INNOVATIONS UNPLUGGED – the Rohde & Schwarz technology podcast · Rohde & Schwarz

Clean signals, safe skies: Finding interference, drones – and a broken washing machine …

·25 min·1 clip

A defective washing machine caused interference that affected systems at Amsterdam Schiphol Airport.

1. Innovations Unplugged examines radio-frequency spectrum monitoring, drone detection, and counter-drone systems developed by Rohde & Schwarz. 2. Markus Haller and Inga Müller-Sientop host Ronny, a Rohde & Schwarz senior system engineer specializing in spectrum monitoring and counter-drone technology. 3. The episode asks how invisible radio-frequency infrastructure can keep wireless devices connected and protect aviation, public events, and lives. 4. Ronny compares radio spectrum with an invisible highway used by mobile phones, Wi-Fi routers, televisions, computers, and household appliances. 5. He says the spectrum has become increasingly crowded because more devices now communicate wirelessly. 6. Authorities regulate frequency bands to prevent interference among IoT devices, Bluetooth equipment, aircraft systems, and other wireless users. 7. Ronny describes how sensitive antennas, tuners, and receivers analyze signal type, power, and direction. 8. A recurring Saturday interference problem at Amsterdam Schiphol Airport was traced from a flat-filled building to one apartment. 9. Police and authorities found that a defective electric motor in a resident’s washing machine caused the airport interference. 10. Ronny explains that counter-drone detection developed from spectrum monitoring by searching frequency bands for drone-specific profiles. 11. Drone use expanded from hobby aircraft and cameras to drug and weapons smuggling at prisons and other security risks. 12. Rohde & Schwarz’s Adronis product suite can identify radio-frequency-controlled drones, determine their direction, and triangulate drone and operator positions. 13. At the 2021 Formula One race in Zandvoort, Dutch police and Rohde & Schwarz protected helicopter flight paths near 85,000 spectators. 14. Spectrum monitoring around the circuit checked that race teams used authorized frequencies amid dense mobile-phone and event communications. 15. Ronny says authorities can sometimes block a radio-frequency-controlled drone, although public-area jamming is normally restricted. 16. Autonomous “dark drones” may use GPS waypoints, fiber-optic cables, or onboard terrain and imaging databases instead of emitting radio-frequency control signals. 17. Ronny identifies micro-doppler radar signatures from drone propellers as one way to detect drones without radio-frequency emissions. 18. Alexander Oreano says Rohde & Schwarz and TRUMPF combine radio-frequency and laser expertise to build a more integrated counter-drone system. 19. Aviation-security engineers and technology specialists interested in spectrum monitoring and drones. 20. Listeners seeking personal storytelling or nontechnical entertainment may skip it.

As heard by us

A clear look at how spectrum monitoring and counter-drone work help keep crowded events connected and safe.

The episode treats radio spectrum as the hidden layer behind modern connectivity and safety, then makes that idea tangible through 5G, GPS, drones, air traffic control, and Formula One.

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Why you'd press play

See how spectrum monitoring helps protect phones, helicopters, and drones at a packed Formula One event.

Read the full recommendation in PlayNext →

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