ISM band applications include WiFi, Bluetooth, RFID, NFC, and more. In this presentation and poster, we demonstrate three types of antennas the class has built so far: dipoles, dipoles with corner reflectors, and loops over ground planes. We also demonstrate the use of a NanoVNA to measure antenna properties, as well as show ideas for future projects.

JF - HamSCI Workshop 2024 PB - HamSCI CY - Cleveland, OH ER - TY - Generic T1 - Development of Back-End Software for the Grape 2 T2 - HamSCI Workshop 2024 Y1 - 2024 A1 - Cuong Nguyen A1 - William Blackwell A1 - John Gibbons A1 - Nathaniel Frissell AB -

This poster showcases several software tools developed to support the development and operation of the main Grape 2 system. G2console is a terminal-based interface that communicates with the data collection system, providing users with valuable information such as software versions, amplitude, frequency, GPS, and magnetometer metrics for viewing and diagnostics. GrapeSpectrogram is a data processing script that generates Dopplergrams, aiding developers in validating the system's operation. Additionally, we will discuss future project developments, such as integration with the Linux GPS background service (gpsd) to provide accurate timing to the Raspberry Pi, and DigitalRF as a more efficient method of data storage.

JF - HamSCI Workshop 2024 PB - HamSCI CY - Cleveland, OH ER - TY - Generic T1 - Climatology of Ionospheric Variability with MSTID Periods Observed Using Grape v1 HF Doppler Receivers T2 - HamSCI Workshop 2023 Y1 - 2023 A1 - Veronica Romanek A1 - Nathaniel Frissell A1 - Kristina Collins A1 - John Gibbons A1 - David Kazdan A1 - William Liles JF - HamSCI Workshop 2023 PB - HamSCI CY - Scranton, PA ER - TY - Generic T1 - HamSCI 2023 Day 1 Welcome and Opening Remarks T2 - HamSCI Workshop 2023 Y1 - 2023 A1 - Nathaniel Frissell JF - HamSCI Workshop 2023 PB - HamSCI CY - Scranton, PA ER - TY - Generic T1 - How Do I Talk From Scranton to Pakistan Using​ High Frequency Amateur Radio?​ T2 - HamSCI Workshop 2023 Y1 - 2023 A1 - Zainab Shah A1 - Gwyn Griffiths A1 - Rob Robinett A1 - Nathaniel Frissell AB -

This poster will demonstrate the possible ways to send propagation transmissions from The University of Scranton to Karachi, Pakistan. To do this, VOACAP will be used to map out possible paths and peak times for transmission and then WSRP.rocks will be used to compare the empirical VOACAP model outputs to observed data. A recommendation will then be made for the optimal time and frequency to communicate using high frequency (HF) radio between Scranton, PA and Karachi, Pakistan.

JF - HamSCI Workshop 2023 PB - HamSCI CY - Scranton, PA ER - TY - Generic T1 - Measuring Daily Ionospheric Variability and the 2023 and 2024 Solar Eclipse Ionospheric Impacts Using HamSCI HF Doppler Shift Receivers T2 - HamSCI Workshop 2023 Y1 - 2023 A1 - Rachel Boedicker A1 - Nathaniel Frissell A1 - Kristina Collins A1 - John Gibbons A1 - David Kazdan A1 - Philip J. Erickson AB -

This project will study ionospheric variability across the continental United States (CONUS) generated by dawn/dusk transitions and two solar eclipses occurring in 2023 and 2024. Dawn and dusk produce a complex response in observed ionospheric variability that is still not completely understood. A network of Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) stabilized/synchronized high frequency (HF) receivers known as Grapes will be used for the study. Thirty Grape receivers will be deployed throughout North America to optimize the study of the ionospheric impacts simultaneously received from two locations. Additional stations will be funded by the HamSCI amateur radio community. This project will generate observations to answer the scientific questions: (1) How do dawn and dusk ionospheric variability vary with local time, season, latitude, longitude, frequency, distance, and direction from the transmitter? (2) Is eclipse ionospheric response symmetric with regard to the onset and recovery timing? (3) How similar is the eclipse to the daily dawn and dusk terminator passage? (4) Would multipath HF mode-splitting in the post-eclipse interval be similar to dawn events? (5) Would the response be different for two eclipses?

