Analysis of spacecraft antenna systems: Implications for STEREO/WAVES

Analysis of such kind of antenna system is necessary in order to define the reception properties which crucially depend on the overall spacecraft configuration. The concept of effective length vector (heff) determination is applied to yield corresponding information on the deviation of heff from the physical rods, in dependence of frequency. Various methods are evaluated (rheometry for frequencies up to 1 MHz), wire-grid modelling and in-flight calibration, and their implication to the SWAVES experiment are discussed.