scholarly journals Validation of the radiation pattern of the VHF MST radar MAARSY by scattering off a sounding rocket's payload

2015 ◽  
Vol 13 ◽  
pp. 41-48 ◽  
Author(s):  
T. Renkwitz ◽  
C. Schult ◽  
R. Latteck ◽  
G. Stober
Keyword(s):  
Antenna Array ◽  
Radiation Pattern ◽  
Middle Atmosphere ◽  
Phase Distribution ◽  
Lower Thermosphere ◽  
Beam Width ◽  
Sounding Rocket ◽  
Flexible Beam ◽  
Phased Array Antenna ◽  
Pointing Accuracy

Abstract. The Middle Atmosphere Alomar Radar System (MAARSY) is a monostatic radar with an active phased array antenna designed for studies of phenomena in the mesosphere and lower thermosphere. Its design, in particular the flexible beam forming and steering capability, makes it a powerful instrument to perform observations with high angular and temporal resolution. For the configuration and analysis of experiments carried out with the radar it is essential to have knowledge of the actual radiation pattern. Therefore, during the time since the radar was put into operation various active and passive experiments have been performed to gain knowledge of the radiation pattern. With these experiments the beam pointing accuracy, the beam width and phase distribution of the antenna array were investigated. Here, the use of a sounding rocket and its payload as a radar target is described which was launched in the proximity of the radar. The analysis of these observations allows the detailed investigation of the two-way radiation pattern for different antenna array sizes and beam pointing positions.

scholarly journals New experiments to validate the radiation pattern of the Middle Atmosphere Alomar Radar System (MAARSY)

2013 ◽  
Vol 11 ◽  
pp. 283-289 ◽  
Author(s):  
T. Renkwitz ◽  
G. Stober ◽  
R. Latteck ◽  
W. Singer ◽  
M. Rapp
Keyword(s):  
Radiation Pattern ◽  
Middle Atmosphere ◽  
Lower Thermosphere ◽  
Radar System ◽  
Flexible Beam ◽  
Cosmic Radio ◽  
Phased Array Antenna ◽  
Sky Temperature ◽  
Temperature Maps ◽  
Actual Radiation

Abstract. The Middle Atmosphere Alomar Radar System (MAARSY) is a monostatic radar with an active phased array antenna designed for studies of phenomena in the mesosphere and lower thermosphere. Its design in particular the flexible beam forming and steering capability makes it to a powerful instrument to perform observations with high angular and temporal resolution. The knowledge of the actual radiation pattern is crucial to configure and analyze experiments carried out with the radar. The simulated radiation pattern is evaluated by the observation of cosmic radio emissions which are compared to a Global Sky temperature Maps model consisting of the most recent, thorough and accurate radio astronomy surveys. Additionally to these passive receive-only experiments active two-way experiments are presented, which corroborate the findings of the passive experiments.

scholarly journals Validation of the radiation pattern of the Middle Atmosphere Alomar Radar System (MAARSY)

2012 ◽  
Vol 10 ◽  
pp. 245-253 ◽  
Author(s):  
T. Renkwitz ◽  
W. Singer ◽  
R. Latteck ◽  
G. Stober ◽  
M. Rapp
Keyword(s):  
Radiation Pattern ◽  
Middle Atmosphere ◽  
Beam Steering ◽  
Lower Thermosphere ◽  
Radar System ◽  
The Arctic ◽  
Current Status ◽  
Beam Forming ◽  
Noise Power ◽  
Phased Array Antenna

