02 / RF instrumentation / Signal analysis
Passive RF Drone Detection Receiver
A receive-only study of radio activity associated with controlled drone-link experiments.
01 / Context
The problem
Shared RF bands contain many signal sources, making it difficult to distinguish relevant link activity from ordinary traffic using spectrum observations alone.
02 / Engineering
The approach
Select receive hardware for the target bands, collect labeled observations from controlled sources, and evaluate candidate signal features against background activity. Keep the system passive and quantify false alarms and missed observations.
A proposed passive receiver and analysis workflow for observing RF activity and comparing recorded spectral features in controlled experiments. Frequency coverage depends on the chosen antennas, filters, RF front end and SDR. A generic inexpensive SDR dongle is not assumed to cover 2.4 GHz or 5.8 GHz directly.
03 / Toolkit
Technologies
- Band-appropriate SDR
- RF filters and antennas
- Spectrum analysis
- Python signal processing
- Recorded-signal datasets
04 / Purpose
Intended contribution
Develop RF measurement and classification skills while exploring the limitations of spectrum-based drone-link observation.
Development record
What has been established
No receiver build, dataset, detection accuracy or range has been demonstrated. Passive RF observations do not establish drone identity or detect every drone, particularly those without an observable radio link.
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