Single-horn reflectometry for in situ dielectric measurements at microwave frequencies

The ability of single-horn reflectometry to determine reflectivity and, hence, calculate dielectric properties using plane-wave interpretation theory, has been investigated experimentally. The horn is part of a portable field unit operating at X-band and was placed above various natural materials. Good results were obtained for water and saline ice, which were flat and lossy, but not for an electrically thick sheet of fresh lake ice, for which reflectivity at the bottom interface was strong