SDRA2020 - 17 - Clement Campo: Positioner steering and synchronization with antenna weighting
Software-Defined Radio (SDR) is of major interest for antenna array weighting applications. In the context of phase coherent applications, measurement in an anechoic environment with precise control of the angle between the measured antenna array and the reference source is a mandatory step. However, such measurement while steering the array using SDR can prove difficult, as available equipment is often incompatible with the additional hardware.
The following work therefore presents a motor positioner and array weighting GNU Radio blocks developed in order to allow for precise measurements in phase coherent applications using commercial SDR. For GNU Radio to handle the automated measurement, a client architecture is implemented in a block in the form of a state machine. The client commands are sent to the implemented server steering the motor using a TCP/IP protocol, for precise control of the angle between the antenna array and reference source. Beam steering and null steering blocks are also implemented in GNU Radio, and measurements are compared to numerical simulations to validate the proposed experimental setup. Measured radiation patterns are found to be in accordance with expectations, hence validating the array weighting blocks. Previous observable 3 to 5° angular shifts of the measured radiation patterns are reduced to less than 1°, showing the implemented motor positioner efficiently takes advantage of the precise rotation offered by the proprietary equipment.
Authors: Clément Campo, Manuel Milla Peinado, Loïc Bernard, Hervé Boeglen, Sébastien Hengy, Jean-Marie Paillot
Camera & Edit: FurStreaming
Sebastian, DL5WN
Marc, DO1BOL
Torben