Amplitude-only vs. complex field measurements for mobile terminal antennas with a small number of measurement locations

Amplitude-only and complex field measurements for characterizing 3D radiated fields of mobile phones with a small number of measurement locations by applying field expansion methods are examined. The uncertainties of the determination of the total radiated power and the radiation pattern are compared. Examination is carried out by computer simulations for several models of mobile phones beside a head phantom. The results provide guidelines for choosing a reasonable number of measurement locations for amplitude-only and complex field characterization. The results also show that complex field measurements provide lower uncertainty of the determination of the radiation pattern of a mobile terminal antenna beside a head phantom compared to amplitude-only measurement, when the number of measurement locations is relatively small.