Brazil Installation of GPS-UHF for Ionospheric Research

BC/ISR researchers Vadym Paznukhov & Chris Bridgwood successfully deployed another set of BC/ISR-built GPS and UHF receivers in South America. This time, the installation sites were in Brazil, one near Cuiaba, capital of the state of Mato Grosso, in the interior of the country, and one in Sao Luis, capital of Maranhao, on the northeast coast. The sensors are hosted at facilities of Brazil’s National Institute for Space Research (INPE). Like the ones recently installed in Peru, these new instruments are being developed and tested as prototype receivers that will enhance the reliability of the existing scintillation data network. By adding additional locations to the network, they will expand the global coverage and improve our knowledge of ionospheric conditions. Good measurements of ionospheric scintillation are an urgent need as it can disturb satellite communications and distort signals from navigation satellites, sometimes severely.

The 2 larger photos show BC/ISR’s Vadym Paznukhov (left) & Chris Bridgwood (right) installing the new antennae in Cuiaba. This work is sponsored by USAF LCMC/HBAW at Hanscom AFB, MA.