Martínez Picar, Antonio ; Marqué, Christophe ; Magdalenič, Jasmina

Talk presented at European Space Weather Week 2026, Florence, Italy on 2026-11-04

Abstract: We present SPADE (Small Phased Array DEmonstrator), a novel fully digital low-frequency solar radio instrument developed by the Radio Workgroup of the Solar Influences Data Analysis Center at the Royal Observatory of Belgium for operational Space Weather applications. Installed at the Humain Radio-Astronomy Station, SPADE continuously monitors solar radio activity between 25 and 75 MHz during daytime observations. SPADE is a compact autonomous phased-array demonstrator in which all core functions, including Sun tracking, beamforming, and dynamic spectrum generation, are implemented digitally using commercial software-defined radio receivers and open-source software. This fully digital architecture provides flexibility, scalability, and cost efficiency while enabling continuous autonomous operation in an operational environment. The instrument targets low-frequency solar radio bursts associated with eruptive phenomena such as solar flares and coronal mass ejections, which are directly relevant for Space Weather monitoring and forecasting. First observations demonstrate the capability of SPADE to detect and characterize solar radio activity with high temporal and spectral resolution, allowing detailed monitoring of burst morphology and propagation effects in the solar corona. We present the system architecture, digital processing chain, operational implementation, and first observational results. Particular emphasis is placed on the role of SPADE as a technological and operational pathfinder for future fully digital solar radio monitoring systems supporting Space Weather services and scalable distributed monitoring infrastructures.

Keyword(s): Instrumentation: radio-astronomy ; Sun: corona ; Sun: radio radiation ; Planets and satellites: gaseous planets