A waveguide/free-space measurement setup for panels and joints of large dielectric radomes

The problem of characterizing panels and joints of large dielectric radomes is attacked in two ways. Small panel samples are placed in a waveguide setup, in order to measure the complex permittivity of its dielectric layers in their actual configuration. A proper free-space setup is instead used to directly characterize the transmission and scattering properties of the structures. Thanks to the use of TRL calibration and further signal processing, the developed system removes the effect of panel and joint edges as well as the scattering from the supporting structures without the necessity of an anechoic chamber. Experimental data are provided for a C-band panel, an uncompensated joint and the compensated one developed at the IEIIT-CNR.