Robust low cost open - ended coaxial probe for dielectric spectros - copy in laboratory and in - situ applications

High-frequency electromagnetic (HF-EM) measurement techniques, e.g. dielectric spectroscopy, give inside into soil physical properties which are related to soil/water interactions such as the soil water characteristics. The open-ended coaxial line technique offers a non destructive determination of dielectric spectra of fine grained soil. In this study, a commercially available Agilent high temperature open ended coaxial probe (Agilent 85070E Dielectric Probe Kit) was compared to a robust 3.8 mm openended coaxial probe (Sequid probe). The experimental results demonstrate that the Sequid probe is suitable for accurate determination of high resolution dielectric spectra in the Frequency range from 50 MHz to 10 GHz and thus a robust low cost alternative to the Agilent high temperature probe in laboratory and in-situ applications.