Measuring Wide Angle Antenna Performance Using Small Cylindrical Scanners

Abstract — A near-field measurement technique for the prediction of wide-angle asymptotic far-field antenna patterns from data obtained from a modified small combination planar/cylindrical near-field measurement system is presented. This novel technique utilises a simple change in the alignment of the robotic positioners to enable near-field data to be taken over the surface of a conceptual right conic frustum. This configuration allows existing facilities to characterise wide-angle antenna performance in situations where hitherto they could have been limited by the effects of truncation. This paper aims to introduce the measurement technique, present a measurement campaign, describes the novel probe-corrected near-field to far-field transform algorithm before presenting preliminary results. As this paper recounts the progress of ongoing research, it concludes with a discussion of the remaining outstanding issues and presents an overview of the planned future work. I