SDR Calibration Automation

A defense research organization deployed software-defined radios across multiple field sites but lacked consistent calibration procedures. Each unit required manual calibration by skilled RF engineers, and results varied based on who performed the calibration and which test equipment was available at each site.

The core challenge was creating an automated calibration system that could be run by operators without RF engineering backgrounds, producing consistent, traceable results across all fielded units. The system needed to characterize critical parameters including frequency accuracy, gain flatness, and phase noise.

Without automated calibration, the organization faced a choice between deploying uncalibrated units (degrading sensing accuracy) or limiting deployment scale to what their RF engineers could manually calibrate (constraining operational capacity).

The engagement delivered a complete calibration automation system: hardware interfaces for test equipment control, software for calibration procedure execution, and a database for storing and comparing calibration results across the deployed fleet.

The delivered system enables operators at any site to execute standardized calibration procedures and generate traceable calibration certificates. Results are automatically stored in a central database, providing visibility into the calibration status and performance trends of every unit in the deployed fleet.

The organization can now scale SDR deployment without scaling RF engineering staff. Calibration that previously required hours of engineer time can be completed in minutes by operators following automated procedures.