A team from the Virginia Tech SuperDARN group carried out a wholesale replacement of the radar control electronics during a trip to the Goose Bay radar site through the last week of July, 2026. Kevin Sterne, Bharat Kunduri, and Mike Ruohoniemi removed the old analog electronics and replaced them with a package of USRPs, octoclocks, and a powerful processing computer on a design that originated with U.S. SuperDARN colleague Bill Bristow, now at Penn State. The group had previously performed this upgrade at the site of the Blackstone SuperDARN radar in time to collect observations through the 2024 total solar eclipse. This conversion at Goose Bay has been timed similarly for this radar to make observations through the 2026 total solar eclipse. A recent MSc. graduate of the group, Ms. Allison Pitzl, performed important preparatory work at the lab in assembling and testing the system. The Virginia Tech group joins its U.S. collaborators at Penn State and Dartmouth College in having multiple radars running the new electronics with their much improved capabilities.
Photo: Bharat and Kevin pose beside the rack holding the USRPs and supporting electronics (Photo credit: Mike)
Credit: This work was carried out with support from the U.S. National Science Foundation under Grant No. 2426200