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Abstract Ground penetrating radars GPRs uses the latest ground penetrating technology to provide critical information on utilities, concrete, metals, landmines, and other potential problem areas within existing structures or underground. Specifically, GPRs will plot the location of subsurface obstructions directly onto the surface, giving the contractor a clear indication of where it is safe to drill, cut, or dig and where extra caution is necessary. Additionally, using GPRs will make it safe and cost-effective. One of the most interesting applications of the GPR system is the soil water content measurement. In this thesis, the hardware implementation of a proposed GPR system for soil water content measurement is introduced. The system is supplied with two main elements which greatly contribute to enhance its performance and functionality. These two elements are the Ultra Wide Band (UWB) antenna element and the wide band RF voltage controlled oscillator. These elements allow the device to work over a wide range of frequencies, which indeed enables the system to measure water and liquids contents in a soil by the simple adjustment of the operating frequency. The basic building blocks and components of the proposed GPR system are described in details among the thesis. The soil water content measurement principle of the proposed system is based on measuring the reflection coefficient of the soil-air interface. The measurement results of the system have clarified its capability to estimate the water content within a soil correctly. |