Planetary Radio Astronomy Receiver

Voyager (Mariner Jupiter/Saturn 1977) spacecraft will carry the first experiment specifically designed to measure low-frequency nonthermal planetary radio emissions. The technical aspects of the planetary radio astronomy instrument are described here. Signals from 10-m orthogonal monopoles are processed to measure polarization and for either maximum sensitivity or observation of rapid temporal variations. The 0.3-¿V/¿kHz (i.e., -117 dBm/kHz with a 50-12 source) sensitivity and the 140-dB dynamic range achieved allow signals to be observed from near earth through planetary encounter. Stepped-or fixed-frequency operation is commandable over a range of 1.2 kHz to 40.5 MHz with internal calibration for absolute amplitude measurement.