EE426 LabMan Exp1 5 Spr2013

Middle East Technical University
Electrical & Electronics Engineering Department

EE 426 Antennas and Propagation
Laboratory Manual

Contents

SUP#1 Report Format and Remars
SUP#2 !ntrodu"tion to Antenna E#periments
E$P#1
Radiation Pattern and %ain Measurements o& Antennas
in Ane"'oi" ('amber
E$P#2 Radiation Pattern Measurements o& Antennas
E$P#) Polari*ation Pattern and +and,idt' Measurements o& Antennas
E$P#4 Linear Antennas- !mpedan"e . Pattern Measurements
E$P#/ Re&le"tion Met'od &or %ain Measurements
E$P#6 Ele"tromagneti" Fields- Measurements and Aperture Field S'aping
E$P#0 Antenna Arrays

Experiment EE426-0 Lab Report Format and Remarks
Middle East Technical Universit i.1 !ept" o# Electrical $ Electronics En%"

EE 426 Antennas and Propagation Laboratory
Report Format and Remarks

General Remarks about Laboratory Sessions
Each student is viewed as a responsible professional in engineering, and thus highest ethical
standards are presumed.

It is obligatory to prepare the preliminary work in order to start an experiment. Note that
doing the preliminary work means completing a considerable portion of it, preliminary work
with negligent and insufficient content cannot be accepted.

Be punctual, laboratory sessions are strictly hours. !ogether with your partner"s#, you are
responsible to perform all the steps of the experiment, i.e. all the partners should be ready at
each laboratory session.

$ll students are re%uired to read the whole manual of the experiment, and are also assumed
they have done so, before attending the session. !his is of great significance to successfully
complete the experiment, and to comprehend the main purpose. &emember that you are
always encouraged to ask what you want to know further or what you do not understand,
before'during'after the experiments.

!here will be a %ui( at the end of each experiment and time allocated for the %ui( is 1)
minutes. &emember that doing the preliminary work on your own is the key point to be
ready for the %ui( and have a successful laboratory session.

!ake a copy of your preliminary work before submitting it* you will need it while writing your
report.

Experiment EE426-0 Lab Report Format and Remarks
Middle East Technical Universit i.+ !ept" o# Electrical $ Electronics En%"
Report Format
!he reports must be typed using a word,processor software.
-o not forget to include the following in the header of the report document.
Name and number of the experiment together with the course name,
-ate of the session and the date of the report,
Names, student I-s of the students.
/lease reduce paper consumption.
-o not use a cover page.
/rint your reports using both sides of the papers.
0our report will include the following parts.
Introduction: !he purpose of this part is to generally summari(e your past session. 1ere are
what you need to write.
Briefly explain the aim of the experiment.
2ummari(e the procedure, measurements and the methods used. -o not tabulate your
measurements here.
Results and Comments: !he content is generally directed by the manual. /lease note the
following.
3ollow the same steps with the corresponding part of the manual.
!abulate your results and draw necessary graphs. $lso point out the results you observe
from the figures and'or tables.
4ake comparisons of the results with the preliminary work where applicable.
2tate any results contradicting or matching your expectations. -iscuss the results you
obtained "both expected and unexpected results#.
/lease comment about what you put forward as a result.
Conclusion: 0ou are expected to sum up the whole idea of the experiment. In addition.
5rite a general discussion of what you have learned.
2pecifically point out the differences between ideal'theoretical cases and the practical
aspects, express your reasoning briefly.

6abel the figures and tables you include with an appropriate name and number.
/lease think of these reports as a team work. $ll group members are responsible from the
reports and are expected to participate in preparing them. !his is a necessity not only to behave
ethically* but also to comprehend the whole laboratory process.
/lease keep this document at hand while writing the reports.
Experiment EE426-0 Introduction to Antenna Experiments

Middle East Technical University ii.1 Dept o! Electrical " Electronics En#
Introduction to Antenna Experiments

I. Introduction to Components and Instruments
The usage of the following equipment, components and the order of their connections are
usually common in all experiments:
RF (Radio Frequency) source, isolator, aria!le attenuator, slotted line associated with a "#$R
meter, caity waemeter, slide%screw tuner, matched termination, sliding short, directional coupler,
optionally a deice under test (&'T), waeguide%to%coaxial adapter or waeguide%mount diode, (")
meter, oscilloscope, etc*

II. Components
(lthough the !asic principles are the same, microwae and antenna circuits may seem quite
different especially to a new microwae and antenna engineering student with respect to their lower
frequency counterparts. Therefore, for conenience, it will !e appropriate to present a !rief
description of microwae and antenna components often used.

RF Sources:

1.) Gunn Diode Oscillator: +unn diode is a !ul, semiconductor (+a(s, -n. etc.) deice that exhi!its
a negatie resistance (as required for starting oscillations), which is used together with a
conentional oscillator circuitry or waeguide caity. +unn diode oscillators typically generate a
microwae output at /%!and0 !ut operation can !e extended to higher frequency !ands (up to 111
+23) with proper design.

2.) Solid State Sources (FE !icro"a#e Oscillator): Field 4ffect Transistors (F4Ts) are used in
com!ination with oltage%aria!le capacitor diodes ("(R(5T)Rs) to construct aria!le%frequency
oscillators at microwae frequencies. Frequency of these oscillators can !e displayed on a digital
meter, and the power output is usually ad6usted manually.

Isolator: The isolator is mainly used for isolating the RF source from possi!le reflections that can
originate at arious parts of the circuit. -t !asically consists of a ferrite material and a permanent

magnet arrangement, which polari3es the electromagnetic waes passing through it. -t is a non%
reciprocal deice which introduces little attenuation (theoretically 3ero) along the forward direction,
while proiding high attenuation along the reerse direction.

Attenuator: -t consists of a resistie sheet placed along the 4%plane of a waeguide, which causes
attenuation. 'nli,e the isolator, the attenuator has a reciprocal nature (i.e., it is !i%directional).
(ttenuators with high attenuation are sometimes used instead of isolators. -n addition to fixed
attenuators, mechanical moement or rotation can !e exploited to construct varia$le attenuators.
"aria!le attenuators are typically cali!rated with respect to a scale, and they are usually employed to
measure power ratios.

Cavity Wavemeter: -t is a hollow, ad6usta!le, cylindrical waeguide caity, which is connected to
the waeguide circuit in parallel through some holes on the waeguide !road wall. 'nder resonance
conditions, the electromagnetic energy guided in the waeguide circuit can !e coupled through these
holes to the caity waemeter (the coupling diminishes rapidly away from the resonance). The caity
can !e made to resonate at a gien operating frequency !y properly ad6usting its depth with a screw
mechanism, causing a part of the incident microwae power to !e suc,ed into the caity. This in turn
creates an a!rupt power drop in the remaining parts of the waeguide circuit. The operating
frequency can !e thus determined !y detecting this power drop and reading the caity resonance
frequency (which is indicated on a scale).

Slotted Line: -t is a waeguidehaing a properly shaped slot cut along its longitudinal axis. The slot
permits one to insert a sampling pro!e into the waeguide in order to measure the 4%field intensity
at a particular pro!e position. ( carriage mechanism allows pro!e moement along the slotted line,
and ena!les one to monitor the longitudinal dependence of the field. The field intensity sampled !y
the pro!e is su!sequently detected !y a diode connected to it.

Waveguide-mount Diode: The diode is placed in a post on the 4%plane of the waeguide. The
rectified current through the diode is measured. -deally, it is matched to the waeguide so there is no
reflection.

VSWR Meter: ( fundamental microwae measurement tool is the "#$R meter, which will !e
frequently utili3ed in this la!oratory. 'sage of this instrument might seem fairly complex to the
newcomer, and releant complexity arises from its curious scale and deflection characteristics (more

on this later). (lthough this instrument cannot measure the exact oltage in the waeguide, such
accuracy is not necessary for "#$R measurements: $e are primarily interested in the oltage ratio
(ratio of the maximum oltage to the minimum one) for "#$R measurements, and this relatie
measurement can !e conducted easily with the "#$R meter.
(s illustrated in Fig.i-1, the "#$R meter is typically used in con6unction with a slotted line
followed !y a square%law detector (diode). ( pro!e (which is inserted in the slotted line) senses the 4%
field along the waeguide, and deliers this excitation to the diode in the form of a oltage
(I
gudc
E). .roided the power leel in the waeguide is low enough, the diode operates in its
square%law region, in which the diode -%" characteristics can !e approximated !y a quadratic relation.
This square%law -%" characteristic maps the input oltage (I
gudc
) to its square as the diode current
(I I
gudc
2
). The "#$R meter then accepts this squared%oltage term, filters it, and proides a
deflection with its indicator (through a permanent%magnet moing%coil 9.::5 or &;(rsonal<
moement arrangement). This deflection is proportional to the guided power at the pro!e location
owing to linearly related angular deflection (A0) and current (I) in the &;(rsonal moement (i.e.,
A0 I I
gudc
2
(z) P
gudc
(z)). 5onsequently, one can monitor the oltage standing wae ("#$)
pattern along the slotted line !y o!sering the angular deflection of the "#$R meter as a function of
pro!e position.

Fig.i-1. -llustration of the configuration for slotted line "#$R measurements.

