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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."
Read...
the rest
of the story...
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
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