This project is part of the Ham Radio Science Citizen Investigation (HamSCI) program and will be open to volunteers who want to field instruments and contribute to scientific analysis and discussion. This project will also establish a new network of DASI instruments that, due to its low cost and operation by volunteers, has the potential to provide measurements for years to come. This project will support students (undergraduate, MS and Ph.D.).

JF - HamSCI Workshop 2023 PB - HamSCI CY - Scranton, PA ER - TY - Generic T1 - A New Station for the W3USR University of Scranton Amateur Radio Club T2 - HamSCI Workshop 2023 Y1 - 2023 A1 - Tom Pisano A1 - Nathaniel Frissell A1 - Jeff DePolo A1 - The W3USR University of Scranton Amateur Radio Club JF - HamSCI Workshop 2023 PB - HamSCI CY - Scranton, PA ER - TY - Generic T1 - Introducing Undergraduates to Research Through Solar Flares, Python, and Amateur Radio T2 - HamSCI Workshop 2022 Y1 - 2022 A1 - Rachel (Umbel) Frissell A1 - Nathaniel Frissell A1 - Nicholas Truncale AB -
In an effort to introduce research and scientific writing earlier to physics and engineering undergraduate students, we designed a Space Physics Project in Fall of 2021 to add to Foundations of Physics and Engineering at the University of Scranton. To complete the project, students worked with data from the Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite (GOES) spacecraft, as well as amateur (ham) radio data collected by Reverse Beacon Network (RBN, reversebeacon.net) and the Weak Signal Propagation Reporting Network (WSPRNet, wsprnet.org).
JF - HamSCI Workshop 2022 PB - HamSCI CY - Huntsville, AL ER - TY - Generic T1 - Magnetosphere-Ionosphere Coupling Studies Using the PSWS Magnetometer Network T2 - HamSCI Workshop 2022 Y1 - 2022 A1 - Hyomin Kim A1 - Sadaf Ansari A1 - Julius Madey A1 - David Witten A1 - David Larsen A1 - Scotty Cowling A1 - Nathaniel Frissell A1 - James Weygand AB -

As part of HamSCI Personal Space Weather Station (PSWS) project, a low-cost, commercial off-the-shelf magnetometer, which measures magnetic field strength and direction, has been developed to provide quantitative and qualitative measurements of the geospace environment from the ground for both scientific and operational purposes at a cost that will allow for crowd-sourced data contributions. The PSWS magnetometers employ a magneto-inductive sensor technology to record three-axis magnetic field variations with a field resolution of ~6 nT at a 1 Hz sample rate. Data from the PSWS network will combine these magnetometer measurements with high frequency (HF, 3-30 MHz) radio observations to monitor large-scale current systems and ionospheric disturbances due to drivers from both space and the atmosphere. A densely-spaced magnetometer array, once established, will demonstrate their space weather monitoring capability to an unprecedented spatial extent. Magnetic field data obtained by the magnetometers installed at various locations in the US are presented and compared with the existing magnetometers nearby, demonstrating that its performance is very adequate for scientific investigations.

JF - HamSCI Workshop 2022 PB - HamSCI CY - Huntsville, AL ER - TY - Generic T1 - Ray Tracing in Python Utilizing the PHaRLAP Engine T2 - HamSCI Workshop 2022 Y1 - 2022 A1 - Alexander Calderon A1 - William Liles A1 - Nathaniel Frissell A1 - Joshua Vega AB -

Provision of High-Frequency Raytracing Laboratory for Propagation (PHaRLAP) is an ionospheric ray tracing library developed by the Australian Department of Defence (DOD). PHaRLAP is freely available as a MATLAB toolbox downloadable from an Australian DOD website. PHaRLAP is capable of numerically ray tracing radio propagation paths using 2D and 3D algorithms through model ionospheres, most typically the International Reference Ionosphere (IRI). In an effort to make PHaRLAP available to a wider user community we are porting the PHaRLAP MATLAB toolbox to the open source Python 3 language while retaining the original core PHaRLAP computational engine. In this presentation, we describe the architecture of the new Python 3 PHaRLAP interface and demonstrate examples of 2D ray traces using the new interface.

