Abstract The transfer function method is a procedure to measure the surface impedance of grounds in situ. In this article, the influence of measurement errors on the predicted surface impedance is investigated numerically. Even small errors in the range of accuracy of common measurement equipment can lead to significant errors in the impedance. This is especially true for errors in the transfer function at frequencies below about 500 Hz and for highly reflecting grounds. To a lesser degree, errors in the measurement geometry contribute to the uncertainty of the estimated impedance. To minimize these effects, an improved geometry is suggested for the frequency range 100–400 Hz significantly reducing the average error. However, even with this optimized geometry the average error for high impedance grounds, like compacted silt, in this frequency range will be around 50%. Therefore, the use of the transfer function method cannot be recommended in this case unless the requirements in accuracy are very low for a specific application or particular favourable measurement conditions are given.
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