UAV-based antenna measurement and diagnostics for circularly polarized antenna arrays

Abstract

The main goal of this contribution is to present the application of an Unmanned Aerial System for Antenna Measurement (UASAM) for analyzing circularly polarized antenna arrays. UASAM can be used for in-situ antenna measurement and diagnostics. It makes use of a power detector onboard an Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) with a cm-level accuracy positioning system, which allows to acquire measurements in the near field region. Thus, it overcomes practical drawbacks of other UAV-based antenna measurement systems that work in the far field region. Its performance for providing antenna diagnostics of an array composed by two circularly polarized antennas with reverse handedness is analyzed, comparing it with anechoic chamber results.