Precise Measurement Method for Ionospheric Total Electron Content Using Signals from GPS Satellites

Abstract

Communications Research Laboratory (CRL) has developed a GPS codeless receiver called "GTR-2" for measuring total electron content (TEC) along the line of sight to the GPS satellite by using the cross correlation amplitude of the received P-code signals carried by Ll(1575.42MHz) and 12 (1227.6MHz). This equipment has the performance of uncertainty in the measurement of TEC of about 2 x 10(16) electrons/m(2) when a 10 dBi gain antenna was used. To increase the measurement performance, CRL is planning an upper version of GTR-2 called GTR-3 which uses the phase information of the continuous signals obtained by making a cross correlation or multiplication of the received L1 and L2 P-code signals. BY using the difference of these measured phase values, we can estimate the ionospheric delay with the ambiguities of the periods of L1 + L2 and L1 -L2 signals. As the periods of these signals are about 3 ns and 0.3 ns respectively, then this method has the possibility of TEC measurement with the uncertainty of 1 or 2 times of 10(15) electrons/m(2) of TEC. Additionally to the precise measurement of TEC, this method has the ability of the precise measurement of the pseudo-range between the GPS satellite and the receiver for the precise positioning.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Dec 01, 1990
Accession Number
ADA522577

Entities

People

  • Akihiro Kaneko
  • Chihiro Miki
  • Hitoshi Kiuchi
  • Michito Imae
  • Shinichi Hama

Tags

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Abstracts
  • Ambiguity
  • Amplitude
  • Antennas
  • Artificial Satellites
  • Calibration
  • Carrier Frequencies
  • Clocks
  • Converters
  • Cross Correlation
  • Electrons
  • Equations
  • Frequency
  • Global Positioning Systems
  • Ionospheric Propagation
  • Measurement
  • Precision

Readers

  • Phased Array Antenna Design.
  • Positioning, Navigation, and Timing (PNT) Technology.
  • Space/Atmospheric Physics.

Technology Areas

  • Microelectronics
  • Space