Validation of the electrical design of the W7-X ICRF antenna on a reduced-scale mock-up

•The electrical design of the W7X ICRF antenna is validated on a reduced-scale mock-up.•High dieletric constant materials are needed for the dummy load to mimic the plasma load.•Salted water and a mix of ferroelectric BaTiO3 and salted water are used as loads.•A comparison is made between experimental measurements and numerical simulations by 3 codes: Antiter II, CST MWS and Topica.•The best agreement is obtained with the BaTiO3 mix load for all phasings.•The dependence of the coupled power estimate on the dielectric load properties is given.