Effect of Antenna Orientation and UAV Position on UAV Communications in 3D Space

Abstract

In this paper, we use the results of an in-field air-to-air (A2A) channel sounding experiment to build a model of the channel over the full range of azimuth and elevation angles. We use said model to analyze the effect antenna orientation and UAV relative position have on channel magnitude. First, we quantity the different ways in which the UAV body can alter the radiation pattern of a dipole antenna depending on whether the antenna is perpendicular or parallel to the body of the UAV. Then, we analyze the effect that change in the radiation pattern has on the cross-polarization discrimination (XPD). Finally, we calculate the overlapping index, a distance measure, between the distribution of channel magnitude in two symmetric regions of 3D space and observe that the two distributions are further apart when the receiver (Rx) is below the transmitter (Tx), suggesting an asymmetry in the way the Tx and Rx UAV body affect the channel.