Radio Direction Finding

Gloucester County NJ
Amateur Radio Club
Jim, N2GXJ
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 What is RDF?
RDF Radio Direction Finding
Determining the direction from which a received
radio signal was transmitted.
Technology has changed over the decades
Essential elements of the techniques have not
Success is still largely up to the skill of the RDF
equipment operator

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 When RDF?
Searching for sources of radio interference
Localizing non-authorized transmitter
Identification of transmitters, known and
unknown
Dealing with spread spectrum techniques,
especially in wireless communications
Military and security forces
Civilian search and rescue
Wildlife tracking
Radiosport!
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 History
DF technique is as old as radio
Heinrich Hertz (1888) experiments with
decimetric waves found antenna directivity
Early patents
Stone, 1902
Forest, 1909
Belini and Tosi, 1909
Adcock, 1919

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 History -WWI
DF widely used to pinpoint enemy
forces during WWI
Radio Compass, prototype for
U.S. Navy 1916
Passive technology, listen in on
large military forces keeping in
contact with their headquarters
Manual RDF techniques
Rotatable antennas
RF propagation challenges
Groundwave, skywave, multi-path,
fading, polarization changes, non-
white external noise, seasonal and
time-varying ionospherics,
Kensington Maryland field station, circa 1919, (dont we know!)
NIST Photographic Collection
(http://museum.nist.gov/panels/gallery/radiodf.html)

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 History - WWII

Accuracy improvement HF/DF Nets

Multiple RDF stations operating together as a net
Each try get directional fix on callsign heard, noting time and
frequency, then coordinate with others
Intercept lines drawn on map for all sites that got a fix on target
Ref: http://www.researcheratlarge.com/Pacific/RDF/
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 WWII, RDF Stories
Pearl Harbor
As shown in movie Tora Tora Tora, Japan fleet used Honolulu
broadcast station as an over-the-horizon beacon for attack on
Pearl Harbor
Regular Japanese carrier radio operators kept back in Tokyo,
generating false traffic
their unique styles recognized and located as being in home islands
U.S. Navy DAQ (WWII) Secret Transmitters
British Radio Security Service up to 1700 volunteer interceptors
(radio amateurs) recruited to detect illicit transmissions
Similar efforts in Europe by the Germans to locate resistance
groups
D-day Deceptions
Operation Fortitude, with (fake) First US Army Group, led by
George Patton. Radio trickery helped convince Germans real plan
German EP2a for invasion in Calais, not Normandy.
U-boats
U-boat loop antenna technology, used in hunting Allied shipping
(ref: http://uboat.net/articles/51.html)
British ships outfitted with new automatic HuffDuff very
effective in tracking and hunting short duration German
submarine transmissions, helped turn the tide of shipping losses

German U-67 DF Antenna

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 Cold War

After WWII
From 1950s, US adapted German Wullenweber antenna systems for use in
Vietnam, cold-war eavesdropping (FRD-10, AN/FLR-9)
Russians deployed similar (Krug), early use included tracking Sputnik
OUTBOARD HF/DF systems standardized on U.S. Navy vessels
New and Improved Technologies
Automatic signal search and analysis
Combined active/passive systems (e.g. Over the horizon HF radar)
Refs: http://www.answers.com/topic/radio-direction-finding-equipment
AN/FLR-9, ref: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wullenweber
http://www.engineeringradio.us/blog/2010/10/how-the-cold-war-was-won 8
 Modern Era

Military (still)
Search and Rescue
Wildlife Tracking
Spectrum enforcement
Amateur RDF

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 Search and Rescue

Distress Radio Beacons Cospas-Sarsat (satellite) compatible

Maritime (EPIRBs) beacon frequencies
406.025 Mhz (digital burst, satellite)
Aircraft (ELTs) 121.5 MHz (analog, short range homer)
Personal (PLBs) 243. Mhz (old, phased out since 2009)
What about APRS? Other systems, not so standard
Has distress packet type, but not 457 kHz, Avalanche transceiver
guaranteed & not satellite 216-217 MHz, LoJack Safetynet & law
compatible enforcement tracking devices
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 Wildlife Tracking

