Experimental study of the slotted -cylinder antenna in air and on the ocean surface for high -frequency submarine communications.

摘要

Submerged submarine communications above 200 MHz require the use of retractable mast antennas to transmit or receive intelligence. For a vessel situated in hostile coastal waters, such action may give away its presence and compromise its intended mission. In order to help maintain stealth while exchanging data, a low-profile antenna which can be deployed from the submerged vessel and towed on the ocean surface behind it is needed to mitigate the detection problem posed by the retractable antenna mast.;In this thesis the characteristics of a slotted cylinder antenna, which have been experimentally observed to operate satisfactorily in the ocean environment while towed, were studied. The investigation focused on the conditions under which the antenna operated optimally in regard to its input impedance bandwidth and gain; that end was achieved through a parametric study to yield a device with the desired characteristics. Quantities such as the length-to-diameter ratio, slot width as well as the end-terminations of the slot were studied to note the trends leading to the satisfactory design. Comparisons between finite-element computations and experimental results were made throughout the frequency range of interest, which spanned from 200 MHz to 1 GHz.