-n the light of the discussion a!oe, one reali3es that the "#$R meter proides a nice
isuali3ation of microwae power ariation along the length of the slotted line. For "#$R
measurements, howeer, one is mainly concerned with oltage quantities instead of power. -t is a
triial practice to relate the microwae power to oltage with the "#$R meter: For example, half%
scale deflection of the "#$R meter indicates 12 of the sensed microwae power and 12 of the
guided oltage with respect to the corresponding full%scale quantities. -t then ma,es sense to prepare
the "#$R meter scale as 0 (instead of 0) to facilitate oltage readings.
2ere comes the part which causes the general confusion: The "#$R meter scale is actually
prepared as 10 = that is, lower "#$R meter readings are o!tained for larger deflections of the
#lotted >ine
I
gudc
&iode
I I
gudc
2

(2igh?>ow
Frequencies)

>.F
I
gudc
2

(>ow Freq.)
"#$R :eter
%
.ro!e
I
gudc
2

#cale 1I
gudc


Middle East Technical University ii.@ Dept o! Electrical " Electronics En#
indicator. #tated in other words, the "#$R meter scale reads 1I
gudc
instead of I
gudc
. -n fact, this
is done for a good reason as we shall explain here: -f one finds a oltage maximum along the slotted
line (as inferred from maximum indicator deflection) and sets this oltage leel to unity following a
normali3ation, then the normali3ed guided oltage at any position of the slotted line can !e
represented as I
gudcd
(z)I
g,mux
. The "#$R meter reading transforms this normali3ed oltage to
I
g,mux
I
gudcd
(z). (t a oltage minimum (as inferred from minimum indicator deflection), the "#$R
meter should then read I
g,mux
I
g,mn
, which is the ery definition of "#$RA For conentional "#$R
measurements, the full%scale deflection (at a oltage maximum) is set to unity in order for the "#$R
meter reading to directly yield the "#$R at a oltage minimum.
From a more practical perspectie, a "#$R meter can !e iewed as a !andpass audio amplifier
with an ad6usta!le gain. The pass!and of the instrument is typically around 1 ,23 with a !andwidth of
11%B1 23. 5onsequently, the "#$R meter only responds to inputs haing frequency content in this
!and. ( continuous%wae (5$) microwae source has a single spectral component at a few +23, so
that "#$R meter cannot respond to such an input. To !e a!le to conduct "#$R measurements, one
usually modulates the microwae source amplitude with a 1 ,23 square wae. Referring !ac, to Fig.i-
1, this amplitude modulation ((:) generates low and high frequency terms at the diode output. (
low%pass filter present at the input stage of the "#$R meter preseres the low%frequency terms, to
which the instrument can respond.
(s discussed in the preious paragraphs, square%law characteristic of the diode is an important
requirement for correct "#$R measurements (indeed, proper operation of the "#$R meter strictly
relies on this assumption). For low%to%moderate microwae power, the diode !ehaes as a square%
law deice0 !ut it loses this characteristic (!ecomes linear) as the power leel increases further
(higher%order Taylor polynomials would !e required to approximate the exponential -%"
characteristic). 5onsequently, the "#$R meter no longer measures the "#$R accurately at high
microwae power leels.

IMPR!A"!:
Never forget to apply sufficient attenuation to keep the crystal diode in square-law region for
accurate measurements in other experiments.

-n order to improe the sensitiity of the "#$R meter, tuning is generally applied prior to the
measurements. The meter also proides fine and coarse gain leels. -t can ma,e measurement !oth
in normal and dC scales. )ther details will !e examined during the related experiments.


Middle East Technical University ii.B Dept o! Electrical " Electronics En#
"et#or$ Analy%er: Detwor, analy3ers are used to test the actie, passie, linear and nonlinear RF
circuits. There are two types of networ, analy3ers: #calar and ector networ, analy3er. #calar
networ, analy3ers measure only the amplitude of the signals while ector networ, analy3ers
measure !oth the amplitude and phase. -n the experiments, you will use the ector networ, analy3er
(gilent 4B1E15 4D( located in the microwae la!oratory. The networ, analy3ers mainly measure the
scattering parameters (#%parameters, i.e. the ratios of the reflected and transmitted signals to the
incident signal) in a gien frequency range. "ector networ, analy3ers can conert reflection
coefficient alues to impedance alues on a #mith 5hart. -n order to remoe most of the
measurement errors, networ, analy3er is cali!rated prior to measurements. For more information,
you may read the &et'or( Analy%er )asics application note from (gilent 91<.

III. $e %rocedure &or !easurin' (S)*
First, ma,e sure that the microwae source is amplitude modulated with a reasona!le output
power, the diode operates properly (in its square%law region), and "#$R meter connects to the
diode. (fter accomplishing the optimal settings (i.e., the diode is in the square%law region, "#$R
meter is tuned to the modulating frequency 9usually 1 ,23<, and proper gain leel settings are
selected)0 the sampling pro!e is moed along the slotted line until a maximum is reached in the field
intensity. This leel is set to F1G on the "#$R meter scale !y ad6usting the fine%gain ,no!. Dow, if the
pro!e is !rought to a near!y oltage minimum point, the indicator points to the oltage standing
wae ratio.

I(. %ractical Aspects
Done of the preiously mentioned components are ideal due to seeral factors such as
mismatch to the waeguide, unwanted lossy !ehaior, reflections from the 6unctions, and other
limited capacity etc. For instance, an isolator gies a little attenuation along the non%isolating
direction and it allows small amount of field traeling in the isolated direction, the latter resulting in
finite isolation. (nother example would !e the waemeter, which has a high !ut a finite H.
The pro!e is supposed to !e inserted into the slot on the !road wall of the waeguide such that
it should not distort the wae pattern.
&uring the measurement of the waelength, minimum of the "#$ pattern is preferred !ecause
they are less affected !y the distortions introduced !y the pro!e. (lso the sharpness of the minima
ma,es the measurement more accurate.

Middle East Technical University ii.I Dept o! Electrical " Electronics En#
The irregularities confronted in the standing wae pattern are due to mechanical defects of the
slotted line. ( slope !ehaior can !e o!sered in the pattern due to losses. ( waeguide%mount diode
is almost matched to the waeguide.
Finally, the waelength, z
g
, of a rectangular waeguide operating in the dominant T4
11
mode is
gien !y the following expression:

1
z
g
2
=
1
z
0
2
-
1
(2o)
2
(1)

where z
0
is the free space waelength and o is the larger inner dimension of the waeguide (-t is 1.J
inch K 7.7LI cm for $R%J1 waeguides used in this la!oratory).

(. +a,so&t Initiali-ation Instructions &or Antenna *adiation %attern
!easurements
1. Turn on your .5.
7. >og on as User.
8. #witch on the power of the 'nitrain :odule from the !ac, side of the 'nitrain -nterface.
@. >aunch the *a$so!t software.
B. Register as +tudent, no password is required.
I. #elect the Antenna Technolo#y ,ourse.
E. From the upper tool!ox, choose Instruments - *evel meter and clic, on the D./ !utton to
actiate the transmitter unit. :a,e sure that the /& AI. light turns on. 'sing the same interface, set
mode to d)m.
L. (fter the antenna to !e measured is mounted on, select +ettin#s - +tart Measurement from the
upper tool!ox (or simply clic, on the tool!ar).
J. To use cursors on your measured data, select ,hart -,ursors from the upper tool!ox (or simply
clic, on the tool!ar).
11. To sae your data, naigate to 0ile - Export - 0ormat and select either ,hart as picture or
1alues as text options according to your needs. Dext, ad6ust your file sae location !y choosing
Destination- 0ile - 0ile &ame. -t is strongly suggested to create your own folder and sae into that
folder to aoid confusion. The use of 2M0 format is highly encouraged for your snapshots due to
their higher quality and lower file si3e.


Middle East Technical University ii.E Dept o! Electrical " Electronics En#
(I. .et"or/ Anal0-er 11%ort Cali,ration Instructions
Ad&usting t'e Cali(ration Fre)uency Range
.ress +tart (. 1 .) shown in Fig.i-2.
4nter the start frequency (. E .). Then press 3 (. E .) for +23.
.ress +top (. 7 .).
4nter the stop frequency (. E .). Then press 3 (. E .) for +23.
.ress Av# (. 8 .) .
5hoose Avera#in# /& using touch pad (. I .).
.ress .eturn (. I .).
C'oosing t'e Cali(ration Set
.ress ,al (. @ .).
.ress ,al 4it (. I .).
5hoose 56062D (. I .).
.ress ,ali$rate (. I .).
5hoose 7-8ort ,al (. I .).
.ress +elect 8ort (. I .).
.ress 7 (. I .).

Connecting t'e Mec'anical Loads *Matc'ed Load+ S'ort and ,en Standards-
5onnect a reflection standard to the port under cali!ration. Follow these guidelines for ma,ing a
proper coaxial connection:
a. (lign the coaxial connectors of the &'T (the cali!ration standard in this case) and the
networ, analy3er port.
b. .ush the connectors toward each other and let the surfaces of the connectors touch with
proper alignment. Turn the connector nut (not the body of the connectors themseles)
gently to !egin securing the connection. Meep on rotating the nut until you form a finger%
tight connection (do not exert too much effort). This would esta!lish a loose initial
connection.
c. Finali3e the connection !y using a torque wrench to apply a predetermined alue of torque
to the male connector nut. $hile doing this, you may need to fix the !ody of the female
connector either !y hand or ia a regular wrench.

Middle East Technical University ii.L Dept o! Electrical " Electronics En#

3

4

1

6

2

7

5

Fig.i-2. Front panel of the (gilent 4B1E15 ector networ, analy3er.

Middle East Technical University ii.J Dept o! Electrical " Electronics En#
Fig.i-3 summari3es the procedure descri!ed a!oe. Follow the same procedure in reerse when you
!rea, a coaxial connection. (fter you are finished with the cali!ration standard, place a dust cap on
its connector to preent contamination of its contacting surfaces.

CA.!I":
The calibration kit you are allowed to use is fabricated with tight mechanical/electrical
specifications, and it is an expensive piece of equipment. t requires proper handling and
connector care to maintain those specifications during its lifetime. !xercise great care
when working with the calibration kit to avoid costly repairs.

