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Educational Articles / By David Goins

Port Richey, Florida, July 8, 2024 - David Goins, founder of and chief engineer for Windfreak Technologies, has written a number of application notes pertaining to the specification and testing of RF and microwave frequency signal generators. His "Antenna Beam Steering" article summarizes how RF signal generators can be an easy tool used to start testing and understanding concepts of phased array antennas and beam steering. Specifically, the SynthHD and SynthHD Pro RF signal generators have dual independent channels that allow independent control of frequency, phase and amplitude on each channel (0.01°, 100 μs switching time). If both channels are set to the same frequency, the phase can be adjusted in fine steps across a full 360 degrees.

An Explanation of Antenna Beam Steering and its History

"In its simplest form, antenna beam steering would be accomplished by a directive antenna being driven by a servo motor to steer the RF radiation and reception in the desired direction. You can see this done on pleasure boat radar using a rotating radar antenna, usually called an open array radar. The same thing happens with most radar on boats, but some are under a radome, so the spinning antenna is protected and unseen. Pulses or chirps are transmitted at the speed of light and bounce off targets. They are received while being very accurately timed. The radar will then use the time of flight to draw a plot of echoes reflecting back telling the navigator where land, rainstorms and other hazards are around them, significantly increasing marine safety. Of course, this extends to military, weather and other radar applications.

It also extends outside of radar applications. In Figure 1 below, the Simrad antenna on the left is the rotating marine radar. The radome on the right contains a satellite TV receiver which has a gimballed antenna inside that steers itself with the boat’s movement. The antenna constantly aligns itself with the satellite signal for uninterrupted radio frequency reception."

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About Windfreak Technologies

Windfreak Technologies provides low cost, quality, innovative RF products that are used in a wide range of highly technical applications. Since the conception of Windfreak, our products have been purchased by a wide range of customers from around the world. Customers include hobbyists, education facilities, and government agencies. Our continued commitment is to keep our overhead extremely low, enabling us to provide high quality, low cost, Made-in-the-USA products. For more information about Windfreak Technologies' products or the website, please contact David Goins at 1+ (727) 490-8812 or email: dgoins@windfreaktech.com.

ContactInfo:

David Goins, CTO
Windfreak Technologies, LLC
New Port Richey, Florida 34652
Office: +1 (727) 490-8812

URL: www.windfreaktech.com

Email: dgoins@windfreaktech.com

Posted July , 2024