Measurement of an Antenna Array with a Waveguide Simulator

The waveguide (WG) simulator method is a well-known method for measuring antenna arrays. In the WG simulator, a few antenna elements are placed in a WG and they behave like they would be in an infinite antenna array. The benefits of a WG simulator are remarkable: only a small number of antenna elements must be fabricated, the active impedance of the array can be obtained with a single S-parameter measurement, and the antenna efficiency can be easily measured. This paper briefly revisits the idea and theory behind the WG-simulator method and applies it to a practical antenna array. The measurement results are compared to unit-cell simulation results. Significant correspondence was obtained confirming the applicability of the method for modern antenna arrays.