Radiation Pattern of a Vertical Dipole over Sea and Setup for Measuring thereof

In this paper, a compact setup for measuring the radiation pattern of an arbitrary positioned antenna above the sea surface is presented. The antenna of interest was a vertical half-wave dipole. Due to impracticalities concerning the measurements using seaborne platforms, the setup was based around a shallow pool filled with actual sea water. The transmitting antenna-under-test (AUT) and the receiving antenna stands were placed on the solid ground, at the opposite sides of the pool, thus ensuring the stable platforms as well as the wave path over sea. The need for precise positioning of the receiving antenna along the circular path was avoided and the straight measurement line was used instead, yielding further simplification of the method. Both antennas were realized as printed half-wave dipoles. The measurements were carried out in ISM frequency band at 2.48 GHz. The chosen frequency enabled the realization of a compact setup for elevation radiation pattern measurements for AUT heights up to 2λ above the sea surface. The measurement results were compared to the theoretical and simulation results for a half-wave dipole over sea, showing a good agreement. Detailed evaluation of the measurement uncertainty was undertaken, indicating the critical points in the realized setup.