Antenna Measurements

The testing and evaluation of the antenna parameters is performed in antenna ranges.
Typically, there exist indoor and outdoor ranges with associated limitations for both.

Outdoor ranges are not protected from environmental conditions, while indoor ranges
are limited by space restrictions. Indoor ranges make use of anechoic chambers, which
are chambers lined with radar absorbing material to eliminate reflections from the walls.

There are two basic forms of chambers:
a. rectangular anechoic chambers


b. tapered anechoic chambers.
Rectangular chambers are typically used for frequencies above 1 GHz, while for frequencies below 1 GHz tapered chambers are used. Various methods exist to measure the antenna parameters: radiation pattern directivity, gain and polarization. Some of the methods require the Far-Field criterion and uniform plane illumination and some can be performed in the Near-Field of the Antenna Under Test (AUT).