Dual-polarization performance of the phase-tilt antenna array in a casa dense network radar

In this paper the evaluation of dual-polarized scanning performance of a large planar array antenna for a solid state radar for weather is discussed. The antenna array is designed to operate at 9.36 GHz ±50 MHz, and the transmission and reception mode is configured to work alternatively. The antenna array architecture based on a series-fed array configuration of Dual-Polarized Aperture Coupled Patch Antennas (DP-ACPA) was designed and implemented to achieve the required radar polarimetric performance at low cost. Measured patterns of the array in the elevation and azimuth plane are used to evaluate the two principal polarimetric radar parameters (Z_dr and LDR) over the scanning range in azimuth plane. It is shown that the biases in the differential reflectivity due the cross-polarization of this antenna configuration are negligible in comparison with the biases produced for the mismatch antenna patterns (H and V).