Radio Direction Finder
The Electronics & Telecommunications Research Institute (ETRI) succeeded in developing key techniques for a third-generation radio direction finder on its own.
The institute announced on Nov. 24 that it has developed commercially-viable radio direction finders that are more sensitive to weak signals and can detect them over greater ranges, using new techniques in weak signal detection.
The signal detection technology developed by the ETRI uses digital signal processing and removes the noise from the multi-channel signals that it picks up through correlation processing so as to extract pure radio signal sources. This digital signal processing results in double the range at 20 km and double the reception at 6 GHz when compared to existing signal detectors. The bandwidth is improved from 10 MHz to 25 MHz as well, which means that broadband radio signal sources can be found with greater ease. Finally, the new device only costs half of what old signal detectors cost.
This third-generation broadband direction finding technique of ETRI can be used to detect the positions of aircraft and ships in distress. It also allows immediate response to malicious GPS interruptions.
“The technology has a market value of at least 200 billion won [US$180 million] in the private as well as military sectors, and thus can contribute to small firms’ technological development,” the institute explained, adding, “In addition, the economical yet sufficiently competitive technique will be a great boon for Korean radio measurement and defense companies’ overseas business.”
ETRI has already signed a 3.1 billion won (US$2.8 million) contract to export the system to the National Telecommunications Commission of the Philippines. It is targeting the European market in Croatia, too.