Accurate Antenna Measurements and the NetTek YBA250:Reflection measurements are usually made as a comparison of the unknown (device being measured) to a known standard. This standard is assumed to be perfect. The process of comparing is called “calibrating” the measurement equipment. Any non-precision cable that is placed in between the YBA250 (where the comparison to the standard was made) and the antenna system to be measured can dramatically affect the reflection or VSWR measurement. The higher the frequency of measurement, the worse the degradation will likely be. The measurements made here are done for a sweep of 100 MHz to 2000 MHz. The comparisons are mostly made at the US PCS band at 1900 MHz. Two distinct types of errors are introduced by a jumper cable. The first type includes two separate errors: the reflection of the cable itself and loss of the cable. The reflection of the cable usually causes a device being tested to seem to have a worse VSWR or return loss (RL) than it actually has. The loss of a cable will cause the device being tested to seem to have a better VSWR or return loss than it actually has. Any cable loss simply adds directly to the measured return loss, but a reflection due to the cable itself can have a huge effect, and may actually dominate the measurement result. Interestingly, the two errors have different effects. Loss in the cable has more effect on measurements of a device with small return loss (poor VSWR) and any reflections in the jumper have a much larger effect on measurements of high return loss (good VSWR). The second type of error is the change in reflection, phase, or loss of the cable as it is flexed or bent. This causes readings to change as the jumper is bent (particularly for measurements of antennas with good VSWR).