Date of Award

6-7-2025

Document Type

Thesis

Publisher

Santa Clara : Santa Clara University, 2025

Department

Electrical and Computer Engineering

First Advisor

Kurt Schab

Abstract

Radio Detection and Ranging (radar) is a core application of RF engineering, traditionally implemented through active systems that transmit high-power signals and process their reflections to estimate target range and velocity. However, active radar systems require significant power, cost, and regulatory overhead. This thesis explores the design and implementation of a passive radar system as a low-power, cost-effective alternative for real-time aircraft tracking.

The system capitalizes on existing ultra-high frequency (UHF) television broadcast signals as illuminators of opportunity. These signals, along with their reflected signals from airborne targets, are received using Yagi-Uda directional antennas and captured using a USRP B210 software-defined radio (SDR). Signal processing is performed entirely on the receive side, using cross-correlation and ambiguity function analysis to extract time delay and Doppler shift through IQ data. These measurements are used to estimate target range and velocity in near real-time. A graphical user interface (GUI) then visualizes the processed data and its adaptability allows for system testing in any region with air traffic. This work demonstrates the viability of passive bi-static radar using commercial off-the-shelf components and open-source tools for low-cost airborne target tracking.

Download

Share

COinS