Design and evaluation of printed log periodic dipole antenna for an L band electrically steerable array system

RADAR systems that use a phased array and an electronically scanned array of antennas are extensively used in terrestrial applications on account of their vastly improved directive gain over single-element antennas. The effective beam pattern in such cases is a combination of the elemental pattern and the array factor. In this paper, the design and evaluation of a printed log-periodic dipole antenna, that operates in the L-band, is being discussed. The antenna was fabricated on an FR-4 substrate using printed circuit technology; tested and characterized in terms of its S-parameters, return loss, and insertion loss. The radiation pattern in the azimuth and elevation planes has also been determined. The antenna is found to have a directive pattern, and is linearly polarized with a wide bandwidth. The antenna is being designed for use in the front-end of a RADAR system for terrestrial surveillance applications such as landslide detection, and monitoring the productivity of metallicore mines.