Measurements

A free electronic newsletter covering news and other topics for those interested in RF safety issues.

LIVE, Web-Based RF Safety Training

Home
Up
Sources
Health Effects
RF Standards
Workplace Safety
RF Safety Equipment
Measurements
Medical Devices

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Contents

This section is designed to help you understand some of the issues that you might face when making measurements of RF fields.

  1. Survey Equipment Accuracy
  2. Calibration
  3. Spatial Averaging
  4. Measurement Artifacts

Measurement Uncertainty

Richard Strickland filed comments to the FCC on Measurement Uncertainty in response to their Notice of Proposed Rulemaking.  These comments provide an overview of much of the discussions in this section on measurements and frames them in the context of typical measurement environments.  Read the Comments on Measurement Uncertainty.

Survey Equipment Accuracy

The accuracy of a survey instrument is almost entirely driven by the accuracy of the sensors.  Many sensor specifications are expressed in the logarithmic ratio of dB.  A parameter that has a 1.0 dB tolerance means the value could be off by 26%.  In contrast, even a simple meter should be accurate within a maximum of 5%.  The other major factors that impact the overall accuracy of a survey are:

bulletCalibration
bulletMeasurement techniques.  For example, when is it important to employ spatial averaging?
bulletUnderstanding site conditions and their impact on the measurements
bulletWhether field levels are relatively static, as might expect at a broadcast site, or changing rapidly—which is often the case at a wireless services site.
bulletMeasurement artifacts—strange characteristics of the equipment that lead to measurement inaccuracy.

See Equipment Accuracy for detailed information.

[ Home ] [ Up ] [ Equipment Accuracy ] [ Calibration ] [ Spatial Averaging ] [ Measurment Artifacts ]

Send mail to web@rfsafetysolutions.com with questions or comments about this web site.
Copyright © 2007 RF Safety Solutions LLC
Site last modified: 2/28/2007