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The design concept for outdoor antenna ranges operated at frequency 50 MHz is discussed. The antenna range is designed for test of VHF antennas mounted on a full-scale satellite mockup. Due to the large size of test objects, a tradeoff between cost and test accuracy among carious range configurations is addressed. Due to near-omni directional characteristics of test antennas, the multipath interference may be severe. The interference ground reflection, surface wave and multiple scattering are quantified and evaluated.
This paper describes a horizontal, cylindrical surface, near-field measurement facility which was designed and constructed in 1984 and is used for the determination of far field patterns from near field measurement of UHF television transmitting antennas. The facility is also used in antenna production as a diagnostic and alignment tool.
The near-field antenna testing technique is now an established testing approach. It is based on the work done over a twenty-year period by the National Bureau of Standards (Boulder, Colorado), The Georgia Institute of Technology and others. The near-field technique is used for large aperture, high frequency antennas where the antenna to probe separation necessary to test in the far-field of the antenna is prohibitively large.
This paper describes the equipment, mechanics and methods of one of the outdoor ranges at Teledyne Micronetics. A computer controlled microwave transceiver uses pulsed CW over a frequency range of 2-18 GHz to measure the amplitude, phase and polarization of the signal reflected off the target. The range geometry, calibration and analysis techniques are used to optimize measurement accuracy and characterize the target as a set of subscatterers.
The fast fourier transform capabilities of the Hewlett-Packard 8510 Network Analyzer provide the basis for an RCS measurement system covering the 50 MHz to 26 GHz frequency range. When used in the broadband mode, fine range resolution is achieved. Vector subtraction and gating capabilities permit the acquisition of accurate data in the presence of strong range reflections. Combining this instrument with a high speed data collection and analysis system yields a powerful RCS measurement capability.
One of the variables to be quantified when making antenna measurements is position. Without accurate and timely position information, the spatially dependent data cannot be correctly interpreted. Scientific-Atlanta’s 1885 Positioner Indicator and 1886 Position Data Processor offer several improvements in providing position information which can enhance an antenna measurement system. New position indicating techniques have been implemented to allow a higher degree of accuracy and speed than previously attainable. These have been combined with advanced features for automatic system flexibility to create a high performance instrument for many applications. This paper describes the capabilities of these two instruments and how they can be used to improve system performance.
The paper describes a near field facility developed at Hughes Aircraft Space and Communications Group for the purpose of performing measurements on satellite antennas. The facility is designed for planar near field scanning with capability for adding cylindrical scanning. The facility has a scanner with a 21 foot square range and is capable of measuring large antennas with operating frequencies up to 15 GHZ. The measurement system is designed for testing multi-beam, multi-frequency antennas. Data collection, scan control and data analysis functions are all controlled by a single computer system. Growth plans include the addition of an array processor for the ability to perform Fast Fourier Transforms in near real time. Results for the antennas which have been measured will be shown along with far field range data for comparison.
The purpose of an instrumentation radar is to characterize the Radar Cross Section (RCS) of a target as a function of target aspect and radar frequency. In addition, an instrumentation radar may be used to produce a high resolution radar image of a target which is useful in target identification work and as a diagnostic tool in radar cross section reduction. These purposes differ from those of a conventional radar, in which the objective is to detect the presence of a target and to measure the range to the target. Several different radars are currently used to perform radar cross section measurements. Common instrumentation radars may be classified as CW, Pulsed CW (Low-Bandwidth IF), Linear FM (FM-CW), Pulsed (High-Bandwidth IF) and Short Pulse (Very High-Bandwidth IF). These radars accomplish the measurement task in distinct manners, and it is sometimes difficult to determine where the strength or weakness of each radar lies. In this paper, a set of performance criteria is proposed for RCS measurements. The proposed criteria can be applied uniformly to any instrumentation radar independent of the type of radar design employed. The criteria are chosen to emphasize those performance characteristics that relate directly to RCS measurements and thus are most important to the user. Two instrumentation radars which have been designed at Scientific Atlanta, namely the Series 2084 (Linear FM) and the Series 1790 (Pulse), are used to illustrate the application of the performance criteria.
A planar surface, near-field measurement technique is presented for the near-field measurement of monostatic radar cross-section. The theory, system configuration and measurement procedure for this technique are presented. It is shown that the far field radar cross-section can be determined from the near field measurements. An associate near-field radar cross-section measurement technique is presented for the measurement of bistatic near field radar cross-section. The bistatic technique requires a plane wave illuminator in addition to the planar surface near field measurement system. A small compact range is used as the bistatic illuminator. Bistatic near-field measurements are presented for a simple target.
This presentation will focus on the recently revised ANSI C95 RF Radiation Exposure Standard. Some of the research background for the new standard will be given, and its impact will be explained. Instrumentation guidelines for measuring potentially hazardous fields will be presented. The possible damaging effects of non-ionizing RF radiation is receiving increased attention in the public eye, and it behooves the practicing antenna engineer to be aware of the potential dangers to health and safety from exposure of RF energy.
This paper describes the new antenna test facility under construction at General Electric Space Systems Division in Valley Forge, PA. The facility consists of a shielded anechoic chamber containing both a Compact Range and a Spherical Near-Field Range. In addition, it provides for a 700’ boresight range through an RF transparent window. The facility will be capable of testing antenna systems over a wide frequency range and will also accommodate an entire spacecraft for both system compatibility and antenna performance tests.
