Global provider of test and measurement software, instruments and systems Rohde & Schwarz has augmented its R&S ATS1500C antenna test system with a new temperature test option and a new feed antenna. The company says these additional features enable temperature-controlled measurements in a wide temperature range as well as parallel access to both polarizations, increasing test efficiency and flexibility.
The movable R&S ATS1500C is a compact antenna test range (CATR) based antenna test chamber. It is carefully designed to eliminate ghost targets within the chamber during target simulation tests and includes a highly accurate positioner for angular measurements.
The new temperature test option creates a temperature-controlled enviroment for the radar under test and supports a wide range from –40 °C to +85 °C. The heated or cooled air is provided by an external thermal air stream system that supplies the air to the temperature bubble mounted on the positioner. This changes the temperature without affecting the chamber‘s measurement performance. This feature makes it possible to automate measurements at different temperatures without a separate climatic chamber, which increases radar testing speed.
In addition, the new universal feed antenna, which supports 60 GHz to 90 GHz, can be added to the test chamber. The antenna includes an orthomode transducer, which enables parallel access to vertical and horizontal polarizations.
With these new options, the company says developers can efficiently characterize RF transmitters, calibrate antenna manifolds, measure antenna patterns, test robustness against interference, check compliance with regulations such as ETSI and FCC as well as plan testing and calibration procedures for later mass production. The test system is is used as a reference environment before porting the procedures to a production tester.
