Antenna calibration using the reference antenna method in a reverberation chamber

The technique for calibrating an EMI antenna that uses a reverberation chamber exploits the statistical characteristics of the E-field in multipath environments. When two antennas are placed opposite each other in a reverberation chamber, the mean of the complex received value equals the direct wave component because that of reflected waves converges on zero in random E-field environments. We determined the antenna factor of a log periodic dipole array and that of a double-ridged guide horn antenna, typical antenna for EMI measurements, by using the reference antenna method in a reverberation chamber. We describe the statistical characteristics of the vector mean value of reflected waves used in the reverberation chamber method, and present experimental results that show the efficacy of this technique for antenna calibration.