Project Description:

Horizon have developed several different signal acquisition based units and payloads supporting the company’s aeronautical and satellite activities.  The existing signal acquisition modules are used to capture various signals of interest, including L-band satellite phones, VHF-band ship identification beacons (AIS) and maritime S-band and X-band radar signals.   

The company has an ongoing research and development programme that looks to enhance the capability and performance of future signal acquisition units, and to increase the type of signals of interest that can be observed.   

To support these activities, the successful candidate will create a software defined radio signal acquisition test bed, and develop example signal generation and acquisition algorithms using a range of software platforms and languages, Matlab, GNU Radio Companion, Python, and C.  The algorithms will include signals already captured, such as AIS, but will also expand to include other signals of interest such as ADS-B, VDES, IOT and other satellite transmissions.

The project involves :

• Familiarisation with the software defined radio hardware and software tools. 

• Set up of the signal acquisition test bed. 

• Identification and agreement on candidate signals of interest. 

• Capture of live signals of interest 

• Development of algorithms and models for generation of test signals of interest. 

• Development of signal acquisition algorithms and models. 

• Capturing and documenting the test bed set up, system use and operation, the algorithms, and models.  

  Minimum requirements:

  The candidate must

  - Be able to work independently and as part of a team.

  - Be a quick learner, curious and creative.

  - Be open to new challenges.

  - Have knowledge of digital signal processing.

  - Have knowledge of communications and signals. 

  - Have knowledge of Linux based operating systems .

  - Have software knowledge, python, c, etc.

  - Be a UK passport holder.*

  - Be older than 18.*

  (* Site access requirement)

  Desirable requirements:

  To be undertaking further education in the following disciplines:

  - Engineering, Electronics, Computer Science, Physics, Maths or similar 

This job description set outs the skills and experience we believe are needed to be able to do this job but, research also tells us women are much more likely than men to take this list of requirements as absolute and self-select out of the process. If you think you can deliver this role then we want to hear from you, regardless of the boxes you didn’t tick.