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The EISCAT Svalbard Radar (ESR) is a monostatic radar system located close to Longyearbyen on the island of Spitsbergen. It comprises two dishes, the fully steerable 32m dish, similar in design to those of the mainland UHF system, and a fixed 42m dish, which can operate only in the field-aligned direction. The ESR transmitter is modular in design, using 16 small klystrons based on TV transmitter technology. The transmitter has a central operating frequency of 500 MHz. First operations on the 32m dish occurred in 1996, and the second dish was inaugurated in 2000. Currently (January 2004) the two dishes cannot be used exactly simultaneously. However it is possible to alternate data dumps between the dishes on a timescale of approximately 5 seconds. Two receiver chains are available which (for instance) allow ion line and plasma line data to be recorded simultaneously. The operating system is essentially identical to the EROS4 operating system used on the mainland radars.
Technical Information
Technical information about the hardware of the ESR radar antennae.
Real Time Raw Data from the ESR 32m Dish
Raw data displays from the steerable (32m) dish of the ESR.
Latest Analysis from ESR 32m
Most recent available analysed data from the steerable (32m) dish of the ESR.
Real Time Raw Data from the ESR 42m Dish
Raw data displays from the fixed (42m) dish of the ESR.
Latest Analysis from ESR 42m
Most recent available analysed data from the fixed (42m) dish of the ESR.
Pictures of the ESR dishes
A selection of pictures of the ESR system at Longyearbyen.