Tracking
Micro-transmitters, collars, tagging technologies
RDF techniques (fixed-wing, mobile, and on-foot)
Studies
Migration patterns
Population studies
Volunteer opportunities?
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 Technologies
Spectrum Enforcement
If cant ID interfering signal by demodulation, or
signal analysis, need radiolocation to locate source
Radiolocation Technologies
Manual Techniques
Doppler DF
Watson-Watt
Time difference of arrival, SRDF

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 Technology
Manual Techniques
Use of receiver and hand-held directional
antenna
Antenna is moved/rotated to find
directions of min and max signal strength,
usually based on signal amplitude
Home-in on signal by moving in
direction of signal, then sweep to test
possible locations in suspect area
Can also plot bearing lines to triangulate
general transmitter location
Limitations: highly dependent on skill of
operator, accuracy poor at distance,
difficult to get bearing on short duration
signals, difficult to get bearing on
frequency agile signals
Rohde & Schwarz portable
monitoring & RDF
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 Homing-in by Bearing

If mobile, can take bearing, follow it for a bit, then repeat

Not always shortest path

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 Triangulation

Narrow search area by triangulating lines of bearing

Take directional measurements from several locations
Plot bearings on a map, narrow search to where bearings intersect
Directional uncertainty at distance, progressively smaller hunt areas
Max signal strength (S-meter) when close, attenuate to avoid overload
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Watson-Watt
Amplitude comparison
technique, developed after
WWII, using crossed loop,
or Adcock antennas
Enabled real-time RDF, even
for short duration signals
Difference signals from N-S,
and W-E used to deflect
electron beam on CRT
Basic Adcock/Watson-Watt
design is basis of many
systems today
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 TDOA

Time difference of arrival (TDOA)

Works on detecting a phase difference, not amplitude difference
Useful for close-in work, when amplitude schemes overload
FM tone when signal not arriving at antennas at same time
Turn antenna unit until find null (180 degree ambiguity)
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 Doppler DF

Doppler shift
Circular array, electrically rotating antenna (goniometer, CDAA)
Single receiver, rotational FM tone demodulated
Closer to signal: frequency shifts up, away: shift down
Phase offset of recovered tone vs. original is direction of arrival

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 Correlation Interferometer RDF

Interferometry first used in radio astronomy

Measures angle of incident wavefront at multiple elements
Relies on digital signal processing for sensor array processing
Electrically small active or passive elements, wideband performance
Number of elements in CI antenna varies (5-9 typical)

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 TDOA / Super-resolution / SRDF

Taking advantage of software - digital signal processing techniques

Since 1990s, order of magnitude increase in resolution
Increased DF accuracy
Azimuth and elevation DF
Simultaneous DF of multiple co-channel signals
Operation with very few data samples (MUSIC, Capon, ESPRIT algorithms)
Adaptive beam forming for signal separation (null steering)
Not fixed to a particular array geometry (array manfold from stored
calibration function)
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 Digital receivers

Near instantaneous signal acquisition

No calibration required
No need for multiple coherent local oscillators
Supports DF on short duration / frequency hopping signals
Supports reconstruction of frequency hoppers
Broadband beam forming without need for
large coaxial cable delay lines
N channels provides 10logN dynamic range enhancement

Ref: http://www.g4axx.com/HF_Radio_Direction_Finding.pdf
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 Digital Beam forming

You might have digital beam forming equipment in your

home or office right now!
802.11n WI-FI since 2009 (e.g. Cisco Aironet, Ruckus 7962)
Adaptive antenna technology
Null steering for automatic interference mitigation
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 Amateur RDF
Locating sources of Interference
Unintentional
Malicious
Help in Emergencies
Radiolocation, search and rescue
Radiosport!
Amateur Radio Direction Finding (IARU)
T-Hunting

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 ARDF - On-Foot Hunt

Amateur Radio Direction Finding (ARDF)

On-foot, several KM, running through the woods to finish in lowest time
Combines orienteering (compass/map) skills, with radio DF skills
International rules, national and international competitions
Great web site for ARDF: www.homingin.com

Just want to see what Orienteering is about? Is great Fun for the Fall!
The best, and local: Delaware Valley Orienteering Association
Walking beginner courses: http://www.dvoa.org/
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 Mobile T-Hunt

Transmitter Hunting (T-Hunt, fox hunt)

