FORMAL REPORT REQUIREMENTS

 

EC En 564 Radar and Communications

Fall Semester 2007

Instructor: Dr. David Long

 

One of the key products in industry is a research report.  In order to give you some practical experience, you will conduct research and write a research report.   Other class members will edit your report and provide feedback for you prior to the final report submission. Only the final version of the report will be graded.  The final report should be 10-15 pages in length and have at least 10 references.   Use journal papers and books as your primary source. The audience is the class.  The report should take the form of a journal paper being presented to IEEE Aerospace Electroinics or IEEE Trans. Geoscience and Remote Sensing .  I will publish the class reports for the full class.

The subject should be a particular radar or satellite communication system or a new design of your own but must be approved by me.  You can either describe an existing radar or communication system OR develop a new design.  I have some ideas for a new design below.  Please have a proposed draft abstract and outline to me by 15 Oct. Your oral report will be on the same topic.  The oral report will be graded by the instructor and your fellow class members  (see the attached evaluation sheet).

Preliminary  (Draft) Report, due in late November (exact date TBD)

Three copies are needed of your draft report.  These will be distributed to class members who will review and edit them.  Reviewers will prepare a short written review for the author with suggestions. Reviewers will have 3 days to complete their reviews and return the paper to you. While authors do not need to take any of the reviewer's suggestions, authors are required to include a cover letter with the final version of their paper to indicate in detail how they responded to the reviewer's comments.  Please include a copy of the reviewer's comments with the cover letter.  This is the same review process used in publishing research journals.  While the web is a wonderful resource, please use hardcopy publications (journal papers and books) as your primary source.

 

Final Report Format Requirements, do in early December (exact date TBD):

In order to conserve trees and to make the final class report consistent the following requirements will be imposed on the final version of the report.  I will hand out a copy of all the class reports on the last day of class or at the final.

The final report should be printed with an 11 point (10pt if you don't have 11pt) Times-Roman font (this is the default for LaTeX).  Use single space and try to minimize extra white space.  All pages should be 8.5x11 inches with 1 inch margins all the way around.  Pages should be printed on two sides and ready to run through the photocopy machine.  Please submit two copies, one of which has originals of the figures.  Do not staple the original, please use a clip.

Each report should have a cover sheet with the title centered in large, bold type near the top of the page.  Centered under the title should be your name followed by the abstract (all of which must fit on the first page.  The title page is page (i).  The next page (ii) should be a Table of Contents.  Don't put your name or a title on the first page of the text.  Use IEEE publication format for references.

 

Sample Topic Problems:

 

Hovering platform phone system.  Design a portable two-way communication system for digital paging using a hovering (balloon or aircraft) platform high above a metropolitan area.  Include realistic platform considerations.

 

Auto collision avoidance radar.  Design a radar system which can be mounted on automobiles which determine the distance from the car to other vehicles and give alerts to the operator if the distance is too close.  Include considerations of cost and interference from other systems

 

Thru-the-wall-radar.  Design a handheld radar system which can "image" through walls (frame/drywall or concrete block) to see what is inside.  Your report will have to deal with both processing and hardware details.

 

Model aircraft radar system.  Design a small, portable radar system which can act as a traffic control (observation only) radar for small model airplanes.  Detect and track several small aircraft at once over a few square mile area.  Consider both horizontal and vertical position tracking.  Determine if a transponder should be used and discuss the considerations for such a transponder.

 

Radar/Communication system demo.  Design a demonstration system which illustrates the operation of a Doppler radar or an optical/microwave communication system which could be installed in the Clyde Building hallway.  It is possible that if your design is good enough, the Department will help you build it!.

 

Cellular phone locator system.  Design a base station-based system for locating the position (in two

Dimensions) of a transmitting cellular phone.  Such as system might be used for 911 calls.

 

Missile guidance system.  Design a radar-based system to control the travel of a missile from a ground launch to a moving airborne target.  While the details of the missile can be treated as a blackbox, you still have to consider its dynamics and maneuvering capability.

 

GMTI system.  Design an aircraft-based radar system to detect and track moving vehicles over an extended period. Consider the issues associated with persitent aircraft operations.

 

ECEn 564 Radar and Communications

Dr. David Long

Fall 2007

 

Sample Oral Presentation Evaluation Form

 

 

Presentor's Name:                                                                      

Presentation Title:                                                                                                                                                                         

 

Evaluator's name:                                                                       

 

 

Evaluations (1=Poor, 3=Average,5=Excellent):

 

Overall clarity of presentation:                                         

 

Organization:                                                                    

 

Technical Detail:                                                               

 

Presentor's preparation:                                                   

 

Presentor's Level of Understanding:                                  

 

Question Answering:                                                         

 

Overall Presentation Evaluation:                                        

 

Total score: (of 35)                                                          

 

 

Opinion: (1=disagree strongly, 3=neutral, 5=agree strongly)

 

The presentation was interesting to me:                           

 

I liked the presentation:                                                    

 

I like the presenter                                                           

 

I liked the subject material:                                              

 

ECEn 564 Radar and Communications

Dr. David Long

Fall 2007

 

Sample Report Evaluation Form

 

 

Author's Name:                                                                                   

 

 

Evaluations (1=Poor, 3=Average,5=Excellent):

 

Clarity of presentation:                                                     

 

Technical detail:                                                               

 

Depth:                                                                               

 

English, Grammar, Spelling, etc.:                                       

 

Organization and Outline:                                                 

 

Figures, Graphics                                                              

 

Overall Presentation Evaluation:                                        

 

Total score: (of 35)