Review of Spherical Near-Field Measurements

Over the past decade spherical near-field measurements have made the transition from research to application. Based upon spherical modal expansion and a port-to-port transmission equation, the spherical near-field technique utilizes sophisticated mathematical processing to solve the practical problem of obtaining antenna pattern measurements in a confined space. Coventional hardware--consisting of rotary test positioners, signal sources and receivers augmented by digital control electronics and minicomputers--now makes spherical near-field measurements practical by automation. Recent developments in spherical near-field software architecture have expanded the basic scanning feature to include dual-port scanning, probe pattern and probe polarization correction, three antenna polarization measurements, gain comparison measurements and correction for thermal drift of the system. This article is from 'Proceedings of the Antenna Applications Symposium Held in Urbana, Illinois on 17-19 September 1986. Volume 2,' AD-A181 537, p581-596.