Rapid advances in digital and micro-computer technology have revolutionized automated control of most measurement processes and the techniques for analysis, storage and presentation of the resulting data. Present-day computer capabilities offer many “user-friendly” options for antenna instrumentation, some of which have yet to be exploited to their full potential. These range from vendor-integrated turnkey systems to innovative designs employing a multitude of subsystem components in custom-interfaced configurations. This paper reviews system and component choices keeping in mind their relative merits and trade-offs. Key design considerations are outlined with particular emphasis on: a) Integration and interfacing of different instrumentation, hardware and software subsystems. b) Upgrading and/or designing of completely new facilities. Various other problems, such as vendor package compatability, and those associated with the analysis and application of measured antenna data are discussed. In addition, suggestions are offered to promote the establishment of a mechanism to facilitate the interchange of data between different antenna measurement laboratories and analysis centres.
The paper describes a near field facility developed at Hughes Aircraft Space and Communications Group for the purpose of performing measurements on satellite antennas. The facility is designed for planar near field scanning with capability for adding cylindrical scanning. The facility has a scanner with a 21 foot square range and is capable of measuring large antennas with operating frequencies up to 15 GHZ. The measurement system is designed for testing multi-beam, multi-frequency antennas. Data collection, scan control and data analysis functions are all controlled by a single computer system. Growth plans include the addition of an array processor for the ability to perform Fast Fourier Transforms in near real time. Results for the antennas which have been measured will be shown along with far field range data for comparison.
The following features have been added to the spherical near-field software set which is available for the Scientific-Atlanta 2022A Antenna Analyzer. Gain Comparison Measurement Probe Pattern Measurement and Correction Thermal Drift Correction Spherical Modal Coefficient Analysis Far-Field, Radiation Intensity, and Polarization Display The addition of the probe pattern correction permits antenna measurements to be made at range lengths down to within several wavelengths of touching. The addition of probe polarization measurement permits three antenna polarization measurements to be made and analyzed as well as two antenna polarization transfer measurements. Correction for phase and amplitude errors attributable to thermal drift is accomplished by the return-to-peak method. Reduction of antenna patterns to spherical modal coefficients is an essential feature of spherical near-field to far-field transforms and is offered as an augmentation to antenna design. Far field display features permit the far fields of antennas to be presented in both component and radiation intensity formats, in circular, linear and canted linear polarization components.
A new technique with utilizes Digital Signal Processing algorithms in conjunction with Frequency Domain Reflectometry (FDR) to characterize transmission line system is discussed. Algorithms are developed which include tbe Windowed Fast Fourier Transform (WFFT) to determine the location and amplitude of single or multiple mismatches in a single pass. Refinement techniques include quadratic interpolation for increased location and amplitude accuracy and correlation for rejecting harmonics and high power “foreign” (interference) signals.
Conventional methods for measuring the ohmic losses of radiating systems usually faces two basic difficulties: a) Need for accurate measurements, of very high VSWR values; b) Manufacturing of specially designed devices such as spherical short-circuit plates in order to terminate the radiating aperture. To circunvent such difficulties an experimental program is now under way in order to establish how accurately such losses can be determined from the associated increase in this antenna noise temperature. Experimental results obtained with the present method, for a corrugated feed horn at 4 GHz, compared quite favorably with those obtained by VSWR measurements using a spherical short-circuit termination. Proposed presentation will include: a) Error analysis; b) Experimental set-ups and discussion of measured results obtained so far; c) Possible extensions of the method. Conventional methods for measuring the ohmic losses of radiating systems usually faces two basic difficulties: a) Need for accurate measurements, of very high VSWR values; b) Manufacturing of specially designed devices such as spherical short-circuit plates in order to terminate the radiating aperture. To circunvent such difficulties an experimental program is now under way in order to establish how accurately such losses can be determined from the associated increase in this antenna noise temperature. Experimental results obtained with the present method, for a corrugated feed horn at 4 GHz, compared quite favorably with those obtained by VSWR measurements using a spherical short-circuit termination. Proposed presentation will include: a) Error analysis; b) Experimental set-ups and discussion of measured results obtained so far; c) Possible extensions of the method.
Recognizing that testing requirements differ, an automated system must be capable of adapting different instrumentation to a specific test. The Series 2080 Modular Antenna Analyzer consists of a computer and processing subsystem (CPS) and four subsystems for antenna measurement applications. The CPS being the nucleus of the Series 2080 system is composed of a computer, appropriate peripherals for interface capability, data storage, data analysis and acquisition software and console. The four subsystems can be comprised of variable instrumentation for a receiving, a positioner control, a signal source and an antenna pattern plotting subsystems. The instrumentation can be supplied by the customer, by Scientific-Atlanta or by other manufacturers.
Large scale electromagnetic simulation programs such as NEC (Numerical Electromagnetic Code) which employ method of moments and/or geometrical theory of diffraction are available. These codes are effective design and analysis tools for both the antenna designer and the antenna metrologist. This paper illustrates the ability of these codes to model actual antennas and antenna ranges. Several comparison examples are provided of electromagnetic models and the physical devices.
The USAF Rome Air Development Center has recently constructed a laboratory building which has recently constructed a laboratory building which has been designed to implement the measurement of microwave antennas and electromagnetic systems. The new facility consists of dual elevated open-ended chambers with retractable doors, a 2700 foot outdoor range, a variable short range and a 40 x 20 x 18 foot anechoic chamber. Wide frequency band instrumentation is installed to provide efficient high speed data collection and analysis required to support the center’s technology development mission in C3I. A presentation of the facility’s capability and design will be given as well as a brief historic overview of significant antenna measurements of the past.
A strong emphasis is now being placed on techniques for reduction of radar cross-section. A missile or aircraft which is invisible to radar has an important strategic advantage. With this fact in mind, the user of a weapons system may place an upper limit on the radar cross-section that he will permit his missile or aircraft to have. The designer must then make use of “stealth technology” to reduce the cross-section to an acceptable level. In order to verify the design, radar cross-section measurements must be made. Thus the current emphasis on cross-section reduction leads to an important need for accurate and reliable methods of measuring radar cross-section.