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Measurement automation software
Measurement software is very popular for
automating antenna measurements and improving
measurement throughput and productivity. Most
modern antenna measurement systems use soft-
ware, since manual antenna pattern measurements
are usually not a cost-effective way to analyze
antenna performance. Measurement software for
85301B/C systems is provided by Agilent
Technologies' channel partner, Nearfield Systems,
Inc. (NSI). NSI offers both far-field and near-field
measurement automation software.
Far-field measurement software
NSI's far-field measurement software is a
Windows®-based program that runs on a personal
computer and automates the data acquisition and
analysis process. For data acquisition, full control
is provided over the start and stop angles, angular
sampling increment and number of test channels.
For analysis, patterns can be displayed in either
Cartesian or polar formats, and data analysis capa-
bilities include gain, beamwidth, sidelobe levels,
and pattern overlay and comparisons. The soft-
ware allows archiving of pattern data to disk or a
variety of printers.
Near-field measurement software
Near-field measurement software is also provided
by our channel partner, Nearfield Systems, Inc.
(NSI). NSI's software runs on a personal computer,
and automates the data acquisition and analysis
process. Near-field software is available for planar,
cylindrical or spherical scanners. Combination
scanners such as planar/cylindrical, or
planar/spherical are also supported. For data
acquisition, full control is provided over all aspects
of the data acquisition process. The software
includes the capability to transform the near-field
data to far-field antenna pattern data. For data
analysis, a variety of data presentation formats are
available: raw amplitude and phase data, three-
dimensional and contour patterns, as well as E-
plane and H-plane pattern cuts.
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Additionally, the software offers microwave holo-
graphic imaging capability,which is often useful for
identifying antenna faults. Microwave holography
can form images of the sampled RF energy at the
surface of an aperture or radome. A further capa-
bility is to rotate the imaging plane in yaw so as to
view the energy leaving the antenna. These holo-
graphic capabilities have been used to find phasing
errors in phased-array antennas.
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Indicate the type of antenna measurement
automation software desired on Figure 20.
Personal computer
All of the measurement automation software runs
on a PC. Since PC features and configurations
change frequently, it is best to consult Nearfield
Systems, Inc., for its recommendations on the cor-
rect and latest PC configuration for its application
software.
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Indicate on Figure 20 if a PC is required, and if
either an HP LaserJet or color printer is desired.
Millimeter-wave configuration
85301C (8511A/B-based)
The 85301C standard system utilizes an 8511A
harmonic sampler-based frequency downconverter,
which provides frequency coverage from 45 MHz
to 26.5 GHz. The 85301C system with Option 001
extends the frequency coverage from 45 MHz to
50 GHz by substituting an 8511B for the 8511A,
and substituting an 83651B microwave source for
the 83631B source.
85301B (85310A-based)
The 85301B antenna measurement system provides
the most flexibility and expandability for millime-
ter-wave configurations. The standard 85301B
antenna measurement system provides frequency
coverage from 2 to 20 GHz. By utilizing an 83650B
50 GHz source and 85320A/B-H50 mixers, the fre-
quency coverage can be extended to 50 GHz. The
85320A/B-H50 mixers are special-option 2 to 50 GHz
mixers with 2.4-mm male connectors on the RF ports.
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