Projects:2016s1-106 Airborne Antenna Measurement Platform

Topic

Airborne Antenna Measurement Platform

Team members

Cameron Seidel, Vaishali Ghosh, and Samuel Schultz

Supervisors and Sponsorship

Prof Christophe Fumeaux, Mr Deshan Govender (DSTG), and Mr Adrian Caldow (DSTG). This project is sponsored by the Australian Government Department of Defence Science and Technology Group (DSTG).

Abstract

Understanding the characteristics of antennas used in modern communication systems is of critical importance to ensure reliable service in the most dangerous of environments, such as on the frontier of the battlefield. Wearable antennas composed of textile materials offer a variety of benefits; however, placing such antennas in their operating contexts introduces unique complications for characterisation which this project aims to address by trialling a novel measurement method. This project aimed to demonstrate the validity and effectiveness of an autonomous airborne antenna measurement system by developing and evaluating a ground-based prototype, while teaching team members engineering skills. Such a prototype suitable for extension to a drone-based system was produced which qualitatively demonstrated the measurement of an antenna, albeit augmented with location data recorded manually. While some of the performance characteristics did not meet expectations, the prototype will be a useful tool for further prototyping. In particular, there remains a great deal of analysis and adjustment that can be made to fine tune and better characterise the system’s performance.