Abstract. In 2009/2010 the Leibniz-Institute of Atmospheric Physics (IAP) installed a new powerful VHF radar on the island Andøya in Northern Norway (69.30° N, 16.04° E). The Middle Atmosphere Alomar Radar System (MAARSY) allows studies with high spatial and temporal resolution in the troposphere/lower stratosphere and in the mesosphere/lower thermosphere of the Arctic atmosphere. The monostatic radar is operated at 53.5 MHz with an active phased array antenna consisting of 433 Yagi antennas. Each individual antenna is connected to its own transceiver with independent phase control and a scalable power output of up to 2 kW, which implies high flexibility of beam forming and beam steering. During the design phase of MAARSY several model studies have been carried out in order to estimate the radiation pattern for various combinations of beam forming and steering. However, parameters like mutual coupling, active impedance and ground parameters have an impact on the radiation pattern, but can hardly be measured. Hence, experiments need to be designed to verify the model results. For this purpose, the radar has occasionally been used in passive mode, monitoring the noise power received from both distinct cosmic noise sources like e.g. Cassiopeia A and Cygnus A, and the diffuse cosmic background noise. The analysis of the collected dataset enables us to verify beam forming and steering attempts. These results document the current status of the radar during its development and provide valuable information for further improvement.

scholarly journals VHF antenna pattern characterization by the observation of meteor head echoes

2016 ◽  
Author(s):  
Toralf Renkwitz ◽  
Carsten Schult ◽  
Ralph Latteck
Keyword(s):  
Radiation Pattern ◽  
Middle Atmosphere ◽  
Radar Data ◽  
Lower Atmosphere ◽  
Beam Forming ◽  
Flexible Beam ◽  
Phased Array Antenna ◽  
Active Experiments ◽  
Head Echo ◽  
Actual Radiation

Abstract. The Middle Atmosphere Alomar Radar SYstem (MAARSY) with its active phased array antenna is designed and used for studies of phenomena in the mesosphere and lower atmosphere. The flexible beam forming and steering combined with a large aperture array allows observations with high temporal and angular resolution. For both, the analysis of the radar data and the configuration of experiments, the actual radiation pattern needs to be known. For that purpose various simulations as well as passive and active experiments have been conducted. Here, results of meteor head echo observations are presented, which allow derivation of detailed information of the actual radiation pattern for different beam pointing positions and the current health status of the entire radar. For MAARSY, the described method offers robust beam pointing and width estimations for a minimum of a few days of observations.

scholarly journals VHF antenna pattern characterization by the observation of meteor head echoes

2017 ◽  
Vol 10 (2) ◽  
pp. 527-535 ◽  
Author(s):  
Toralf Renkwitz ◽  
Carsten Schult ◽  
Ralph Latteck
Keyword(s):  
Radiation Pattern ◽  
Middle Atmosphere ◽  
Radar Data ◽  
Lower Atmosphere ◽  
Beam Forming ◽  
Flexible Beam ◽  
Phased Array Antenna ◽  
Active Experiments ◽  
Head Echo ◽  
Actual Radiation

Abstract. The Middle Atmosphere Alomar Radar System (MAARSY) with its active phased array antenna is designed and used for studies of phenomena in the mesosphere and lower atmosphere. The flexible beam forming and steering combined with a large aperture array allows for observations with a high temporal and angular resolution. For both the analysis of the radar data and the configuration of experiments, the actual radiation pattern needs to be known. For that purpose, various simulations as well as passive and active experiments have been conducted. Here, results of meteor head echo observations are presented, which allow us to derive detailed information of the actual radiation pattern for different beam-pointing positions and the current health status of the entire radar. For MAARSY, the described method offers robust beam pointing and width estimations for a minimum of a few days of observations.

scholarly journals AMPLITUDE-PHASE DISTRIBUTION MEASUREMENT PLANE DIMENSIONS INFLUENCE ON THE HOLOGRAPHIC METHOD ANTENNA ARRAY RADIATION PATTERN RECONSTRUCTION ERRORS

Doklady BGUIR ◽  
2020 ◽  
pp. 5-13
Author(s):  
O. A. Yurtsev ◽  
R. Ch. Shimanouski
Keyword(s):  
Antenna Array ◽  
Radiation Pattern ◽  
Phase Distribution ◽  
Near Field ◽  
Amplitude Distribution ◽  
Holographic Method ◽  
Longitudinal Zone ◽  
Measurement Plane ◽  
Measurement Surface ◽  
The Cost

