[en] The absolute neutron yield of the 14 MeV Frascati neutron generator (FNG) is routinely measured by means of the associated alpha-particle method with a silicon surface barrier detector (SSD). This paper describes the work carried out to characterize the neutron source in terms of absolute intensity and angle-energy distribution of the emitted neutrons. The development of the measuring setup and the assessment of the measurement results are also reported. A complementary calibration procedure for validating the SSD results, based on the use of fission chambers and the activation technique, is also reported. An accurate analysis of the system has been performed via the Monte Carlo neutron and photon MCNP transport code. A detailed model of the neutron source that includes ion slowing down has been inserted into the MCNP code to permit a numerical calibration of the neutron source for comparison with the experimental results. The resulting agreement among the various methods is very good considering the uncertainties, and an accuracy of ±2% is achieved for the measurement of the 14 MeV neutron yield of the FNG. copyright 1996 American Institute of Physics