A practical method for measuring the complex polarization ratio of arbitrary antennas

A technique for measuring the complex polarization ratio of an arbitrary antenna is presented. The technique requires the use of two antennas which are not circularly polarized but are otherwise arbitrary. Only reciprocity and linearity are assumed. Six amplitude and phase measurements are performed, two measurements for each pair of antennas. The complex polarization ratio of each antenna is then calculated from the six measurements. The specific details of the measurement technique are described and some measurement results presented.