Things You Should Know About Anechoic Antenna Testing

By Author: Henry Janice
Total Articles: 103
Comment this article

An anechoic stimulates antenna testing if the test is carried out in exterior space. This type of antenna testing conditions is more rigorously controlled than in exterior testing amenities.
The anechoic antenna testing setup comprises of the antenna under TF transmitter system, test, reference antenna, receiver system and positioning system.

An antenna is an electromagnetic signal sensing aspect in various applications like local area networks, radio, and telecommunicated systems. Antennas transmit and get electromagnetic signals between multiple wireless points and transform radio frequency signals traveling on a conductor into electromagnetic signals propagating through free space. Depending on the application, the shape, size and antenna type changes. It is important to test antennas to realize their nature and other specifications. Anechoic chamber antenna testing is one such testing process used in the electronics industry to test and measure antenna parameters like gain, radiation pattern, ...
... and effectiveness. We will discuss anechoic chamber antenna testing in this post.

What exactly antennas do
The data transmission is understood by the kinetic energy associated with electromagnetic waves. With the increase in frequency, the kinetic energy also enhances. The higher the frequency, the stronger the wave is.
The essence of realizing antenna characteristics
Just like power, other signal frequency dependant parameters play a vital role performance. Features like the radiation pattern of the antenna, gain and effectiveness are impacted by signal frequency. The signal frequency used for application is different, and that is why the basic parameters of the antenna vary.
It is highly hazardous to use an antenna without understanding its nature, features and specification. To select an antenna for a given application, engineers usually inspect the pattern of radiation, effectiveness of the antenna and gain by carrying out antenna testing.
What is the reason behind antenna testing?
Antenna testing decides how the antenna works and assists engineers realize whether the antenna has the desired features. The antenna testing location is also vital, as the reflection from objects may lead to wrong antenna measurements. The exterior space is the perfect location, but the next best testing location are the anechoic chambers.
1. Receiver system
The receiver system is used to measure the power received by the antenna that is under test. The receiving system just has to determine the amount of power received from the test. Generally, a power meter that measures the RF power is connected with the test antenna terminal by using connectors and a co-axial cable.

2. Positioning system
The positioning system rotates the antenna the antenna under test and assists to measure the radiation pattern of the test antenna. To decide the radiation pattern as an angle function, the test antenna is rotated in respect to the source antenna.

Anechoic chamber antenna testing is one of the most popular free space antenna testing ranges that provides predictable and stable antenna measurements. Anechoic chamber antenna testing provides great antenna measurements, specifically above 300 MHz.