Brent, It depends. (Do you cringe when a response begins with "it depends"?).
Do you have a lab nearby so that you can establish a baseline for improvement? In the past we developed products with a spectrum analyzer and a couple of antennas in the lab, but you had to get to know your lab (characterize it) much the same as a blind man needs to know his living space. There were plenty of ambients and reflections. It was difficult. Then we obtained a shield room. It had no ambients but the reflections were so bad that it still required obtaining a baseline from a certified site. Then we built an OATS. No reflections but the ambients were bad -- the site is in town. We were able to get the results we needed independent of other labs. The only problem was that we needed to dodge the rain and bugs and humidity (South Florida). Now we have a compact chamber -- ferrite lined chamber for immunity work. It also happens to be fantastic for emissions diagnostics. NSA for a certified site requires the site to be within +/- 4 dB, the compact chamber is within +/- 6 dB, very useful for getting well in the ballpark prior to wasting money on a certified lab. No bugs, rain, heat, humidity, work around the clock if you want (joy), no ambients, very minimal reflections (hence the +/- 6 dB). And compared to the carbon doped foam chambers of many years ago, much more affordable. Somewhere around 90k for the chamber plus the cost of your antenna(s), spectrum analyzer and turntable (if desired). Hope this helps, Don Sensormatic > ---------- > From: [email protected][SMTP:[email protected]] > Reply To: [email protected] > Sent: Thursday, January 13, 2000 4:48 PM > To: [email protected] > Subject: 3 meter lab > > > > > Society, > > Our company is contemplating a 3m lab for preliminary emissions scans. We > aren't looking for "submittable" results, but rather, a decent indicator > of > whether or not modifications to the EUT improve emissions. In your > opinions, > what is the minimum setup needed to achieve this? Without a proper ground > plane > and some sort of shielding on the walls, can a spectrum analyzer/antenna > setup > do any good? How are other company's labs set up? I've heard of people > putting > an open lab on their roofs. What kind of results do they get? Any > opinions, > experiences, or ideas are appreciated. > > Thanks, > Brent > > > > --------- > This message is coming from the emc-pstc discussion list. > To cancel your subscription, send mail to [email protected] > with the single line: "unsubscribe emc-pstc" (without the > quotes). For help, send mail to [email protected], > [email protected], [email protected], or > [email protected] (the list administrators). > > --------- This message is coming from the emc-pstc discussion list. To cancel your subscription, send mail to [email protected] with the single line: "unsubscribe emc-pstc" (without the quotes). For help, send mail to [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], or [email protected] (the list administrators).
