Validation of direct and indirect far-field antenna measurements at Memorial University´s electromagnetic facilities

Indoor direct measurement of antenna far-field radiation patterns requires that the antenna be placed far away from the source and data be collected in a controlled environment, i.e., expensive large size anechoic chambers. Data from near-field antenna measurements can also be used to calculate the far-field radiation patterns, which are indirect far-field measurements. A low cost near-field/far-field antenna measurement system and a 4 m×2.5 m×2.5 m anechoic chamber have been built at C-CORE, Memorial University of Newfoundland (MUN). The two systems provide significant flexibility in antenna test capabilities. This paper describes this low cost indirect near-field/far-field measurement system. The comparison with data obtained from direct far-field measurement inside the anechoic chamber indicates the validity of both measurement techniques