Antenna-Independent Frequency- and Time-Domain Representation of Wireless Channel

Propagation channel characterization and modeling is an important aspect in the wireless communication domain prior to the design and implementation of any RF system, especially in the millimeter-wave band for the 5G ecosystem. Several methods have been proposed in the literature for different environments where the antenna effects present inherently in the measured results caused by ambiguous channel characterization and model. The results are antenna specific and unreliable for other antennas. In this letter, the standalone channel response (frequency and time domain) excluding the antenna effects has been derived using a two-port network approach. Identical horn antennas operating in the C-band have been used to measure the channel transfer function and impulse response. A comparative investigation of the measured results with and without the antenna effects is presented. It is observed that measuring the channel characteristics without excluding the transmitting and receiving antenna effects adds additional time delays and reduced coherence bandwidth of the channel.