In-Situ Investigation of Antenna Behavior in Close Proximity to Objects: A Practical Approach

In-situ measurements, especially in busy environment like hospitals, poses a range of challenges. Finding the best place for receiving antennas in such environments is often impractical or even impossible, leading to significant measurement errors. This paper focuses on assessing antenna performance near other structures encountered in typical onsite measurement scenarios to gauge the increase of the measurement uncertainty in the designated environment. Changes in the reflection coefficient values at the receiver antenna port serve as performance indicators. Measurements were performed for a telescopic dipole and a wideband discone antenna, conducted in close proximity to metallic and concrete walls, as well as an absorber surface, for various distances. The study concludes by discussing the anticipated measurement error levels observed in the measurements.