Towards an Identification of Faulty Antenna in Large Antenna Systems using Vertical Flight Pattern Quadcopter Measurements

Identification of faulty elements in antenna arrays is a widely debated topic due to their utilization for many different types of broadcasting. One such broadcast is the terrestrial broadcasting of radio and digital television signals utilizing large antenna systems consisting of many complex antennas. The article presents a comparison between the calculated vertical radiation patterns of a fully functional antenna system and an antenna system with various individual faulty antennas. The goal is to determine their mutual difference based on which antenna does not radiate and obtain a reference for comparison for future quadcopter measurements. The study builds on previous research regarding the identification of a faulty antenna by radiation pattern measurements performed by an autonomous quadcopter and aims to enhance the diagnostic method utilizing the electromagnetic field intensity measurements.