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This paper presents measurements of the CloudSat Collimating Antenna (CA) as fabricated for the 94.05 GHz CloudSat radar, which is to be used to measure moisture profiles in the atmosphere. The CloudSat CA is a 3 reflector system consisting of the 3 "final" (relative to the transmitted energy) reflecting surfaces of the CloudSat instrument. This assembly was fed by a horn designed to approximate the illumination from a Quasi-Optical Transmission Line (QOTL). This same horn was employed as a "standard" for measurement of the CA gain via substitution, and its patterns were also measured (this substitution represents a departure from the standard insertion loss technique in the near field range). The CloudSat CA presented a substantial measurement challenge because of the frequency and the electrical size of the aperture is approximately 600 wavelengths in diameter, with a nominal beamwidth of 0.11 degrees. In addition, very high accuracy was needed to characterize the lower sidelobe levels of this antenna. The CA measurements were performed on a 3122-ft outdoor range (this distance was 41% of the far field requirement), which were immediately followed by measurements in an indoor cylindrical Near Field (NF) range. The instrumentation challenges, electrical, mechanical, and environmental are described. Comparison of the outdoor vs. indoor pattern data is presented, as well as the effect of the application of tie-scans to the near field data.
The performance of modern Satellites Antennas and Payloads is characterized by physical parameters like e.g. Antenna Pattern and Gain; EIRP, Flux Density, G/T and the overall PIM-performance. The available time frame for measurement of these parameters is getting constantly shorter. The EADS Astrium GmbH Compensated Compact Range (CCR) allows a time efficient measurement of all payload parameters with high accuracy under controlled environmental conditions. In addition to an efficient measurement facility high-performance measurement equipment is required. The economical budgets of most space programs demand the application of well-known measurement techniques in a cost efficient way. EADS Astrium GmbH supported by Agilent Technologies GmbH has developed an easy to handle and therefore cost optimized measurement platform for Satellite Payload Measurements. This platform consists mainly of a generic Agilent switch matrix operating up to 40GHz which can be connected to a wide range of measurement equipment. The matrix allows a highly flexible routing of the RF uplink and downlink signals including reference paths. Integrated and/or external RF components, like amplifiers, attenuators, and hybrids can be added to the paths, depending on the required test configuration. Starting from a minimum configuration the system can be modularly upgraded to satisfy any further test requirements. The software interface utilizes standard protocols and can be therefore easily addressed by any user specific measurement software. The EADS Astrium GmbH Advanced Antenna Measurement System (AAMS) includes an optional payload toolbox which provides a modular concept expandable for additional test functions.
DSO National Laboratories (DSO) has commissioned a state-of-the-art combined near-field and far-field antenna test facility in 2004. This facility supports highly accurate measurement of a wide range of antenna types over 1–18 GHz. The overall system accuracy allows for future extensions to 40GHz and higher. The 11.0m x 5.5m x 4.0m (L x W x H) shielded facility houses the anechoic chamber and the control room. As the proffered location for this indoor facility is on top of an existing complex instead of the ground floor, antenna pickup is facilitated by a specialized loading platform accompanied by a heavy-duty state of the art fully automated 2.0m x 3.0m (W x H) sliding door, as well as an overhead crane that spans the entire chamber width. Absorber layout comprises 8-inch, 12-inch, 18-inch and 24-inch pyramidal absorbers. The positioning system is a heavy-duty high precision 3.6m x 2.9m (W x H) T-type planar scanner and AUT positioner. The AUT positioner system is configured as roll over upper slide over azimuth over lower slide system. This positioning system configuration allows for planar, cylindrical and spherical near-field measurements. A rapidly rotating roll positioner is mounted on a specialized alignment fixture behind the scanner to facilitate far-field measurements. Instrumentation is based on an Agilent PNA E8362B. Software is based on the MiDAS 4.0 package. A Real-Time Controller (RTC), accompanied by an 8-port RF switch, facilitates multi-port antenna measurements, with the possibility of interfacing to an active antenna.
