Low cost RF front end realization for an experimental Passive Direction Finding testbed

This paper presents the realization of a low cost generic multi-channel RF front end to be integrated in a testbed suitable for Passive Direction Finding architectures and algorithms prototyping. Experimentations involving two well-known algorithms for Angle Of Arrival estimation, conventional beamforming and baseline interferometry, have been conducted. The realized RF front end and National Instruments hardware with LabVIEW programming tool have been used for RF signal conditioning and digital signal processing respectively. The testbed setup and the front end realization steps are explained. The experimental results of the two algorithms are given for test signals of arbitrary frequencies and angles of arrival to demonstrate the utility of the RF front end and the successful implementation of both algorithms.