Design and Installation of Antenna Test Range at ECIL, Hyderabad

ECIL has established a full-fledged outdoor test range facility for testing microwave and VHF antennae working in the frequency band of 500 MHz to 12 GHz. The distance between the receiving tower and the transmitting tower is approximately 1 km and the primary reflecting area is fully levelled and made free of any undesirable obstructions. The range is equipped with complete test range equipment from M/s Scientific Atlanta, USA. The range has been fully evaluated at different frequencies and results are presented to show the perfectness of measurements and tolerance on accuracy at these frequencies. Measurements on various parameters of antennae have been carried out on 800 MHz, 1.5 GHz, 2 GHz, 6 GHz and 7 GHz frequencies on parabolic antennae of different diameters using several types of feeds and shroud arrangements. It is shown that the range is capable of measuring all essential parameters of a microwave antenna to a great accuracy.