Electrically Small Antenna/Sensor for Low Frequency Detection/Direction Finding

Achieving wide-bandwidth antennas in HF/VHF receivers is a technical challenge. As antennas become smaller relative to the wavelength of the signal, the instantaneous bandwidth of the antenna decreases. Traditional antennas for these bands are often larger than 1 meter in size. Therefore, traditional design approaches for wide-bandwidth antennas are not suitable for systems mounted on tactical and small-unmanned aircraft due to system size and weight. QUASAR Federal Systems (QFS) has pursued a different approach to designing its compact, high performance sensors. QFS has developed a suite of small, lightweight, high performance sensors ideal for airborne systems. It has demonstrated not only Direction Finding (DF) but also geolocation of RF signals from a single measurement point. In this project, QFS proposes to develop a compact HF/VHF sensor package for signal detection and direction finding. The Phase I portion of the project will establish the feasibility of developing a sensor that can meet the performance requirements while remaining small enough to fit into a 7-inch diameter volume. The Phase I Option will produce a detailed design and system requirements documentation. In Phase II, we plan to build and validate a prototype and then demonstrate its performance in an anechoic chamber.