International facility comparison campaign at L/C band frequencies

Abstract

Comparison activities in which a number of measurement facilities compare their measurements of the same antenna in a standard configuration have become important for documentation and validation of laboratory expertise and competence. It is also mandatory to have regular participation in such activities to obtain and maintain accreditations like ISO 17025. The main goal of the facility comparison activities is to provide a formal opportunity for the participants to validate and document their achieved measurement accuracy and procedures by comparison with other facilities. Since 2004, comparison campaigns with different scopes have been conducted on antenna measurements within various European activities. Results of these activities have led to improvement in antenna measurement procedures and protocols in facilities and contributions to standards. In this paper we report on a recent EurAAP facility comparison campaign involving a medium gain ridge horn, MVI-SH800. The antenna is equipped with an absorber plate to reduce the sensibility to the measurement set-up in order to evaluate the improvement with respect to the previous ACE intercomparison activity, involving the same antenna lacking of absorber plate. The campaign covers measurement in the L and C band frequencies in different facilities in Europe and USA.