Communications facilities in RI
5 facilities
Compact Range
Newport, RI
The Compact Range is a rectangular (20 ft. high by 27 ft. wide by 48 ft. long) anechoic chamber that is used for antenna performance and RCS characterization. The facility has a 6 ft. diameter by 8 ft. long cylindrical quiet zone. This range provides the capability to measure antenna performance from 2 GHz to 50 GHz as well as RCS characterization from 2-18 GHz.
Fishers Island Complex
Newport, RI
The Fishers Island Antenna Complex is the only facility of its kind in the world that provides development, design, and evaluation support for a variety of communication, navigation, and electronic warfare programs. It is located on a low-lying, remote coastal area free from radiation obstructions and man-made electromagnetic interference.
Fishers Island Mile Range
Newport, RI
The Mile Range consists of two antenna deployment sites located exactly one mile apart; the curvature of the island provides a natural one-mile range over seawater between these two sites. The facility is used for measurement of antenna performance over the MF, HF, and VHF bands. The transmit site consists of a 50 ft. diameter seawater pool attached to buried ground radials that extend over 100 ft. radially outward. The antenna under test is mounted in the pool. A shielded underground laboratory, located beneath the pool, serves as the control room for the range and also houses an azimuth positioner and hydraulic lift mast. The receive site consists of an instrumented van and receive equipment that communicates with the transmit site via a wireless data link.
Overwater Arch
Newport, RI
The Submarine Overwater Antenna Test Facility provides the capability to measure the hemispherical pattern of antennas over a seawater groundplane. This facility consists of a 70ft. radius tripod forming an arch over a seawater pool on the roof of the building. Antennas under test are located at the center of the pool, while a second antenna traverses one leg of the tripod. The antenna under test can be rotated, raised, or lowered. Pattern measurements can be taken over the 100 MHz – 18 GHz range.
Tapered Chamber
Newport, RI
The RF Tapered Anechoic Chamber is a large (98 ft. long by 29 ft. high/wide) anechoic chamber that is used for design, development, test, and evaluation of a variety of antennas. The Chamber has a 15 ft. diameter quiet zone and a mount that is capable of handling loads of up to 2000 lbs. The system provides complete antenna measurement capability from 100 MHz to 50 GHz as well as RCS capabilities from 2-18 GHz.