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Static RCS ranges typically generate RCS imagery using ISAR imaging techniques. This provides a twodimensional image of amplitude plotted within some down-range and cross-range extent. The down-range resolution is a function of the bandwidth of the radar system while the cross-range resolution is a function of the target motion between consecutive measurements. A radar look down angle of 0-degrees provides the maximum cross-range information because the target’s movement is normal to the transmitted wave front. As the radar look down angle is changed from 0-degrees to 90-degrees less cross-range information is gathered as the target movement becomes more coplanar to the transmitted wave front. At a radar look down angle of 90 degrees no cross-range information can be discerned. To collect 3-dimensional data for imagery at a look down angle of 90-degrees a raster scan type process can be used. In this implementation the beamwidth of the radar antenna was changed to produce a 6-inch spot on the target rather than fully illuminating the target as is typical with ISAR imaging. A rail was built over the target to support a linearly scanned reflecting plate to direct the transmitted pulse down onto the target to simulate a radar look down angle of 90-degrees. The target was rotated 370-degrees (10-degree overlap) beneath the stationary reflecting plate providing a circumferencial scan i.e. a ring. After each rotation, the reflecting plate was moved a fixed interval radially and another ‘ring’ of data was collected. This procedure was repeated until the entire target was measured. This method of scanning provided two-dimensional information of the target’s length and width with height information obtained by using a 256-stepped-frequency waveform over a bandwidth of 1.6 GHz providing complete three-dimensional imagery.
Translating pylon terminations are often used in narrowband RCS background measurements as means of separating the returns of the termination from those of the pylon itself. Typically, this is done by measuring the pylon while the fixture continuously translates in the range direction through a distance of at least half a wavelength. This paper describes a translated target processing (TTP) algorithmw hich is an extension of this technique to RCS measurements of rotating targets. The technique is applicable to both narrowband and wideband measurements. The algorithm is applied to the problemof mitigating multipath and ground interaction contamination in indoor and outdoor RCS measurements, respectively. Its performance was evaluated as a function of signal-to-noise ratio, target-tocontamination ratio, and translation distance and accuracy using point target simulations. We conclude with a demonstration of the TTP algorithm using actual measurements from the Boeing 9-77 compact range.
When making RCS measurements on a ground bounce range, EPS foam columns are frequently used as target supports for testbodies and air vehicles. Since background subtraction is rarely used to suppress foam column scattering in large scale RCS measurements, the columns must be structurally sound while maintaining a minimized RCS signature over the aspect angles and radar frequency band of interest. The goal is to devise a column that is unnoticeable in the measured data yet strong enough to support a specified weight. The major factor that contributes to EPS foam column scattering is shaping, and finding the optimal shape for a particular test is not trivial. This paper describes methods in the design and construction of EPS foam columns. Subjects include determination of EPS material properties, mathematical specification of column geometries, accurate and efficient computation of column mechanics and scattering, and effective optimization of column parameters.
CAMELIA is a large RCS measurements facility (45m.12m.13m in dimensions) that is operated at both SHF and V/UHF frequencies. In the V/UHF band, coupling between the target and the walls can be exhibited, due to non directive transmitting/receiving antenna, and low efficiency absorbers, that must be eliminated to derive the intrinsic response of the target To this aim, we have first developed a 1:10 small scale model of the chamber, that is operated in the SHF band. It enables the experimental simulation of RCS measurements in the V/UHF band, and confirmed the interpretation of the electromagnetic phenomena in the large scale facility ([l]). Then, two theoretical algorithms were developed, modeling these coupling phenomena. The first one is a simple ray tracing model, requiring as input data the measured reflection coefficient of the walls, the radiation pattern of the transmitting/ receiving antenna and the bistatic RCS of the target. The second one introduces an analytical model for the antenna and its images with respect to the walls, and calculates the near field scattered by the target. The measurement of several targets bas been modeled, and a good agreement bas been obtained. The advantages and drawbacks of each method are discussed.
