Soldier Conformal Antenna Suite

The team of STAR-H Corporation and the Electrical Engineering Department of The Pennsylvania State University propose to develop for the Army a high performance, wide band, VHF/UHF receiving and transmitting antenna, or suite of antennas, that can cover anunusually broad range of frequencies and be worn by a soldier in the field. It will be light in weight, weatherproof, launderable, efficient and as nearly omni-directionable as possible. The enabling technology originated in a totally different field,thermal radiators for NASA lunar and Martian power plants, and lends itself well to this new purpose. The proposed technical approach is inherently low in cost, readily adaptable to quantity production and compliant. Preliminary models of the new antennahave been designed, fabricated and tested over a ten kilometer range at power levels from 1 to 35 watts in the UHF portion of the spectrum, meeting several of the Army's goals in advance.The proposed antenna has potential beyond its military significance.It is expected to be adaptable for use for relaying cell phone and data communications inside buildings and tunnels.