Field Trials of Passive Radiolocation using LOFAR Radio Telescope and External Reference Receiver

Abstract

The paper presents the results of studies related to the possibility of cooperation of a LOFAR radio telescope with an external reference receiver in a passive radiolocation system in which the LOFAR radio telescope serves as a receiver. In particular, the problem of synchronization of signal registrations performed by LOFAR and the external reference receivers based on a Universal Software Radio Peripheral (USRP) device is considered. The field trials, whose results are presented in the paper, were one of the first stages of our research devoted to the practical verification of the capability of space target detection using the LOFAR station as a receiver in a passive radiolocation system.