The demands on measurement equipment are constantly increasing. To meet the growing demand for broadband signal tracking antennas, Aaronia has introduced four new models to its IsoLOG series of 3D RF-Tracking Array, which now consists of six antennas. The IsoLOG® 3D DF consists of a complex sector array of DF antennas and its electronics are protected by an antenna housing (radome). The antenna housing is waterproof, shockproof, heat resistant and can withstand the most severe environmental conditions. The IsoLOG® 3D DF is the perfect solution for counter-surveillance measurements or for detecting drones (unmanned aerial vehicles). With the "Auto LPDA Rotate-Switch" function, the IsoLOG® 3D DF can be used with any commercially available spectrum analyzer.
The wide frequency range eliminates the need to use multiple antennas. This saves a lot of space and system costs, therefore the IsoLOG® 3D DF can also be mounted on small test vehicles (e.g. on drive test carts) and is thus also suitable for covert operations. As the IsoLOG® 3D DF resembles a satellite dish for caravans, it is difficult to identify as a direction finding antenna.
The new, patented 3D DF antenna IsoLOG® 3D DF is the only antenna on the market that has a real 3D bearing including altitude and elevation! This unique functionality helps identify the bearing of flying transmitters (drones, airplanes etc.) and their location in 3D display space. Furthermore, the IsoLOG® 3D DF offers an extremely high bearing speed of up to 8 µs per sector.
The IsoLOG 3D DF 160-8 and the IsoLOG 3D DF 80-8 have already been in the range for some time. New additions are the IsoLOG DF 16-10180 and the IsoLOG DF 16-20400, both of which are available as directional 2D or 3D UWB tracking antenna arrays.
The 3D RF tracking antennas track RF positioning in three dimensions via a high-density, customizable antenna array with up to 32 antennas for azimuth and elevation information. Compared to the two known types with a frequency range of 400 MHz - 8 GHz, this has been drastically extended in the new models. The two IsoLOG DF 16-10180 models have a frequency range of 1 GHz - 18 GHz, while the IsoLOG DF 16-20400 can target signals between 2 GHz - 40 GHz.
In combination with the new real-time direction finding, the IsoLOG DF/3D DF antenna arrays are predestined for the detection and localization of almost all signals within the respective frequency range. Even the shortest signal pulses in the microsecond range are reliably detected and can therefore be located. This enables extremely reliable interference suppression of signals, especially from ultra wideband systems (UWB) or radar systems. These are generally invisible to most direction finding systems, which operate significantly slower.
This is caused by the high bandwidth of UWB transmission signals combined with extremely short pulse times. The bandwidth of a UWB signal is at least 25% of the center frequency of the transmitter. A center frequency of 2 GHz has a bandwidth of 500 MHz. The minimum bandwidth of a UWB signal with a center frequency of 4 GHz is therefore 1 GHz.
Thanks to its extremely high direction finding accuracy of up to 1° when using the SPECTRAN real-time spectrum analyzers, the IsoLOG 3D DF series is also the ideal solution for frequency monitoring or drone detection systems. The 360 degree coverage is achieved without mechanical rotation of the antennas, resulting in extremely short tracking speeds of up to 8 μs. The wide frequency range of the IsoLOG 3D DF 16-20400 in particular eliminates the need for multiple antenna setups and saves space and system costs.
Powerful triangulation solutions can be set up by interconnecting several antenna sites and cascading the downstream hardware and software accordingly. Various RF-over-fiber transmission links are also available, which are required to bridge larger distances between the individual system locations. This allows large-area protection zones to be created, which are essential for protecting critical infrastructure, for example.
Each IsoLOG 3D DF is supplied with a robust radome. It is IP65 certified, shockproof, heat-resistant and designed to withstand the most adverse conditions. The IsoLOG 3D DF80-8 and 3D DF160-8 are available immediately. The IsoLOG 3D DF16-10180, IsoLOG 3D DF16-20400 and the IsoLOG DF16-10180 and IsoLOG DF16-20400 models are expected to be available from Q3 2024.
Click here to learn more about Aaronia's ISOLOG 3D Tracking antennas.
