Optimize medium-frequency antennas for phase estimation of aiding carriers

Kurzfassung

With continuously growing spectrum usage, the competition for bandwidth is also increasing. To meet today‘s needs, new approaches and modification of existing radio infrastructure needs to be considered. One approach is to add synchronized aiding carriers to an existing medium frequency transmitter, which allows time-of-arrival estimation on the receiving phase. If a sufficient number of stations are received, a positioning solution can be provided. The resulting time of arrival as well as the calculated position can be used as backup and integrity test for another navigation solution such as global navigation satellite systems. This increases the resilience of positioning of any asset. However, the existing transmitting antenna systems are not optimized for continuous stable phase transmission, which is important for achieving high positioning performance. This paper presents an optimization approach for existing MF antennas, combining analytical modeling and field verification to enhance phase transmission stability. Our study demonstrates the feasibility of this hybrid approach by analyzing the impact of antenna modifications on positioning accuracy using numerical simulations and experimental testing at the transmitter Groß Mohrdorf, Baltic Sea, Germany. We observed significant improvements in phase transmission stability, leading to improved positioning accuracy. The results of this study have implications for navigation systems operating on medium-frequency bands, providing a promising solution for enhancing navigation performance.