Take place in larger geographic area than ARDF events
Southern California variants
Shortest time or lowest mileage
Individual or cooperative team
Fixed or mobile transmitter
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 Lets Have Some Fun!
Practice RDF skills while having fun!
GCARC Mobile T-hunt!
Driving, Navigating, RDF activity, all in one
This Sunday Aug 5, 1-3pm
Team check-in on our 2M repeater
(147.180+, PL 131.8)
Fox ID, then hell QSY to simplex
(147.54 vs. 146.565)
Meet-up after for socializing: Whitman Diner

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 Boundaries

Central Gloucester County

Fox will park in publicly accessible place (no private property)
Twice per minute transmissions (minimum), on simplex frequency using
his own ID, clearly identifying self as the hidden transmitter
Hunters leave simplex frequency open for Fox transmissions
coordinate with each other during hunt on our 2M repeater frequency
Fox will give better clues if any teams still searching after an hour (2pm)
Will talk-in any teams still searching after an hour and a half (2:30pm)
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 T-hunt Techniques
Homing-in
Directional antenna or technique (e.g. body fade)
S-meter, signal strength indication (peak or null)
The stronger the signal, the closer you are!
Map of area, with plastic cover can write-on
And marker, straight edge, and maybe a compass
Recommend driver independent from navigator, radio
operator (less driving distraction)
Fun with partners
Dont all have to be hams!
Maybe copy of your ham license (just in case)
Practice ahead of time
Talk with other club members
Can triangulate on W2MMD, other known repeaters
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 Body Fade
Simple technique, using your hand-held (2M HT)
Hold HT close to your chest or waist and use your body to block
(attenuate) the signal
Slowly turn around, and listen to signal (or observe your S-meter)
When signal sounds the weakest, the transmitter is behind you (180
degrees from direction you are facing)
As you get closer to transmitter, you may not detect any changes in
signal strength.
Lower HT into cardboard box or tube shielded in aluminum foil until hear
noticeable change in signal strength. Try body fade again.
Tune off frequency +/-5-10 kHz to reduce receivers sensitivity (thereby
signal strength). Try body fade again.
Tune to 3rd harmonic (if multi-band HT), and listen for lower strength
signal there
(147.54 x 3 => 442.62 MHz, 146.565 x 3 => 439.695 MHz)
Remove the antenna and perform body fade technique again
(remember RX only dont TX!)
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 Build a Simple Directional Antenna

Tape Measure Beam Optimized for Radio Direction Hunting

Joe Leggio, WB2HOL:
http://theleggios.net/wb2hol/projects/rdf/tape_bm.htm
Flexible steel tape measure elements
Self-supporting, yet fold easy to get in-and-out of car
Great front-to-back ratio (> 50 db) for hidden transmitter hunts
Build using only simple hand tools (no machine shop needed)

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 Hunt Techniques
Starting
Consider start on higher ground
Check-in with hunt coordinator on 2M repeater before start (1PM)
Get initial bearing line on target, once Fox revealed
Agree on plan of attack
Navigate for triangulation
Close-in
Stop often to get updated bearings to Fox transmissions
Narrow target area through triangulation
Front-end overload, use attenuation
Off-frequency tuning (+/- 5-10kHz)
3rd harmonics (147.54 MHz x 3 )
Foil cardboard tube wrap (dont short out battery terminals!)
Remove the antenna + all the above
Body-fade for null
Find the transmitter, and youve found the Fox!

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 Techniques
Finish
Amazing race style in-person finish
face-to-face with Fox operator
get handshake and your finish order confirmation
Clear area for other hunters
If teams still hunting after first hour, Fox gives
better and better clues as approach hard stop
time (3pm)
Fox declares hunt over when all teams have
checked-in at finish
(or given up, with confirmation from the Fox)

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 Foxhunt
Too easy, too fast a finish?
If first team to fox in under 30 minutes, drive out to
become 2nd Fox (146.565)
Future T-hunts/foxhunts?
Lets see how this one goes first!
Possibilities..
Portable ARDF transmitters (CW ID, up to 5, in-order)?
Coordinated event with other area clubs?
Sources for additional information
ARRL, QST Magazine
(online links http://www.arrl.org/direction-finding)
CQ Magazine
Questions?
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Radio Direction Finding

Thank you! See you Sunday!

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