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The VENUS ocean observatory in British Columbia is finalizing field site selections for its forthcoming CODAR SeaSonde HF radar network. “It is a matter of optimizing antenna locations to get the best surface current data” said Dr. Brian Whitehouse, president of OEA Technologies Incorporated.

Once installed, the CODAR HF radar network will monitor surface currents in coastal areas of the Strait of Georgia. “Researchers will use the surface maps of currents to monitor both tides and the fate of the Fraser River plume”, says Dr. Richard Dewey, the VENUS associate director, research. “The area is also heavily used for commercial shipping and regular operational products will be generated for the Vancouver Port Authority, Canadian Coast Guard, and BC Ferries”.

The VENUS CODAR network will be state-of-the-art. It includes, for example, CODAR multistatic software. With this configuration, a receiver simultaneously receives and processes signals from more than one transmitter, thereby substantially increasing surface current data density and potentially the system’s range. In this configuration, each unit produces both surface current radials, using its own co-located transmitter, and ellipticals.

The VENUS units also employ the new CODAR SeaSonde receive antenna–the first in Canada to do so. “The new dome-shaped antenna design features a smooth upper profile absent of any screws, reducing likelihood of any water intrusion” said Laura Pederson, CODAR’s director of marketing. “Another advancement is the absence of external horizontal whip ground plane elements, with ground plane set inside the mast for protection.”