A Novel Indirect Method to Determine the Radiation Impedance of a Handheld Antenna Structure

A novel indirect measurement technique is developed in which the input impedance of an unknown antenna structure is determined by measuring the change in the measured input impedance of a second probe antenna, while the unknown antenna is loaded at its input by a set of known impedances. The feasibility of the approach is explored using method-of-moment boundary element simulations of the interaction between two dipole antennas in free space. Examples of the measurement of the helical antenna of a terrestrial trunked radio (TETRA) handheld radio and a small portable device with an electrically small antenna are presented. The significant advantage of the technique in the accurate measurement of electrically small antennas is confirmed.