The Australian National Standards Laboratory X-Band Radiometer for the Calibration of Noise Sources

The chief possible causes of error in the calibration of microwave noise sources are examined and a radiometer designed to minimize these errors is described. This includes a self-contained hot-load standard, facilities for measuring the hot-guide losses, a synchronously switched broad-band circulator, a switchable, high-stability attenuator, provision for measuring this attenuation, and a carbon-filament lamp reference noise source.