HF Wire-Mesh Dipole Antennas for Broadband Ice-Penetrating Radar

In this letter, a novel high-frequency to very-high-frequency wire-mesh dipole antenna design for use in polar regions is discussed and evaluated. The antenna was designed to be lightweight, readily demountable, and acceptably robust. This is an initial step in the development of a ground-based, phase-sensitive, synthetic aperture imaging system for use on an autonomous rover platform. The results of initial trials on the Rhône Glacier, Switzerland, in August 2019, are discussed, with particular attention being paid to the effect on the antenna performance of high surface water content. Including the effects of the surface water resulted in good agreement between field results, and modeled performance.