Horizon Nulling Backfire Helix Antenna for Interference-Resistant GNSS Applications

Currently, using global navigation satellite systems such as GLONASS, GPS, BeiDou, etc. is the main way to realize positioning, navigation and timing services. Ground-based global navigation satellite system antennas installed at fixed site infrastructure are susceptible to interference coming from the horizon direction. Interference can be either intended (jamming) or accidental (multipath). In order to realize continuous access to position, navigation and timing services, it is necessary to create a spatial filter (antenna) to eliminate the interference, which usually comes from low angles towards the horizon. This paper presents a backfire helix antenna for interference-resistant global navigation satellite system applications. The phase distribution along the helix produces a conical beam with a deep null in the gain pattern at the horizontal direction, while maintaining sufficient beam width in the zenith direction. The proposed antenna can be manufactured at a lower cost compared to other interference mitigation antennas such as antenna arrays due to its simple architecture.