The article explores the holographic method of measuring the antenna pattern. A flat antenna array is used as the antenna under test, and a planar rectangular surface is used as the surface on which the amplitudephase distribution in the near field is measured. Using the example of a flat antenna array, we consider the influence of the size of the measurement surface of the amplitude-phase distribution of the field in a plane orthogonal to the reconstruction plane of the radiation pattern. Antenna emitters are excited with a combined amplitude distribution and linear phase distribution. The field in the longitudinal zone of the lattice is determined using the Kirchhoff integral. The reconstructed radiation patterns are estimated using the amplitude-phase distribution over the entire measurement plane in comparison with the array radiation pattern in the far zone. A numerical analysis of the influence on the errors in determining the parameters of the lattice radiation pattern using the holographic method is also carried out: the number of columns of the amplitude-phase distribution on the measurement plane, the position of this plane in three coordinates relative to the plane of the aperture of the lattice. It is shown that if the spacing of the points of measurement of the amplitude-phase distribution and the pitch of the lattice are equal, to restore the radiation pattern using the holographic method, it is sufficient to use one column of the amplitude-phase distribution on the measurement plane. This greatly simplifies and reduces the cost of the measurement process and the necessary equipment. Examples of determining errors in measuring the parameters of the antenna array when shifting the plane of measurement of the amplitude-phase distribution in three coordinates are given.

scholarly journals Horizontally resolved structures of radar backscatter from polar mesospheric layers

2012 ◽  
Vol 10 ◽  
pp. 285-290 ◽  
Author(s):  
R. Latteck ◽  
W. Singer ◽  
M. Rapp ◽  
T. Renkwitz ◽  
G. Stober
Keyword(s):  
Middle Atmosphere ◽  
Beam Steering ◽  
Lower Thermosphere ◽  
The Arctic ◽  
Phased Array Antenna ◽  
Vhf Radar ◽  
The North ◽  
Expansion Stage ◽  
Arctic Atmosphere ◽  
High Flexibility

Abstract. The Leibniz-Institute of Atmospheric Physics in Kühlungsborn, Germany (IAP) installed a new powerful VHF radar on the North-Norwegian island Andøya (69.30° N, 16.04° E) from 2009 to 2011. The new Middle Atmosphere Alomar Radar System (MAARSY) replaces the existing ALWIN radar which has been in continuous operation on Andøya for more than 10 yr. MAARSY is a monostatic radar operated at 53.5 MHz with an active phased array antenna consisting of 433 Yagi antennas each connected to its own transceiver with independent control of frequency, phase and power of the transmitted signal. This arrangement provides a very high flexibility of beam forming and beam steering. It allows classical beam swinging operation as well as experiments with simultaneous multiple beams and the use of modern interferometric applications for improved studies of the Arctic atmosphere from the troposphere up to the lower thermosphere with high spatial-temporal resolution. The installation of the antenna was completed in August 2009. An initial expansion stage of 196 transceiver modules was installed in spring 2010, upgraded to 343 transceiver modules in December 2010 and the installation of the radar was completed in spring 2011. Beside standard observations of tropospheric winds and Polar Mesosphere Summer Echoes, multi-beam experiments using up to 91 beams quasi-simultaneously in the mesosphere have been carried out using the different expansion stages of the system during campaigns in 2010 and 2011. These results provided a first insight into the horizontal variability of Polar Mesosphere Summer and Winter Echoes in an area of about 80 km by 80 km with time resolutions between 3 and 9 min.

A Comparison of Swarm-Based Optimization Algorithms in Linear Antenna Array Synthesis

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ali Durmus ◽  
Rifat KURBAN ◽  
Ercan KARAKOSE
Keyword(s):  
Antenna Array ◽  
Radiation Pattern ◽  
Antenna Arrays ◽  
Heuristic Algorithms ◽  
Beam Width ◽  
Side Lobe ◽  
Side Lobe Level ◽  
Linear Antenna ◽  
Half Power ◽  
Antenna Array Synthesis

