A new phase measuring technique for the minitrack satellite tracking system

Abstract

A New Phase Measuring Technique has been developed as a solution to some of the present limitation of Minitrack Satellite Tracking System. Two main problems are solved, one concerned with the processing of the information and the other, with the sensitivity of the system. The present Minitrack is not a real time system. The output information has to be solved from ambiguity, smoothed, and corrected at a centralized computer location with a re­sultant time delay. The output of the mew system is real time, free from ambiguity, and fully corrected. It will be used to plot the satellite position in X and Y coordinates and could be used to drive telemetry, antennas or optical cameras. Its digital output is a five decimal digit directional co­sine number ready for transmission to the centralized comput­er for orbital computation. The present Minitrack sensitivity is determined by a passive 10 cps bandwidth filter. The bandwidth is the narrowest bandwidth with linear phase vs frequency characteristics for a maximun differential doppler shift of 2 cps (approxima­tely 2 ° per second angular rate).