Antenna array characterization via radio interferometry observation of astronomical sources
Abstract
We present an in-situ antenna characterization method and results for a "low-frequency" radio astronomy engineering prototype array, characterized over the 75-300 MHz frequency range. The presence of multiple cosmic radio sources, particularly the dominant Galactic noise, makes in-situ characterization at these frequencies challenging; however, it will be shown that high quality measurement is possible via radio interferometry techniques. This method is well-known in the radio astronomy community but seems less so in antenna measurement and wireless communications communities, although the measurement challenges involving multiple undesired sources in the antenna field-of-view bear some similarities. We discuss this approach and our results with the expectation that this principle may find greater application in related fields.
Cite
@article{arxiv.1501.05017,
title = {Antenna array characterization via radio interferometry observation of astronomical sources},
author = {T. M. Colegate and A. T. Sutinjo and P. J. Hall and S. K. Padhi and R. B. Wayth and J. G. Bij de Vaate and B. Crosse and D. Emrich and A. J. Faulkner and N. Hurley-Walker and E. de Lera Acedo and B. Juswardy and N. Razavi-Ghods and S. J. Tingay and A. Williams},
journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:1501.05017},
year = {2015}
}
Comments
4 pages, 6 figures; 2014 IEEE Conference on Antenna Measurements & Applications (CAMA), 16-19 Nov. 2014, pp.1-4