Optimized RF test range for educational purposes

Both the design and construction of a composite scale airframe and the equipment for an anechoic test range plus the in-house production of absorptive wall covering-all for engineering education-are briefly described. It is shown, that low cost home-made absorbing material with an attenuation of 30 dB or more can be designed. Waveguide and ground plane antennas for test purposes can be constructed from surplus materials. In this case the design and measurements of a 3 GHz antenna pair are shown. Finally, as a test object, a cheap yet effective scale model of a modern fighter aircraft is used for measurements of radar cross section and antenna installations. As a demonstration of the total system capabilities, the measurement of installed F-18 antennas is shown     

Joint STARS phased array radar antenna

The Joint STARS phased array radar system is capable of performing long range airborne surveillance and was used during the Persian Gulf war on two E8-A aircraft to fly many around-the-clock missions to monitor the Kuwait and Iraq battlefield from a safe distance behind the front lines. This paper is a follow-on to previous publications on the subject of the Joint STARS antenna and deals mainly with mission performance and technical aspects not previously covered. Radar data of troop movements and armament installations are presented, a brief review of the antenna design is given, followed by technical discussions concerning the three-port interferometry, gain and sidelobe design approach, cost control, range test implementation and future improvements     

基于噪声匹配的有源接收天线设计

为了提高接收天线的增益和灵敏度,采用将天线与低噪声放大器集成到一起设计的方案,将天线的输出阻抗作为放大器的源阻抗,省略了天线与放大器之间的阻抗匹配网络。通过调节天线馈电系统的尺寸调节天线阻抗,使其等于放大器的最佳源阻抗。利用HFSS仿真软件计算天线的辐射特性及阻抗,用ADS Designer软件对低噪声放大器进行优化设计。利用2SC5507晶体管设计了一个工作于2．0GHz的与低噪声放大器集成在一起的缝隙耦合微带天线,所设计的噪声系数为1．664dB,放大器增益为16．75dB。     

The case for ILS

In response to the interest and activity in microwave landing systems (MLSs), the capability of instrument landing systems (ILSs) is examined and a case for their continued implementation is made. The changes that have been made with respect to electronic hardware, monitoring, and antenna systems in response to more stringent demands are reviewed. It is argued that there is no technical impediment to the installation of additional and upgraded ILS installations over the 1990s and that these installations would be cost effective and pay back the investments before being displaced by MLS     

Array antennas for DGPS

Multipath interference limits the speed and accuracy of determining position by “differential” GPS techniques. A geodetic surveyor, for example, requires multipath interference rejection of about 36+20 log₁₀ sin ϵ dB, where ϵ is the elevation angle of the satellite being observed. Signal processing in a GPS receiver cannot satisfy this requirement. A receiving antenna is required that can sufficiently reject signals arriving from below the horizon. Available antennas have inadequate rejection, and brute-force methods of improving them, by enlarging their ground-planes, are impractical. A compact, ground-planeless, dual-band, GPS antenna with improved multipath rejection has been designed and field-tested. This antenna resembles a vertical post rather than a horizontal platter; within its 0.1-m diameter, 0.4-m tall radome is a vertical array of turnstile elements. In field tests, a three-element array antenna rejected multipath better than a 0.5-m diameter ground-plane antenna by an average of 5 dB. A five-element array antenna appears superior to a 0.9-m diameter ground-plane antenna     

波束波导馈电系统在深空探测天线应用中的关键技术研究

针对波束波导馈电系统在深空探测天线应用中存在的电小尺寸镜面绕射引起波束波导传输效率降低,不同极化工作时波束指向不一致,以及TE21模跟踪时坐标转换等问题,进行深入研究并给出相应的解决方案或数学模型.通过优化椭球镜M5的曲率,解决了电小尺寸镜面绕射使波束波导传输效率下降问题,使S频段的传输效率提高约4％,35 m天线副反射面的截获效率增加约11％,天线增益提高0.7 dB;给出天线束峰值位置随方位、俯仰角变化的数学模型,提出了中值补偿方法,使天线左右旋极化峰值不一致增益损失减小约0.16 dB,并给出TE21模跟踪时的坐标转换数学模型.这些方法和数学模型已成功应用于实际工程中,并取得了良好的效果.     

Results from a Four-Element Adaptive Antenna Experiment

Experimental results from a four-element, linear, half-wavelength spacing, adaptive-array antenna under the control of the least mean square (LMS) algorithm are presented. The array is found to be capable of nulling a 70-MHz signal to -35 dB below a desired signal over a 5-MHz bandwidth. The antenna processing gain is constant over a desired signal-to-jammer signal power ratio range from -20 dB to 5 dB. A sharp reduction in processing gain is observed for angular separations between jammer and desired signal of less than 10°. Antenna patterns taken with weights set in 300 iterations of the LMS algorithm show that the one strong, one weak jammer combination has a longer weight convergence time and reduced processing gain compared with a two strong jammers combination. Contours of constant desired signal-to-jammer signal power ratio, after adaptive antenna processing, reveal a complex shape for communication between air and ground due to the finite angular resolution of the adaptive antenna.     

