Antenna Standards in the

Frequency Range 30 MHz to 18 GHz

Beat Mhlemann, Frdric Pythoud

Swiss Federal Office of Metrology and Accreditation, Bern-Wabern, Switzerland

Agenda
1. Introduction
2. Definitions and principles
3. Experimental methods
4. Summary

August 3, 2005

METAS 2

1.1 Motivation and objectives

Wide variety of methods to define the antenna factor, and thus
to define the electric field:
y Dipole as reference up to 1 GHz (The antenna factor can be computed
numerically)
y Standard Gain horn (The gain can be computed numerically)
y Ridged horn (simulation techniques are required to determine the
antenna factor)
y Measurements with 3 antenna method

August 3, 2005

METAS 3

1.2 Drawbacks
Dipole as reference up to 1 GHz :
y calibration of the baluns has to be performed in addition to the simulation

Standard Gain horn:

y Formulas accuracy not sufficient
y connector quality not taken into account

Ridged horn
y Formulas accuracy not sufficient
y connector quality not taken into account

Measurements with 3 antenna method

y High accuracy needed

August 3, 2005

METAS 4

2.1 Definitions and traceability

The antenna factor AF has the
dimension (1/m). This quantity is
derived from the meter.
The antenna factor of a
receive antenna is the
ratio of E/U, where U
is the voltage measured
at a conventionally accepted
value of 50 .

Electromagnetic
wave

Antenna

Voltage U

E (V / m )
AF (1 / m ) =
U (V )

August 3, 2005

METAS 5

2.2 Principles
The insertion loss is given as:

U1 c d Z L
AF1 AF2
=
U2
f

V
1

V
2
d

This equation is true under the following assumptions:

y U1 is the forward voltage (ref. 50 ) measured at the input port of antenna 1
y U2 is the voltage (ref. 50 ) measured at the input port of antenna 2
y Free field propagation (no field reflections)
y Far field

August 3, 2005

METAS 6

2.3 In other words

Antenna factor is well defined (up
to 18 GHz) by the following
experiment (using 3 antenna
methods)

August 3, 2005

METAS 7

3.1 Experimental Methods

U1 is the forward voltage (ref. 50 )
measured at input port of antenna 1

Measure S21 with a calibrated VNA

(full 2 port)

U2 is the voltage (ref. 50 )

measured at input port of antenna 2

Measure S21 with a calibrated VNA

(full 2 port)

Free field propagation (no field

reflections)

METAS averaging procedure

Far field

Either large distances or take into

account in uncertainty evaluation.

August 3, 2005

METAS 8

3.2 METAS approach

Site attenuation
direct
indirect, floor
indirect,ceiling
+ S 21
+ S 21
S 21 = S 21
indirect , frontwall
indirect ,backwall
+ S 21
+ S 21

Principle: move both antennas in order to:

Keep the distance constant

Modify the reflected path length of a half wavelength:

indirect
indirect
( position2 ) = S 21
( position1 )
S 21

August 3, 2005

METAS 9

3.3 Motion details

Longitudinal motion:

dl =
4

Vertical motion

2
dh =
1 + (D / H )
4
Side motion
dw =

H
Position 2
Position 1
D

2
1 + (D / W )
8

(see EMC Zurich 2005)

August 3, 2005

METAS 10

3.4 Comment on Gain and Antenna Factor

Isotropic Gain is defined as:
wmax
gi =
wiso

same . radiated . power

4wmax
=
Wtotalradiated

Antenna factor and Gain definitions are very different and refer
to totally different quantities (E-Field + Voltage / Radiated
Power Density).
In the case where the Antenna impedance is 50 Ohms (Real
only without any imaginary value), then:

AF =
August 3, 2005

9.73

g
METAS 11

4. Summary
Antenna Factor is very important since it provides the
reference for E-Field (under the assumption that the Volt is
properly defined)
There is no need for primary standard in the range 30 MHz to
18 GHz. The antenna factor is derived from the meter.
Experimental determination of the antennas are improving
and thus, there is no need of complex simulations to
determine the antenna factor of geometrically defined
structures.

August 3, 2005

METAS 12

Thank you

August 3, 2005

METAS 13