Automated Absolute Field Calibration of GPS Antennas in Real-Time

Gerhard Wübbena, Martin Schmitz, Falko Menge, Volker Böder and Günter Seeber

Abstract:	A procedure for the absolute field calibration of GPS- antennas has already been presented earlier by this group with encouraging results. Further developments have now led to an automated procedure based on the precisely controlled motion of a calibrated robot. The field calibration includes new features and provides results in real-time. The new concept is based on GPS field observations in several thousand different antenna orientations (rotations, tilts), and eliminates the multipath influences. Due to these features, also azimuthal phase center variations can be determined with reliability and high resolution. The results are also valid for very low elevations down to zero degrees. Experiences demonstrate large azimuthal PCV variations for some antenna types. The reliability of the results for an individual antenna is confirmed through multiple calibrations at different sites, with different robots and different observation schedules. The absolute calibration results are used in various applications (small engineering networks, large networks, etc.) and show the advantages and the need for precise absolute PCV information.
Published in:	Proceedings of the 13th International Technical Meeting of the Satellite Division of The Institute of Navigation (ION GPS 2000) September 19 - 22, 2000 Salt Palace Convention Center Salt Lake City, UT
Pages:	2512 - 2522
Cite this article:	Wübbena, Gerhard, Schmitz, Martin, Menge, Falko, Böder, Volker, Seeber, Günter, "Automated Absolute Field Calibration of GPS Antennas in Real-Time," Proceedings of the 13th International Technical Meeting of the Satellite Division of The Institute of Navigation (ION GPS 2000), Salt Lake City, UT, September 2000, pp. 2512-2522.
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