Radio frequency coupling between an antenna and two unshielded parallel wires above a metal sheet-measurement precautions

Abstract

An unshielded 1 m transmission line, made of two parallel wires suspended 0.1 m above a plane metal sheet, is illuminated in the VHF and UHF bands by a log-periodic dipole array (LPDA). A network analyzer is used to measure the voltage induced at one end of the line. The measured signal is compared to the predictions of a moment method numerical analysis, using the NEC code. The measured and predicted coupling are in reasonable agreement only once two measurement precautions are taken. First, the illuminating antenna has to be well-balanced to suppress common mode radiation from the coaxial cable connecting the transmitter to the antenna. Second, an output balun must be inserted between the unshielded transmission line and the coaxial cable to the network analyzer. This is needed to prevent common mode signals on the coaxial cable from contaminating the measurements. Besides these practical steps, it is also necessary to use physical insight and high frequency circuit theory to develop a good equivalent circuit of the output balun for use in the computational model.