Microwave Antenna Principles and Practice Training

Commitment 3 days, 7-8 hours a day.
Language English
User Ratings Average User Rating 4.8 See what learners said
Price REQUEST
Delivery Options Instructor-Led Onsite, Online, and Classroom Live

COURSE OVERVIEW

Microwave antennas are indispensable for wireless and RADAR applications in commercial and government environments. Microwave Antenna Principles and Practice Training covers the theory and practice of microwave antenna design and testing, providing a thorough grounding in their principles and technology. After considering the physical foundations of microwave antennas, we move to discussions of specifications for performance for various designs: primary elements (monopoles, dipoles, slots, helixes, and patches), reflector antenna systems (prime focus and folded optics, center-fed and offset-fed), and array antennas (planar arrays and phased arrays). Array antennas figure prominently in current and future applications and so are considered in detail later in the Microwave Antenna Principles and Practice course. Installation of microwave antennas on vehicles, aircraft (manned and unmanned), and vessels is reviewed in detail as there are many timely applications in government and industry. Innovation in phased array antennas is covered based on case studies in space communications and terrestrial wireless.

The integration of microwave principles and digital processing is described in the context of adaptive antennas, including MIMO and Smart Distributed Antenna Systems. Prediction of microwave antenna performance using software modeling tools is reviewed, including techniques for metallic structures and adaptive arrays. Measurement techniques are key to a successful antenna, so we consider the standard procedures for antenna measurement (anechoic near-field ranges and far-field ranges) as well as innovative approaches like the compact antenna range. Microwave antennas may pose a challenge when being installed on aircraft, ships, and vehicles and so we review their integration under such constraints. The Microwave Antenna Principles and Practice course wrap up with reviews of recent topics related to microwave antennas, including the NASA SCaN Test Bed on the International Space Station and a UAV case study.

WHAT'S INCLUDED?
  • 3 days of Microwave Antenna Principles and Practice Training with an expert instructor
  • Microwave Antenna Principles and Practice Electronic Course Guide
  • Certificate of Completion
  • 100% Satisfaction Guarantee
RESOURCES
RELATED COURSES

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

COURSE DESCRIPTION
COURSE OBJECTIVES

Upon completing this Microwave Antenna Principles and Practice Training course, learners will be able to meet these objectives:

  • Obtain a fundamental understanding of antennas from both theoretical and practical bases
  • Be able to identify the characteristics and designs of antennas in current and evolving applications in microwave and millimeter-wave bands
  • Understand the means to design and predict antenna performance through principles and actual hardware examples
  • Evaluate the capabilities of various types of the reflector and array antenna systems
  • Consider modern adaptive array technology as applied to several fields
  • Learn how microwave antennas can be integrated into various platforms such as vehicles, vessels, and aircraft (manned and unmanned)
CUSTOMIZE IT
CUSTOMIZE IT
  • We can adapt this Microwave Antenna Principles and Practice Training course to your group’s background and work requirements at little to no added cost.
  • If you are familiar with some aspects of this Microwave Antenna Principles and Practice Training course, we can omit or shorten their discussion.
  • We can adjust the emphasis placed on the various topics or build the Microwave Antenna Principles and Practice Training around the mix of technologies of interest to you (including technologies other than those included in this outline).
  • If your background is nontechnical, we can exclude the more technical topics, include the topics that may be of special interest to you (e.g., as a manager or policy-maker), and present the Microwave Antenna Principles and Practice Training course in a manner understandable to lay audiences.
AUDIENCE/TARGET GROUP
AUDIENCE/TARGET GROUP

The target audience for this Microwave Antenna Principles and Practice Training course:

  • All
CLASS PREREQUISITES
CLASS PREREQUISITES

The knowledge and skills that a learner must have before attending this Microwave Antenna Principles and Practice course are:

  • N/A

COURSE SYLLABUS

Theory of Microwave Antennas as related to modern applications
  • Electromagnetic radiation, directivity patterns – three-dimensional and two-dimensional, microwave and millimeter wave regions, quasi-optical design
  • Elemental antennas – monopole, dipole, helix, horn, slot, patch
  • Linear and circular/elliptical polarization – performance, cross-polarization isolation
  • Reflector antennas – illumination, optics, primary and secondary patterns, surface tolerance, pattern integration
  • Folded optics – Cassegrain, Gregorian, splash-plate/backfire
  • Non-blocking structures – the offset-fed paraboloid
  • Planar array
  • Controlled phased array principles
  • Antenna requirements and constraints (directivity, gain, impedance, losses, beamwidth, sidelobes, polarization, power handling ability, RFI, antenna temperature, coverage)
Antenna characteristics, design, and the selection of antenna elements
  • Flyswatter, parabolic and spherical reflector, torus
  • Helix designs, circular polarization, microwave polarizers
  • Antennas for space communications (area coverage, spot beams, Omni)
Microwave antenna mounts, drives, and controls
  • Az-El, X-Y and hybrid techniques
  • Tracking systems – monopulse, amplitude-based (step track)
  • Antenna control units
  • Ground-based tracking system examples (S and X band)
Understanding the various factors of the integration of antennas on mobile platforms
  • Vehicles – signal acquisition and tracking, stability on the move
  • Aircraft – low profile installations, withstanding the operating environment, operation at extreme latitude
  • Marine vessels – antenna placement above deck, harsh environment characteristics, stability
Special applications in antenna technologies and the associated challenges
  • Phased array antenna – active element case study for the Main Mission Antenna
  • Combining multiple microwave bands on the same antenna – multiport and dichroic feed systems
  • Waveguide lens at 20 GHz
  • Spatial multiplexing – adaptive arrays
  • Digital processor control – beam-to-beam coupling
  • Multiple-input, multiple-output (MIMO) – cellular coverage
In-depth understanding of beam steering by discussing array antenna systems
  • Current active element technology, with solid-state amplifiers
  • Low loss and low passive intermodulation (PIM) diplexing
  • Phase shifters
  • True-time delay devices
  • Application issues: grating lobes, beam squint, quantization errors, and scan blindness
Antenna modeling techniques
  • Modeling of conventional metallic structures
  • Modeling of adaptive arrays; discrete transform techniques
Antenna and microwave measurement techniques
  • Standard antennas for comparisons
  • Antenna gain measurement using directivity as the basis
  • Testbeds for subsystem and system evaluation
  • Anechoic chambers
  • Bore sight ranges
  • Compact range and near field range
  • Satellites, radio stars, and other reference sources
Antenna installation issues and solutions
  • Operation in difficult environments – high winds, hot or cold temperatures, use and effect of radomes
  • Interaction with structures and ground reflections
  • Placement to optimize performance or esthetics
RF interference reduction techniques – sidelobe suppression, filtering, cancellation
Review of innovative projects
  • Scan Test Bed on the International Space Station
  • Distributed antenna systems
  • Discussion of the antennas used in an unmanned aerial system as a real-life case study in the class
Microwave Antenna Principles and Practice TrainingMicrowave Antenna Principles and Practice Training Course Wrap-Up
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