How to Predict Antenna Mutual Coupling on Large Platforms Before Assembly

Modern aircraft, ships, and vehicles are equipped with numerous radio systems operating in confined spaces. This creates a risk of mutual interference between antennas, which must be addressed during the design phase. The traditional approach of physical testing demands significant time and resources, while simulations face two key challenges: the platforms' enormous electrical sizes and the extremely low signal levels that need to be captured.

A new technical report, supported by WIPL-D, presents a solution based on full-wave analysis using the Method of Moments and surface integral equations. To reduce computational complexity, higher-order basis functions are employed, allowing a reduction in the number of unknowns in the model without sacrificing accuracy. The method ensures calculation of antenna coupling parameters with an error margin within acceptable limits, even for signal levels as low as -100 dB.

The study examines two practical examples. The first is a metallic cube with two quarter-wave monopoles, and the second is a realistic airliner model with five antennas operating at 1.06 GHz, where the fuselage length is approximately 140 wavelengths. The authors compare three modeling approaches, evaluating their accuracy and computational costs. The geometry of all models is described in detail, enabling independent verification of the results.