General Characteristics of Mesa Antenna Ranges

Range Name	Range Length	Operating Frequency	Measurements	Test Positioner
212 East	0-130 ft.	UHF to K-Band	Radiation patterns and gain	Polarization with traverse table over azimuth over elevation on cart
212 West	0-650 ft.	UHF to K-Band	Radiation patterns and gain	Polarization over azimuth over elevation on cart, 20 ft mast
256 East	0-68 ft.	UHF to K-Band	Radiation patterns and gain	No positioner in place at this time
40 ft. Anechoic Chamber	19 ft. Test Area	X to W-Band	Radiation pattern and gain using cylindrical near field techniques	Azimuth
60-ft Anechoic Planar Near-field	13 ft. x 30 ft. scan area	L-band to Ka-band	Radiation pattern and gain using planar nearfield technique	Fixed antenna mount for planar scan.
60-ft Anechoic Spherical Near-Field	Up to 7.6ft scan radius	L-band to Ka-band	Radiation pattern and gain using spherical near-field technique	Azimuth over elevation spherical scan system.
1200 ft. Range	1200 ft.	UHF to W-Band	Radiation patterns and gain	Azimuth over elevation over azimuth
3000 ft. Range	3000 ft.	UHF to W-Band	Radiation patterns and gain	Heavy duty polarization over elevation over hydraulic elevation over azimuth
Large Bell Jar Breakdown Facility	6 ft. Test Cell	UHF to K-Band	RF High Power breakdown	6 Ft. Bell Jar in anechoic screened room
Small Bell Jar Breakdown Facility	14″ cell	UHF to Ka-Band	RF High Power breakdown	14″ DIA x 20″ Bell Jar
243A	15 ft.	X to Ka-Band	Radiation patterns and gain	Polarization over elevation with traverse table over azimuth
243B	0-18 ft.	X to K-Band	Transmission & reflection for Frequency Selective Surfaces	Approx 1 m square zone

Approximate Maximum Test Antenna Aperture Size — Nearfield Ranges

60-ft Anechoic Chamber

The planar nearfield range located in the 60-ft chamber collects data over a rectangular region in front of an Antenna Under Test (AUT) by using a mechanically actuated probe. Referring to the figure at right, the AUT size D, probe travel L, AUT/Probe separation Z and probe size P determine the angle Φ according to the equation L=D+P+2Z tan(Φ). The calculated far-field pattern of the antenna will be accurate in the region between ±Φ. The maximum probe travel L is 30-ft in the horizontal direction and 13-ft in the vertical direction. Typical AUT/Probe separation Z is between 3-6 wavelengths and probe size P~1 wavelength. A far-field pattern region of Φ=70 degrees is typical.

The spherical scan positioner located in the 60-ft chamber is used to perform spherical nearfield testing by collecting data over a spherical region around the AUT in conjunction with the NSI-MI near-field to far-field software. This method provides complete angular coverage (except for a small exclusion region at the antenna mounting bracket). The maximum AUT size for spherical measurements 1.4 m in diameter and a weight of 75 Kg.

40-ft Anechoic Chamber

The cylindrical nearfield range located in the 40-ft chamber collects data over a cylindrical region surrounding an Antenna Under Test (AUT) by using a mechanically actuated probe to scan in the vertical direction and a turntable to rotate the AUT. This method provides complete angular coverage in the azimuth direction, but does not cover conical exclusion regions above and below the AUT. The angle Φ that defines these exclusion regions is determined as described above for the planar nearfield system. For the cylindrical scanner, probe travel L is 150 inches. The maximum antenna size is constrained by the distance from the turntable’s axis of rotation to the chamber walls, approximately 9 feet.

Approximate Maximum Test Antenna Aperture Size — Farfield Ranges

	256 East	212 East	212 West	1200 Ft.	3000 Ft.	243
256 East	2.5 m	3.5 m*	7.8 m*	10.5 m*	17.0 m*	1.2 m*
1.0 GHz	1.8 m	2.5 m	5.6 m*	7.5 m*	12.5 m*	83 cm*
2.3 GHz	1.2 m	1.6 m	3.7 m	4.9 m*	8.1 m	54 cm*
8.5 GHz	60 cm	90 cm	1.9 m	2.6 m	4.2 m	28 cm
16.5 GHz	40 cm	60 cm	1.4 m	1.8 m	3.2 m	20 cm
30.0 GHz	33 cm	46 cm	1.0 m	1.4 m	2.2 m	15 cm
60.0 GHz	23 cm	32 cm	73 cm	98 cm	1.6 m	11 cm
95.0 GHz				1.4 m