Design and Calibration of Antenna Arrays for Outdoor MIMO Channel Measurements at 3.5 GHz

The use of antenna arrays at emission and reception is an attractive solution for future wireless systems in order to improve data rates and quality of service. The performance of these systems is very dependent on propagation channel. In this context, channel characterization and modeling are crucial. In this paper, we present the design and calibration of two antenna arrays at 3.5 GHz for MIMO (Multiple Input Multiple Output) channel sounding. This frequency band concerns Wireless Local Loop applications. The beam patterns of these two arrays are measured in anechoic chamber, and then a calibration algorithm is applied on these measurements. The calibration results are presented. The importance of this work is shown by ESPRIT algorithm simulations for better multi-path parameters estimation. This work is needed to obtain accurate measurements results to model propagation channel.