EE3306
Antenna Measurement and Theory Experiment
Introduction
Communication systems engineers are often called on to make decisions on technologies
not belonging directly to the field of communications engineering. They have to draw
from a vast array of EE fields including electromagnetics, electronics, and controls. The
focus of this lab experiment is to give you additional insight into the field of
electromagnetics and, more specifically, antenna technology. It seeks to provide you, as
comm engineers, with the background necessary to make system-level decisions about
antennas without being intimately familiar with the details of the field.
To accomplish this task we will be testing a half-wave dipole antenna in an anechoic
chamber. Antenna Gain Patterns (AGP) will be obtained in the vertical and azimuthal
planes. A cross-polarized case will also be considered.
Theoretical Background
In the most basic sense, an antenna is an impedance transformer. What this typically
means to you as a comm systems engineer is that you can take a signal coupled
something like a 50 W coaxial line and couple it to air at 377 W. (Because of duality a
reversal of order is equally true—a receiving antenna will work equally well as a
transmitting antenna.) This is an extremely useful property because it allows us to
transmit signals over vast distances without needing to run wires everywhere. As a
simple example of the usefulness of this technology try to imagine our world without cell
phones, satellite comm, or radio.
Because the goal of this lab is to offer some basic insight into antenna technology, only
one very basic equation will be offered for a theoretical ADP.
ADP(theta) = cos(1/2 * pi * cos(theta))/sin(theta) (1)
Equation 1 is the linear thin-wire half-wave approximation to a dipole and gives the
vertical ADP as a function of q, the angle down from the vertical axis (i.e. the axis along
the body of the antenna). The ADP as a function of j is a constant, only plots a circle,
and really is not as interesting, theoretically speaking. There are other elements to the
equation, but they are constants and have been removed for the sake of normalization. A
full derivation of Equation 1 can be found in Applied Electromagnetism, 3rd ed. (Shen
and Kong, PWS 1995) on pages 224-228.
Equipment
- Standard-gain half-wave 1 GHz dipole (l = 30 cm, \ antenna length = 15 cm)
- HP8752C Network Analyzer
- AR7-17 log-periodic dipole test antenna
- Anechoic chamber
- 3-f motor, controller, and azimuth angle indicator
- PVC stand
- Dipole-PVC stand adapter bracket
- RF Coax cabling
Procedure
General Setup and Vertical ADP and Resonant Frequency Measurements
1. Choose the correct conducting arms to screw into the base of the standard-gain
dipole kit for a half-wave 1 GHz resonant dipole.
2. Place the dipole in the anechoic chamber, attaching it to the mounting bracket and
PVC stand. Orient the dipole to measure the vertical radiation patterns and make
sure to rotate the log-periodic antenna so that its widest side is horizontal to the
ground. (Figure 1)
3 . Connect the dipole to the coaxial cable coming from the 3-f motor stand.
Connect the other end of the same cable to the Reflection test port (left hand side)
on the network analyzer. Press the MEAS-[REFLECTION] buttons to make sure
reflection test data is displayed. Press the FORMAT-[LOG MAG] buttons to
display the reflection test data magnitude in dB.
4. Press the START button on the network analyzer and set the lowest measured
frequency to 0.8 GHz. Press the STOP button and set the upper frequency to 1.1
GHz.
5. Press SCALE/REF-[AUTOSCALE] to autoscale the display.
6. Press the MKR button. Using a marker and the thumb wheel, find the lowest
return loss value. Record this value in dB. The frequency where the antenna’s
return loss is the lowest should be recorded as f r – the dipole’s resonant
frequency.
7 . Transfer the dipole’s coaxial cable from the Reflection test port to the
Transmission test port on the network analyzer (right hand side). Connect the
log-periodic antenna to the Reflection test port. (Figure 2) This will set the stage
for a measurement of transmission power from the log-periodic to the dipole.
8. Using the controls on the motor control module, turn the dial clockwise until the
pedestal stops moving and has reached the end of its travel. Set the compass to
zero degrees. Orient the dipole so the long axis is pointed at the log-periodic
(Figure 1).
9 . Press the MEAS-[TRANSMISSION] and FORMAT-[LOG MAG] buttons to
ensure transmission data is displayed in dB.
10. Using the marker, record the signal level, in dB, at the resonant frequency.
Denote this as at the zero degree point.
11. Take measurements according to the following model, in order to efficiently
obtain a high-resolution radiation pattern. Between ±30o and ±150o, record
measurements every 5o (over these regions, the radiation pattern is changing very
quickly) and over the remainder, take measurements every 15o.
