VHF probes for antenna measurement in a near field range

For years, Airbus Defence & Space has been the European prime contractor for space transportation and orbital infrastructures and has developed telemetry and tracking trajectory systems for launchers and space reentry vehicles. The antennas designed for these systems are measured in a near field range working in a frequency range from 400 MHz to 6 GHz. Recently the ability of the range has been improved to cover a wider frequency band from 100 MHz to 18 GHz. For the higher frequencies a specific wide band probe has been supplied, but for the lower frequencies, we developed our own probes. The probe concept has been studied. A prototype has been produced, tested and validated by performing radiation pattern measurement of a VHF antenna used on Airbus aircrafts.