ECE 444 — Antennas, Phased Arrays, and Radar Systems#
Antennas, Phased Arrays, and Radar Systems
From Maxwell’s equations to a working radar.
Four modules, 31 lessons, and a final project that puts hardware in your hands and a moving target in your sights.
Modules 1-3: Build the Antenna and the Beam
Foundations of Electromagnetics and Antennas
From Maxwell's equations to the parameters that describe any radiator: gain, directivity, polarization, beamwidth.
02Antenna Types, Simulation & Measurement
Dipoles, loops, patches, horns, and arrays — simulated in software, then measured on the bench.
03Arrays & ADALM-PHASER Beamforming
Steer a beam, taper the sidelobes, and null a jammer — on real hardware you configure yourself.
Module 4: Give It Something to Look For
What You Are Graded On
Module assessments
LO Mastery
30% of course grade
Each learning objective scored Mastered or Not Yet Mastered
How mastery grading works →Individual deliverable
Midterm Project
30% of course grade
Antenna pattern measurement · introduced Lesson 9, due 2 Oct, 2359
How it is graded →Individual deliverable
Final Project
30% of course grade
Radar systems report, in your own words, built on the L28–L31 Labs · due class period 41
How it is graded →Ongoing
Engagement
10% of course grade
Module 3 lab packets, practice problems, EI, and course-improvement contributions
Ways to earn engagement →Course Objectives 1-3
By the end of this course you should be able to:
Describe fundamental antenna properties — gain, directivity, polarization, impedance — and connect them to system-level radio performance.
Model, simulate, and measure common antenna types using industry-standard tools and lab equipment.
Apply phased-array theory — array factor, beam steering, tapering, null steering — using the ADALM-PHASER platform.
Course Objective 4
Analyze radar performance using the radar equation, detection theory, and FMCW signal processing (range, Doppler, CFAR), and apply it on the ADALM-PHASER to detect, classify, and track a moving target.
How This Course Is Graded
Every learning objective is scored on a binary 1 / 0 scale — no partial credit. A 0 comes with detailed feedback rather than the answer, and if you submitted real effort on time you may revise your work until you earn the 1.
The bar is simple: I want you to learn this material, and I would rather you learn it late than not at all.
Rules of Engagement
The website is the course. Lesson pages, practice problems, and slide decks are updated during the semester — pull the latest before class.
Practice problems are your reps. They are ungraded for correctness but graded for a genuine, documented attempt. Do the work.
EI early and often. It is the single best predictor of doing well in this course, and it counts toward engagement.
Ask questions in public. If you had it, someone else had it too. The person who was afraid to ask is grateful.
What Each Lesson Contains
Reading. Expanded notes on the objective — the equations worked through, the diagrams annotated, the connections to real hardware called out.
Slides. The deck used in class. Open it in a browser and read along.
Practice problems. Ungraded reps keyed to the lesson’s learning objectives, with worked solutions on a separate page.
Labs and projects, where they apply. Pre-lab plan, procedure, and rubric — plus links to the midterm and final project packets.
The contents of this website are for educational use only and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the United States Air Force Academy, the Department of the Air Force, or the U.S. Government.