Towards Full-Scale Environmental Modelling: A UTD Hack for Finite Dielectric Ground Planes in FEKO

Abstract

© 2018 IEEE. It has been reported that during measurement audits at the MeerKAT site, strong signals have at times been recorded at unexpected locations. This necessitates the need for detailed terrain modelling to resolve the complex multipath phenomena that have been observed. Thus, within the South African Square Kilometre Array community, there has been a drive to pursue full-wave and asymptotic methods for detailed, site-specific propagation modelling. This paper demonstrates how finite-sized imperfect ground and terrain obstructions can be treated using the Uniform Theory of Diffraction (UTD) as implemented in FEKO. Possible extension to full-scale modelling of topography is considered with an example.