"or any coaxial connection, never rotate the bodies of the connectors themselves. #oing so
might damage the fragile inner mechanical parts, which might render the connector
useless. nstead, al#ays turn the connector nut when making/breaking coaxial
connections.
5onnect the mechanical load ).4D to the input port 1.
.ress /pen on touchpad (. I .).
$ait until you see tic, la!el and hear a F!eepG oice, then go on.
5onnect the mechanical load #2)RT to the input port 1.
.ress +hort on the touchpad (. I .).
$ait until you see tic, la!el and hear a F!eepG oice, then go on.
5onnect the mechanical CR)(&C(D& >)(& to the input port 1.
.ress *oad on touchpad (. I .).
$ait until you see tic, la!el and hear a F!eepG oice.
Dow you will see F&oneG la!el is actiated in (. I .).
.ress Done (. I .).
Dow the networ, analy3er is cali!rated and you can continue with your measurements.
9a: Ali#n the connectors
9$: Ma(e the initial connection;
ti#hten usin# the nut
9c: +ecure the connection 'ith a
tor<ue 'rench
Fig.i-3. The procedure for ma,ing coaxial connections.


(II. 2o" to *ecall Cali,ration Settin's o& .et"or/ Anal0-er
.ress +ave=.ecall (. B .) shown in Fig.i-2.
.ress .ecall +tate (. I .).
.ress 0ile Dialo# (. I .).
#elect the file haing an #T( extension that matches the suita!le frequency !and.

(II. *e&erences
91< Detwor, (naly3er Casics, (gilent Technologies -nc., http:NNcp.literature.agilent.comNlitwe!NpdfN
BJIB%EJ1E4.pdf
Experiment EE426-1 Radiation Pattern and Gain Measurements of Antennas
Middle East Technical Uniersit! 1.1 "ept# of Electrical $ Electronics En%#
Experiment-1: Radiation Pattern and Gain
Measurements of Antennas in Anechoic Chamber

I. Introduction
An antenna radiation pattern or antenna pattern is defined as a mathematical function or a
graphical representation of the radiation properties of the antenna as a function of space
coordinates. In most cases, the radiation pattern is determined in the far-field region and is
represented as a function of the directional coordinates. A three-dimensional pattern can be formed
by measuring series of two-dimensional patterns. However, practically for most applications, a few
plots of the patterns as a function of for some particular values of , together with a few plots as a
function of for some particular values of , give most of the useful and required information. The
pattern of a linearly polaried antenna is usually measured at the principle planes, E- and &-plane.
The E-plane is defined as !the plane containing the electric-field vector and the direction of
ma"imum radiation,# and the &-plane as !the plane containing the magnetic-field vector and the
direction of ma"imum radiation.# An illustration of principle planes for horn antenna is shown in
Figure 1.1. $or this e"ample, the x-' plane %elevation plane& ' () is the principal *-plane and x-!
plane %aimuth plane, ' +,) is the principal H-plane. $or a dipole antenna, these planes are
conventionally substituted to aimuth and elevation planes where dipole is placed along the -a"is&
since the definition for direction of ma"imum radiation becomes obscure, due to its cylindrically
symmetrical pattern around -a"is. Though, *-plane and H-plane would still be meaningful.
Figure 1.2 shows the setup for the radiation pattern measurements. The Antenna -, is placed in
front of the antenna under test %A.T). In order to measure the radiation pattern of A.T, Antenna -,
can be moved on a circle of radius /, where the A.T is placed at the center of the circle. However,
this procedure causes an unnecessary usage of large space. In order to reduce the space
requirement, the Antenna -, is placed stationary and A.T is rotated around its a"is using the
rotating shaft. 0ote that it is not important to use A.T as a transmitting or receiving antenna as far
as the reciprocity theorem is concerned %/ead pp. 111-12( in 314 for more information about
reciprocity theorem). However, in practice the power and the frequency of the transmitted
electromagnetic wave must be stable. Hence, the radiating antenna must be placed on a vibration-
free platform. That is why, Antenna -, is chosen as a transmitting antenna. 5oreover, it is
convenient to operate the antenna on the rotatable frame as a receiver, since wave generation setup
%transmitter) may be sensitive and bul6y.
Middle East Technical Uniersit! 1., "ept# of Electrical $ Electronics En%#

a
b

Figure 1.1. 7rincipal *- and H-plane patterns for a pyramidal horn antenna, 314.

Pattern Measurements in Antenna Ranges
The testing of an antenna is carried out in antenna ranges. 8asically there are two types of
antenna ranges9 the reflection and free space ranges. The reflection and free space ranges can be
constructed in an indoor or an outdoor environment. In reflection ranges, the specular reflection
from the ground ma6es a constructive interference with the direct ray at the test antenna& while the
effect of specular reflections are tried to be reduced in free space ranges %for more information on
antenna ranges read pp. 1((:-1(1; in 314). An anechoic chamber is one e"ample of a free space
range in which the reflections from its walls are reduced by covering them with absorbing materials.
$or pattern measurement purposes two antennas are required and according to the theory of
reciprocity mentioned above, it does not matter which one transmits or receives. The method of the
measurement is based on rotating the test antenna about an a"is which passes through the phase
center of the antenna and lies perpendicular to the plane of measurement. The second antenna must
be placed on the same plane and usually it is placed such that, it receives the ma"imum field in the
direction towards the test antenna. Then by an automatic arrangement, it is possible to record the
received signal %diagram) or power %pattern) as a function of angle of rotation. A typical radiation
pattern setup is shown in Figure 1.2.
Middle East Technical Uniersit! 1.: "ept# of Electrical $ Electronics En%#
II. Preliminar !or"
1. /ead the sections related to radiation pattern measurements and polariation pattern
measurements in 314 %pp. 1(,1-1(,< and 1(:<-1(1: respectively).
2. /ead the sections related to gain measurements in 314 %pp. 1(,<-1(:1).
3. =erive the formula for measuring the gain of an antenna by means of a standard-gain antenna
whose gain is characteried and 6nown.
&int( Use the )riis transmission e*uation(

P
P
t
= _
z
4nR
]
2
0
t
0

%1)

+here P
t
and P
r
the transmitted and receied po+ers at the transmittin% and receiin% antennas,
respectiel!# G
t
and G
r
are the transmittin% and receiin% antenna %ains# - is the free space
+aelen%th and R is the distance .et+een the antennas#
III. Experimental Procedure
The measurements will be performed under the guidance of the assistant.

1. Initiate the setup in Figure 1.2.

Transmitting
Antenna
Receiving
Antenna
To
Computer
To
Receiver
To
Generator
Rotating
shaft
AUT R Antenna2

Figure 1.2. >etup for the radiation pattern measurements.
2. 5easure the radiation pattern of the following antennas at ; ?H for *- and H-planes. In
addition, determine and record the ma"imum power received, note the polariations, and define
the H78@ %half-power beamwidth)9
a. >tandard-gain horn %pyramidal horn with dimensions a'b'A.2 cm),
b. 7yramidal horn %a' 1A.< cm, b'12.1 cm),
c. *-plane sectoral horn %a' ,.: cm, b' 1( cm).

$ill in the table below with your observations.
Antenna
HPBW
(E-plane)
HPBW
(H-plane)
Max. Receive
P!"er (B#)
$ain
(B)
%&pe !'
P!lari(ati!n
>tandard ?ain Horn

7yramidal Horn
*-plane >ectoral Horn

3. 5easure the cross pol. pattern of the standard-gain horn.
). 5easure the gain of the pyramidal horn %a' 1A.< cm, b'12.1 cm) at ; ?H using the standard-
gain horn %a pyramidal horn antenna with dimensions a'b'A.2 cm).
*. 5easure the gain of the *-plane sectoral horn %a' ,.: cm, b' 1( cm) at ; ?H using the standard-
gain horn.

NOTICE:
The patterns will be sent via e-mail by the assistants.
I#. Results and Comments

1. $or each of the antennas measured,
a. 7lot the *- and H-plane radiation patterns and indicate the polariation of the antenna
%linear, circular or elliptical).
Note: The alues of the radiation pattern data are in d/ scale# Plot the normali'ed
radiation patterns in rectan%ular coordinates#
b. Balculate and tabulate the half-power beamwidths %H78@) both obtained from the
pattern data that have been sent by email and the ones that you have recorded during
the e"perimental procedure. Bomment on the discrepancies between the H78@ values
that you have recorded and the ones obtained from the radiation pattern graphs. Also,
include the first null beamwidth %$08@) values in both planes in your tabulation.
c. Bompare and tabulate the directivity values obtained using CraussD formula with the gain
values measured in the e"periment. *"plain the discrepancies between them.
2. 7lot the normalied co-pol. pattern of standard horn in rectangular coordinates. Then plot the
cross-pol. radiation pattern of standard horn antenna on the same graph and comment.
Note: The alues of the radiation pattern data are in d/ scale# 0ote that the cross-pol# pattern
should .e normali'ed +ith respect to the maximum of the co-pol# pattern#
3. Bompare the antennas with each other in terms of their gains, H78@s and $08@s considering
their relative dimensions.
). @rite your overall comments about this e"periment. >pecifically, comment on the e"perimental
setup and summarie the main principles you learned in a few sentences.

#. References
314 B. A. 8alanis, Antenna Theor!, Anal!sis and "esi%n, :rd *dition, Eohn @iley F >ons, 0G, ,((2.
3,4 E. =. Craus, Antennas, 5c?raw Hill, 0ew Gor6, 1;<<.
Experiment EE426-2 Radiation Pattern Measurements of Antennas
Middle East Technical University 2.1 ept! of Electrical " Electronics En#!
Experiment-2: Radiation Pattern Measurements of
Antennas

I. Introduction
Two of the most important characteristics of an antenna are its directional diagram (or radiation
pattern) and its polarization pattern. The purpose of this experiment is to measure the radiation
pattern of wire-type antennas (also known as linear antennas) and printed patch antennas. We will
inestigate the polarization characteristics and !andwidths of these antennas in "xperiment-#.
$or more information on radiation pattern measurements% refer to the $ntroduction section of
"xperiment-1.

