Signatures of Space Weather in the NJIT V1 Grape Low-IF Receiver

The V1 Grape Low Intermediate Frequency (Low-IF; 10 MHz) Receiver is part of a low-cost Personal Space Weather Station (PSWS) developed by the Ham Radio Science Citizen Investigation (HamSCI) Collective. One of the existing deployed Grapes is located at the New Jersey Institute of Technology (NJIT). The Grape measures the WWV 10 MHz signal originating from Fort Collins, Colorado. Variations in WWV's signal intensity and frequency, received by the Grape can be used to investigate  strong space weather events and their effects on the Earth's ionosphere. The Grape data is separated into two parameters, Doppler Shift (Hz) which is a change in frequency introduced by the variability of the ionosphere along the WWV to NJIT link, and Relative Power (dB) which can be used as a proxy for the received signal's intensity.  In this presentation, we will explore the possibility of using the Relative Power parameter for studying ionospheric scintillation due to space weather events.  We will present several examples of data collected on days with known space weather events to assess the Grape's ability to detect the event. We will also discuss our analysis techniques, including our strategies to mitigate the local noise environment at NJIT, and future work.