Precise mechanical alignment of motion axes of both cylindrical and spherical near-field systems is critical to producing accurate data. Until recently the only way to align these types of systems was to employ traditional optical tooling (i.e. jig transits, theodolites). Alignment by these methods is difficult, time consuming, and requires specialized training. More recently, laser trackers have been used for this type of alignment. Unfortunately, these devices are expensive and demand an even higher level of operator training. This paper describes the use of low cost alignment tools and techniques that have been developed by Nearfield Systems, Inc. (NSI) that greatly simplify the alignment process. Setup and alignment can be performed in a very short period of time by technicians that have been given minimal training. Suitable optical alignment procedures when followed by the use of electrical alignment techniques [7] yield sufficient alignment accuracy to permit testing up to Ku-band.
In previous work [1], we presented an antenna pattern compensation technique for linearly-scanned near field measurements. In this paper, we present a similar technique to mitigate the errors from uncompensated azimuthal antenna pattern effects in circular near-field monostatic radar measurements. The antenna pattern co mpensation is implemented as part of an improved algorithm for transforming the near-field measurements to the far-field RCS. A description of this improved circular near field-to-far field transformation CNFFFT technique for isotropic antennas is presented in a companion paper [2]. In this paper, we formulate the near-field signal model in the presence of an azimuthal antenna pattern under the same scattering approximation used in the isotropic CNFFFT. Using this model, we derive a modified version of the CNFFFT that includes antenna pattern compensation. Numerical simulations are presented that demonstrate the ability of the technique to remove antenna pattern errors and improve the accuracy of the far field RCS patterns and sector statistics.
ABSTRACT A fast and accurate technique is proposed in this work for the far field evaluation from a nonredundant number of voltage data collected by using the planar wide-mesh scanning (PWMS). It relies on the nonredundant sampling representations of the electromagnetic field and on the optimal sampling interpolation expansions of central type. By using a very flexible source modelling, which fits very well a lot of actual antennas, a new sampling technique is developed to recover the plane-rectangular data from the knowledge of the PWMS ones. It must be stressed that the so developed near-field–far-field transformation requires a number of data remarkably lower than that needed by the standard plane-rectangular scanning. Some numerical tests, assessing the accuracy of the technique and its stability with respect to random errors affecting the data, are reported.
An antenna measurement system was developed to complement a new rectangular anechoic chamber (20’L x 10’W x 9’7”H) that has been established at California Polytechnic State University (Cal Poly) through donations and financial support from industry and Cal Poly departments and programs. Software algorithms were written to provide four data acquisition methods: continual sweep and step mode for both single and multiple frequencies. Log magnitude and phase information for an antenna under test is captured over a user-specified angular position range and the antenna's radiation pattern is obtained after post processing. Pattern comparisons against theoretical predictions are performed. Finally an RF link budget is calculated to evaluate the performance of the antenna measurement system.
ABSTRACT A unified theory of near-field spiral scans is proposed in this work by introducing a sampling representation of the radiated electromagnetic field on a rotational surface from the knowledge of a nonredundant number of its samples on a spiral wrapping the surface. The obtained results are general, since they are valid for spirals wrapping on quite arbitrary rotational surfaces, and can be directly applied to the pattern reconstruction via near-field–far-field transformation techniques. Some numerical tests, assessing the accuracy of the technique and its stability with respect to random errors affecting the data, are reported with reference to the case of the helicoidal scan.
ABSTRACT The article discusses the performance and design of a SCARA type robot with counter balanced arms for portable near-field antenna testing. An X-band 43” by 93” antenna on its’ system trailer was tested. A SCARA robot uses rotating joints with parallel axis on linked arms to achieve straight line (or arbitrary) probe movement in a plane. For a horizontal movement plane counterbalanced arms allow movement without change in stress in the scanner structure or foundation, therefore probe movement stays in a plane and structure and foundations can be lightweight and more portable. Probe movement stayed within .004” of a flat surface. Graphite-epoxy tubular arms were used for lightweight, stiffness, and vibration damping. A clockspring like cable carrier was used for each rotary axis. This design kept the center axis free for a directly connected rotary encoder (providing greater accuracy). The diameter of the cable carrier housing at the rotary joint, between arms, enhanced safety by reducing the hazard of a scissoring effect. A dimension touch probe mounted in place of the RF probe was used to align the scanner to the antenna while on its’ system trailer.