Near and Far-Field Properties
The space around an antenna is usually diided into three regions& (a) reactie near-field%
(!) radiating near-field ($resnel)% and (c) far-field ($raunhofer) regions. These regions are designated
according to the general form of their electromagnetic fields.
$ar-field region is defined as the region of an antenna where the angular field distri!ution is
essentially independent of the o!seration range. 'n other words% electric (or magnetic) fields hae
the general expression E =
c
-]kr
(0, )% where (0, ) is the angular field distri!ution and it does

not depend on range. 'n this region% the radial field component is negligi!le and the field components
are essentially transerse to radial (propagation) direction% there!y forming a spherical T"( wae.

A Brief Summary of the Antenna Types used in the Experiment

2 2 dipole: The half-wae dipole is one of the most commonly used antennas. )esides their simple
construction% another reason for its popularity is that its input impedance (for ery thin dipoles)
Z
n
= 7S + ]42.S
is ery close to the *+ or ,* characteristic impedance of most transmission lines% which simplifies
its matching especially at resonance. 'n general% the input impedance of a dipole is a function of its
length& $or the special choice of half-waelength% the input resistance !ecomes e-ual to the radiation
resistance% and input reactance !ecomes slightly inductie (hence the half-wae dipole is not
resonant). The dipole reactance also depends on the dipole arm thickness as well as the gap !etween
those arms.
'n order to perform a good impedance match to a transmission line% one must eliminate the
input reactance of the dipole. This can !e done with an external matching network employed !ehind
the dipole. . more practical and popular means to cancel the half-wae dipole reactance (hence to
make it resonant) is to slightly trim its arm length (which makes it less inductie according to the
transmission line theory) /20.

Folded Dipole: 1ipole antennas can !e placed in parallel to produce more radiation& When dipoles
are in close proximity% they can create a radiated power that is N
2
greater than that of a single
dipole% where N is the num!er of dipoles. Figure 2.1 illustrates a folded dipole for N = 2% l = z 2 ,
s < z, o < z. The antenna is fed at the center of one dipole% which is a key point in feeding. .t low
fre-uencies (when the antenna is electrically small)% the current induced on the two arms tends to
cancel each other% and the antenna does not radiate well. .t higher fre-uencies (particularly when
the arms are 232-long)% howeer% the induced currents !ecome in phase to reinforce their radiation.
4ence at resonance% this structure acts like two closely-spaced dipoles which dou!le the radiated
field (and -uadruple the radiated power). The folded dipole has a similar radiation pattern to that of
a standard dipole5 !ut it radiates more efficiently with a radiation resistance of R
ud
= N
2
R
dpoIc
=
7Sx2
2
Suu /#0.

Figure 2.1. $olded dipole% /10.

Yagi-da Antenna: . 6agi-7da antenna consists of a num!er of linear dipole elements. 8ne of its
dipole elements is energized directly !y a feed transmission line% while the others act as parasitic
radiators whose currents are induced !y mutual coupling. The antenna is exclusiely designed to
operate as an end-fire array% and this is accomplished !y haing the parasitic elements in the forward
direction act as directors while those in the rear act as reflectors.
Middle East Technical University 2.# ept! of Electrical " Electronics En#!
The reflector is used to suppress the !ack-lo!e radiation. $or this purpose% the length of the
reflector is chosen slightly larger than the length of the drien element. 't has !een concluded
numerically and experimentally that the reflector spacing and size hae negligi!le effects on the
forward gain% and large effects on the !ackward gain and input impedance.
To achiee the end-fire !eam formation% the parasitic elements in the direction of the !eam
(directors) are somewhat smaller in length than the drien element. Typically% the drien element is
resonant with its length slightly less than 32% whereas the length of the directors are !etween +.9
and +.9*. The separation !etween the directors is typically +.# to +.9.

Figure 2.2. $ie-element 6agi-7da antenna.

!elix Antennas: 4elix antennas consist of a single conductor (or multiple conductors) wound into a
helical shape. .lthough a helix can radiate in many modes% the axial mode and the normal mode are
the ones of general interest. The most commonly used axial mode proides maximum radiation along
the helix axis% which occurs when the helix circumference is a!out one waelength. 8n the other
hand% the normal mode yields maximum radiation perpendicular to the helix axis% and it occurs when
the helix dimensions are small with respect to waelength. 4igher-order radiation modes are also
possi!le% for example when the helix dimensions exceed those re-uired for the axial mode. 'n that
case% a conical or multi-lo!ed pattern will result as illustrated in Figure 2.3.


Figure 2.3. 4elix geometry and three radiation modes /20.

Microstrip Patc" Antennas: (icrostrip patch antennas are popular among the antenna
community !ecause they are low-profile% conforma!le to planar or nonplanar surfaces% mechanically
ro!ust when mounted on a rigid !ody% and are simple and inexpensie to manufacture using modern
printed circuit technology. The microstrip patch antenna comprises a metallic patch of a gien shape
(rectangular% circular% oal% etc.) placed on a thin dielectric su!strate% and is !acked !y a ground
plane. This antenna is designed to hae its pattern maximum normal to the patch% which is
accomplished !y properly choosing the mode (field configuration under the patch). . rectangular
microstrip patch antenna% which we will use in the experiment% can !e represented as an array of two
radiating narrow apertures (slots) constructed !y the fringing fields (see Figure 2.4) /10.

Figure 2.4. (icrostrip antenna /10.
Middle East Technical University 2.* ept! of Electrical " Electronics En#!

232 dipole $olded dipole
:ircularly polarized
patch
;inearly polarized
patch

#-element 6agi-7da *-element 6agi-7da 4elix antenna
Figure 2.5. .ntennas that will !e characterized in the experiment.

II. Preliminar# $or%
1. <ead the section related to radiation pattern measurements in /10 (pp. 1+21-1+2=).
2. 1efine the "- and 4-planes of an antenna and show them for wire-type antennas. :an we define
"- and 4-planes for circularly polarized antennas> Why>
3. $or the antennas gien !elow% plot the radiation patterns in "- and 4-planes on the same graph%
determine the half power !eamwidths (4?)W) and the first null !eamwidths ($@)W).
a. 32 dipole antenna
b. 39 monopole on an infinite ground plane
4. <oughly plot the radiation patterns of the following antennas on the same graph% /10&
a. (icrostrip rectangular patch antenna
b. 6agi-7da antenna
5. (ake a comparison !etween a 6agi-7da antenna and a simple 32 dipole in terms of !eamwidth%
directiity% and !ack-lo!e radiation.
6. :alculate the <ayleigh distance of the 32 dipole at =.* A4z% B.+ A4z% B.* A4z. 4ow does the
magnitude of the field change with the distance from the antenna up to and !eyond the <ayleigh
distance>
REMARK:
Keep a copy of your preliminary work in order to compare the theoretical results you obtained
with measured ones in your report.
Middle East Technical University 2.C ept! of Electrical " Electronics En#!
1. 'nitiate the computer controlled system (;ucas-@Dlle antenna measurement setup) shown in
Figure 2.6 under the guidance of your assistants.
NTE:
During the measurements, the height of the antennas must be adjusted for proper !erti"al
ali#nment with respect to their centers.
Make sure that the receiving and transmitting antennas are ali#ned in polari$ation
before conducting your measurements.
Sa!e your data in a file at ea"h step. At the end of the experiment, remo!e your data files
from the hard disk of the computer after copying them onto a memory stick.

Figure 2.6. Eetup for the radiation pattern measurements.

2. (easure and plot the axial amplitude ariation of the field of a 232 dipole antenna at the
operating fre-uency (1<8 fre-uency of the measurement system). To do this% first set the
Middle East Technical University 2., ept! of Electrical " Electronics En#!
spacing !etween the receier and transmitter platforms to 2+ cm. (easure and record the
receied power. 'ncrease the distance !etween the antennas in 1+ cm steps up to 1++ cm% and
record the receied power at each step. $ill in Table 1 for your reference.
Table 1. .mplitude ariation of the 232-dipole field measured in step 2.
f
op
=..GHz Distance c!" 2+ #+ 9+ *+ C+ ,+ =+ B+ 1++
#o$er %e&el '(!"

3. (easure the radiation patterns in !oth "- and 4-planes of the following antennas at the
corresponding 1<8 fre-uency. $or each measurement% first o!sere the pattern in polar form
and sae this polar plot to your folder. Then switch to the rectangular coordinates (in d) scale)%
find the 4?)W and $@)W in degrees using data cursors% and sae this rectangular graph to your
folder (with the cursors clearly showing the 4?)W alue). 'n addition% fill in Table 2 for your
reference.
a. 232 dipole antenna
b. (onopole
c. $olded dipole
'. #-element and *-element 6agi-7da antennas
e. <4:? rectangular patch antenna
f. ;inearly polarized patch antenna
Table 2. ?attern data for the antennas in step #.
)ntenna T*pes H#(+,-plane" F.(+,-plane" H#(+H-plane" F.(+H-plane"
232 dipole antenna
(onopole
$olded dipole
#-element 6agi-7da
*-element 6agi-7da
<4:? patch antenna
;? patch antenna

Middle East Technical University 2.= ept! of Electrical " Electronics En#!
I&. Results and 'omments
1. ?lot the axial amplitude distri!ution of the 232-dipole antenna in step 2. 1o not forget to conert
your measurements to linear scale. :ompare this result with your answer to part C of the
preliminary work. Falidate your measurement !y fitting your measured data to an appropriate
function of the range.

2. $or each antenna measured in the experiment%
a. ?lot the "- and 4-plane radiation patterns% and compare them with the ones o!tained in
your preliminary work.
b. 1etermine and ta!ulate the 4?)W and $@)W of each antenna. :ompare the measured
4?)W and $@)W of the 232-dipole with the ones o!tained in your preliminary work.

