Ionosonde

An ionosonde, or chirpsounder, is a special radar for the examination of the ionosphere.

An ionosonde consists of:

 A high frequency (HF) transmitter, automatically tunable over a wide range.

Typically the frequency coverage is 0.5–23 MHz or 1–40 MHz, though normally
sweeps are confined to approximately 1.6–12 MHz.
 A tracking HF receiver which can automatically track the frequency of the
transmitter.
 An antenna with a suitable radiation pattern, which transmits well vertically
upwards and is efficient over the whole frequency range used.
 Digital control and data analysis circuits..

An ionosonde is used for finding the optimum operation frequencies for broadcasts or
two-way communications in the high frequency range.

The new technology used in modern digital ionosondes permits the measurement of
traditional (virtual heights and amplitude of echoes) and new (radio phase of echoes)
ionospheric data with very high precision. Consequently, higher accuracy for standard
ionospheric parameters can be achieved and new types of parameters can be obtained
using new processing methods. Details of such data analysis programs may depend on
the type of digital ionosonde used, however, the basic physical principles involved are
the same.
For example, there is no doubt that the change of the radio phase with time is
proportional to the Doppler frequency of the echo. In recent years much effort has gone
into modeling of the ionosphere. Unfortunately the spatial and the temporal resolution of
the most basic parameters of the data base for testing such models is inadequate. For
example, it appears that in some areas (e.g., Europe) the spatial resolution of the F-layer
maximum electron density may be sufficient, but this is not true for the height of the
maximum and the half-thickness of the F-layer, since very few station computed electron
density profiles from the recorded ionograms.
Category of antenna’s
Aperture Antenna practical examples are
1. they are used in antennas that include slots,
2. there practical example is of waveguides antenna,
3. practical example such as horns antennas,
4. aperture antenna with examples of Reflectors and lenses antenna .
5. Aperture antennas are commonly used in aircraft or spacecraft
6. The aperture can be mounted flush with the surface of the vehicle
7. The opening can be covered with a dielectric which allows
Electromagnetic energy to pass through.

Printed antenna:
1. Because such antennas have a very low profile, are mechanically rugged and
can be shaped to conform to the curving skin of a vehicle
2. they are often mounted on the exterior of aircraft and spacecraft,
3. the are incorporated into mobile radio communications devices
4. They are usually employed at UHF and higher frequencies because the size of
the antenna ..
5. printed antennas for WLAN
6. Printed Antennas for Automotive Applications
7. such as wireless base station to mobile handset, satellite earth station to airborne
communication systems, radio frequency identification (RFID) to body area
networks, etc.

Wire antenna:
Wire antennas have diverse designs with diverse applications, for example:

• Two-way radio communication with HF whip antennas, monopoles, helix and

dipole antennas

• UHF and VHF television signal distribution with Yagi-Uda, log-periodic and
grid antennas

Array Antenna
1. They are used to transmit and receive electromagnetic radiation of radio frequency
2. are essential to the operation of all radio equipment
3. Antennas are used in systems such as radio and television broadcasting
4. point-to-point radio communication
5. wireless LAN, cell phones
6. radar, and spacecraft communication