Project Title

GPS Calibrator System (GCS)

Project Champion and Biography

Romeo Reginald Gunther Gamatham completed his undergraduate degree at the University of Namibia majoring in Pure/Applied Mathematics and Physics. He received his Masters in Physics (cum laude) from the Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University (NMMU). In 2013 he received his PhD in Physics from NMMU. During his PhD he worked as a research intern at the University of Padua as well as at the Technical University of Denmark (DTU). He is currently working as a research scientist at NRF SARAO and serves as a Research Associate at the NMU Physics department.

Project Biography

Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) receivers that are used to determine accurate time require calibration. A standard GPS station consists of a GNSS receiver connected to a GPS antenna and a stable clock. The GPS Calibrator System (GCS) is designed to calibrate such remote GPS stations. The GCS has the unique feature of being optically isolated and temperature stabilized with a feedback control loop.

The BIPM standard calibration method does not comply with the MeerKAT telescope RFI requirements, hence optical transmission of the timing signals is crucial in the calibration process. This is solved by the GCS Traveling Calibrator (TC) instrument by transmitting timing signals over optical fibre using a synchronous timing system.

The TC internal temperature is kept constant with a feedback control system, to minimize the effect that thermal fluctuations have on the primary electronic components. Time transfer is done by calibrating the GCS at a metrology institute, thereafter transferring the GCS to a GPS remote station and calibrating the remote station GNSS receiver antenna pair with the GCS.

Project Objectives

Project Objectives as Stated in the New Project Information Form
Calibrate High precision GNSS receivers GPS antenna pairs
Provide High precision GNSS calibration service with and accuracy of <5ns
Calibration traceability can be achieved by calibrating the Traveling Calibrator (TC) at a National Metrology Institute and thereafter calibrating the SARAO GPS stations using the TC.
To use the TC to calibrate the GPS1 & GPS2 stations at the MeerKAT radio Astronomy observatory.
Calibration service that may service all radio astronomy observatories all over the world.
Service offering to mining companies, avionic industry and military.

Project Team

Dr Romeo Gamatham

Master’s degree in Physics (cum laude). PhD in Physics at the Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University (NMMU).

Dr Johan Burger

Worked as a member of the technical staff at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory after receiving his PhD from the University of Southern California in 2001.

Renier Siebrits

MSc degree in electronic and electrical systems from ESIEE Paris and his MTech degree (cum laude) from the Cape Peninsula University of Technology.

Geomarr van Tonder

Master of electronic engineering degrees (cum laude) at Stellenbosch University.

Project Status

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Commercialisation – Seed Fund Programme