AL-E500C MOTORISED ANTENNA TRAINER (MOTORISED AND PLOTTING SOFTWARE)

Description

AL-E500C MOTORISED ANTENNA TRAINER (MOTORISED AND PLOTTING SOFTWARE)                                               

Model Number: AL-E500C

AL-E500C MOTORISED ANTENNA TRAINER

Detailed Technical Specifications – Motorised & Radiation Pattern Plotting System

1. General Description

The AL-E500C Motorised Antenna Trainer is a desktop, self-contained antenna training and measurement system designed for practical study of antenna characteristics, radiation patterns, polarisation, antenna matching, SWR, modulation/demodulation and related RF experiments.

The system comprises an RF generator, modulation generator, transmitting antenna assembly, receiving antenna/detector system, directional coupler, matching stub, motorised antenna rotation mechanism, digital indication and PC-based radiation-pattern plotting software.

The motorised section uses a microcontroller-controlled stepper motor to rotate the antenna through 0–360° with 1° resolution, enabling automated acquisition and plotting of radiation patterns through an RS232 serial interface. These core specifications are also reflected in currently published motorised antenna-trainer documentation.

2. Scope of Learning / Experiments

The system shall be suitable for conducting the following experiments:

1.                Study of radiation patterns of different antennas.

2.                Polar plot generation.

3.                Polarisation study.

4.                Wave modulation and demodulation.

5.                Antenna gain study.

6.                Antenna beam-width measurement.

7.                Study of element current.

8.                Front-to-back ratio measurement.

9.                Antenna matching.

10.             Matching-stub study.

11.             SWR measurement.

12.             Forward and reverse RF power measurement.

13.             Antenna radiation with distance.

14.             Automated radiation-pattern measurement.

15.             Computer-based polar/radiation-pattern plotting.

16.             Comparative study of different antenna configurations.

17.             Study of directional and non-directional antenna characteristics.

18.             Study of antenna arrays.

19.             Study of reflector and Yagi-UDA antennas.

20.             Fabrication and testing of special antennas using the supplied antenna fabrication kit.

The published product documentation likewise identifies polar plots, polarisation, modulation/demodulation, gain, beam width, element current, front-to-back ratio, matching, SWR and radiation-versus-distance as learning areas.

3. Main Features

·        Self-contained tabletop training platform.

·        Student-friendly operating arrangement.

·        Modular antenna construction.

·        Provision for practical measurement of antenna characteristics.

·        Built-in RF generator.

·        Built-in modulation/tone generator.

·        Adjustable RF output.

·        Adjustable modulation output.

·        Directional coupler with forward/reverse selection.

·        Slider-type matching stub.

·        Digital measurement indication.

·        Motorised antenna rotation.

·        Microcontroller-based motor control.

·        High-precision stepper-motor mechanism.

·        Automatic home/reference-position setting.

·        360° antenna rotation.

·        1° angular resolution.

·        Real-time radiation-pattern acquisition.

·        PC interface through RS232 serial communication.

·        Windows-compatible radiation-pattern plotting software.

·        Polar graph generation.

·        Provision for manual as well as automated measurements.

·        Receiving antenna with reflector and digital meter.

·        BNC-based RF interconnection.

·        Compact construction.

·        Lightweight arrangement.

·        Carrying case for accessories.

4. RF Generator

The approximately 750 MHz adjustable RF generator is consistent with published specifications for this class of motorised antenna trainer.

5. Modulation / Tone Generator

6. Motorised Antenna Unit

Published documentation describes the motorised system as microcontroller-based, with automatic home positioning, 1° rotation resolution and RS232 PC communication.

7. Radiation Pattern Plotting Software

The supplied software shall provide facilities for:

·        PC communication with the motorised antenna unit.

·        Receiving angular-position information.

·        Capturing detector readings.

·        Displaying radiation-pattern data.

·        Generating polar/radiation plots.

