Modeling of a twin terminated folded dipole antenna for the Super Dual Auroral Radar Network (SuperDARN)

The Super Dual Auroral Radar Network (SuperDARN) is an international collaboration of researchers interested in near-Earth space plasma. This group uses high frequency (HF) radars to measure backscatter from magnetic field-aligned plasma irregularities to study space weather manifested in the Earth's magnetosphere and ionosphere. This paper describes a new antenna design, the twin terminated folded dipole (TTFD), used by the latest generation of SuperDARN radars. The TTFD design provides a less expensive alternative to the log-periodic antenna design previously used by SuperDARN radars. The radiation characteristics of the new antenna are analyzed with modeling results from a version of the Numerical Electromagnetics Code version 2 (NEC2). The TTFD antenna modeling results are then compared to a log periodic antenna design used for a SuperDARN radar. It is concluded that the less expensive TTFD antenna design is an adequate replacement for the log-periodic antenna based on modeled performance characteristics. The TTFD antenna design demonstrates the ability to generate HF backscatter suitable for scientific analysis.