A test bed for the evaluation of adaptive antennas used for mobile communications

This paper describes an advanced antenna test bed which will be used for mobile communications research. The test bed provides a common environment for testing advanced antennas and measurement data gathered in a realistic environment for evaluation of advanced antenna algorithms. The test bed was previously used to field test the five current personal communications services (PCS) technology standards in the United States. The test bed cells are described and a typical PCS field trail measurement is presented. A wideband measurement system developed for advanced antenna measurements is described. The system uses multiple mobile transmitters using maximal length pseudo random noise generators to modulate a radio frequency (RF) carrier. This provides a wideband signal for characterization of the radio channel. Central to the measurement methodology is the capability to characterize radio wave propagation simultaneously on each antenna element of an antenna array. A multichannel receiver employs IF digitization and raw data storage to maximize post-processing capabilities. Its features allow a random sampling of the radio channel suitable for mobile communications research. The receiver also has the capability to continuously stream data that is suitable for modeling and simulation studies of specific communication systems