Simplified Techniques to Estimate Uncertainties for Antenna Gain Patterns Determined via Near-Field to Far-Field Transformation

Depending on the frequency range of interest, the influence of chamber reflections can be a dominant contribution to the measurement uncertainty when calibrating antennas. Estimating this measurement uncertainty contribution is relatively cumbersome and, strictly speaking, requires a new analysis for each unknown antenna, since the influence of chamber reflections depends on the probe, the measurement chamber, the frequency being examined and the antenna under test. This article shows how modern transformation algorithms can be used to determine the influence of chamber reflections through redundant measurements. The focus here is on measurement procedures that are simple to carry out and can be integrated automatically into an existing measurement process without having to dismount the antenna under test.