ABSTRACT
Transmission line and antenna testing is colloquially referred to as "sweeping." A low-power radiofrequency signal is sent out from the test equipment via the transmission line toward the antenna, and the amount of reflected energy is measured. Corporate-fed antenna systems can be designed to provide highly complex antenna radiation patterns in both the azimuth and elevation patterns. A test cable is used to connect the vector network analyzer (VNA) to the line and antenna being measured. This cable must be included in the user calibration of the VNA, and no adapters should be attached to it following the calibration, as they will distort the measurement accuracy. The antenna can also be tested separately by attaching a short test cable to the lower port and performing a calibration. The cable can then be connected to the upper port to measure the antenna.
