UiO Satellite Ground Station: Simulation, Implementation and Verification

Abstract

This thesis has documented the work of implementing the new UiO ground station which is situated at the University of Oslo. The station is fully operational and it meets the needed requirements for a communication link with satellites in low earth orbit. The antenna arrangement consists of four stacked Yagi-Uda antennas mounted on a frame with vertical booms made of fiberglass. The choice of fiberglass over metal minimize degradation of the antenna radiation pattern and the antenna input impedance. The effects of stacking antennas have been simulated in FEKO simulation software which is based on Method of Moments (MoM) integral formulation of Maxwell’s equations. To master all the details of the ground station requires a wide range of knowledge. The first chapters present some very useful background theory for gaining a better understanding of how the system works and how it was tested. There has been a strong emphasis on providing the reader with a clear picture of the complete system and the theoretical foundation needed to understand this. Hopefully this will motivate future students to take part in working with and improving the ground station.