Usually, a plane wave is approximated by increasing the distance between the transmit antenna and the antenna under test. The phase error across the test aperture increases from zero at the center to a maximum at the edges. Sometimes it is difficult to separate the transmit antenna from the test antenna enough to keep the phase error within acceptable tolerances. In these cases, it would be useful to be able to generate a plane wave across the test aperture at the closer distance. This paper presents an approach to generating a plane wave across an antenna under test that is at an arbitrary distance from a linear array of line sources. The placement of the line sources, as well as the phase and amplitude of each element is optimized to create an approximate plane wave over a specified area.
A method is presented for calculating the gain of corrugated conical horns. It is based on basic symmetry conditions of circular or conical waveguide mode fields. This formulation allows to derive the radiation pattern over a complete sphere form two principal polarization patterns (E- and H-plane patterns). This method can be applied for both theoretical or experimental patterns, respectively. The theory has been verified experimentally with measurements carried out on two different ranges. The results agreed within 0.05 dB or less in all situations.
Log Periodic Dipole Arrays (LPDAs) are widely used for certain metrology applications including site attenuation measurements. To accurately make such measurements, the location of the phase center of the antenna is required. However, the LPDA does not, in the strictest sense, exhibit a phase center. Approximate phase centers can be defined by computing the local curvature of a far-field constant-phase surface on the antenna’s principal lobe. However, because the E- and H-plane patterns are different, the phase centers computed from each pattern (or any two-dimensional cut) are not co-located at a given frequency and, moreover, track differently with frequency. An H-plane array of LPDAs with an appropriate taper can be made to exhibit very similar E and H plane patterns over a very broad frequency range. Such an antenna exhibits a much better defined phase center (the phase center still moves as a function of frequency) and is therefore much better suited for metrology applications. Here we present phase center calculations and measurements for two different H-plane arrays of LPDAs. One array is composed of two highly compressed LPDAs (ô=.88, ó=.05) fed with a corporate feed network, while the other is composed of two high gain LPDAs using the so-called “optimum” parameters (ô=.88, ó=.16) and fed with a hybrid feed network. Numerically predicted and experimentally measured results for the phase center loci are presented and compared with those of the component LPDAs.
A method is presented for correcting for range measurement errors resulting from non-uniform quiet zone illumination in indoor tapered antenna chambers. The interaction of the source antenna with the throat of the chamber causes undesirable amplitude and phase variations over the quiet zone, the region where the antenna under test (AUT) is located. These variations can impact the accuracy of the antenna pattern measurements, especially when the AUT has a significant aperture. These quiet-zone anomalies can be measured and removed from the antenna patterns by quiet-zone probing. The quiet zone can be probed planar, cylindrical, or spherical quiet zone probe configurations. A planar quiet-zone probe is used here. This process of calibrating the antenna pattern measurements for quiet-zone range errors is called quietzone synthesis (QZS) and is implemented here using MATLAB [1].
A transmitting multi-beam frequency-reuse antenna on an orbiting satellite has N co-polarized spot-beams with each beam driven by a separate transmitter (all transmitters sharing a common band) and each pointed in a different azimuth and elevation direction. The interference effect of N-1 beam side-lobes falling simultaneously on any receiving ground user in a satellite main beam can be estimated by combining the N-1 radiation pattern side-lobe levels which coincide on each user. To predict this effect, the radiation pattern of each beam can be measured in a near field pattern range (NFR) on the ground. When this is done, the measurement error (uncertainty) of each side-lobe falling in the direction of a given main beam ground terminal can also be obtained by a series of special error measurements. The measured error terms for a given side-lobe can be combined in an NFR error table to obtain the measurement error for that side-lobe in the direction of the given terminal location. This process can be repeated for each of the N-1 side-lobes. In this paper we present a method for combining the measured errors of the N-1 side-lobes to yield a combined uncertainty for the combined interference level of the N-1 side-lobes. This process can be repeated for each main beam terminal location. Several tables are presented showing how the combined side-lobe error varies as a function of the levels of the individual side-lobes and the measurement uncertainty of each side-lobe.
As the demands on the RF spectrum increase, there is a growing need for antenna test capability at ever higher frequencies. To support our current needs and to accommodate future growth, Ball has outfitted its’ antenna ranges for antenna test from 100MHz through 210GHz. This paper will discuss the considerations and techniques used in extending Ball’s antenna test capability up to 210GHz. The final setup will be discussed and measured pattern data will be presented.