12. Repeat this process until all 360° of the radiation pattern have been recorded.
Azimuthal ADP Measurements
13. Press the MENU-[POWER]-[SOURCE POWER = OFF] keys on the network
analyzer to turn off the power to the dipole.
14. Enter the anechoic chamber and re-orient the dipole and log-periodic so that
azimuthal antenna gain pattern measurements may be acquired. (Figure 3)
15. Press the MENU-[POWER]-[SOURCE POWER = ON] keys to restore power
from the network analyzer to the dipole, after everyone has exited the anechoic
chamber and the door is shut securely.
1 6 .Repeat steps 8-13 until the entire pattern is recorded, except use 15o
measurements for all angles.
Cross-Polarization ADP Measurements
17. Repeat step 14.
18. Rotate the log-periodic until the widest edge is parallel to the ground to establish a
scenario of cross-polarization. (Figure 4) Access to the log-periodic antenna may
be gained at the narrow cone section of the anechoic chamber.
19. Repeat step 16.
20. Repeat steps 8-13 to measure the cross-polarization azimuthal gain patterns
(again, only use 15o increments for the entire pattern).
21. Clean up the lab before leaving.
Post Lab Questions
1. How did the theoretical and measured resonant frequencies compare? Discuss
any reasons for differences found.
2 . Plot the three measured antenna gain patterns for the standard dipole after
normalization. See below for discussion of normalization.
3. Compare the measured and theoretical vertical patterns. Are there differences?
Offer some explanations about the sources of error in either the experimental or
theoretical results (i.e. don’t forget—the equation may not be comprehensively
descriptive of the dipole used in lab).
4. Discuss the experimental azimuthal patterns. Are they as expected?
5. Discuss the experimental cross-polarization patterns. What is the theoretical
normalized strength of a cross-polarization situation? Why were the theoretical
results higher?
6. Discuss what insight you have gained on half-wave dipole antennas from the
theoretical and experimental results. How would these help you make system-
level decisions as a communication systems engineer?
Normalization of Experimental Data
In order to normalize the data for the post-lab, use Excel, Matlab, or Mathematica to find
the largest value in the entire data set. Subtract that value from each of the three
measurements so the largest value will be zero and all others will be expressed relative to
that value. (The largest value in both vertical and azimuthal data sets should be very
close.) This will allow for accurate comparisons with analytical closed form solutions
while removing the need to consider all losses in the system. Also, do not forget to
convert the linear values from Equation 1 into dB via the following equation.
ADP(theta)dB = 20*log10(ADP(theta)) (2)
Glossary of Terms
Anechoic Chamber – A room designed to place antennas inside of it in a simulated far-
field situation. All multi-path beams are damped and the waves become very planar at
the point of reception for the antenna under test.
Antenna Directivity Pattern (ADP) – A measurement of how well a device couples
energy through space in a given direction. These are typically given in terms of the
spherical coordinates q and f with the units dBi, meaning the number of dB greater or
lesser than would be radiated by an isotropic source (i.e. one that radiates equally in all
directions).
Azimuthal – Horizontal.
Cross Polarization – A scenario where two antennas have polarizations that are
perpendicular to one another. In this lab the dipole and log-periodic each have linear
polarizations and simple physically aligning them 90° apart will result in cross-
polarization. Under these conditions, very little energy will be coupled between the two
conductors.
Resonant Frequency (fr) – Certain antennas only radiate efficiently at a very narrow band
of frequencies and are known as resonant antennas (the half-wave dipole is an example of
this class of antennas). Others radiate efficiently over a wide band of frequencies and are
known as, appropriately enough, non-resonant antennas (the log-periodic dipole is an
example of this class of antennas). If the antenna belongs to the former class, then the
frequency at which its return loss is lowest is typically the resonant frequency.
Return Loss – A measurement of the ratio between energy sent to the antenna and energy
reflected back toward the source by the antenna. If the antenna is radiating efficiently,
this value will be very small. If, however, the antenna is operating very inefficiently, the
amount of reflected energy will be very large.
Dipole
Log-Periodic
Test Antenna
Figure 1: Test Setup within Anechoic Chamber
for Vertical ADP measurements
GHz
123 MHz
456 x10
Dipole 789 x1
x 0.1
Log-Periodic
Reflection Transmission
Figure 2: Network Analyzer Test Setup
Dipole
Log-Periodic
Test Antenna
Figure 3: Test Setup within Anechoic Chamber
for Azimuthal ADP measurements
Dipole
Log-Periodic
Test Antenna
Figure 4: Test Setup within Anechoic Chamber
for Cross-Polarized ADP measurements
