A microcomputer-based real-time data system for radio wave propagation studies

Abstract A microcomputer-based real-time data system has been implemented and tested for data collection and processing. The paper presents the main system components, together with special features tailored for radio propagation studies. The computer system is designed to control a data acquisition system (DAS) and to perform other data processing functions. The system is built using Hewlett-Packard hardware: the low-cost HP9825 microcomputer together with the HP3497 automatic data acquisition and control system. The main features of the system are: (i) Menu-driven system, (ii) user friendly interactive operation, (iii) optimized tape utilization and DAS scanning speed, (iv) on-line help facility. The paper starts by introducing the system layout and then describes the system hardware, which includes the microcomputer, the data acquisition system and the various sensors. System design is then presented with emphasis on tape and speed optimization. It is hoped that the present paper will be useful for engineers and scientists planning environmental, meteorological and engineering studies involving real-time data acquisition.