Optimizing the Geometry of Pyramidal Antenna Arrays for Hemispherical Scan Coverage

A new, simple approach for determining the optimal face elevation of pyramidal antenna arrays, used for full or partial hemispherical scan coverage, has been presented. This paper shows that when finite hemisphere radii and pyramidal antenna dimensions are considered, the optimal face elevation remains unchanged, while the maximum scan angle changes slightly at the minimum far-field distance. The problem of choosing the optimal number of faces, subject to minimizing the maximum scan angle, has also been addressed. The results demonstrate that increasing the number of faces beyond 6 brings only diminished returns to reducing the maximum scan angle