A simple method for optimizing radar absorbent material coatings on HF rope antennas for the increased attenuation of unwanted reflections

The research presented here examines the maximum attenuation available from concentric layers of radar absorbing materials (RAM) surrounding an infinitely long perfect electrically conducting circular cylinder. The electrical phenomenology of normally incident transverse magnetic (TM) and transverse electrical (TE) waves associated with backscattered and bistatic behavior is investigated for a frequency range up to 25 GHz. Some of the more interesting traits of the behavior were found to occur at relatively low frequencies. In this frequency regime, the TE case clearly shows that the addition of RAM increases the electrical backscatter over that which would be received from the uncoated cylinder.