&. References
/10 :. .. )alanis% Antenna Theory% Analysis and esi#n% #rd "dition% Gohn Wiley H Eons% @6% 2++*.
/20 G. ;. Folakis% Antenna En#ineerin# &and'oo(% 9th ed. @ew 6ork& (cAraw-4ill% 2++,.
/#0 <. Echmitt% A &and'oo( for )ireless*R+%EM,% and &i#h--peed Electronics% "lseier Eci.% 2++2.
Experiment EE426-3 Polarization Pattern and Bandwidth Measurements
Middle East Technical Universit 3.1 !ept" o# Electrical $ Electronics En%"
Experiment-3: Polarization Pattern and Bandwidth
Measurements of Antennas

I. Introduction
In this experiment, we will investigate the polarization pattern and bandwidth of the antennas
which were previously introduced in Experiment-.

Polarization of an Antenna
Polarization of an antenna reflects the vector nature of its radiation pattern, and it is
conventionally defined through the polarization of the electromagnetic wave radiated from that
antenna !in transmit mode" at a given far-field observation point #1$. %s may be remembered from
your earlier electromagnetic courses, the electric field vector of an electromagnetic wave traces a
path over time at a certain point in space, and this path defines the polarization of that wave. In
general, the mentioned path turns out to be an ellipse !elliptical polarization"& but it is possible to
obtain a line or a circle under some special cases !leading to linear and circular polarizations,
respectively". 'et us refresh our memory of these polarization types(

Linear Polarization: % time-harmonic wave is linearly polarized at a given point in space, if the
electric field vector at that point is always oriented along the same straight line at all times. )his is
accomplished if the field vector possesses
a. *nly one component, or
b. )wo orthogonal components that are in- or out-of-phase !i.e., the phase difference between
these orthogonal components is nn, n ".

ircular Polarization: % time-harmonic wave is circularly polarized at a given point in space if the
electric field vector at that point traces a circle as a function of time. )he circularly polarized wave
satisfies each of the following conditions(
a. )he field must have two orthogonal components, and
b. )hese two field components must have the same magnitude, and
c. )hese two field components must have a phase difference of
(2n+1)n
2
, n !i.e., they must
be in phase-+uadrature".
Middle East Technical Universit 3. !ept" o# Electrical $ Electronics En%"
If the fingers of the right hand follow the direction of the rotation of E-field vector and the
thumb points to the direction of propagation of the wave, then the wave is ri%ht hand circularl
polarized !,-./". .onversely, the wave is le#t hand circularl polarized !'-./" if you satisfy this
orientation with your left hand.
Elliptical Polarization: % time-harmonic wave is elliptically polarized if the electric field vector
traces an elliptical locus in space as a function of time. %lthough linear and circular polarizations are
special cases of elliptical polarization, in practice we reserve the term elliptical polarization to waves
which are not linearly or circularly polarized. )he necessary and sufficient conditions for elliptically
polarized wave are as follows(
a. )he field must have two orthogonal components, and
b. )hese two components can be of the same or different magnitude.
c. (i) If the two field components are not of the same magnitude, they can differ in phase by an
arbitrary amount !except for nn, since otherwise the wave becomes linearly polarized".
(ii) If the two components are of the same magnitude, they can differ in phase by an
arbitrary amount !except for
nn
2
, since otherwise the wave becomes linearly or circularly
polarized".
If the fingers of the right hand follow the direction of the rotation of E-field vector and the
thumb points to the direction of propagation of the wave, then the wave is ri%ht hand ellipticall
polarized !,-E/". .onversely, the wave is le#t hand ellipticall polarized !'-E/" if you satisfy this
orientation with your left hand.

Polarization Pattern Measurements
0or the polarization pattern measurements, two antennas are positioned as shown in Figure 2.7
so that their maximum radiation axes coincide with the rotation axis. )he transmitting antenna is
linearly polarized. )he test antenna is rotated in the plane of polarization and its received signal is
recorded. % plot of the received signal level as a function of rotation angle yields the polarization
pattern, from which polarization type and the ellipticity ratio can easily be inferred. 1ote that the
roles of the transmitting and receiving antennas can be interchanged in this setup owing to the
reciprocity theorem.
Bandwidth of an Antenna
IEEE defines the bandwidth as 2the range of fre+uencies within which the performance of the
antenna, with respect to some characteristic, conforms to a specified standard.2 .onventionally,
mentioned 3characteristics4 may be the return loss level, polarization, radiation pattern constraints.
)he operating band of the antenna can be defined as the fre+uency band around the resonance
fre+uency within which the return loss is less than a desired ratio, say 15 d6. )hus the 15 d6 return
loss bandwidth corresponds to the fre+uency band over which at least nine tenth of the power is
transmitted to the antenna.

II. Preliminar! "or#
1. ,ead the section related to polarization pattern measurements in #1$ !pp. 1537-1583".
2. 9raw the polarization patterns for three types of polarizations. 9efine geometrically the
ellipticity ratio for each type of polarization.
3. Indicate the polarizations the following antennas(
a. :; dipole antenna, b. :;8 monopole antenna, c. helix antenna,
d. <agi-=da antenna, e. >icrostrip rectangular patch.

4. .onsider the return loss of a dipole antenna shown in Figure 3.1. 0or this antenna find(
a. 15 d6 and 1? d6 bandwidths.
b. @AB, 3(1 bandwidth.
8 8.5 9 9.5 10 10.5 11 11.5 12
-35
-30
-25
-20
-15
-10
-5
0

S
1
1

(
d
B
)

Frequency (GHz)

Figure 3.1. ,eturn loss of a dipole antenna.
1. Initialize the 'ucas-1Clle antenna measurement setup that you have used in Experiment-. In
order to measure the polarization pattern of antennas, maDe the necessary changes to obtain
the setup shown in Figure 3.2.

Receiving
Antenna
(AUT)
Transmitting
Antenna

Figure 3.2. Aetup for polarization pattern measurements.

NOTE:
Prior to the measurements, the receiving and transmitting antennas must be properly
aligned to have their antenna centers lying on the rotation axis.
Save your data in a file at each step. At the end of the experiment, remove your data files
from the hard disk of the computer after copying them onto a memory stick.

Middle East Technical Universit 3.? !ept" o# Electrical $ Electronics En%"
2. *btain the polarization patterns of the following antennas. 9o not forget to save your pattern for
each antenna in polar coordinates !in d6 scale".
a. :; dipole antenna,
b. 'inearly polarized patch antenna,
c. .ircularly polarized patch antennas !both '-./ and ,-./ ones",
d. ,-./ helix antenna !measure the polarization pattern along and off the helix axis".
NOTE:
In order to continue with the following steps, first perform a calibration over 6.!"#.$ %&'
fre(uency interval using the instructions described in section )I *+,etwork Analy'er "!Port
-alibration Instructions./ found in the introduction part of the manual.

3. >easure the return loss of the following antennas using %gilent E?5E1. 1etworD %nalyzer over
F.5-1.? G-z fre+uency band, and analyze their fre+uency responses. %fter inspecting the
measured reflection coefficient, store it by pressing &ave'(ecall&nP&)P !maDe sure to assign
a distinct filename for each antenna". <ou will later use these files to determine the 15 d6;1? d6
bandwidths, the input impedance at the operating fre+uency, and the input impedance at the
fre+uency where the best match is achieved for each antenna type !see Table 1".
a. :; dipole antenna,
b. >onopole antenna,
c. ,-./ helix antenna,
d. 0ive-element <agi-=da antenna,
e. '/ microstrip rectangular patch antenna.
Table 1. >easured bandwidths and impedances of the antennas in step 3.
Antenna Types
Input impedance
at f
op
!!"#$
Input impedance %alue
for best matc& case
('#$) ('#$)
:; dipole antenna H...HHH ( ) HH"#$
HHd6 6B( .H..d6 6B(
monopole antenna H...HHH ( ) HH"#$
HHd6 6B( H...d6 6B(
,-./ helix antenna H...HHH ( ) HH"#$
HHd6 6B( .H..d6 6B(
?-element <agi-=da H...HHH ( ) HH"#$
HHd6 6B( .H..d6 6B(
'/ microstrip patch H...HHH ( ) HH"#$
H...d6 6B( .H..d6 6B(

4. >easure the return loss of the printed spiral antenna in 155 >-z-18 G-z band, and store its data
in an A1/ file. =sing this file, you will later determine the 15 ;1? d6 bandwidths of this antenna.
Middle East Technical Universit 3.F !ept" o# Electrical $ Electronics En%"
I$. %esults and omments
1. /lot the polarization patterns of the antennas measured in step . 9etermine and tabulate their
ellipticity ratios, types and senses of polarizations. Ahow your calculation in detail.
2. 0or each antenna characterized in step 3, plot the measured return loss as a function of
fre+uency and draw the corresponding impedance pattern on a Amith .hart. .alculate the
bandwidth of each antenna, and determine the impedance at the operating fre+uency. .omment
on the bandwidths of the antennas. 9o not forget to include your results in Table 1.
3. .omment on whether the antennas are properly designed or not by comparing the input
impedance values at the operating fre+uency and at the best-match fre+uency. .ompare the
bandwidth of the spiral antenna with the bandwidths of the wire and patch antennas.
4. Brite your overall comments about this experiment.

INFORMATION:
0or return loss and Smith -hart plotting tasks, you may use the 1A23A4 routines provided on
1526!7nline. 8ou will also find a sample script utili'ing those routines to get you started.

$. %eferences
#1$ .. %. 6alanis, *ntenna Theor+ *nalsis and !esi%n, 3rd Edition, Iohn Biley J Aons, 1<, 55?.
#$ I. '. @olaDis, *ntenna En%ineerin% ,and-oo., 8th ed. 1ew <orD( >cGraw--ill, 55E.
#3$ ,. Achmitt, * ,and-oo. #or wireless'(/+EM0+ and ,i%h-&peed Electronics, Elsevier Aci., 55.
Experiment EE426-4 Linear Antennas: Impedance & Pattern Measurements
Middle East Technical Universit 4.1 !ept" #$ Electrical & Electr#nics En%"
Experiment-4: Linear Antennas: Impedance & Pattern
Measurements
I. Introduction
This experiment aims to investigate wire-type antennas in terms of their radiation pattern, input
impedance, bandwidth, and current/voltage distribution. The effects of a nearby ground plane on
these characteristics will also be studied. In particular, the following items will be covered
!adiation patterns of wire antennas "dipole, monopole antennas and log-periodic dipole
arrays# will be measured at various fre$uencies, and these patterns will be interpreted in
terms of electrical length.
%round plane effects will be investigated through measurements of a hori&ontal half-wave
dipole and a vertical monopole placed above a conducting plane "which simulates the earth#.
'urrent and voltage distributions on dipoles of different electrical length will be measured
with near-field probes.
Input impedance and impedance bandwidth of wire antennas will be studied.

