Doppler: Following Airplanes’ tracks
Working on a project which will focus on Doppler spread of HF channels (see at the bottom) and other impairements, I also bumped into some more prominent Doppler catches, namely on the VHF aero band. I took the AM carrier of nearby Hannover VOLMET on 127.4 MHz and observed doppler traces about plus/minus 200Hz the carrier frequency. Following the acitvity in the airspace via Flightradar24 in parallel, it is easy to match traces and aircrafts. In this case, I nailed cargo flight NH8406 from Frankfurt to Narita/Tokyo. It is important to remember what is shown in left part of the screenshot: it is the signal of Hannover VOLMET, reflected by this moving Boeing 777-F. Thus, the reflected frequency shows a Doppler frequency shift – depending on the relative speed in respect to transmitter and receiver. A positive Doppler frequency signals that the aircraft is approaching my location. When it turns to the lower frequencies, I see the aircraft passing.
Things get more complex wen it comes to the Doppler shift at HF propagation. You will also see planes, but effects from high winds in the upper atmosphere, coming and fading of ionospheric layers and the influences of the geomagnetic field are prevailing. Due to the much lower frequencies, the effects are just about a tenth compared to thie above example on VHF.
See below a result from my observations on HF as a preview.
