Beam Measurements of the Tianlai Dish Radio Telescope Using an Unmanned Aerial Vehicle [Antenna Applications Corner]
Juyong Zhang, J.M. Liu, Fengquan Wu, Xuelei Chen, Jixia Li, Peter Timbie, Santanu Das, Ruibin Yan, Jiachen He, Osinga Calvin
Abstract
The beam profile of an antenna can be measured by scanning it over a calibration source in the far field and recording the output power from the antenna as a function of the angle between the direction of the source and antenna axis. For large antennas that do not fit into an anechoic chamber, measurements are often made in a test range where the source is mounted at a large distance and height. However, this method has certain limitations, as constraints on the height of the source make measurements at high altitude angles difficult, and the measurement may also suffer from reflections from the ground.
Topics & Concepts
Radio telescopeTelescopeAntenna (radio)Beam waveguide antennaBeam (structure)Remote sensingOpticsAerospace engineeringPeriscope antennaEngineeringPhysicsAstronomyElectrical engineeringOmnidirectional antennaGeologyRadio Astronomy Observations and TechnologyAntenna Design and OptimizationRadio Wave Propagation Studies