Full-Spectrum Arraying of Receiving Radio Antennas

A method of arraying of receiving radio antennas involves utilization of all of the signal information available across a broad spectral band that includes any signal(s) of interest. As used here, "arraying" signifies combining the signals received by multiple antennas at different locations in such a way as to improve reception, as though one had a single larger antenna. Going beyond synthesis of a larger antenna, the present method also provides for extraction of Doppler frequency shifts and differential delays of signals, thereby enabling the generation of information on the ranges and velocities of signal sources. The method was devised to enhance spacecraft-tracking and -telemetry operations in NASA's Deep Space Network (DSN); the method could also be useful in such other applications as radio astronomy, commercial satellite communications, and radio (including television) broadcasting.