Antennas on the front line of anti-jamming

Protection from jamming has emerged as the key concern of of both national and organizational/corporate infrastructures. The world abounds in bad actors, and systems based on GNSS signals are uniquely vulnerable. A basic component of any anti-jamming (AJ) strategy is a shielded antenna. An upcoming webinar, June 27, gives a primer and several advanced looks at developing such an antenna-based AJ campaign. Register here for the complimentary webinar.

Anti-jam antennas use techniques, such as nulling or beam-forming, to mitigate the effects of interfering signals. (Image: Orolia)

Controlled reception-pattern antennas (CRPAs) are advanced, multi-element antenna solutions that protect a GNSS/GPS receiver from jamming sources. When combined with antenna electronics, they form an anti-jam antenna system (AJAS). These systems utilize several available technologies and vary in the number of elements.

CRPAs will play an increasing role in the GPS/GNSS landscape. Initially developed in the military domain, they are now entering the civilian market and are poised to bring their benefits to the fields of aerospace, ground transportation, autonomous driving and others. Engineers working with GNSS systems that employ CRPAs and multi-element antennas need special test systems since they need to replicate very specific test conditions that are impossible with live signals.

The June 27 webinar, “Advanced Simulation Test Systems for Controlled Reception Pattern Antennas,” will cover the basics of AJAS and CRPA, and the methods used to test them. Details on simulation system configurations, calibration techniques, and use case examples will also be presented.

These complex antenna systems require advanced GNSS simulation equipment in order to be designed and validated, as well as to test their performance. These test systems come in two forms — an anechoic chamber system used to test the CRPA antenna over the air, and a wavefront simulator used to test the antenna electronics with a direct cable connection.

Webinar speakers:

Perdue

Lisa Perdue, Product Manager, Orolia. Perdue is an expert in testing critical GPS and GNSS systems. She has trained hundreds of engineers and technicians who are responsible for high-reliability positioning, navigation and timing applications. She took a lead role in the development of the first GNSS Vulnerability Test System and speaks widely on the topic at many industry conferences.

Hamel

Stéphane Hamel, Director, Testing, Orolia. With a career spanning more than 20 years in engineering test and RF, Hamel has developed many innovative and large-scale products to test semiconductor devices, radios and GNSS receivers. In 2014, he founded Skydel, now part of Orolia. Hamel is one of the architects behind the Skydel SDX GNSS simulator.

Dean Kemp, Defense Segment Manager, NovAtel.

Moderator: Alan Cameron, GPS World.

Register here for the free June 27 webinar.