Wideband antenna array for Digital Video Broadcast terrestrial-based passive bistatic radar applications

A Digital Video Broadcast Terrestrial (DVB-T)-based passive radar requires the development of a dedicated antenna array that performs satisfactorily over the entire DVB-T band. The array should require no mechanical adjustments to the inter-element spacing to correspond to the DVB-T carrier frequency used for any particular measurement. This study describes the challenges involved in designing an ultra high frequency (UHF) antenna array with a bandwidth of 450 MHz. The design procedure is discussed and a number of simulated array configurations are demonstrated. The final configuration of the array will be shown along with the simulations of the expected performance over the desired frequency span. Finally, the actual array is characterised to evaluate its performance based on data from anechoic chamber measurements.