Antenna Radiation Pattern Mapping with an Unmanned Aerial System
Open Access
- Author:
- Yuan, Alex
- Graduate Program:
- Electrical Engineering
- Degree:
- Master of Science
- Document Type:
- Master Thesis
- Date of Defense:
- June 24, 2022
- Committee Members:
- Kultegin Aydin, Program Head/Chair
James Kenneth Breakall, Thesis Advisor/Co-Advisor
Gregory Huff, Thesis Advisor/Co-Advisor
Erik H. Lenzing, Special Signatory - Keywords:
- UAS
UAV
SDR
drone
quadcopter
antenna
radiation pattern
RF
HackRF
Pixhawk
Ardupilot
Mission Planner
GRC
GNU Radio
Python
MATLAB - Abstract:
- This thesis presents the implementation of a relatively low cost unmanned aerial system for antenna radiation pattern measurements. The thesis explores the feasibility of using low cost hobbyist electronics and aircraft along with inexpensive software defined radios (SDR) while still yielding usable results. All hardware used in the entirety of the measurement system is commercial, off the shelf (COTS) and easily source-able from popular vendors online. The system is built on a ZD-550 quadcopter frame and employs a Pixhawk autopilot flight controller. The measurement payload comprises of a HackRF SDR and a Raspberry Pi. In total, the entirety of the UAS including the measurement payload came in under $1300. This thesis will detail the flight hardware, radio frequency (RF) data collection hardware, methodology, and results. Two test articles, a monopole and a 5-element Yagi will are modeled in electromagnetic modeling software and the simulation results will be compared with flight results. Then, practical in-situ measurements will be assessed. Over several measurement scenarios, it was found that the system is very capable of providing useful measurements. Although not a replacement for an anechoic chamber, this system is a feasible alternative to measurement methods involving real helicopters and even other UAS platforms with Ettus or various higher end SDRs costing $10,000 and up.