JF - HamSCI Workshop 2022 PB - HamSCI CY - Huntsville, AL ER - TY - MGZN T1 - Ham Radio Creates a Planet-Sized Space Weather Sensor Network Y1 - 2021 A1 - Kristina V. Collins A1 - David Kazdan A1 - Nathaniel Frissell JF - QST VL - 105 UR - https://www.arrl.org/qst IS - 8 ER - TY - CONF T1 - Experiment Design to Assess Ionospheric Perturbations During the 2017 Total Solar Eclipse T2 - Fall AGU - Poster Presentation Y1 - 2015 A1 - Magdalina Moses A1 - Gregory Earle A1 - Nathaniel Frissell A1 - Stephen Kaeppler AB -

On August 21, 2017, there will be a total solar eclipse over the United States traveling from Oregon to South Carolina. Solar eclipses offer a way to study the dependence of the ionospheric density and morphology on incident solar radiation. There are significant differences between the conditions during a solar eclipse and the conditions normally experienced at sunset and sunrise, including the east-west motion of the eclipse terminator, the speed of the transition, and the continued visibility of the corona throughout the eclipse interval. Taken together, these factors imply that unique ionospheric responses may be witnessed during eclipses. These include changes in the ionospheric electric fields, changes in the Total Electron Content (TEC) along paths through the eclipsed region, and variations in the density and altitude of the F2 peak. Several studies over the past century investigated these effects; however, some of the results from these studies are contradictory. These contradictions and the studies’ limited spatial resolution leave many fundamental questions unanswered. The advent of several mid-latitude Global Positioning System (GPS) and radar networks in the past few decades, such as the Continuously Operating Reference Station (CORS) system and the Super Dual Auroral Radar Network (SuperDARN) radar system, have enabled ionospheric observations with hitherto unprecedented spatial resolution. Also, the establishment of several nationwide amateur radio reporting systems, such as the Reverse Beacon Network (RBN) that monitors radio wave propagation on the high frequency (HF) bands, offers the potential for evaluating changes in ionospheric conditions with unprecedented spatial resolution. We propose to study the effects of the total solar eclipse on the ionosphere using a combination of GPS receivers, the SuperDARN radar system, HF band amateur radio, and plasma modeling. The overall objectives of this study are to characterize the changes in F-region plasma morphology during the eclipse over a larger spatial domain than any previous eclipse experiment. In addition, the amateur radio component of our study offers a unique opportunity to further engage the amateur radio community nationwide in a scientific study.

JF - Fall AGU - Poster Presentation PB - American Geophysical Union CY - San Francisco, CA ER - TY - CONF T1 - The Ionosphere's Pocket Litter: Exploiting Crowd-Sourced Observations T2 - Fall AGU - Oral Presentation Y1 - 2015 A1 - Ethan S. Miller A1 - Nathaniel Frissell A1 - Stephen Kaeppler A1 - Robert Demajistre A1 - Andrew Knuth AB -

One of the biggest challenges faced in developing and testing our understanding of the ionosphere is acquiring data that characterizes the latitudinal and longitudinal variability of the ionosphere. While there are extensive networks of ground sites that sample the vertical distribution, we have rather poor coverage over the oceans and in parts of the southern hemisphere. Our ability to validate the ionospheric models is limited by the lack of point measurements and those measurements that essentially constitute characterization of horizontal gradients. In this talk, we discuss and demonstrate the use of various types of crowd-sourced information that enables us to extend our coverage over these regions. We will discuss new sources of these data, concepts for new experiments and the use of these data in assimilative models. We note that there are new, low cost options for obtaining data that broaden the participation beyond the aeronomy/ionospheric community.

JF - Fall AGU - Oral Presentation PB - American Geophysical Union CY - San Francisco, CA ER -