Parabolic Antenna Array Position Estimation and Calibration Techniques

Steerable arrays of small parabolic antennas are more cost-effective than large steerable parabolic dishes. However, installation and aging can introduce array parameter errors, such as positioning inaccuracies and variations in amplitude and phase. To mitigate these non-idealities, array calibration is performed. In this work, position calibration is followed by amplitude and phase calibration, evaluated under both biased and unbiased error conditions in benchmarking tests. Results demonstrate an average Root Mean Squared Error (RMSE) of approximately 0.005% for amplitude and phase calibration under direction-independent array errors, and an average RMSE of 0.25% for position calibration.