Hologram-based compact antenna test range (CATR) is a promising way to measure submm wave antennas. The hologram quality and the measurement accuracy of the hologram-based CATR is limited by the hologram manufacturing process. The measurement accuracy can be improved using pattern correction techniques. However, at submm wavelengths only the antenna pattern comparison (APC) technique is able to correct the effects of the spurious signals originating from the residual inaccuracies of the hologram pattern. A problem with the APC technique is that it is time consuming. This paper introduces a pattern correction technique for hologram-based CATRs. The technique is based on averaging in the frequency domain, and it is able to correct spurious signals originating from the hologram. Proposed technique is also faster than the APC technique. The proposed method is verified with a combination of measurements and simulations.
Inversion of the material parameters for a sample usually requires that the sample fill the waveguide cross-section. Alternative methods require that a non-filling sample be aligned along the center-line of the waveguide. However, it is not known how errors in placement impact the accuracy of the inversion. Hence, a numerical simulation to assess these errors is beneficial to the community. The extraction of the S-parameters from a rectangulardielectric-filled waveguide is conducted numerically by means of the Finite Element Method (FEM) and the Thru-Reflect-Line (TRL) calibration technique. Three different ratios of dielectric sample width (d) to waveguide width (a) are primarily studied. The results are then validated with experimental data on the X-band. An assessment of error with respect to position will be presented at the meeting.
A generally practiced way to improve the sidelobe accuracy in antenna measurements is by repeating and averaging the measurements in different positions in the quiet zone (also referred to as APC or AAPC, depending on the application). An alternative new way for improving the accuracy of compact range measurements is by moving the compact range feed in different locations. This can easily be achieved for both horizontal and vertical directions. Although feed scanning causes a boresight shift, this can be easily compensated if the feed positions are selected intelligently. A significant measurement speed improvement can be realized by using multiple feeds in the relevant locations, instead of moving a single feed sequentially into these locations. Feed scanning APC has been successfully tested in the Ericsson Microwave Systems Compact Range, where it is now practiced in high accuracy radar antenna measurements.
Direction Finding (DF) systems have long been an area of intense research within the Air Force Research Laboratory. There are presently two types of existing DF systems: wideband multi-mode antennas and interferometers. Wideband multi-mode DF systems allow for a large bandwidth but present a low resolution and high variance. Interferometers provide high accuracy and low variance but are narrow band and require a large number of single aperture antenna elements. An effort has commenced to incorporate a broadband DF system with high resolution using two multi-mode spiral antennas. Using an interferometer of multi-mode elements, we can provide high resolution and wideband operation without using numerous antennas. This paper presents the results of extensive wideband measurements carried out on a four-arm spiral antenna and the associated modeformer. These measurements are used to assess and validate the angle estimation capability of the multi-arm spiral antenna.
Radiation efficiency is an inherent property of an antenna that relates the net power accepted by an antenna to the total radiated power. It is especially useful for handset antennas where the radiation patterns are often of less use for comparing competing antennas. Radiation patterns though not as useful for direct comparisons, still provide one method by which efficiency can be calculated. To accurately calculate the efficiency from patterns, it becomes necessary to obtain multiple pattern measurements (cuts). A larger number of cuts whilst yielding more accurate efficiency results, significantly increase measurement time. Thus an antenna designer is often forced to trade off accuracy against measurement time since both quick and accurate measurements are desired. The focus of this paper is to quantify this trade off, in order to provide guidelines on the number of pattern measurements required for accurate efficiency results. Simulated and measured far-field radiation patterns are used and various numbers of cuts are utilized to quantify the loss in accuracy with a reduced number of cuts. The techniques outlined are geared primarily towards cellular handset antennas.
