Automatic Direction-Finding Antenna | 2019-03-07 | Microwave Journal https://www.microwavejournal.com/articles/print/31913-automatic-direc...

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Automatic Direction-Finding Antenna

Narda Safety Test Solutions GmbH, Pfullingen, Germany
March 7, 2019

The engineers at Narda Safety Test Solutions (STS) have

developed an automatic direction-finding antenna for signals
between 200 MHz and 2.7 GHz. Used with the SignalShark real-
time receiver, the ADFA 1 quickly identifies a bearing - a complete
measurement cycle takes just 1.2 ms - and is insensitive to
reflections, ever present in urban environments. The antenna is
compact, weighing just 5.6 kg with a diameter of 480 mm, making
it well-suited for cellular network providers and security
applications.

Direction finding measures the phase differences of a signal among several antenna elements. The heart of
the ADFA 1 is an array of nine antenna elements around a central omnidirectional reference antenna.
Combining the array with phase shifters and complex algorithms enables the ADFA 1 to precisely determine
signal direction using only a single-channel receiver, at a much lower cost than multi-channel direction-
finding systems. The central reference antenna receives signals from all directions, observing the broadband
spectrum simultaneously with determining the direction of the signal being traced. The ADFA 1 also
determines the elevation angle of the signal, which is important in urban settings where localizing to an
individual floor may be needed.

In most applications, the ADFA 1 is attached to the roof of a vehicle with a magnetic mount, which does not
require drilling holes or other modifications to the vehicle. The immunity of antenna performance to the
mounting surface means that correction tables for the specific vehicle are not needed. Once the vehicle-
mounted system identifies the building, an additional hand-held antenna can be used with the SignalShark to
determine the floor and room where the source is located.

Narda STS
Pfullingen, Germany
www.narda-sts.com

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