Projecte matriculat
Títol: Development of a Software-Defined Radio (SDR) Radio Telescope: Physical design and System Analysis
Director/a: GUTIÉRREZ CABELLO, JORDI
Departament: FIS
Títol: Development of a Software-Defined Radio (SDR) Radio Telescope: Physical design and System Analysis
Data inici oferta: 05-02-2026 Data finalització oferta: 05-10-2026
Estudis d'assignació del projecte:
DG ENG AERO/SIS TEL
| Tipus: Individual | |
| Lloc de realització: EETAC | |
| Segon director/a (UPC): GELONCH BOSCH, ANTONI | |
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| This thesis is devoted to the design, implementation, and characterization of a low-cost, high-flexibility radio telescope utilizing Software-Defined Radio (SDR) technology.
Traditional radio astronomy instrumentation often relies on expensive, application-specific hardware that lacks the adaptability required for multi-purpose astronomical observations. By leveraging the versatility of SDR, this project aims to democratize access to radio astronomy for educational and small-scale research environments. The system architecture consists of a parabolic reflector antenna and a high-sensitivity feedhorn optimized for observations in the range spanning from MHz to a few GHz. The signal chain incorporates a low-noise amplifier (LNA) and a bandpass filter to mitigate terrestrial interference before digitizing the signal via an RTL-SDR or similar high-bandwidth SDR platform. The core of the project focuses on the development of a digital signal processing (DSP) pipeline. This software layer performs integration, and baseline subtraction. Calibration will be conducted using the "hot/cold" method, utilizing the ground and the empty sky as thermal references to determine the system's equivalent noise temperature. A design requirement is that the entire system should be prepared to facilitate the incorporation of interferometry mechanisms. Work Plan 1) Antenna and pointing subsystems physical design 2) Subsystems development and integration 3) Performance system analysis |
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