Traceable calibration of a horizontally polarised reference antenna with omnidirectional pattern at VHF frequencies for ILS field strength validation

Abstract

We present a traceable calibration of a specially designed horizontally polarised reference antenna with an omnidirectional pattern in the E-plane for the frequency range between 105 MHz and 120 MHz. This antenna is used as a validation tool for absolute field strength measurements at the localizer transmitter of an instrument landing system (ILS) at airports and is carried by a helicopter. We investigate whether we can treat it as a dipole-like antenna in the calibration setup despite its disk-shape body. We also investigate the suitability of an anechoic chamber for antenna calibration though it was not designed for that purpose. The measurements are based on scattering parameters (S-parameters) which we apply in the 3-antenna-method (TAM or 3-AM) to obtain the antenna gain and the antenna factor, respectively. An uncertainty budget for the antenna gain calibration is derived. We also report on the first practical application of the calibrated reference antenna.