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TornadoTrak

The five members of TornadoTrak, lined up in order of height

Team members:

  • Bruce Deakyne
  • Kody Mallory
  • Trevor McDonald
  • Adam Prulhiere
  • Luke Tonneman

Tornado and severe weather research is some of the most dangerous work facing scientists today. To reduce the risk to personnel and equipment, unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) are often used to carry payloads and instruments into the storm. This is the focus of some of the research carried out by Å·ÃÀ¿Ú±¬ÊÓƵ's Research and Engineering Center for Unmanned Vehicles (REÅ·ÃÀ¿Ú±¬ÊÓƵV). To further enhance the capabilities of this research, a tracking antenna operating at 900 MHz is desired. This will allow for safer research to be carried out in the path of dangerous weather.

We will design, build, and test a phased array that will allow both omni-directional operation as well as electronic beam-steering and tracking of the aircraft. The system will have the ability to monitor and display the quality of the received signal. This array will be protected by a weather proof dome and mounted on the roof of a chase van containing a mobile base station.

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