Analysis of Mutual Coupling of Antennas on a 47-Foot

Coast Guard Vessel

Nick DeMinco
U.S. Department of Commerce
Institute for Telecommunication Sciences
NTIA/ITS.E
325 Broadway
Boulder, Colorado 80305-3328
303-497-3660
ndeminco@its.bldrdoc.gov
 Outline

• Statement of the Problem

• Objectives
• Predicted and Measured Mutual Coupling Between Two Collinear
Antennas
• NEC Wire Model of Coast Guard Vessel
• Original Antenna Configuration with Measured and Predicted Mutual
Coupling
• Three Alternative Antenna Configurations That Could Reduce Mutual
Coupling
• DF Antenna System to Communication System Predicted and Measured
Mutual Coupling
• Conclusions
 Statement of the Problem

• Interference is present between communications transmitter and receiver on

vessel.
• Interference is present between Direction Finding (DF) system and
communications receiver on vessel.
• Current antenna configuration does not provide adequate isolation between
transmitter and receiver VHF antennas.
• Antenna locations of alternative antenna configurations had to be confined
within a certain volume on board vessel.
 Objectives

• To predict and measure antenna-to-antenna mutual coupling in the

presence of vessel and sea water for original antenna configuration.
• To attain confidence in analysis technique from comparisons of mutual
coupling predictions with available measurements.
• To predict by numerical EM analysis techniques the mutual coupling of
alternative antenna configurations on vessel that would have the potential to
increase isolation between antennas.
• To Propose alternative antenna configurations from analysis results that
would increase isolation and reduce interference on board the Coast Guard
vessel.
 Analysis

• Antennas on a metallic Coast Guard vessel on the sea do not perform as if

they were in free space or over a perfectly conducting ground plane.
• The vessel structure and sea have a very significant effect on the
performance of a shipboard antenna.
• Computational electromagnetics using analytical mathematical
expressions are difficult to apply to these practical problems.
• The use of numerical techniques such as method-of-moments with
the Numerical Electromagnetics Code (NEC-4) makes the solution
of this analysis problem more tractable.
 NEC Modeling

• NEC-4 can model near and far fields and can also be used to predict mutual
coupling between antennas on a metallic structure.
• The method-of-moments analysis technique in NEC-4 requires that
antennas and related structures be modeled with wire segment lengths of
one-tenth wavelength or less.
• Only wire segments were used, since there is more flexibility and freedom in
building the model structure.
• Engineering drawings of the vessel were used to create the wire model.
• The boat model includes a detailed simulation of the antennas on the
vessel.
• Just under 10,000 wire segments were used to create the model.
 Computation of Mutual Coupling

• Mutual coupling calculations require using multiple runs of the NEC model
of the entire vessel plus antennas.

– Determine impedance of the antenna in the complex environment.

– Match the antenna impedance for the environment.
– Load the receiver antenna with a suitable load.
– Compute the induced current in the receiver antenna and load
impedance with interference source energized.
– Compute the received power in the load using the NEC determined
current.
– Compute the ratio of received power to transmitted power to determine
the mutual coupling.
 Mutual Coupling Between Collinear Dipoles
35

30

25
Isolation (dB)

20
Dielectric Mast Predicted Isolation With Vessel

Metal Mast Measured Isolation Without Vessel

Metal Mast Predicted Isolation Without Vessel
Dielectric Mast Predicted Isolation Without Vessel
15

10
1.00 1.25 1.50 1.75 2.00 2.25

Center-to-Center Collinear Dipole Antenna Separation (m)

47-Foot Coast Guard Vessel
47-Foot Coast Guard Vessel
Antennas on 47-Foot Coast Guard Vessel
NEC Model of Coast Guard Vessel
Original Antenna Configuration
(Predicted Isolation = 21.5 dB)
(Measured Isolation =22.5 dB)
 Azimuth Antenna Patterns of Original Antenna
Configuration
o o o
o 10 0 350 o
20 0 340
o o
30 330
o o
40 320
o o
50 -4 310
o o
60 300
o o
70 -8 290

o o
80 280

o -12 o
90 270
0 -4 -8 -12 -8 -4 0
o o
100 260

o
-8 o
110 250

o o
120 240
-4 o
130
o 230
o
o
140 220
o
150
o 210
o 0 200
o
Starboard
160 Antenna o
o 180o 190
Port Antenna170
Gain (dBi)
Antenna Configuration for Scenario 4
(Predicted Isolation = 25.9 dB)
Antenna Configuration for Scenario 8
(Predicted Isolation = 27.9 dB)
Antenna Configuration for Scenario 9
(Predicted Isolation= 35.9 dB)
 Azimuth Antenna Pattern for Scenario 9
o o o
o 10 0 350 o
20 0 340
o o
30 330
o o
40 320
o o
50 -4 310
o o
60 300
o o
70 -8 290

o o
80 280

o -12 o
90 270
0 -4 -8 -12 -8 -4 0
o o
100 260

o -8 o
110 250

o o
120 240
-4 o
130
o 230
o
o
140 220
o
o
150 210
0 o
o o 200
160 o o
180 190
170
Gain (dBi)
Starboard Antenna
Port Antenna
Comparison Between Port Antenna Azimuth Patterns of
Original and Scenario 9 Configurations
o o o
o 10 0 350 o
20 0 340
o o
30 330
o o
40 320
o o
50 -4 310
o o
60 300
o o
70 -8 290

o o
80 280

o -12 o
90 270
0 -4 -8 -12 -8 -4 0
o o
100 260

o
-8 o
110 250

o o
120 240
-4 o
130
o 230
AZ Antenna Pattern for Port Antenna of Scenario 9 Configuration
o
o AZ Antenna Pattern for Port Antenna of Original
220 Configuration
140
o
o
150 210
o 0 200
o
160 o o 190o
170 180

Gain (dBi)
Comparison Between STBD Antenna Azimuth Patterns
of Original and Scenario 9 Configurations
o o o
o 10 0 350 o
20 0 340
o o
30 330
o o
40 320
o o
50 -4 310
o o
60 300
o o
70 -8 290

o o
80 280

o -12 o
90 270
0 -4 -8 -12 -8 -4 0
o o
100 260

o
-8 o
110 250

o o
120 240
-4 o
130
o 230
o
o
140 220
o
150
o 210
o 0 200
o
AZ Antenna
160 Pattern Foro STBDo Antenna of Scenario 9 Configuration
o 190
Pattern180
AZ Antenna 170 for STBD Antenna of Orginal Configuration
Gain (dBi)
 DF to Communications Antenna Mutual Coupling

• During on board measurements of the VHF communication system,

significant interference from the DF system was observed.
• An analysis of the mutual coupling between the DF antennas and the
current communications antenna configuration was performed.
• The isolation was determined by analysis to be 23.9 dB between the DF
antennas and the communications receiver antenna.
• The isolation was measured on board the vessel to be 23.0 dB
• This information can be used to perform an interference analysis.
 Conclusions

• Antenna-to-antenna mutual coupling on board a Coast Guard vessel can be

predicted by numerical analysis techniques with reasonable accuracy.
• Confidence in the analysis technique was obtained by comparing
predictions to measurements.
• Mutual coupling between antennas on board the vessel for proposed
alternative antenna configurations can be obtained without having to build
them and measure performance.
• Antenna patterns of antennas in the presence of the vessel and sea can
also be obtained by analysis.