AN ELECTRIC-FIELD MEASUREMENT OF A SCANNING RADAR ANTENNA

This article presents a novel method for measuring true root mean squa re (RMS) and peak values of electric field strength generated by a sca nning radar antenna. The measuring equipment is a new electric field m eter with an isotropic probe based on a diode detector, designed speci fically for applications in a pulsed environment. The idea behind the method is a compensation of the detector's inertia for measuring short pulses with a low duty cycle ratio. Correction curves required for su ch compensation are generated by simulating the detector characteristi cs and four parameters of a scanning radar antenna. The curves provide a correction factor relating a peak and displayed electric field valu e. The simulated models have been verified by laboratory measurements for two different probes (100 kHz to 3 GHz and 10 MHz to 18 GHz). The method has been tested using on-site measurements of a typical airport surveillance radar and represents an improved solution for pulsed fie ld measurements during normal operating modes of radar transmitters to aid in evaluating electromagnetic field dosimetry.