A simple technique for determining joint losses on a coaxial line from swept-frequency reflection data

A need to separate connector loss from swept-frequency automatic network analyzer (ANA) measurements to check an attenuation calculation for a low-loss coaxial line has led to a simple graphical technique for determining joint losses. Measurements show that in addition to the connector loss, it is also possible to determine joint losses around center conductor bead supports on the line itself. Preliminary results indicate that losses in the millidecibel range can be determined to a precision of a few tenths of a millidecibel or better, even though the data are obscured by considerable connector loss and calibration error. Results were checked by independent measurements and show excellent agreement.