[time-nuts] How can I measure GPS Antenna quality?

[jimlux]

On 11/22/16 10:13 AM, Mark Sims wrote:
> Attached is a screen shot from Lady Heather showing various antenna signal displays.  The antenna was a cheap GPS/GLONASS patch antenna (mounted on a 3 foot ground level tripod ) connected to a rather nice NVS-08 receiver tracking GPS, SBAS, and GLONASS satellites (typically around 22 sats).
>

very cool.

The usual "flat" plot for a 3 D pattern of a GPS antenna is to have the 
radius = 90-elevation angle (so horizon is outer border), angle is 
azimuth looking down on antenna, and color be power.  Somewhere I saw 
one that also integrated the multiple satellite tracks.

Another strategy is to plot it in u,v space.  Color is power, but u = 
cos(az)*cos(el) and v is sin(az)*cos(el)   (or sin(theta) where theta is 
the angle off boresight)


http://ww2.nearfield.com/amta/AMTA07-0092-GFM_SFG.pdf has a bewildering 
variety to choose from