Comparison of microwave black-body target radiometric measurements

Accurate characterization of the brightness temperature (TB) of black-body targets used for calibrating microwave remote-sensing radiometers includes many inputs: antenna pattern and loss, target temperature, target emissivity, mechanical alignment, and radiometric TB measurements, all of which must be calibrated against physical standards. Here, we describe measurements made using several black-body targets and two different antennas within the WR-42 (18 to 26.5 GHz) waveguide band. Uncertainty estimates are also shown for the retrieved target TB measurements