AY-128-16

The AY-128-16 is a strategic, ultra-high-gain 8-stacked yagi array system designed for the VHF Aviation Band (118–137 MHz). Delivering a massive 16 dBi gain, this system is the premier choice for ATC sites requiring deep-range coverage to manage long-distance inbound and outbound aircraft traffic over Oceanic Information Regions (OIC).

Strategic Long-Range Performance

The AY-128-16 is engineered for "extended range" missions where standard antennas fall short. By stacking eight 3-element yagi antennas, the system achieves a highly focused 12-degree vertical beam-width, which concentrates energy toward the horizon for maximum reach. Uniquely, it maintains a wide 110-degree horizontal beam-width, allowing for broad sectoral coverage. The factory-tuned system features a unique feed design that acts as a matching device, ensuring a superior VSWR of 1:1.6 for maximum transmission efficiency across the 20 MHz bandwidth.

Industrial-Grade Construction

Constructed from high-quality aluminum alloys, this array is built to prevent corrosion in demanding maritime environments. Every component, including the 25 mm support booms and 19 mm radiating elements, is designed for structural rigidity. The system utilizes marine-grade stainless steel mounting hardware and is certified to survive hurricane-force winds up to 200 KMPH. This rugged mechanical design ensures the massive array maintains its precise alignment during severe weather events common in oceanic corridors.

Strategic RF Distribution Efficiency

The system utilizes a sophisticated RF distribution network, including two solid air-cored 4-way power splitters, one 2-way power splitter, and ten low-loss phasing harness cables. This ensures perfectly synchronized power distribution across all eight antennas. Despite its 12-meter aperture requirement, the system is designed for logistical ease; elements are removable for transport, and the entire array can be assembled on-site using simple hand tools. It supports high-power transmitters up to 1000 Watts, making it ideal for high-intensity strategic hubs.

Detailed Technical Features

• Strategic 16 dBi Gain: Delivers a massive 16 dBi typical gain. This extreme power concentration allows ATC centers to maintain consistent contact with aircraft deep into Oceanic Information Regions (OIC) where standard antennas fail to bridge the link.
• Precision Beam Shaping: The radiation pattern is highly specialized to cover broad sectors with extreme vertical focus:
  • Vertical Beam-width: 12 Degrees. This razor-thin elevation beam focuses energy toward the horizon, minimizing ground-reflection interference and maximizing signal penetration over the horizon.
  • Horizontal Beam-width: 110 Degrees. Uniquely wide for an array of this gain, it allows for the monitoring of a massive oceanic corridor or bay without needing a rotator.
• Advanced RF Phasing Network: The system utilizes a sophisticated distribution tree:
  • Two solid air-cored 4-way power splitters/combiners.
  • One solid air-cored 2-way power splitter/combiner.
  • Ten low-loss phasing harness cables.
• High Power Capacity: Rated for 1000 Watts, making it suitable for high-intensity strategic broadcasts or "burn-through" transmissions in high-interference zones.
• Superior Signal Purity: Features a 24 dB Front-to-Back ratio, which ensures the array ignores unwanted noise and signals originating from behind the station, providing a significantly cleaner receive floor.
• Optimized VSWR: The factory-tuned matching feed system maintains a VSWR of better than 1:1.6, protecting high-value radio power amplifiers.

This ensures that RF power is distributed with perfect phase synchronization across all 24 elements.

Detailed Mechanical Features

• Structural Material Engineering: The entire array is constructed from high-quality aluminum alloys, chosen for their superior strength-to-weight ratio and natural resistance to corrosive aeronautical and maritime environments.
• Reinforced Array Components:
  • Support Booms: 25 mm diameter heavy-wall aluminum tubing.
  • Radiating Elements: 19 mm diameter aluminum rods for maximum rigidity.
  • Fasteners: All nuts, bolts, and mounting hardware are manufactured from Type 316 Marine Grade Stainless Steel.
• Logistical Optimization: For ease of transport, the system is designed with removable elements. Despite its massive operational footprint, the shipping length for the entire array is reduced to just 1.4 meters.
• Rapid Field Assembly: The array is factory-tuned and designed to be assembled on-site using simple hand tools, allowing for relatively quick deployment at strategic hubs.
• Aperture & Weight:
  • Minimum Mast Aperture: Requires 12 meters of vertical space for optimal stacking.
  • Gross Weight: 50 Kgs (110 lbs).
  • Mounting Interface: Designed to secure onto vertical support pipes up to 51 mm (2 inches) in diameter.