A number of Australian satellite pay-television companies have engaged CSIRO to measure the performance of their domestic reception antennas. These reflector antennas have their feed integrated with a low-noise block-down-converter (LNB), which converts 12.25-12.75 GHz to 0.95-1.450 GHz. We calculate the LNB noise temperature and gain by using a hot/cold-load Y-factor technique and a known noise source. For the cold load, we use absorber soaked in liquid nitrogen and ambient-temperature absorber for the hot load. The system noise temperature is calculated from another Y-factor measurement where the antenna is pointed at the sky for the cold load and ambient temperature absorber placed in front of the feed for the hot load. The gain is measured on an antenna range and we use a Fresnelzone gain correction, as the range is too short for farfield measurements. We have identified the major sources of uncertainty and estimated the overall uncertainty.
This paper describes a large aperture, 650 GHz, planar near-field measurement system developed for field of view characterization of the Earth Observing System Microwave Limb Sounder (EOS MLS). Scheduled for launch in 2003 on the NASA EOS Aura spacecraft, EOS MLS is being developed by the Jet Propulsion Laboratory to study stratospheric chemistry using radiometers from 118 to 2500 GHz. The combination of a very high operating frequency and a 1.6-meter aperture, coupled with significant cost and weight restrictions, required a new look at near-field scanner design approaches. Nearfield Systems Inc. (NSI) developed a planar scanner that provides a planar accuracy of 4 microns RMS over the entire 2.4 x 2.4 meter scan area. This paper presents an overview of this system including the sub-millimeter wave RF subsystem and the ultrahigh precision scanner. Representative measurement results will be shown.
The design of an integrated microstrip probe performing phaseless near-field measurements on a plane-polar geometry is presented. Amplitude data collected by the probe are processed for obtaining the unknown near-field phase, which is provided by an interferometric algorithm used in conjunction with a minimization procedure. Numerical simulations on an array of dipoles are presented and experimental results are also shown on a microstrip patch antenna for SAR applications.
Accurate gain measurements using any measurement technique require a calibrated gain standard, and the uncertainty in the gain of the standard is usually the largest term in the error analysis. To reduce the uncertainty, gain standards are often calibrated using a three- antenna measurement technique and the resulting gain values are generally certified to have an uncertainty of approximately 0.10 dB1-11. For near-field measurements, the gain standard may be the probe that is used to obtain the near-field data or it may be a Standard Gain Horn (SGH). Since the calibration of the gain standard is time consuming and often costly, it is desirable to verify that the gain of the standard is stable over long periods of time. This paper will describe tests to verify the gain stability of the standard and will also illustrate the terms in the error analysis that have the major effect on the uncertainty of any near-field gain measurement. With proper attention to the major error terms, the stability of the gain standard can be verified to approximate the original calibration uncertainty.
TRW, working with Nearfield Systems Inc., has installed a state-of-the-art near-field antenna measurement system1 to test the Astrolink payload antenna system. Astrolink is the next generation broadband satellite network that will deliver high speed Internet connections to the business desktop. TRW is building the Astrolink on-board communications payload which includes the antenna system. For this multi-reflector antenna payload, TRW has built a 40 ft. x 30 ft. horizontal near-field measurement system to operate from 1 to 50 GHz using NSI’s high speed Panther receiver and Agilent Technologies high speed VXI microwave synthesizers. The system is capable of performing conventional raster scans, as well as directed plane-polar scans tilted to the plane of a specific reflector. The range was completed in January 2001. This paper will describe the Astrolink Near-field range and installation, present test data and plots from this new 40x30 near-field range, show results of a NIST 18-term error assessment, compare raster vs plane polar scans summarize the error assessment process.
This paper investigates the effect of alignment errors on near-field cylindrical ranges at frequencies over 18 GHz. This is of particular interest because the small probe sizes and wavelengths above 18 GHz can make the alignment of the near-field system a difficult task. Previous probe alignment investigations have been done at frequencies below 18 GHz. This paper will determine if the conclusions from the previous work are valid at higher frequencies and will expand on that previous work. Measured data will be presented to demonstrate the effect of the probe axis not intersecting the azimuth axis as well as the probe not being orthogonal to the azimuth axis of rotation.
