dr.ing. B.A. Witvliet (Ben)

Postdoctoral researcher
EEMCS-EE-RS
Carré C2538
b.a.witvliet@utwente.nl
Business card

Dr. ing. Ben A. Witvliet was born in Biak, Netherlands New Guinea in 1961. He graduated in Electronics and Telecommunications in 1988. He worked in electrical engineering in moshav Nes Ammim in Israel, in international telecommunication network management at KPN in The Netherlands. From 1993 to 1995, he was responsible for the operation and maintenance of the shortwave broadcast station of Radio Netherlands in Madagascar, comprising two 300 kW transmitters and 13 high gain curtain antennas supported by 130 m high towers. Subsequently he was the technical manager for the installation and maintenance of UHF (TV), VHF (FM) and medium wave broadcast transmitters for NOZEMA in The Netherlands.

In 1997, he was employed by the Radiocommunications Agency Netherlands as a broadcast specialist in an applied research group. Projects included the immunity of cable TV networks to over-the-air DVBT-transmissions, synchronous FM broadcasting, UHF long-distance propagation measurements and the realization of a helicopter-borne system for the measurement of the effective radiated power and antenna diagram of high-power VHF FM broadcasting towers. He is currently a technical expert in the Spectrum Management department of the Radiocommunications Agency, participating in international spectrum management and ITU study groups.

With part-time research, conducted between 2011 and 2015, he obtained his PhD at the University of Twente in The Netherlands. His dissertation on Near Vertical Incidence Skywave antennas and propagation won the Anton Veder scientific research award. From 2017 to 2019  he combined his work for the Radiocommunications Agency Netherlands with part-time work as Research Manager (Radio Science) at the Centre for Space, Atmospheric and Oceanic Science of at the University of Bath in the United Kingdom, traveling weekly. He participated in the TREASURE-GNSS H2020 research program, for which he organized the Bath Summer School.

His scientific interest comprises antennas, radio wave propagation, radio noise, and antenna and RF measurements. He was guest editor of the IEEE Antennas and Propagation Magazine special issue on HF Radio Systems and Techniques and is a reviewer for several journals.

Expertise

  • Earth and Planetary Sciences

    • Incidence
    • Radio
    • Wave
    • Communication
    • Ionosphere
    • Research

  • Physics

    • Antenna
    • Frequencies

Organisations

Publications

2024
The impact of solar flares on HF communications. Witvliet, B. A.Intended signals and ambient electromagnetic noise in HF spectrum management. Witvliet, B. A., van Maanen, E., de Vries, R. A. & Bakker, L.Telecommunication: A blind spot in disaster resilience science, yet essential for disaster mitigation and recovery. Witvliet, B.https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-egu24-6634
2023
Separation of Ambient Radio Noise and Radio Signals Received via Ionospheric PropagationAtmosphere, 14(3), Article 529, 529. Witvliet, B. A., Alsina-Pagès, R. M., Altadill, D., van Maanen, E. & Laanstra, G. J.https://doi.org/10.3390/atmos14030529Heliophysics and Amateur Radio: Citizen Science Collaborations for Atmospheric, Ionospheric, and Space Physics Research and OperationsFrontiers in Astronomy and Space Sciences, 10 (Accepted/In press). Frissell, N. A., Ackermann, J. R., Alexander, J. N., Benedict, R. L., Blackwell, Jr., W. C., Boedicker, R. K., Cerwin, S. A., Collins, K., Cowling, S. H., Deacon, C. J., Diehl, D. M., Duffy, T. J., Edson, L. B., Engelke, W. D., Farmer, J. O., Frissell, R. M., Gerzoff, R., Gibbons, J., Griffiths, G., … Yadav, N.https://doi.org/10.3389/fspas.2023.1184171
2022
Evidence for the Magnetoionic Nature of Oblique VHF Reflections from Midlatitude Sporadic-E LayersAtmosphere, 13(12), 1-22. Deacon, C., Mitchell, C. N. M., Watson, R. J. & Witvliet, B. A.https://doi.org/10.3390/atmos13122027The Socioeconomic Impacts of the Upper Atmosphere Effects on LEO Satellites, Communication and Navigation Systems. Vermicelli, P., Mainella, S., Alfonsi, L., Belehaki, A., Buresova, D., Hynonen, R., Romano, V. & Witvliet, B. A.A systematic study of 7 MHz greyline propagation using amateur radio beacon signalsAtmosphere, 13(8), Article 1340. Lo, S., Rankov, N., Mitchell, C. N. M., Witvliet, B. A., Pinto Jayawardena, T., Bust, G., Liles, W. & Griffiths, G.https://doi.org/10.3390/atmos13081430Near Vertical Incidence Skywave - The propagation mechanism, the impact of antenna, backscatter and solar flares. Witvliet, B. A.Ambient Outdoor Electromagnetic Noise Measurements - in the conflicting perspective of spectrum planners and spectrum users, 1. Witvliet, B. A.

Research profiles

Address

Visiting address

University of Twente

Carré (building no. 15), room C2538
Hallenweg 23
7522 NH Enschede
Netherlands

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Organisations

Additional contact information

On Thursdays and Fridays I work for the Radiocommunications Agency Netherlands in Groningen. The other days are reserved for scientific research. As I live in Haren (Gn), most of my work is done off-campus. Please feel free to contact me by email or phone for technical questions or to cooperate on research.

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