COURSE CONTENT

The focus of this course is the necessary theory, fundamental principles of operation, measurement procedures and obtainable accuracy for the most common antenna measurement techniques in use today. The measurement of antenna pattern, gain and polarization are presented and matched to the best measurement technique for each. Several important variations and the state-of-the-art for each technique are discussed, as well as future trends. 

The antenna measurement techniques presented cover a wide frequency range from 1 MHz to over 150 GHz, a wide range of antenna directivities, from 0 dBi to over 70 dBi, a wide range of antenna sizes from less than 1 cm in diameter to over 200 meters in diameter, and include both circularly and linearly polarized antennas. The course emphasis is antenna measurements in the VHF, UHF, microwave and millimeter frequency bands. Achievable accuracies are related to the geometrical and electromagnetic features and parameters of the measurement technique. The gain and pattern effects of antenna mounting structures will be discussed, such as in personal communication antennas, vehicular mounted antennas, and HF antennas.

The major antenna measurement techniques are examined in detail. The method for production of a plane wave test zone field for each technique is presented. Mathematical derivations are minimized in order to present physical understanding of the measurement process and recommended procedures. The geometrical, mechanical, RF, computer and software requirements for each range type are described. Major sources of measurement error are examined and mitigation techniques for each error source are discussed. 

More information can be found in www.cei.se/025.htm