Earlier (AMTA'97, AMTA'98), we have proposed a new low-cost laboratory method named the quasi-optical waveguide modeling (QWM) method to study power and amplitude-phase scattering characteristics of objects, in particular the RCS of targets or their scale models, in the near millimeter (NMM) and submillimeter (SMM) wave regions. A specific feature of this technique in that an investigated object (or its scale model) is mounted inside a quasi-optical waveguide structure in the form of a hollow dielectric waveguide (HDW), in which the scattering characteristics of the waveguide dominant HE11 mode are determined. These characteristics are related to the wanted scattering characteristics of the test object in free space by definite relationships. At the same time the HDW serves several functions: it forms a quasiplane incident wave within the scattering area where test object is placed, performs the low-loss and low-distortion transmission of the scattered wave carrying information of the object being tested to the receiver, effectively filters the unwanted modes arising at the scattering on the test object, and insulates the measurement area from the ambient conditions containing parasitic sources. In this paper we consider the possibility of using the QWM method to study polarization backward scattering characteristics of physical objects, in particular the complex elements of the scattering matrix with relative phase (SMR). A quasi-optical polarimetric micro-compact range (PMCR) based on the circular HDW and quasi-optical devices has been developed and built. The measurement results of the SMR and backward scattering patterns of a reference object as a square metallic cylinder obtained in the PMCR for the different linear polarization basic sets at the 4-mm wave band are presented. The comparison between the experimental results for the reference object and the theoretical data calculated by the geometrical theory of diffraction have shown a good agreement, and demonstrated the possibilities of the QWM method, and its good perspectives for backward scattering polarization characteristics modeling in the NMM and SMM wave regions.
This paper summarizes some results of a recent NIST measurement effort. The purpose of this effort was to use a NIST-developed ultrawideband measurement system to assess the time- and frequency-domain characteristics of selected ultrawideband (UWB) transmitting devices. Brief descriptions of NISTdeveloped measurement systems are provided. Highfidelity time-domain waveforms are shown, along with associated amplitude spectra for two devices. Excellent results are obtained for both conducted and radiated emissions from UWB devices. Keywords: amplitude spectrum, anechoic chamber, conducted emission, frequency domain, radiated emission, time domain, ultrawideband
An accurate and reliable target positioning system is mandatory for a good antenna and/or radar cross section (RCS) measurement facility. Most measurements involve characterizing the radiation or scattering of the unit under test as a function of angle and frequency. Accuracy and repeatability become increasingly important in RCS measurements where background subtraction is utilized. Any error in target position will reduce the subtraction effectiveness. Wear and tear of existing equipment coupled with improvements in motion control technology may compel some measurement facilities to upgrade their positioning system. Doing so, while keeping the rest of the measurement system intact, poses integration challenges that cannot be over emphasized. Problems will inevitably be encountered. Their source could be the new positioning system, the old measurement system, or the communication between the two. Subtleties of how the motion control system works can be overlooked during the requirements definition phase of the project. Further idiosyncrasies can be missed during acceptance testing of the system. The Air Force Research Lab compact range has recently upgraded their target positioning system and will share the lessons learned as a result.
A fundamental part of the work of the BAE SYSTEMS Advanced Technology Centres Materials Group at Towcester (UK) is the microwave characterisation of the electromagnetic parameters of lossy materials. This paper describes a Quasi-optical microwave system for the free space measurement of material parameters in the frequency range 5 GHz to 18 GHz. The system employs two spherical reflectors which are illuminated from the side by gausian beam forming antennas. This produces a well defined parallel beam between the reflectors. The 5 GHz ro 18 GHz frequency range is covered in three bands with three pairs of corrugated feed antennas. An advantage of this system is that the beamwaist diameter (or illumination area) is essentially the same for each of the three frequency bands The measurements are taken using a vector network analyser under computer control. The parallel beam enables a “Through,Reflect,Line” calibration technique to be used. After calibration the sample under test is placed in the beam (mid way between the reflectors) and the four microwave ‘S’ parameters are recorded automatically in complex form. The permittivity, permeabilty or lumped admittance (if the sample is very thin <ë/50) for the material are then determined from the ‘S’ parameters. The operation and performance of the system is discussed and some material parameter measurement results are given.