Field Test on the Feasibility of Remoting HF Antenna with Fiber Optics

Abstract : This report details the results of a field test carried out 19-22 February 2008, at the Southwest Research Institute (SwRI), San Antonio, Texas, where a 2.9-km (1.8-mile) fiber-optic link was employed to remote a high-frequency (HF,2-30 MHz) direction-finding (DF) array. The test link comprised a seven-element "L" array connected to seven fiber-optic receiver modules. The outputs of the fiber-optic receivers were fed to the signal-processing suite. It must be noted that while the test at SwRI was at 2.9 km, the fiber-optic link yields the same performance up to a 7-km transmission distance. The primary results of the field test are that (1) the measured field data agree with the previous theoretical analysis and experimental laboratory results for the fiber-optic link, and (2) the measured system performance in the field indicates that HF antenna remoting up to 7 km (4.4 miles) is feasible with the fiber-optic link.