Recent Results from P-Band Signals of Opportunity Receiver Deployed on a Multi-Copter Uas Platform.

P-band Signals of Opportunity (SoOp) is an innovative technique that shows promise for many earth observation applications including remote sensing of root-zone soil moisture (RZSM), above-ground biomass (AGB), and snow water equivalent (SWE). The combination of long wavelength and bistatic configuration, which is unique to P-band SoOp methodology, could provide an excellent way to map such geophysical variables globally. To leverage such potential, the development of ground-based testbeds are needed to test and refine both algorithms and forward models. However, its implementation from small Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) platforms is at a relatively low technological readiness level. In this paper, we summarize our efforts on implementing a P-band SoOp receiver from a multi-copter Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) platform. The receiver has gone through several iterations in the lab and field. In this paper, we will provide experimental results as well as the pertinent background and theoretical derivations supporting the design and implementation of the UAS-based instrument.