A Vector-Sensing Antenna System: A high-frequency, vector-sensing array based on the two-port loop antenna element

Vector-sensing antennas, useful in direction-finding (DF) applications, measure the electric and magnetic field in each of the three orthogonal coordinates. These six field values are used to estimate the angle of arrival and polarization of the incoming signals [1]. Typical vector-sensing antennas consist of three orthogonal loops and three orthogonal dipoles that are colocated. The loop antennas are used to sense the magnetic field, and the dipole antennas are used to sense the electric field. Equalizing the electric and magnetic field sensing with this type of antenna is difficult over the entire high-frequency (HF) band. In addition, the dipole antennas significantly increase the overall size of the antenna. A simpler and more compact antenna is desired. This article presents the development of an advanced HF vector-sensing array based on the two-port loop antenna element.