Effects of Electromagnetic Modeling Methods on Coverage Prediction of Anti-Jam GPS Antenna

Full-wave electromagnetic software may be employed to accurately simulate the reception pattern of antenna elements for use in a controlled reception pattern antenna (CRPA). The implementation of an in-situ anti-jam CRPA model utilizing full-wave element patterns requires more computation time than employing free space patterns, but includes coupling between elements and material effects in the environment. The added work associated with the in-situ model is justified by confirmation of the null-steering results using a non-radiating network in the full wave environment, and comparisons are made between an in-situ CRPA and a simple free space model that does not include coupling effects and dielectric losses.