Antenna temperature measurement

The knowing of the antenna temperature may be reached in two way:
1) numerically and analitically
2) by measurement

The 1st one is more easy

About the measurement:
since You want to measure a temperature, You need a standard of temperature.
The same concept when You want measure a lenght , You need the standard lenght (meter).

The most accurate way is the radiometer, a well calibrated, and drift - free radio receiver. The out power is Pout= K*(Tric+Tant)*B*G
K = Boltzmann constant
Tric = receiver input noise temperature (supposed known and stable)
B= bandwidth (supposed known and stable)
G = gain (supposed known and stable)

But since radiometer is very expensive, you may use instead a less performant radio-receiver but equipped with a well known noise temperature injection at it's input.
That noise injection is supposed to be turned on or off by the operator.
The operator may collect 3 readings
- antenna looking at known room temperature eccosorb, noise off
- antenna looking at the cold sky, noise off
- antenna looking at the cold sky, noise on

If the hardware is linear ( as it is supposed to be) , You'll do simple proportions and you'll find the Tant.

Hi

No I do not have a radiometer. But could a spectrum analyser be used instead?

Regards

The conventional method by directly touching the temperature censor to the conductor of antenna, it closely depend on the environment temperature around the antenna

Usually I just touch it to see if it is hot or cold.

Hi

I want to find the noise temperature of the antenna T_{ant}. I have spectrum analyser available and an LNA. Is this possible?

Regards