Measured Radiation Behaviour of a UAV-attached LTE Antenna

In wireless systems, the realised characteristics of antennas in their operational environment are of major interest. This is especially true for wireless remote-control systems in combination with unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs). In this paper we discuss measurement-based evaluations of a commercially available multi-band long term evolution (LTE) antenna mounted to the fuselage of a UAV. In comparison to the same antenna operated without the UAV, we observe an impact on antenna impedance as well as shadowing effects caused by the geometry of the UAV. Both lead to a reduced performance of the antenna and subsequently a reduction in communication reliability and range may be expected.