Low-Cost Turntable Designed for RF Phased Array Antenna Active Element Pattern Measurement

Abstract

Accurate antenna array calibrations and measurements of aspects such as active element pattern (AEP) are critical for enabling integrated sensing and communication (ISAC) technologies such as directional modulation. One reliable way of obtaining accurate and repeatable AEP measurements is to spin the antenna array on a turntable, but many turntables designed for antenna array measurements are prohibitively expensive for small labs and may not be designed with RF considerations, such as cable phase stability, in mind. This paper details the design of a motorized 3D printed turntable for use in directional modulation and in-situ measurement experiments that will allow for rotation of an antenna array around a point, such that the far field of the antenna pattern can be measured by a stationary receiver.