SignalHound integration field test

By popular request we integrated the SignalHound BB60D SDR with our simulation API to develop several novel capabilities relating to geo-location and antenna power measurement.

This proved two key principles; Grid-search is a viable geo-location technique if a simulation API can scale to it in a practical time and publishing APIs enables easy future integrations.

Integration features

Battery powered Jetson server running SOOTHSAYER
Python script with SignalHound library which logs signal power measurements
Offline web interface to display live survey data and control analysis
Analysis tools to perform a grid-search of a user defined polygon
Rapid simulation of hundreds of survey points against grid squares
Configurable grid resolution

Test results

A VHF tower on a distant hill was successfully geo-located using drive survey data from 2km away
A short 1.5km circular route was selected around some large buildings
The route only covered 10 degrees of deviation from the target
The buildings provided evidence of the tower’s direction
The statistical analysis revealed the tower’s likely grid square
The high resolution simulation of many grid-squares took less than 5 seconds

A video of the field test is on youtube.