Calibration of an optically isolated GNSS Traveling Calibrator
- Resource Type
- Conference
- Authors
- Gamatham, R.; Siebrits, R.; van Tonder, G.; Matthee, C.; Burger, J.
- Source
- 2023 XXXVth General Assembly and Scientific Symposium of the International Union of Radio Science (URSI GASS) General Assembly and Scientific Symposium of the International Union of Radio Science (URSI GASS), 2023 XXXVth. :1-4 Aug, 2023
- Subject
- Aerospace
Bioengineering
Communication, Networking and Broadcast Technologies
Components, Circuits, Devices and Systems
Engineered Materials, Dielectrics and Plasmas
Fields, Waves and Electromagnetics
Geoscience
Photonics and Electrooptics
Robotics and Control Systems
Signal Processing and Analysis
Temperature measurement
Global navigation satellite system
Temperature distribution
Uncertainty
Radio astronomy
Delay effects
Receiving antennas
- Language
- ISSN
- 2642-4339
This article presents a global navigation satellite system (GNSS) Traveling Calibrator (TC) that transmits timing signals and feedback control signals over single mode optical fibre. The TC is a radio quiet instrument which emits very low radio frequencies. The main function of the TC is to calibrate GNSS receiver to antenna links based at radio telescopes that require minimum radio frequency emissions such as the MeerKAT radio telescope in South Africa. The TC was deployed at the MeerKAT site and calibrated using a MeerKAT global point positioning (GPS) station. A tailor-made proportional integral (PI) control system maintained the temperature of the TC within ±0.3°C from the set point over a 5 day observation period. The TC calibration values for the Pl and P2 codes were found to be 55.25ns and 54.90ns.