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

TL;DR

This paper presents a low-cost, 3D-printed motorized turntable designed specifically for RF antenna array measurements, enabling accurate and repeatable active element pattern calibration in small labs.

Contribution

The paper introduces a novel, affordable turntable design optimized for RF applications, addressing cost and RF-specific stability issues in antenna measurements.

Findings

Enables precise RF antenna pattern measurements with a 3D-printed turntable.

Reduces cost barriers for small labs conducting antenna calibration.

Provides a stable platform for in-situ directional modulation experiments.

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.