Operating frequencies in the gigahertz range is creating an increased need for electromagnetic compatibility (EMC) testing. In the United States, FCC regulations require conformance to radiated and conducted emissions specifications. An EMC laboratory was established at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo (screen room, test instrumentation, and software) and an experiment was developed to explore conducted emissions effects. This paper will describe the test configuration, explain the calibration procedure needed to acquire accurate measurements, and illustrate measurement techniques applied to two example systems. In addition, the data collection process is illustrated through software donated by CKC Laboratories (EMC specialists). To verify the functionality of the laboratory and to assess measurement accuracy, two 12V/15W switching power supplies are characterized for conducted emissions performance; one as supplied by the vendor (KGCOMP) and a second unit with the EMC filters removed. The noise spectrum for both units are plotted against frequency and compared to FCC specifications. The unaltered unit is shown to be in compliance, thus verifying the accuracy of the test procedure and instrumentation.
Abstract Standardization, accuracy and uncertainty are important considerations to the electromagnetic material measurement community. Test requirements, available hardware and material sample limitations can all add variance to each of these factors. This paper presents comparative data from the Boeing-Tulsa and Boeing-Philadelphia RF reflectivity arches for the purpose of illustrating a process of system performance verification. This initial study is intended to foster discussion within the community and to better understand discrepancies among the various test systems.
It is vital for many future scientific remote sensing satellite missions to develop accurate measurement techniques for high-gain sub-mm wave antennas. At microwaves and longer millimeter wavelengths, the measurement techniques are well established and several error compensation methods have been introduced. This paper proposes a novel error compensation technique suitable for compact antenna test ranges (CATRs) at sub-mm wavelengths. The method is based on antenna pattern comparison (APC). In the APC-technique, several antenna patterns are recorded at different positions in the quiet-zone field and the corrected pattern is obtained by averaging the measured patterns. In the proposed technique, the relatively small feed antenna of the CATR is moved instead of moving the heavy combination of the antenna under test (AUT) and the rotation stage. This is much easier to accomplish. The applicability of the proposed method is studied and the method is demonstrated by a combination of quiet-zone measurements and simulations of the antenna measurements in a hologram based compact antenna test range at 310 GHz. For verification purposes the results with this method is compared to the results with the conventional APC-technique.
This paper is designed to illustrate the technical advances in Network Analyzers and how they can be effectively utilized in an RCS test range. The Hewlett-Packard 8530A [1 - 4] has been utilized in antenna test ranges since the 1980’s and will be used as a reference comparison. Advances in network analyzer hardware and software provide increased functionality, speed and accuracy for RCS measurements. A typical RCS full polarization matrix imaging measurement will be used to illustrate these advances in technology. Range gating, digital and down-range resolution and alias-free range topics will be discussed illustrating the technical advances that can be utilized in an RCS test range. Flexibility of network analyzer hardware will also illustrate the effectiveness of reducing measurement hardware complexity resulting in an increase in measurement speed and accuracy.
There is a trend within the RCS community to use squatty cylinders in place of spheres for calibration. A higher degree of accuracy can be achieved; however, cylinder calibrations require much more precision in the alignment procedures. This effort is doubled when the dual calibration target is also a cylinder. The dual calibration test article could be a sphere thus reducing calibration efforts as long as good correlation exists between theory and measurement sphere data. A series of measurements were collected at the NASA Langley Research Center Compact Range Pilot Facility to study measurement errors of spheres atop foam columns to determine their feasibility for dual calibration use.
In recent years the need for higher quality RCS calibrations has lead to several different calibration technique investigations, such as squat cylinders, bi-cones and hybrids of both. A desirable calibration technique requires: easy implementation, a known theoretical or calculable solution and minimal interaction. The sphere as a calibration target satisfies two of the three requirements. It has no alignment issues and can be easily calculated, but the sphere-holder interaction introduces several dB of error. To reduce this interaction error, a 3D string-reel support system has been developed and demonstrated that significantly improves sphere calibration accuracy. The string-reel sphere positioning system utilizes low dielectric and highly swept strings to achieve minimal calibration error. An additional benefit of this technique allows for field probing and quick quiet zone evaluations.