·        Real-time pattern display.

·        Recording the antenna response over the selected angular range.

·        Saving experimental results.

·        Printing radiation-pattern graphs.

·        Automated 360° antenna scanning.

·        1° measurement interval capability.

The published description specifies PC-based capturing, displaying and printing of antenna radiation patterns through an RS232 interface.

8. Directional Coupler

9. Matching Stub

10. Receiving Antenna

The folded-dipole receiving antenna with reflector and digital indication is specified in published documentation for this system family.

11. RF Detector

12. Detector Display

·        Digital meter provided on the main panel.

·        Used for observing receiving/detected RF level.

·        Suitable for manual radiation-pattern measurements.

·        Used as the measurement source for automated plotting.

·        Detector response can be recorded against antenna angular position.

13. RF Interconnection

Note: Published versions of closely related antenna trainers use different panel interconnection conventions, so the exact connector type on the supplied AL-E500C panel should be treated as the controlling specification.

14. Electrical Specifications

15. Mechanical Specifications

RF Generator Unit

Motorised Antenna Unit

16. Antenna Construction

The antennas shall be constructed using high-conductivity rods with a chrome finish for durability.

The antennas shall be mounted on glass-epoxy PCB material to permit convenient mounting and dismounting.

The modular arrangement shall permit students to interchange antenna configurations for comparative experiments.

Published documentation similarly describes high-conducting antenna rods with chrome finish and glass-epoxy PCB mounting.

17. Transmitting Antennas – 22 Types

The system shall be supplied with the following antenna assemblies:

18. Ground-Plane Antenna Rods

19. Mechanical / Measurement Accessories

20. BNC Accessories

21. Antenna Fabrication Kit

The system shall include facilities for fabrication/testing of special antenna configurations.

22. Additional Accessories

23. PC Interface & Data Acquisition

The system shall provide:

·        RS232 serial communication with PC.

·        Microcontroller-based antenna-position control.

·        Automatic antenna rotation.

·        Angular position resolution of 1°.

·        Detector-response acquisition.

·        Computer display of radiation pattern.

·        Real-time plotting capability.

·        Storage/printing of measured radiation patterns.

·        Automatic home/reference positioning.

24. Required Performance

The system shall allow students to:

1.      Select an antenna.

2.      Mount the antenna on the transmitting mast.

3.      Establish the receiving antenna position.

4.      Apply RF excitation.

5.      Rotate the antenna manually or automatically.

6.      Measure the detector response as a function of angle.

7.      Record readings at defined angular intervals.

8.      Generate a polar radiation pattern.

9.      Determine main-lobe direction.

10.   Determine null directions.

11.   Estimate beam width.

12.   Determine front-to-back relationship for directional antennas.

13.   Compare radiation patterns of different antenna types.

14.   Study the effect of antenna polarisation.

15.   Perform matching and SWR experiments.

25. Suggested Tender Specification

Supply, installation and demonstration of a desktop AL-E500C Motorised Antenna Trainer with radiation-pattern plotting software, suitable for undergraduate/postgraduate RF and communication engineering laboratories. The system shall comprise an approximately 750 MHz adjustable RF generator, approximately 1 kHz adjustable modulation generator, forward/reverse selectable directional coupler, slider-type matching stub, microcontroller-based motorised antenna rotation system covering 0–360° with 1° resolution, automatic home positioning, active RF detector with 5-pin DIN connector, folded-dipole receiving antenna with reflector and digital meter, RS232 PC interface, Windows-compatible radiation-pattern plotting software, BNC interconnection accessories, transmitting/receiving masts, current probe, antenna fabrication kit, polar graph sheets, carrying case and the specified set of 22 antenna configurations. The system shall support practical experiments covering polar plots, polarisation, modulation/demodulation, antenna gain, beam width, element current, front-to-back ratio, antenna matching, SWR, radiation with distance and automated computer-based radiation-pattern plotting.

Technical Details