@proceedings {629, title = {TangerineSDR Architecture and Hardware Update}, year = {2022}, month = {03/2022}, publisher = {HamSCI}, address = {Huntsville, AL}, abstract = {

We will explain the Tangerine ecosystem and how it stacks up against other radio systems. Learn about the Clock Module (CKM), RF Module (RFM), Data Engine (DE), Magnetometer Module, VLF Receiver Module and the two newest modules, the DE Adapter and the CKM Carrier. The modular and useful approach of the TangerineSDR will allow users to build many different radio configurations at many price-points. The hardware status will be presented in light of the current supply-chain shortages.

}, author = {Scott H. Cowling} } @conference {544, title = {HamSCI Personal Space Weather: Architecture and Applications to Radio Astronomy}, booktitle = {Annual (Summer) Eastern Conference}, year = {2021}, month = {07/2021}, publisher = {Society of Amateur Radio Astronomers (SARA)}, organization = {Society of Amateur Radio Astronomers (SARA)}, address = {Virtual}, abstract = {

The Ham Radio Science Citizen Investigation (HamSCI) Personal Space Weather Station (PSWS) project is a citizen science initiative to develop a new modular set of ground-based instrumentation for the purpose of studying the structure and dynamics of the terrestrial ionosphere, as well as the larger, coupled geospace system. PSWS system instrumentation includes radio receivers sensitive to frequencies ranging from the very low frequency (VLF) through very high frequency (VHF) bands, a Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) receiver to provide Total Electron Content (TEC) measurements and serve as a precision time and frequency reference, and a ground magnetometer sensitive to ionospheric and geospace currents. Although the PSWS is designed primarily for space weather and space science, its modular and open design in both hardware and software allows for a variety of use cases. The core radio instrument of the PSWS, the TangerineSDR, is a wideband, direct sampling 100~kHz to 60~MHz field programmable gate array (FPGA)-based software defined radio (SDR) receiver with direct applicability to radio astronomy. In this paper, we describe the PSWS and TangerineSDR architecture, show examples of how the TangerineSDR could be used to observe Jovian decametric emission, and discuss the applicability of the TangerineSDR to radio astronomy in general.

}, url = {https://rasdr.org/store/books/books/journals/proceedings-of-annual-conference}, author = {Nathaniel A. Frissell and Scott H. Cowling and Thomas C. McDermott and John Ackermann and David Typinski and William D. Engelke and David R. Larsen and David G. McGaw and Hyomin Kim and David M. Witten, II and Julius M. Madey and Kristina V. Collins and John C. Gibbons and David Kazdan and Aidan Montare and Dev Raj Joshi and Veronica I. Romanek and Cuong D. Nguyen and Stephen A. Cerwin and William Liles and Jonathan D. Rizzo and Ethan S. Miller and Juha Vierinen and Philip J. Erickson and Mary Lou West} } @conference {540, title = {HamSCI Personal Space Weather Station (PSWS): Architecture and Current Status}, booktitle = {NSF CEDAR (Coupling, Energetics, and Dynamics of Atmospheric Regions)}, year = {2021}, month = {06/2021}, publisher = {CEDAR}, organization = {CEDAR}, address = {Virtual}, abstract = {

Recent advances in geospace remote sensing have shown that large-scale distributed networks of ground-based sensors pay large dividends by providing a big picture view of phenomena that were previously observed only by point-measurements. While existing instrument networks provide excellent insight into ionospheric and space science, the system remains undersampled and more observations are needed to advance understanding. In an effort to generate these additional measurements, the Ham Radio Science Citizen Investigation (HamSCI, hamsci.org) is working with the Tucson Amateur Packet Radio Corporation (TAPR, tapr.org), an engineering organization comprised of volunteer amateur radio operators and engineers, to develop a network of Personal Space Weather Stations (PSWS). These instruments that will provide scientific-grade observations of signals-of-opportunity across the HF bands from volunteer citizen observers as part of the NSF Distributed Array of Small Instruments (DASI) program. A performance-driven PSWS design (~US$500) will be a modular, multi-instrument device that will consist of a dual-channel phase-locked 0.1-60 MHz software defined radio (SDR) receiver, a ground magnetometer with (~10 nT resolution and 1-sec cadence), and GPS/GNSS receiver to provide precision time stamping and serve as a GPS disciplined oscillator (GPSDO) to provide stability to the SDR receiver. A low-cost PSWS (\< US$100) that measures Doppler shift of HF signals received from standards stations such as WWV (US) and CHU (Canada) and includes a magnetometer is also being developed. HF sounding algorithms making use of signals of opportunity will be developed for the SDR-based PSWS. All measurements will be collected into a central database for coordinated analysis and made available for public access.

