Installation Uncertainty of Field Level Calculation around a Base Station Antenna

In the near field, the antenna pattern provided by the antenna manufacturer is generally not applicable, or should be considered with caution, even for the single antenna in free space. In the real life, antenna is often surrounded by other conductive objects in the immediate vicinity. These objects tend to distort the antenna radiation pattern. Since the electromagnetic field calculation for the coverage or radiation hazard analysis depends on the three-dimensional antenna gain, this effect should be taken into account. This paper suggests the use of "installation uncertainty" that should be added to the field calculation. The amount of this quantity depends on the installation geometry and can be calculated numerically for a specific situation. This paper shows the results of numerical calculations for some typical antenna installation geometries.