The Measurement of RF-Antenna Near Field Patterns Using Liquid Crystal Sensors

To summarize, an improved method has been developed to measure near field RF patterns using liquid crystal detectors; the measurements agree very well with analytical calculations. Maximum deviations were found to be within +15 percent. Further improvements in the measurement techniques are possible. The liquid crystal technique of measuring near field antenna patterns certainly represents a major improvement over the previous probing methods. It is simple, fast, inexpensive and reliable, to mention only a few of its advantages.