A.V. Ashihmin – Dr.Sc.(Eng.), Professor, 

Director of Voronezh branch of JSC «IRKOS»; Main Engineer, JSC «IRKOS» (Moscow)

E-mail: ashihminav@ircoc.vrn.ru

A.V. Ivanov – Ph.D.(Eng.), Senior Research Scientist, 

MESC «Zhukovsky–Gagarin Air Force Academy» (Voronezh)

E-mail: ivanovalexandrb@mail.ru

Yu.G. Pasternak – Dr.Sc.(Eng.), Professor, 

Department of Radio Electronic Devices and Systems, Voronezh State Technical University;

Senior Research Scientist, MESC «Zhukovsky–Gagarin Air Force Academy» (Voronezh)

E-mail: pasternakyg@mail.ru

P.V. Pershin – Leading Engineer, 

JSC «IRKOS» (Moscow)

E-mail: pershinpv@ircoc.vrn.ru

S.M. Fedorov – Ph.D.(Eng.), Associate Professor, 

Department of Radio Electronic Devices and Systems, Voronezh State Technical University

E-mail: fedorov_sm@mail.ru

A new method of radio direction finding of a radio source with a priori unknown (in General, elliptical) polarization is proposed. The use of this method of direction finding solves the problem of unknown source polarization and allows taking into account the influence of the carrier body on the direction finding antenna system. It is shown that in the frequency band from 100 MHz to 200 MHz, when a wave with elliptical polarization falls with a predominance of the horizontal component of the field, complex directional diagrams for the theta and Phi components of the field can be tabulated with an azimuth discreteness of 10 degrees, followed by approximation. In this case, the proposed method of bearing does not impose restrictions on the antenna system, and it can be of any degree of complexity. For example, it can be implemented as an antenna array fed by a Rotman lens, a Luneberg lens, an antenna array consisting of elements without a phase center, etc. The efficiency of the proposed method for bearing signals with elliptical polarization is shown, which, together with the mass-dimensional characteristics of the proposed version of the antenna array, will allow implementing a mobile radio monitoring station based on unmanned aerial vehicles. The article contains 7 drawings and a list of references from 6 sources. A method for estimating the angular coordinates of radio emission sources using an antenna array located on an unmanned aerial vehicle introducing significant diffraction distortions into the picture of the measured field is proposed. Based on the data of a numerical experiment, the effectiveness of the proposed method is shown, which is also suitable for elements of the antenna array that do not have a phase center.

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