A new multibeam receiving equipment for the Valensole skywave HF radar: description and applications

The Valensole HF skywave radar, used since 1960 for remote sensing of geophysical media, has recently been upgraded by installation of a multireceiver system used with linear receiving arrays. The antenna elements are combined in subarrays and each of them is connected to a receiver. A new radar controller has been designed to allow for the automatic control of individual antenna elements. The purpose of this paper is to present this installation and the scientific goals which led the authors to build it. To illustrate the improved remote sensing capabilities of the multireceiver configuration, as compared to a single receiver system, the authors describe new results recently obtained in sea-state remote sensing applications and in ionospheric studies. This system has been built at a relatively low cost as allowed by a university budget.