EMC TESTING & ANALYSIS: ANTENNAS
The dual-ridge antenna horn is robust and easy to set up
EMChorn antenna goes lightweight
Jonathan Newell talks to Microwave Vision Group about its latest equipment for EMC testing specialists
E
arlier this year,MVG released its 18-40GHz Dual-RidgeHorn Antenna, adding to its range of specialist equipment aimed at test houses performing EMC test
services. The dual-ridge horn adds to the company’s existing range of antennas for emission and absorption testing and takes ease of test set-up a stage further by toughening up its construction and reducing weight. The EH1840 antenna is a single, linearly
polarised antenna that combines stable gain performance, low VSWR and excellent cross-polar discrimination with wide band frequency operation.
DURABLE DESIGN I spoke to Donald Gray, director of EMC business development atMVG, and asked himwhat thismeans for EMC test engineers. “The antenna has a very wide frequency
range and has very stable gain performance throughout that range,” he says. Gray went on to say that there is a general increase in the requirements for performing EMC testing in the 18-40GHz range and that the new Dual-RidgeHorn antenna provides engineers with a product that is designed for that range and which offers the durability needed to cope with a test house environment. “Antennas are set up for one test, then
taken down and re-positioned for another test so there is a lot of repetitive handling,” Gray explains. The tough, lightweightmaterials used in
the antenna’s constructionmake it easy to handle and capable of withstanding a lot of handling in test laboratory environments. In addition, the antenna is equipped with a high-precision female K connector which
offers superior reliability and durability. According to Gray, such connectors are a stable design and are not prone to such annoyances as working loose.
STABLE PERFORMANCE The Dual-Horn Antenna is designed for the very precise measurement of radiated emissions. “The antenna reduces the generation of higher ordermodes and reduces VSWR to produce a very smooth curve over the entire frequency range,” says Gray. VSWR (voltage standing wave ratio)
is a parameter that relates to the amount of power that’s reflected back from the antenna. Reflected power creates standing waves, hence the ratio being used as ameasure. The lower the VSWR, the less power is reflected and therefore the better the antenna. MVG’s product also has the advantage of
having good cross-polar discrimination, meaning that the polarisation of any signal received by the antenna ismaintained rather than introducing any ellipticity to the signal.
Such factors
as VSWR, XPD and stable gain performance not only improve the accuracy of the
measurements, but alsomake setting up and characterising the
antenna easier for the engineer. “Having very smooth antenna factors make it very easy for correction,” says Gray.
BUILT TO STANDARD Calibrated at a distance of 1min
line with SAE ARP 958, the Dual- Ridge Antenna horn is applicable for testing against such standards as FCC andMIL-STD-461, themilitary standard for testing equipment for electromagnetic compatibility.
Gray explained that it is also conducive
to other applications, such as RF connectivity. It is possible for it to be used for absorption testing at low levels but this is not its intended design application and is ideally suited tomeasuring radiated emissions. EE
To readmore online about EMC testing, scan the QR code or visit
http://goo.gl/AjZqxp
August 2017 /// Environmental Engineering /// 39
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