Modeling Custom Antenna Radiation Patterns in MATLAB for use in STK
- Aug 1, 2016
- Article
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Communications
Currently, STK does not include a built-in antenna model for the turnstile or the Yagi-Uda antenna. These types of antennas are commonly used by universities and amateur radio enthusiasts as they are relatively inexpensive and operate well in amateur radio frequency bands such as UHF and VHF. How do you model a turnstile, Yagi-Uda, monopole, patch, or other custom antenna in STK? The answer: MATLAB Antenna Toolbox. 
The MATLAB Antenna Toolbox is a powerful tool that lets you create any model from a simple monopole antenna, to a complex reflector-backed equiangular spiral antenna. Antennas' radiation patterns modeled in MATLAB can then be exported in external antenna pattern file formats which can be imported into your STK scenario. Check out this detailed tutorial on how to model custom antennas in MATLAB Antenna Toolbox as well as how to export the data from MATLAB for use in STK. The article models a basic turnstile antenna, a single Yagi-Uda antenna, and a cross-polarized Yagi-Uda antenna. These types of antennas are commonly used by small organizations and universities on small satellite missions due to their low cost and relatively strong effectiveness. These concepts can be used to model any number of different types of antennas for use in STK and create a better communication operations scenario.
The MATLAB Antenna Toolbox is a powerful tool that lets you create any model from a simple monopole antenna, to a complex reflector-backed equiangular spiral antenna. Antennas' radiation patterns modeled in MATLAB can then be exported in external antenna pattern file formats which can be imported into your STK scenario. Check out this detailed tutorial on how to model custom antennas in MATLAB Antenna Toolbox as well as how to export the data from MATLAB for use in STK. The article models a basic turnstile antenna, a single Yagi-Uda antenna, and a cross-polarized Yagi-Uda antenna. These types of antennas are commonly used by small organizations and universities on small satellite missions due to their low cost and relatively strong effectiveness. These concepts can be used to model any number of different types of antennas for use in STK and create a better communication operations scenario.