A brief talk to open the conference proceedings from Prof. Sam Drake, Co-Director, Centre for Defence Electromagnetic Research and Training, College of Science and Engineering
GNU Radio is a Free and Open Source software toolkit for developing wireless applications. For 24 years GNU Radio has been an integral part of cutting edge research and development in industry and academia. How has the open community development worked and how are the demands of future systems being met?
Software-Defined Radio (SDR) has transformed the way we design, prototype, and deploy modern radio systems. Allowing complex signal processing tasks to be implemented in software rather than fixed hardware. This presentation introduces GNU Radio Companion (GRC), an easy entry point into the world of GNU Radio. We will explore the fundamentals of the GNU Radio framework, including its modular...
This talk explores the fundamentals of antenna enigeering as well as consideraions in antenna selection for SDRs. It covers key antenna parameters such as radiation patterns, impedance matching, bandwidth, and polarisation, while highlighting how these factors influence SDR functionality.
This session introduces the core principles of radio-based geolocation, including time difference of arrival (TDOA), angle of arrival (AOA), received signal strength (RSS), and differential Doppler techniques. Practical examples using software-defined radio (SDR) platforms illustrate how these methods can be applied to determine signal origin in dynamic environments.
Over the past decade, the commercial software-defined radio (SDR) landscape has advanced dramatically—from 6 GHz to 18 GHz maximum frequency, 12 to 16-bit resolution, and 50 MHz to 500 MHz instantaneous bandwidth - the good news is that all of these advancements are available to GNU Radio users. The most transformative shift, however, is the integration of high-performance GPUs, enabling...
Several critical aspects of antenna and communication system performance, from both practical and design perspectives, are discussed. First, the importance of selecting appropriate RF cables is emphasized, as poor cable choices will compromise system efficiency. A novel technique on the use of a dummy cable to significantly enhance the performance of log-periodic dipole array (LPDA) antennas,...
Utilising 3d-printing technology, rapid antenna prototyping can be accomplished at minimal cost. An antenna design can move from simulation to full manufactured measurement within hours instead of weeks. A dual axis 360° mount was built. Arduino controlled stepper motors drive rotation in theta and phi. Alongside an Analog Devices Pluto-SDR, granular automatic antenna beam pattern measurements...
This workshop will introduce GNU Radio Companion (GRC), an easy entry point into the world of GNU Radio. We will explore the fundamentals of the GNU Radio framework, including its modular architecture, signal flow graphs, and integration with popular SDR hardware such as RTL-SDR and USRP. Attendees will gain insight into essential digital signal processing concepts, the flexibility of...
This talk introduces the core principles of electromagnetic wave behaviour, including wave propagation, reflection, refraction, and polarization. It provides a foundational understanding essential for applications in wireless communication, radar, and antenna design.
For applications involving several RF sensors e.g SDRs (Software Defined Radios,) synchronisation of the RF sources at various nodes, play important role in the mission success. Phase and Time synchronisation among the nodes are specified and measured e.g SSB Phase noise, for a specific goal. This talk will discuss the requirements, measurements and limitations of these parameters briefly.
Radiometric fingerprinting uses unique hardware-induced features in waveforms to identify and profile transmitters. Unlike software-based fingerprints, these features arise from analogue imperfections and serve as reliable markers for device-level authentication. This talk will present recent advances in radiometric fingerprinting, including AI-enabled feature extraction and classification...
Automatic Dependent Surveillance–Broadcast (ADS-B) Mode S messages transmitted at 1090 MHz facilitate aircraft self-reporting telemetry data such as callsign, coordinates, bearing, velocity, and altitude to ground stations. The ADS-B protocol uses a preamble followed by a pulse-position modulated (PPM) data sequence that is simple to demodulate but lacks security features such as encryption,...
Artificial Intelligence (AI), especially deep learning, is reshaping wireless communication. Beyond its success in image and speech recognition, AI is increasingly applied to wireless signal processing. This session explores how deep learning can be integrated with Software-Defined Radios (SDRs) to enable intelligent transceiver systems. We’ll demonstrate the seamless integration of SDRs and...
Work on Capture the Signal challenges, try out SDR software and hardware, and discuss general or specific questions.
Use GNU Radio directly in Python or C++ to integrate signal processing into a wider application. We will dive into the runtime scheduler, the internal structure of processing blocks, and how to implement bespoke DSP.
Some remarks from Prof. Alistair Rendell, Vice President and Executive Dean, College of Science and Engineering.
A through-the-wall detection (TTW) detection system using opportunistic WiFi signals in real-world environments is of great interest for non-invasive sensing in security, rescue, and monitoring applications. The existing approaches rely on controlled access points or complex MIMO configurations. To address this, in this paper, a TTW detection system that integrates a highly customized...
This paper presents a novel technique for measuring the Allan deviation of the internal oscillator within a software defined radio (SDR). This modified version of the standard double mixer time difference (DMTD) method utilizes the SDR’s analog-to-digital converter (ADC) to eliminate the need for expensive and specialized equipment. By analysing the phase of the sampled signal through the ADC,...
Software Defined Radio (SDR) platforms have emerged as cost-effective solutions for direction finding applications, offering flexibility and accessibility compared to traditional hardware-based systems. Direction finding algorithms, particularly those employing phase-based techniques such as interferometry and beamforming, require precise phase and amplitude coherence between receiver...
This talk will present some practical implementations of passive localisation techniques known as one-step algorithms. These methods are commonly reserved for offline, non-time-critical scenarios due to their reputation for poor scalability. However, in scenarios where they are applicable, they offer benefits such as improved robustness, particularly in challenging signal environments....
This workshop explores the fundamental characteristics of electromagnetic waves and antennas — frequency, polarization, and propagation loss—using a wireless communication setup built on a Software-Defined Radio (SDR) platform and a selection of antennas with distinct radiation patterns. Participants will gain hands-on experience in measuring and analyzing these properties to understand their...
This hands-on workshop explores methods for detecting and verifying spoofed ADS-B transmissions. Participants will use GNU Radio and SDR hardware to analyse real and simulated ADS-B signals, learning how to identify anomalies and assess signal authenticity in aviation surveillance systems.
Software defined radio (SDR) technologies have revolutionised Defence’s approach to both tactical and strategic electronic warfare. The invasion of Ukraine has proven the necessity of electronic warfare on the modern battlefield - not only strategically, but also at an individual level.
This paper presents the framework and approach of the organisation, sharing lessons learned along our...