/2 Dipole: The input impedance of an infinitely thin, perfectly conducting, half-wave dipole
antenna is Z
n
= 7S.1 +]42.S . This is a good approximation for a half-wave dipole constructed
from a wire of diameter 2o which is much smaller than its length 2 "i.e., o ). To tune the
antenna, the half length must be shortened approximately by

(&
=
u.22S
ln [

2o

"1#
where = z4. ) tuned dipole has a resistive input impedance about *+ , and it is called the
res#nant dip#le. ,oltage and current distributions on the half-wave dipole are shown in Figure 4.1.

Figure 4.1. ,oltage and current distributions on a resonant dipole.
I I
I
'

Middle East Technical Universit 4.- !ept" #$ Electrical & Electr#nics En%"
.or matching purposes, the characteristic impedance of the transmission line connected to the
feeding points must be e$ual to the input impedance of the antenna. /nder matched conditions, the
maximum power will be radiated from the antenna. The efficiency of this antenna, li0e any other
wire-type one, is determined by the loss resistance of the wire. The loss resistance is usually
negligible at low fre$uencies, and it increases with the fre$uency because of the s0in effect.
The reactance of the antenna is capacitive below the resonance fre$uency, and it becomes
inductive for operation above the resonance fre$uency. 1ne may understand this input impedance
behavior as well as the current/voltage distribution trends by envisioning the half-wave dipole as an
open-circuited $uarter-wave transmission line.
The radiation pattern of a half-wave dipole antenna is similar to that of a short dipole It is a
2circle3 in the a&imuth plane "-plane# and a 2figure-of-eight3 in the elevation plane "4-plane# of the
antenna.
5hen the half-wave dipole antenna is placed over a conducting plane "e.g., earth#, its input
impedance deviates from the nominal 7S.1 +]42.S value. .or a hori&ontal half-wave dipole above
a perfectly conducting plane, the input impedance increases with height from &ero to a very high
value "with a resistive component of approximately 67 #, and the impedance oscillates about its
free-space value as the height increases further 819.

Balun: :alun structures are used at the feed of dipole antennas. The word 2balun3 is an
abbreviation for 2balanced-to-unbalanced transformation3. ) coaxial cable is an unbalanced
transmission line, because the inner and the outer conductors of coaxial cable are not interfaced to
the antenna in the same way. This is illustrated in Figure 4.2 (a) /nli0e the inner conductor, the
outer coaxial conductor may carry current on both of its inside and outside surfaces. ;ue to these
multiple current paths, a non&ero current "spill-over current, I
2
# flows to the ground on the outside
surface of the outer conductor, an outcome which disturbs the balance of the dipole arm currents "I
1

versus I
1
I
2
#.
:aluns can be used to balance inherently unbalanced systems, by canceling the spill-over
current "I
2
#. The type of balun used in the experiment is shown in Figure 4.2 (b). It re$uires that one
end of a /4-section of an auxiliary coaxial line be connected to the outside shield of the main coaxial
line "node :#, while the other end is connected to the dipole arm which is attached to the center
conductor "node '#. The voltages at nodes ) and ' are nearly e$ual in magnitude "but are out-of-
phase#, and the shield construction of both coaxial cables is identical so that their impedances to the
ground are similar. )ccordingly, a net current of I
2
flows toward the node ' which balances the
currents on the dipole arms "I
1
I
2
# as shown in Figure 4.2 (b). 1ne would also li0e to set I
2
= u for
Middle East Technical Universit 4.< !ept" #$ Electrical & Electr#nics En%"
proper dipole radiation characteristics 5hen the length of the auxiliary transmission line is /4, I
2

will be &ero so that the dipole arms will carry e$ual currents of I
1
.

"a# /nbalanced coaxial line "b# /4 coaxial balun
Figure 4.2. /nbalanced coaxial line and the $uarter-wave balun.

Vertical Monopole: ) vertical monopole antenna is an asymmetrical dipole antenna as shown in
Figure 4.3. )ccording to the image theory, the effect of earth can be accounted for by considering a
symmetrical dipole which radiates only in upper half-space. Thus Z
mono
= Z
dpoIc
2. The monopole
antenna can be directly fed by a coaxial cable, and it does not re$uire a balun. The radiation pattern
is the same as that of dipole antenna in the upper half-space and &ero in the lower half-space.

Figure 4.3. ,ertical monopole antenna.

Log-Periodic Dipole Array: )n array with a gradually expanding periodic structure has electrical
properties which also vary periodically in a manner depending on its structure. The geometry of the
antenna is chosen so that electrical properties repeat periodically with the logarithm of the
fre$uency. =og-periodic dipole array consists of a se$uence of side-by-side parallel linear dipoles, as
shown in Figure 4.4.

I
1
I
-
I
1
-I
-
I
1
)ntenna

I
1
&
x

/4
Image
)ntenna

I
1
-I
- I
1
-I
-
I
1
)
/4 I
-
I
1 I
1
I
-
:
>horted together

'

Figure 4.4. =og-periodic dipole array.

There are certain similarities between the log-periodic array and the ?agi-/da array@ however,
the log-periodic array operates in a much wider bandwidth. /nli0e the ?agi-/da array whose
geometric dimensions do not follow any pattern@ the lengths "
n
(, spacings "R
n
(, diameters "J
n
( and
even gap spacing at dipole centers of the log-periodic array increase logarithmically as defined by the
inverse of geometric ratio

&
n+1
n
=
R
n+1
R
n
=
J
n+1
J
n
=
1
"-#
)nother parameter associated with log periodic array is spacing factor , and it is defined as
o =
R
n+1
-R
n
2
n+1
=
1 -
4 tano
"<#

:y using these parameters, directivity of the log-periodic array can be found from the contours
provided in Figure 4.5. A-plane beamwidth is determined mostly by the dipole pattern and is
approximately B+, whereas the C-plane beamwidth may be determined from the DrausE formula
=
412SS
Bw
L
Bw
H
"<#

In "<#, stands for the directivity, and Bw
L
and Bw
H
represent the half power beamwidths "CF:5,
in degrees# in A- and C-planes respectively.

Input Impedance Measurements and Bandwidth o an Antenna
The reflection coefficient "I# is the ratio of the reflected wave phasor to the incident one at the
specified terminals. The input reflection coefficient I(), as shown in Figure 4.6, is easily formulated
using the feed line characteristic impedance "Z
0
# and the load "antenna# impedance "Z
L
#. The
derivations are given below, refer to 8-9 for more information.

Figure 4.5. 'omputed contours of constant directivity versus G and H for log-periodic dipole arrays 819.

Figure 4.6. Farameter definitions for reflection coefficient calculations.

Z
L
=
Z
L
Z
0
, I(u) =
Z
L
1
Z
L
+1

|I()| =
ISwR() -1
ISwR() +1

I() = I(u)c
-2y
, y = o +][
.or a lossless line I() = I(u)c
-]2[

!eturn loss RL = -2ulog
10
(|I()|)

>ince the electrical length of the transmission line "0 = [# is a linear function of fre$uency and
the load might exhibit a nontrivial fre$uency response "i.e., Z
L
= Z
L
()#, the reflection coefficient I
varies with fre$uency in general. ,ariation of I with fre$uency translates to a similar variation in the
power being delivered to the load " 1 -|I|
2
#. This is especially true for narrowband networ0s, for

I()
Z
L
Z
0
, y
I
L
= I(u)
Middle East Technical Universit 4.B !ept" #$ Electrical & Electr#nics En%"
which a slight deviation from the matched operation fre$uency causes an appreciable drop in the
delivered power. In practice, it is difficult to reali&e perfect matching at a given operating fre$uency
due to losses, impedance variations and fabrication tolerances@ that is the reason why engineers
define an accepta)le reflection level and an associated )and*idth.
IAAA defines the )and*idth as Ithe range of fre$uencies within which the performance of the
antenna, with respect to some characteristic, conforms to a specified standard.I 'onventionally,
mentioned 2characteristics3 may be the return loss level, polari&ation, radiation pattern constraints.
The operating band of the antenna can be defined as the fre$uency band around the resonance
fre$uency within which the return loss is less than a desired ratio, say 1+ d:. Thus the 1+ d: return
loss bandwidth corresponds to the fre$uency band over which at least nine tenth of the power is
transmitted to the antenna.
In order to measure the input impedance of an antenna and its return loss bandwidth, a vector
networ0 analy&er ",J)# is employed in the laboratory. This is an instrument which measures the
scattering parameters ">-parameters# of =TI microwave networ0s. 5hen used for one-port
measurements, the measurement result corresponds to the reflection coefficient "also represented
with S
11
#. The instrument can also display the impedance of the tested networ0 on a >mith 'hart
over a fre$uency range. Frior to the measurements, the networ0 analy&er is calibrated to shift the
reference planes to the ends of its test port cables.

