Noise figure measurement of receiving active microstrip antennas

A novel technique for the measurement of the noise figure is proposed for an amplifier embedded in a receiving active microstrip antenna, where direct measurement is impossible. The proposed technique is a combination of the transducer power gain measurement of the amplifier and the absolute noise power measurement of the active antenna. The measured results of a receiving active microstrip antenna show the validity of the measurement technique. This enables the characterisation of the noise performance of active antennas.