Analyze RF Co-site Interference using Altair Feko and Wrap

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edited December 2021 in Altair HyperWorks

RF co-site interference occurs when two or more co-located RF systems affect one another’s smooth operation. This normally occurs when two or more RF systems are operating physically close to one another and they are operating in such a way that one of the transmitters negatively impacts one or more receivers.

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RF co-site interference has been around since the emergence of wireless communications equipment and the problem is getting worse as the need for new communication systems grow. In today’s world, it is common to find multiple individual wireless systems installed within close proximity of one another on a single platform. It has become more important to have an understanding of RF co-site interference in such scenarios.

With Altair’s simulation approach, engineers can use input from Altair Feko and foresee the co-location interference by defining the Coupling loss matrix in Altair Wrap. Coupling Loss Matrix is defined as the power ratio between powers at the terminals of the transmitting and receiving antennas. Coupling Loss Matrix includes antenna mismatch on both sides, antenna gain on both sides, and the path loss in between.

In the following example, three antennas operating at different frequencies are placed on an aircraft. The antennas are designed and optimized in Feko. Once optimized, the antennas are placed on the aircraft to perform in-situ analysis at all required frequencies of operation.  The S-parameters representing antenna coupling results computed and imported into Wrap as Coupling Loss Matrix.

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The steps that are involved in setting up the problem in Wrap are as follow –

  1. Create Equipment: Antenna
  2. Create Equipment: Transmitters and Receivers
  3. Create Group of Stations
  4. Specify Coupling loss Matrix

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     5. Set up and Run Interference Analysis

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You can review the video below to learn more about the workflow and individual steps. 

Co-site interference analysis Feko Wrap - YouTube


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XPELG2Eiuf4

The attached PDF provides step by step instructions for the example.

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