Noise in wireless systems from solar radio bursts

Solar radio bursts were first discovered as result of their interference in early defensive radar systems during the Second World War (1942). Such bursts can still affect radar systems, as well as new wireless technologies. We have investigated a forty-year record of solar radio burst data (1960–1999) as well as several individual radio events in the 23rd solar cycle. This paper reviews the results of a portion of this research. Statistically, for frequencies f ∼ 1 GHz (near current wireless bands), there can be a burst with amplitudes >103 solar flux units (SFU; 1 SFU = 10−22 W/m2) every few days during solar maximum conditions, and such burst levels can produce problems in contemporary wireless systems.