Measurement o !urrent and Voltage "Amplitude# Distri$utions
The current "voltage# distribution on an antenna can be sampled by using magnetic "electric#
field probes. .or current measurements, a small loop "Figure 4.7.a# is brought close to the antenna
conductor and the current induced in the loop is measured. )ccording to the .aradayEs law, the
induced emf over the loop is proportional to the captured flux at the sampling position, which is in
turn proportional to the antenna current at that location. 'onse$uently, the antenna current
distribution can be determined by monitoring the current induced on the loop "which is related to
the induced emf through the loopEs resistance# at several sampling positions.
>imilarly, voltage distribution measurements can be made by using a small voltage sampling
probe. ) small dipole or monopole "Figure 4.7.b# can be used for this purpose. The electric field of
the antenna "along the direction of the probe# induces a current on the dipole or monopole, and this
induced current is approximately proportional to the antenna voltage at that particular sampling
position.
In order to avoid disturbing the near-field of the test antenna "hence its current and voltage
distributions#, the current/voltage sampling probes must be small with respect to the wavelength.
Middle East Technical Universit 4.* !ept" #$ Electrical & Electr#nics En%"
;uring the experiment, we will use a small loop antenna and a small monopole as illustrated in
Figure 4.7.

"a# "b#
Figure 4.7. (a) >hielded current sampling loop "magnetic field probe#, (b) voltage sampling monopole "electric
field probe#.

II. Preliminary Work
1. !ead the sections related to the impedance measurements "pp. 1+<B-1+<K# and current
measurements "pp. 1+<K# in 819.
2. Indicate the polari&ation of a dipole antenna. .or the antennas described below, draw the
radiation patterns in A- and C-planes, and determine the half-power and first-null beamwidths
"CF:5, .J:5# at each provided fre$uency
a. /- dipole antenna of K.4 cm length at the resonance fre$uency,
b. K.4 cm-long dipole antenna at 1.- %C&, 1.7 %C&, 1.K %C&,
c. <7 cm-long dipole antenna at 1.-K7 %C& and 1.*14 %C&.
?ou may chec0 your patterns with the dipole patterns provided in 819 for different electrical
lengths.
3. 'alculate the resonant length of a half-wave dipole antenna made from a round copper wire of
radius o = u.S cm and operating at a fre$uency of 1 %C&.
4. Flot the input resistance as a function of the height "b# for the hori&ontal half-wave dipole in
Figure 4.8. 5hat is the input resistance at b = 2L +int: ,ee pp" 2-4 in ./0("

Middle East Technical Universit 4.K !ept" #$ Electrical & Electr#nics En%"

Figure 4.8. ;ipole antenna placed hori&ontally above an infinite and perfectly conducting ground plane.

5. 'alculate and plot the elevation-plane radiation patterns of the hori&ontal dipole in Figure 4.8 for
b = u.S, b = u.7S and at b = .
6. 'alculate the input impedance of a $uarter-wave vertical monopole at resonance. Flot its
radiation patterns in elevation and a&imuthal planes.
7. >uppose in Figure 4.9 that the input impedance seen at the feed terminals "b-b# is determined
as 2u ]Su u. 5hat is the impedance seen at the antenna terminals "a-a#L
Hint: 1e$er t# the 2Input Impedance Measurements3 secti#n in the Intr#ducti#n part"

Figure 4.9. 'onfiguration for M* of preliminary wor0.

%&MA%':
Keep a copy of your preliminary work in order to compare the theoretical results you
obtained with measured ones in your report.
Bring an empty 3.5" floppy disk with you.

x

h
N/- dipole antenna
= z8
Antenna
Z
0
= Su ,
y = ] [
aE
a
bE
b
%adiation Pattern Measurements
/se the .eedbac0 )ntenna Oeasurement setup.
()*&:
From time to time, the rotating platform of the setup does not rewind itself after pattern
measurements. In order not the damage the antenna under test !"#$ and the coa%ial
cable attached to it, make sure to check this cable unwind manually if necessary$ after
you are done with a pattern measurement.
#he patterns are sa&ed as a ''( file on the hard dri&e with an automatically generated
filename. #he filename is based on the system clock and is of (())**mm form where (+
day, )+ month, *+ hour, m+ minute. In order to pre&ent file o&erwrite issues, make sure you
wait at least one minute from one measurement to the ne%t.

1. Oeasure the radiation patterns of the following antennas at the specified fre$uencies. Oa0e the
necessary arrangements to obtain the plots for both A and C planes for linearly polari&ed
antennas. It is sufficient to measure -!"ane #attern of one of t$e %i#o"e antennas. :e sure that
for each case "A and C-plane measurements# the receiving and transmitting antennas are in the
same polari&ation.
a. ;ipole antennas
i. K.4 cm long dipole antenna at the resonance fre$uency "as /- dipole#
calculated in the preliminary wor0.
ii. K.4 cm-long dipole antenna at fre$uencies 1.- %C& and 1.7 %C&.
iii. <7 cm-long dipole antenna at fre$uencies 1.-K7 %C& and 1.*14 %C&.
b. =og-periodic array
i. Oeasure radiation patterns at fre$uencies, 1.- %C&, 1.7 %C&, and 1.K %C&.
;etermine CF:5s.
ii. Oeasure the length of the dipoles and spacings between them. 'alculate the
directivity using measured CF:5 using the expressions given in Fart I-
Introduction.
2. Oeasure the radiation patterns "in both planes# of the hori&ontal /- dipole antenna at a
distance hP+.7, +.*7 and from the ground plane at 1.4+ %C&.
3. Oeasure the radiation patterns of the /4 monopole antenna at 1.*1 %C& and at a couple of
different fre$uencies around this fre$uency to determine the radiation bandwidth of the
antenna.
Middle East Technical Universit 4.1+ !ept" #$ Electrical & Electr#nics En%"
!urrent/Voltage Distri$ution Measurements
4. :y using magnetic and electric field probes, measure and roughly plot the voltage and current
distributions on
a. K.4 cm-long half-wave dipole,
b. <7 cm-long dipole at fre$uencies 1.-K7 %C& and 1.*14 %C&.
Impedance Measurements

()*&: In order to perform the following steps, you need to recall the calibration of the network
analy,er for -../3.. 0*, fre1uency band. 2efer to the instructions described in section 3II 4*ow to
2ecall 5alibration 6ettings of 7etwork !naly,er8$ found in the introduction part of the manual.
6a&e your data in 6-' format for each measurement configuration and do not forget to grab your
6/parameter files from the network analy,er.

5. a. .or the hori&ontal /- dipole antenna (&it$out an' groun% #"ane), measure the return loss
and determine
i. 17 d: return loss bandwidth,
ii. ,>5!P- bandwidth.
b. ;etermine the complex input impedance of the same dipole seen from its antenna terminals
at the resonance fre$uency.
Hint: Measure the len%th #$ the transmissi#n line $r#m the c#nnect#r t# the input terminals #$ the
dip#le and calculate the phase dela thr#u%h that line secti#n 4the c#axial line is $illed *ith a
dielectric havin% e
= 2.2(" Then5 use #ur reas#nin% in 6uesti#n 7 #$ the preliminar *#r8"

6. >et up the circuit shown in Figure 4.1(. !epeat step 7 for h P+.7 and +.*7.
Figure 4.1(. Axperimental circuit diagram.

)ntenna
Jetwor0 analy&er
'oaxial line
Image plane

1pen circuited
stub
h
7. Oeasure the return loss of the log-periodic array. ;etermine the resonance fre$uency and the
1+ d: bandwidth of the antenna.

8. Oeasure the return loss of the $uarter-wave monopole antenna. ;etermine the resonance
fre$uency and the 1+ d: bandwidth of the antenna.

IV. esults and !omments
1. Flot the radiation patterns of dipole and monopole antennas "in both planes# for all cases, and
tabulate their CF:5 and .J:5 values. 'ompare the measured radiation patterns with the ones
calculated in the preliminary wor0 and comment.
2. 'omment on the fre$uency dependence of the dipole radiation patterns observed in step 1.a."ii#-
"iii# of the experimental procedure.
3. .or the log-periodic antenna
a. Flot the A- and C-plane radiation patterns and determine the CF:5. 'omment on CF:5
variation with fre$uency.
b. 'ompare the directivity calculated using DrausE formula with the one obtained from the
curves provided in Figure 4.5. 'omment on the discrepancies.
4. Flot the voltage and current distributions on the dipole antennas and compare them with
theoretical expectations.
5. Flot the return loss of each antenna you have measured in steps 7-K as a function of fre$uency,
and determine their 1+-17 d: return loss and ,>5!P- bandwidths. 'omment on the results.
6. Flot the complex reflection coefficient of each antenna on a >mith chart, and calculate the input
impedance at the respective resonant fre$uencies.
7. .or the /- dipole "with and without the ground plane#, calculate the impedance seen at the
antenna terminals of the dipole "show the calculation you made in step 7-B of the experimental
procedure#.
8. 'omment on the impedance bandwidth and pattern bandwidth of the monopole antenna.

I(+)%MA*I)(:
For return loss and 6mith 5hart plotting tasks, you may use the )!#9!B routines pro&ided on
):#"/;nline. <ou will also find a sample script utili,ing those routines to get you started.

