Deployment and Performance Evaluation of a Low-Cost GNSS Receiver for Ionospheric TEC Estimation at Horseshoe Island During the 10th Turkish Antarctic Expedition

The ionosphere is a natural plasma medium composed of free electrons and ions, causing frequency-dependent delays in radio signals transmitted by Global Navigation Satellite Sys- tems (GNSS). Due to the direct access of solar-originated charged particles to polar regions along magnetic field lines, ionospheric variability is observed more prominently and complexly in these latitudes. This study presents a comprehensive calibration and preliminary findings analysis conducted to determine the Total Electron Content (TEC) monitoring capacity of low- cost GNSS receivers. Within this framework, low-cost GNSS data collected simultaneously in Türkiye throughout December 2025 were analyzed comparatively with high-precision geodetic GNSS (ISTA station) data. The resulting TEC time series were examined based on conjugate timestamps, revealing that low-cost receivers produce highly compatible and consistent results compared to geodetic-grade equipment. During the analysis process, the general state of iono-

spheric conditions was assessed using space weather data obtained from satellites in L1 orbit, ensuring that GNSS-TEC variations were evaluated within the context of background physical conditions. This calibration study constitutes a critical preliminary step for ensuring the re- liability of the low-cost GNSS system to be deployed on Horseshoe Island as part of the 10th National Antarctic Science Expedition. The study provides a holistic analytical framework for ionospheric observations to be conducted under extreme polar conditions and demonstrates the potential of low-cost systems for high-latitude research applications. “This study was supported by projects numbered “124G057” and “118Y322” within the scope of TÜBİTAK Kutup (Polar) 1001 program.” The authors thanks TUBITAK for their support.