Detailed Environmental Features

The AY-128-16 is specifically hardened for the most severe oceanic and coastal climates:

• Hurricane Survival: Aerodynamically balanced to survive wind speeds up to 200 KMPH (125 MPH), maintaining beam alignment during extreme weather events.
• Oceanic Resilience: Specifically engineered to resist Salt Fog (Method 509.5) and high-salinity humidity (0 to 95% RH), making it the primary choice for offshore and coastal monitoring stations.
• Thermal Hardening: Operational in extreme temperature windows from -30°C to +70°C and storage-rated up to +80°C.
• Bio-Resistance: Materials and finishes are compliant with Fungus Resistance (Method 508.6), ensuring the feed system remains operational in tropical or monsoon zones.
• Static Dissipation: The D.C. grounded design ensures that atmospheric static is safely bled off to ground, reducing receiver noise and providing a layer of protection against lightning transients.

Performance Comparison Table

The AY-128-16 is a strategic-grade communication system designed to provide the ultimate high-gain, wide-sector link across the VHF Aviation Band. By phasing eight 3-element yagi antennas into a single unified array, it offers a definitive advantage for "deep-oceanic" aeronautical links where single-aperture antennas or standard arrays cannot maintain a reliable connection.

Key Advantages

• Extreme Strategic Reach: The primary advantage is its massive 16 dBi gain. This power concentration allows ATC centers to maintain consistent contact with aircraft deep into Oceanic Information Regions (OIC), effectively doubling the range of standard ground-to-air systems.
• Unique Sectoral Geometry: Unlike most high-gain arrays that have narrow beams in both planes, this system provides a razor-sharp 12-degree vertical beam for long-distance reach while maintaining a 110-degree wide horizontal beam. This allows a single station to monitor a massive corridor of the ocean or a wide flight information region.
• High-Purity Distribution Network: The system uses a sophisticated "tree" of solid air-cored power splitters and combiners. This ensures perfectly synchronized phase distribution across all 24 elements, maximizing gain and minimizing internal RF loss.
• Superior Interference Rejection: With a 24 dB Front-to-Back ratio, the array is nearly "blind" to noise and signals originating from behind the station. This is critical for maintaining high-fidelity reception at busy ATC hubs with many co-located transmitters.
• 1000-Watt Power Capacity: Engineered for strategic "burn-through" capability, it supports high-intensity transmissions required to overcome atmospheric interference or extreme distance.

Strategic Benefits

• Massive Area Monitoring: Because of the 110-degree horizontal beam, one AY-128-16 can replace multiple high-gain directional antennas. This reduces the total number of antennas required to cover a broad entry/exit corridor, simplifying site architecture.
• Oceanic Durability: The combination of all-aluminum construction and 316 stainless steel hardware makes the array immune to the corrosive effects of salt fog and high humidity. This ensures a service life measured in decades, even in the harshest maritime theaters.
• Logistical Efficiency: Despite needing a 12-meter vertical mast aperture, the system is designed with removable elements and a 1.4-meter shipping length. It can be transported in standard tactical vehicles and reassembled on-site with basic hand tools.
• Equipment Protection: The D.C. grounded design provides a safe discharge path for atmospheric static and lightning-induced surges, protecting expensive radio transceivers and sensitive receivers from damage.

Primary Applications

1. Deep Oceanic Air Traffic Control (ATC): The premier choice for managing international aircraft traffic over massive bodies of water (OIC zones) where aircraft are hundreds of miles from the nearest ground station.

2. Regional Flight Information Regions (FIR): Provides high-gain coverage for a wide slice of national airspace, ensuring dedicated, high-intensity signal strength along approach and departure vectors for international flight paths.

3. Strategic Military Airfields: Used to establish extra-long-range "bridges" to high-altitude military assets. Its high power handling and extreme gain make it a staple for large-scale, permanent military headquarters.

4. Coastal Surveillance & Maritime Coordination: A specialized tool for monitoring aeronautical and shipboard VHF communications along national maritime borders, capturing extremely weak signals from distant sources over the water.

5. High-Power Signal Relay: Acts as a powerful directional relay point for extending the range of VHF networks in mountainous or remote coastal terrain where line-of-sight is obstructed by extreme geography.