Middle East Technical Universit 4.1- !ept" #$ Electrical & Electr#nics En%"
V. e"erences
819 '. ). :alanis, Antenna The#r5 Analsis and !esi%n, <
rd
ed., Qohn 5iley R >ons, J?, -++7.
8-9 ;. O. Fo&ar, Micr#*ave En%ineerin%, <
rd
ed. Cobo0en, JQ 5iley, -++7.
8<9 A. '. Qordan and D. %. :almain, Electr#ma%netic 9aves and 1adiatin% ,stems, Frentice Call, -
nd

ed., 16BK.
849 C. Qasi0, Antenna En%ineerin% +and)##8, Oc%raw-Cill, 16B1.
Experiment EE426-5 Reflection Method for Gain Measurements
Experiment-5: Reflection Method for Gain
Measurements

I. Introduction
Gain is one of the most important performance parameters of an antenna. Gain includes the
efficiency of an antenna in addition to its directivity. Gain of an antenna is defined as follows:
0 = 4n
Rauiation Intensity
Total Input Powei
= 4n
u(0, )
P
n
(1)
It is conventional to specify the gain of an antenna in dB scale, which is epressed as
0
dB
= 1ulog
10
0 (!)
"he term relative #ain is sometimes used eplicitly to define the gain with respect to an
ar#itrary reference antenna. In general, the reference antenna is a lossless isotropic radiator whose
gain is unity in all directions (in fact, (1) is #ased on this premise). "he reference antenna can also #e
any other radiator such as a dipole or a horn. $ suffi appended to %dB& emphasi'es this relative
definition of gain: Gain specified in dBi uses an isotropic radiator as the reference antenna, whereas
the gain specified in dBd specifies the gain relative to a dipole antenna, (1 dB(1 dBi, 1 dBd(!.15 dBi).
"here are a num#er of techni)ues that can #e employed to measure the gain of an antenna
*1, !+. "hese methods are #ased on the ,riis transmission e)uation which assumes that the
measurement system employs two antennas. "he antennas are separated #y a distance
greater than R
uIcgh
to satisfy the far-field criterion of each antenna.
In this eperiment, the reflection method is utili'ed to determine the gain of an antenna *1+. In
this method, the antenna whose gain is to #e determined is placed at a certain distance from an
image plane. .ame antenna is used for #oth transmission and reception. "he transmitted wave is
reflected from the image plane and then received #y the antenna. "hese transmitted and received
waves produce a standing wave in the waveguide system. Gain of the antenna can #e calculated
from the /nowledge of the voltage standing wave ratio (0.12) on the waveguide, distance #etween
the antenna and the image plane (R), and the fre)uency of operation (). By increasing and
decreasing R #y an amount of z4, the phase of the incoming signal can #e reversed with negligi#le
effect on its amplitude. "hen #y ta/ing the arithmetic mean of the gains computed for these two R
values, most of the errors caused #y impedance mismatches (#etween the antenna and the line) and
multiple reflections (#etween antenna and image plane) can #e eliminated.
Middle East Technical University 5.! ept! of Electrical " Electronics En#!
In this eperiment we will measure the gains of two pyramidal horn antennas, whose
dimensions are parametri'ed as o, b and b
1
in Figure 5.1. 3ore information on horn antennas is
availa#le in *!+.

w
a
b
h

h1

(a) (#)
Figure 5.1. 4imensions of the horn antenna: (a) 5erspective view. (b) .ide view.

II. Preliminary Work
1. 2ead the sections related to the gain measurements in *!+ (pp. 16!7-1685). $lso get familiar
with the 0.12 meter and 0.12 measurements #y studying the relevant sections in the
$ntroduction part of this manual.
2. 9onsidering the reflection method and the associated setup in Figure 5.2, derive the gain 0 of
the antenna in terms of wavelength z, distance #etween the antenna and image plane (R), and
measured 0.12 (which is e)ual to (1 +|I|)(1 -|I|) , where I is the reflection coefficient).
3. 1hat is the 2ayleigh distance for the pyramidal horn in Figure 5.1 with a(#(:.5 cm at 7.! G;',
< G;' and <.7 G;'= ,or this horn antenna, calculate the minimum distance #etween the image
plane and the antenna for accurate measurement at < G;'. 1hat would #e the 2ayleigh
distance if we had a(1:.> cm, #(15.? cm at < G;'=
4. 9alculate the gain of the horn antenna whose dimensions are specified as
a. a(#(:.5 cm, h
1
(1? cm at 7.! G;', < G;', and <.7 G;'.
b. a(1:.> cm, #(15.? cm, h
1
(1<.1 cm at < G;'.
@se the following approimate gain formula for the pyramidal horn antennas:

0
dB
1u _1.uu8 +log
10
ob
z
2
] -|I
L
(s) +I
H
(t)]
(8)
%int& 'tandard (R-)* +ave#uide dimensions are +,2!2-6 cm and h,.!*.6 cm! $n order to
calculate I
L
(s) and I
H
(t)/ refer to the plot #iven on pp! 000 in 122! The varia3les s and t are
defined as
s =
b(b -b)
8zb
1
, t =
o(o -w)
8zb
1
(?)
5. .how for a pyramidal horn antenna that, the area of the image plane must satisfy A
R
2
x
2
0.81 ub
in
order for the main #eam of the horn to #e completely intercepted #y the image plane. $ssume
that the antenna is lossless (i.e., Gain(4irectivity). 9alculate and ta#ulate the minimum re)uired
area of the image plane for the following horn antennas:
a. a(#(:.5 cm at 7.! G;', < G;' and <.7 G;',
b. a(1:.> cm #(15.? cm at < G;'.

6. ,or the reflection method used in this eperiment, the reciprocal of the reflection coefficient is
epected to #e a linear function of RA however, in practice there will #e a ripple superimposed
on this linear curve. Bplain the reason for this ripple and suggest a simple way to eliminate the
errors in measurements.
REMARK:
Keep a copy of your preliminary work in order to compare the theoretical results you obtained
with measured ones in your report.

1. .et up the circuit whose #loc/ diagram is given in Figure 5.2. 3a/e sure that far-field criterion is
satisfied for the su#se)uent measurements.

Figure 5.2. Bperimental setup for the gain measurement.

2. .et f(<.7 G;'. @se the horn antenna with dimensions a(#(:.5 cm.
3. 2emove the image plane and adCust the tuner screw so that the power at the coupled port of
directional coupler #ecomes minimum (i.e., match the antenna to the feed). $lso chec/ the 0.1
pattern and the value of 0.12 at this state. Dist your screw positions and measured 0.12 in
Table 1.
Gunn
oscilator
Isolator
"uner
;orn
$ntenna
2
Image
plane
0.12 3eter
.lotted Dine
3atched load
4irectional
9oupler
Middle East Technical University 5.? ept! of Electrical " Electronics En#!
IMPORTANT:
Obtaining reliable gain values in subsequent steps strongly depends on your effort to match the
antenna at this step. In particular, try to keep V!" below 1.1 and reduce it further if possible.

Table 1. Bperimental findings for step 8.
f=9.8 GHz
Horizontal !re"
tuner #oition ($$)
%erti!al !re"
tuner #oition
($$)
%&'(
(bet $at!))

4. a. 5lace the image plane at an appropriate distance R from the antenna, and measure the 0.12
using the slotted line. 9alculate the gain using the formula you have derived in your preliminary
wor/.
b. 3ove the image plane #y an amount EF? toward or away (either will wor/) from the horn
antenna, and measure the gain again. "hen ta/e the arithmetic mean of the calculated gain
values.
!. 2epeat steps (a)*(b) for at least three other R values. ,ill in Table 2 for your reference.
Table 2. Bperimental findings for step ?.
f=9.8GHz ( (!$) %&'( G (linear) G (linear), a+g. G (,-)
G (,-),
#reli$. "or.

5. .et f(7.! G;' and repeat te# 3*4. ,ill in Table 3 for your reference.
Table 3. Bperimental findings for step 5.
f=8.2GHz
Horizontal !re"
tuner #oition ($$)
%erti!al !re"
tuner #oition ($$)
%&'( (bet $at!))

f=8.2GHz ( (!$) %&'( G (linear) G (linear) ,a+g. G (,-) G (,-), #reli$. "or.

6. .et f(<.6 G;' and repeat te# 3*4. ,ill in Table 4 for your reference.
Table 4. Bperimental findings for step >.
f=9 GHz
Horizontal !re"
tuner #oition ($$)
%erti!al !re"
tuner #oition ($$)
%&'( (bet $at!))

f=9GHz ( (!$) %&'( G (linear) G (linear) ,a+g. G (,-) G (,-), #reli$. "or.

/. 2eplace the standard gain horn with the pyramidal one having a(1:.> cm, #(15.? cm. .et
f(<.6 G;' and repeat te# 3*4. ,ill in Table 5 for your reference.

Table 5. Bperimental findings for step :.
f=9 GHz
Horizontal !re"
tuner #oition ($$)
%erti!al !re"
tuner #oition ($$)
%&'( (bet $at!))

Middle East Technical University 5.> ept! of Electrical " Electronics En#!
f=9GHz ( (!$) %&'( G (linear) G (linear) ,a+g. G (,-) G (,-), #reli$. "or.

I.Results and !omments
1. "a#ulate the measured 0.12 and gain values for #oth horn antennas at each measurement
fre)uency (i.e., Table 1*5). 4o not forget to include the calculated gain values in your
preliminary wor/.

2. 5lot 1|I(I)| as a function of R for each antenna, at each respective measurement fre)uency.
,rom these plots, etract your eperimental gain values. %int: 4otice that the slope of the line
3est fittin# your data is a measure of #ain!

3. 9ompare the measured gain values with the ones calculated in your preliminary wor/. 9omment
on the results. 9alculate the aperture efficiency of horn antennas. Gote that the relation
#etween gain (0) and effective aperture (A
c
) is given #y

0 =
4n
z
2
A
c
, A
c
= e
up
A
p

where e
up
is the aperture efficiency and A
p
is the physical aperture.

4. Based on your measurement results, comment on the relation #etween the gain of a horn
antenna and the operating fre)uency.
5. $ccording to your measurement results, comment on the relation #etween the gain and si'e of
a horn antenna at a fied fre)uency.

6. 9ompare the gain value measured for the horn antenna having dimensions a(1:.> cm,
#(15.? cm with the gain value of the same antenna measured in Bperiment-1. 9omment on the
results.
Middle East Technical University 5.: ept! of Electrical " Electronics En#!
. References
*1+ .. .ilver, Micro+ave 5ntenna Theory and esi#n, 4over 5u#lications, 1<55.
*!+ 9. $. Balanis, 5ntenna Theory 5nalysis and esi#n, 8rd Bdition, Hohn 1iley I .ons, !665.

EE426 LabMan Exp1 5 Spr2013

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I#. Results and Comments

(0, )% where (0, ) is the angular field distri!ution and it does

= 2.2(" Then5 use #ur reas#nin% in 6uesti#n 7 #$ the preliminar *#r8"

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