Antenna Testing

Is your antenna really performing the way the datasheet says?

An antenna's datasheet describes it on the manufacturer's evaluation board, in free space. Inside your product, with its own PCB, enclosure, battery and neighboring antennas, the performance can be very different. Antenna Testing shows you how to find out what is really happening, using equipment you can have on your own bench: a spectrum analyzer with a tracking generator, a VSWR bridge, and a reference antenna.

Written by an RF and hardware engineer with a PhD in wireless communication, this practical guide walks you through every important antenna measurement, step by step. For each test you get the equipment list, a clear setup diagram, calibration instructions, the procedure, the equation, a fully worked example and the acceptance criteria.

Inside you'll learn how to:

• Measure return loss, reflection coefficient (S11) and VSWR, and convert between them with a quick-reference table
• Find an antenna's resonance frequency and bandwidth, and check it covers your band
• Measure isolation between antennas in multi-radio products (Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, LTE, Thread)
• Measure gain by two methods: with two identical antennas, or by substitution with a reference antenna
• Plot a 2D radiation pattern using a turntable
• Measure antenna efficiency and receiver sensitivity
• Set up a test environment, from anechoic chambers to an open-area test site, and calculate the far-field distance
• Test the finished device's RSSI in real-world conditions
• Build a complete test plan and report your results

The book also includes blank test-record templates for every measurement, a formula sheet, a free-space path loss table and a glossary.

Who it's for: hardware, RF and embedded engineers, test technicians and students who design, integrate or verify antennas in wireless and IoT products. If you know what a decibel is, this book will get you making reliable antenna measurements.