High Dynamic GPS Receiver Using Maximum Likelihood Estimationand Frequency Tracking

A new high dynamic global positioning system (GPS) receiver ispresented and its performance characterized by analysis,simulation, and demonstration. The demonstration receiver is abreadboard model capable of tracking a single simulated satellitesignal in pseudorange and range rate. Pseudorange and range rateestimates are made once every 20 ms, using a maximum likelihoodestimator, and are tracked by means of a third-order fadingmemory filter in a feedback configuration. The receiver trackspseudorange with rms errors of under 1 m when subjected tosimulated 50 g, 40 g/s circular trajectories. The tracking thresholdis approximately 28 dB·Hz, which provides 12 dB margin relativethe the minimum specified signal strength, assuming 3.5 dB systemnoise figure and 0 dB antenna gain.     

48GHz微带阵列天线设计

在5G高速发展的背景下,为实现机舱内部信息传输的无线化,设计了一款用于飞机设备舱内无线通信的毫米波微带阵列天线。结合串联馈电和并联馈电优点,采用串并联结合的方式对馈电网络进行设计。通过泰勒综合法实现阵元的同相位不等幅馈电,在保证高增益的情况下,有效地进行副瓣抑制。综合以上方法,设计出了一款中心频率为 48 GHz;在 47.3 ~48.7 GHz之间回波损耗小于-10 dB,工作带宽1.4 GHz;H 面上的半功率波束宽度小于 11°,副瓣抑制为-28 dB:E面上的半功率波束宽度小于 17°,副瓣抑制优于-21 dB 的4x8 微带天线阵,该阵列天线很好地实现了高增益/地旁瓣的特性。     

Electronically Tracking Antenna System for Satellite Reception

This correspondence describes a novel electronically tracking antenna system for satellite reception in the VHF range. The "hedgehog" antenna consists of several antennas directed in different directions to cover the whole sky. An electronic switch, controlled by the satellite receiver, connects the receiver to the antenna from which the desired satellite signal is obtained. This system is especially suitable for unmanned reliable receiving stations if an antenna gain of the order of 10 dB is enough.     

Effects of test vehicle patterns on cellular coverage measurements

Mobile test systems intended for cellular phone coverage measurements suffer from uncertainties, which are caused by the unpredictable radiation pattern of the measuring antenna installation. Not only do adjacent structures and very common multiple antennas disturb the characteristics, but also in the case of an ideal position does the vertical lobing introduce errors exceeding 10 dB. The problems are likely to be worse in dense urban areas, where multipath from surrounding buildings is the dominating propagation mode     

单脉冲双极化天线阵列设计

文章研究了单脉冲双极化天线阵列。天线阵混合馈电微带单元由共面微带线馈电和缝隙耦合微带线馈电两者结合形成,"十"字形微带单脉冲比较器与天线阵同面,具有结构紧凑、加工方便和成本低的优点。经仿真验证,在工作频带内其辐射单元双端口隔离度高于34dB;并且2个极化端口在其对应主平面方向的副瓣电平均低于-20dB。天线可适用于新一代多极化雷达系统。     

阵列旋转对功率倒置算法性能的影响分析

针对卫星导航抗干扰中,功率倒置算法下导航信号载噪比受干扰来波方向的影响,通过理论推导和数值计算的方法研究了天线阵列旋转与功率倒置算法抗干扰性能的关系。分析结果表明:天线阵列旋转会使功率倒置算法下的阵列增益在最大值和最小值之间呈现连续的、周期性的变化。相比固定天线阵不变的载噪比,阵列旋转能够使信号在一段时间内获得更大的载噪比,对于四阵元Y型阵列,阵列旋转理论上对载噪比的最大提升程度可以达到14dB左右。仿真结果验证了理论推导的正确性。     

Base station antenna systems with built-in processing for thereduction of the effects of hardware imperfections

The effects of many mechanical and electrical manufacturing imperfections of antenna arrays can be minimized with an internal pattern database. Such deficiencies are the non-idealities of amplitude and phase characteristics of sub-arrays and active modules. The idea of the suggested method is to store measured pattern characteristics into the antenna's internal memory at delivery and later, during operation, to use this data to support, for example, a beam forming algorithm, or just to create a static optimum. Thus, the antenna "knows" its behaviour. This method is both more cost-effective than a fine tuning of the hardware items on the production line, and often, the only choice, if relatively inaccurate sheet metal antennas are considered; but naturally, requires some active RF hardware. Our tests demonstrate S-band patterns within 2 dB or 3° of the theoretical ones if an EPROM database at 1° intervals is used. The improvement of the depth of wanted minima can exceed 12 dB     