}, author = {Nathaniel A. Frissell and Dev Joshi and Veronica I. Romanek and Kristina V. Collins and Aidan Montare and David Kazdan and John Gibbons and William D. Engelke and Travis Atkison and Hyomin Kim and Scott H. Cowling and Thomas C. McDermott and John Ackermann and David Witten and Julius Madey and H. Ward Silver and William Liles and Steven Cerwin and Philip J. Erickson and Ethan S. Miller and Juha Vierinen} } @proceedings {460, title = {Preliminary Data Analysis of PSWS Magnetometer Data}, year = {2021}, month = {03/2021}, publisher = {HamSCI}, address = {Scranton, PA (Virtual)}, abstract = {

We report on the preliminary analysis of data obtained from newly developed magnetometers as part of HamSCI Personal Space Weather Station (PSWS) project. These systems are designed 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 low-cost, commercial off-the-shelf, magneto-inductive sensor technology to record three-axis magnetic field variations with an adequate field resolution of ~10 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 in unprecedented spatial extent. Magnetic field data obtained by the magnetometers installed at three locations across the US are presented and compared with the existing magnetometers nearby.\ 

}, author = {Hyomin Kim and Julius Madey and David M. Witten II and David Larsen and Scott H. Cowling and Nathaniel A. Frissell and James Weygand} } @proceedings {500, title = {PSWS Ground Magnetometer Hardware}, year = {2021}, month = {03/2021}, publisher = {HamSCI}, address = {Scranton, PA (Virtual)}, abstract = {

The path from candidate device for the magnetometer function of the PSWS to practical affordable working 24/7 data collection installations based on the low cost and readily available PNI RM3100 magneto-inductive sensor is discussed.\  Initial support board design using i2c bus connection to the host Odroid or Raspberry Pi class microprocessors with support for remote extension of the sensor to at least 100 feet with common CAT5 networking cable will be described as well as the accompanying test and logging software.\  Details of initial testing which revealed the need for temperature stabilization of the RM3100, verified remote operation to at least 500 feet, the subsequent design of an in-ground sensor housing made from common PVC water pipe and fittings and refinement of the microprocessor adapter board and remote board will be presented.

}, author = {Julius Madey and David Witten, II and Hyomin Kim and David Larsen and Scott H. Cowling and Nathaniel A. Frissell} } @proceedings {502, title = {TangerineSDR Data Engine and Overall Architecture}, year = {2021}, month = {03/2021}, publisher = {HamSCI}, address = {Scranton, PA (Virtual)}, abstract = {

First conceived in 2018 at the ARRL/TAPR Alubuquerque Digital Communications Conference, the modular TangerineSDR has gone through many architecture changes and upgrades. The first use case will be the Personal Space Weather Station (PSWS). The boardset consists of three custom boards: the Data Engine (DE), the Clock Module (CKM) and the RF Module (RFM). Now that we are nearing prototype hardware, here is an overview of the final architecture and the status of the prototype build.

}, author = {Scott H. Cowling and Tom McDermott and John Ackermann} } @proceedings {509, title = {TangerineSDR for the HamSCI Personal Space Weather Station}, year = {2021}, month = {03/2021}, publisher = {HamSCI}, address = {Scranton, PA (Virtual)}, abstract = {

The TangerinSDR is a modular SDR serving several use cases. The first use case will be hardware for the HamSCI Personal Space Weather Station, or PSWS. Take a look here for hardware details of the TangerineSDR from TAPR and how it will support the HamSCI PSWS!

}, author = {Scott H. Cowling} }