Description
Inter-comparison and validation of antenna measurement ranges have been carried out for at least three decades. These activities allow finding and help correcting big and small problems in the facilities itself and the measurement procedures, thus leading to an improvement of the measurement accuracy and facilitating better understanding of the measurement techniques.
The early experience gained demonstrated that dedicated VAST antennas are required for validation. These VAST antennas shall have the following characteristics:
• Mechanical stability and stiffness over a given operational temperature.
• Extremely stable electrical characteristics allowing frequent travel and handling of the VAST
• A well-defined coordinate system, defined by dedicated alignment tools.
The VAST-12 antenna, operating at Ku-band, has been used for many years but nowadays, many missions are using the Ka-band for user up/down links while the use of Q/V bands is contemplated for the feeder links in the coming years. To support this frequency band move, a VAST antennas at mm-Waves was required.
The developed antenna uses the same mechanical concept as the VAST-12 but this time it is a multi-frequency reflector antenna: 20/30/38 and 48 GHz. There are adapters for Linear and Circular polarisation. The antenna has been designed, manufactured and tested by DTU electrical engineering department with assistance of TICRA and DTU Windenergy.
