A Real-Time Antenna Verification System

The Low-Frequency Aperture Array (LFAA) and the Mid-Frequency Aperature Array (MFAA) elements of the Square Kilometre Array (SKA) will be made up of thousands of antennas spread over thousands of metres in Western Australia [1]. These distances make it difficult to study these antennas within an-echoic chambers. Furthermore, an-echoic chamber studies neglect any effects that the surrounding environment, such as the soil and the background RFI, have on the instrument. Thus, alternative methods were developed to study an antenna's radiation pattern in-situ.