An investigation of bistatic calibration objects

Several popular metallic bistatic calibration objects are investigated, including a sphere, long and short cylinders, dihedral, trihedral, circular disk and wire mesh. Comparisons are made between the advantages and disadvantages of various objects for calibration. The analysis addresses sensitivity to object alignment error, availability of accurate radar cross section (RCS) calculations and bistatic RCS levels. Both theoretical concepts and practical considerations are discussed based on measurements accomplished at the European Microwave Signature Laboratory (EMSL) of the EC Joint Research Center (JRC) in Ispra, Italy. This facility has the capability to produce far-field fully polarimetric precision bistatic measurements in a 30 cm diameter quiet zone, suitable for comparing different calibration objects.