Abstract Today, the design of antenna arrays is very important in providing effective and efficient wireless communication. The purpose of antenna array synthesis is to obtain a radiation pattern with low side lobe level (SLL) at a desired half power beam width (HPBW) in far-field. The amplitude and position values ​​of the array elements can be optimized to obtain a radiation pattern with suppressed SLLs. In this paper swarm-based meta-heuristic algorithms such as Particle Swarm Optimization (PSO), Artificial Bee Colony (ABC), Mayfly algorithm (MA) and Jellyfish Search (JS) algorithms are compared to realize optimal design of linear antenna arrays. Extensive experiments are conducted on designing 10, 16, 24 and 32-element linear arrays by determining the amplitude and positions. Experiments are repeated 30 times due to the random nature of swarm-based optimizers and statistical results show that performance of the novel algorithms, MA and JS, are better than well-known methods PSO and ABC.

scholarly journals MAARSY – the new MST radar on Andøya/Norway

2010 ◽  
Vol 8 ◽  
pp. 219-224 ◽  
Author(s):  
R. Latteck ◽  
W. Singer ◽  
M. Rapp ◽  
T. Renkwitz
Keyword(s):  
Middle Atmosphere ◽  
Beam Steering ◽  
Lower Thermosphere ◽  
The Arctic ◽  
Circular Aperture ◽  
Phased Array Antenna ◽  
Spatiotemporal Resolution ◽  
Vhf Radar ◽  
High Flexibility ◽  
New System

Abstract. The Leibniz-Institute of Atmospheric Physics in Kühlungsborn, Germany (IAP) is installing a new powerful VHF radar on the North-Norwegian island Andøya (69.30° N, 16.04° E) in 2009/2010. The new Middle Atmosphere Alomar Radar System (MAARSY) replaces the existing ALWIN radar which has been operated continuously on Andøya for more than 10 years. The new system is a monostatic radar operated at 53.5 MHz with an active phased array antenna consisting of 433 Yagi antennas. The 3-element Yagi antennas are arranged in an equilateral triangle grid forming a circular aperture of approximately 6300 m2. Each individual antenna is connected to its own transceiver with independent phase control and a scalable output up to 2 kW. This arrangement allows very high flexibility of beam forming and beam steering with a symmetric radar beam of a minimum half power beam width of 3.6°, a maximum directive gain of 33.5 dB and a total transmitted peak power of approximately 800 kW. The IF signals of each 7 transceivers connected to each 7 antennas arranged in a hexagon are combined to 61 receiving channels. Selected channels or combinations of IF signals are sent to a 16-channel data acquisition system with 25 m sampling resolution and 16-bit digitization specified which will be upgraded to 64 channels in the final stage. The high flexibility of the new system allows classical Doppler beam swinging as well as experiments with simultaneously formed multiple beams and the use of modern interferometric applications for improved studies of the Arctic atmosphere from the troposphere up to the lower thermosphere with high spatiotemporal resolution.

Optimum design of linear and circular antenna arrays using equilibrium optimization algorithm

2021 ◽  
pp. 1-12
Author(s):  
Ali Durmus ◽  
Rifat Kurban
Keyword(s):  
Antenna Array ◽  
Radiation Pattern ◽  
Antenna Arrays ◽  
Optimization Algorithm ◽  
Communication Systems ◽  
Control Volume ◽  
Optimization Technique ◽  
Beam Width ◽  
Side Lobe ◽  
Side Lobe Level

Abstract In this paper, equilibrium optimization algorithm (EOA), which is a novel optimization algorithm, is applied to synthesize symmetrical linear antenna array and non-uniform circular antenna array (CAA). The main purpose of antenna array synthesis is to achieve a radiation pattern with low maximum side lobe level (MSL) and narrow half-power beam width (HPBW) in far-field. The low MSL here is an important parameter to reduce interference from other communication systems operating in the same frequency band. A narrow HPBW is needed to achieve high directionality in antenna radiation patterns. Entering the literature as a novel optimization technique, EOA optimally determined the amplitude and position values of the array elements to obtain a radiation pattern with a low MSL and narrow HPBW. The EOA is inspired by models of the control volume mass balance used to predict equilibrium as well as dynamic states. To demonstrate the flexibility and performance of the proposed algorithm, 10-element, 16-element and 24-element linear arrays and eight-element, 10-element and 12-element CAAs are synthesized. The MSL and HPBW values of radiation pattern obtained with the EOA are very successful compared to the results of other optimization methods in the literature.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document