Generation and measurement of a reference field for round-robin comparison purposes

An accurately known reference field is often the reference quantity in round-robin comparisons of electromagnetic field measurements. The limits of accuracy inherent to the definition and measurement of a reference electromagnetic field are here discussed and quantified in the case of measurements at 3 m distance from the field source and in the 30-300 MHz frequency range. The insertion loss between the transmitting and receiving antenna is considered here as an alternative reference quantity. A method of validation of insertion loss predictions delivering an accuracy of a few tens of dB is described and experimentally demonstrated. Reference to a practical selection of field source and receiving antenna is made for general applicability of the results here obtained.