Propagation results of aeronautical satellite communicationexperiments using INMARSAT satellite

Aeronautical satellite communication experiments were conducted using a top-mounted high-gain antenna of the phased-array type. Slow fading of 3 to 4 dB in the L-band channel was observed when the wing direction coincides with the satellite direction, in contrast with the small fading observed in the cases where the aircraft wing is out of the beam pointing to the satellite     

The DFTSD: A Sequential Suboptimum Processor for Multiple-Range-Bin Radar Systems

A class of simple and efficient digital sequential detectors is presented, which are particularly suitable for application to radar systems where the antenna dwell time is easily varied. A methematical method, based on the random walk model, is developed to evaluate the DFTSD (digital fixed-thresholds sequential detector) performance. The DFTSD has a loss of 0.2 to 0.3 dB with respect to the digital SPRT (sequential probability ratio test) in the case of a single-range-bin system. Finally, results for the multiple-range-bin case are presented and compared with the performance of a moving-window detector.     

基于角度分集的机载超宽带MIMO天线设计

为了提高机载通信设备信道容量和进一步减小天线安装空间,提出一种采用角度分集技术的超宽带（UWB）多输入多输出（MIMO）天线。该天线将Vivaldi天线和超宽带槽天线进行了集成设计,无需采用解耦结构便可获得较高的端口隔离度,大大提高了数据传输率。通过在Vivaldi天线辐射臂上开一对方形缝隙和在介质板背面增加长方形辐射贴片,可以有效减小天线的尺寸,设计的UWB-MIMO天线尺寸为36 mm×36 mm×0.8 mm。给出了天线的设计流程,加工了天线实物,并对其进行了测量。仿真和实测结果表明MIMO天线具有超宽的阻抗带宽,可以覆盖整个3.1~10.6 GHz超宽带频段。Vivaldi天线阻抗带宽为2.8~15.9 GHz,UWB槽天线阻抗带宽为1.8~12.7 GHz,天线端口隔离度均在-10 dB以下。测量了天线的辐射性能和增益特性,实测结果与仿真结果吻合较好,证明了该天线的有效性。该天线可以应用于超宽带无线通信系统和机载阵列天线系统中。     

Effect of Errors in Adaptive Weights

Optimum weighting is used to adaptively increase the signal-to-interference ratio (SIR) of signal processors. The precision required in computing the weights is evaluated. Analytic results have been obtained and verified by computer simulation. lt is shown that for antenna adaptivity the required weight precision increases with increasing values of the attainable SIR improvement and with the number of auxiliary elements. A typical result is that when using 8 auxiliary elements with a theoretical SIR improvement of 40 dB, quantizing the optimum weights to 10 bits degrades the improvement by at most 3 dB.     

WARLOC: A High-Power Coherent 94 GHz Radar

This paper describes the development of a high-power, coherent radar system at W-band and discusses potential applications of radars with this new capability. Previous radars in this frequency band were limited by available power-amplifier technology to about 500 W of average power; WARLOC radar represents an increase in power, by 20 times, over previous coherent radars at 94 GHz. This performance improvement is possible due to the development of a gyroklystron amplifier specifically for this and future radars in this frequency band. The gyroklystron amplifier tubes deliver 100 kW peak power and 10 kW of average power at a center frequency of approximately 94 GHz. Other novel features of this radar include the use of highly overmoded waveguides and rotary joints for the transmission of power from the final power amplifier (FPA) to the antenna, and a high-power quasi-optical duplexer. The system uses a relatively large 1.8 m diameter (580-wavelength) Cassegrain antenna, which required the development of an antenna with an rms surface accuracy of 0.0025 in, to obtain long-range detection and identification of small objects. Test data show an antenna gain of 62.5 dB, confirming that the needed surface accuracy was achieved. Two mobile shelters house the radar system, permitting relocation to various test sites. WARLOC is presently operational at the Naval Research Laboratory's Chesapeake Bay Detachment facility, Maryland. It is being employed in radar imaging of airborne and surface objects, and in the scientific study of propagation effects and atmospheric physics phenomena.     

Low-cost ground-to-ground mobile telemetry link

A frequency modulated UHF telemetry link giving 5 MHz of baseband capacity with carrier to noise ratio exceeding 30 dB is described. The system is intended for ground mobile use and provides more than 1 km of coverage also in moderately obstructed terrain indicating allowable maximum path loss up to 110 dB. The mobile transmitter end uses a sturdy flexible antenna. Typical sensor signals include voltage outputs from accelerometers, strain gauges, and thermistors, but live broadcasting-quality television is also easy to implement. Digital interfacing is accomplished through suitable D/A converters, multiplexers, and coders. Both the transmitter and receiver utilize commercial-off-the-shelf building blocks in order to keep the total cost within acceptable limits.