Description
NSI-MI Technologies’ Test Zone Analysis is an integrated software package for analyzing antenna range field probe data. It ensures that processing is consistent and data results are presented in a uniform and organized manner. An important data acquisition process in the certification and analysis of antenna ranges is to probe the zone in which the antenna under test (AUT) is placed. The complete area within which an AUT may reside is termed the “test zone”. For a compact range, the test zone is also termed the “quiet zone”. The quality of the field in the test zone is a primary factor in the final accuracy of antenna measurement data on an AUT.
The normal method of probing a test zone is to mount a linear apparatus with a moving antenna probe in the test zone and to collect data in a scanned fashion at multiple frequencies, orientations and positions of the apparatus. An extensive set of scans can map the quality of the field in the test zone. Test Zone Analysis software provides the capability to analyze these scans against the standard metrics which evaluate the quality of the test zone and to produce both a concise tabular analysis and annotated plots of the scan data.
Features
Test Zone Metrics
NSI-MI’s Test Zone Analysis is an accessory software package specifically designed to operate seamlessly with MI-3000 ArenaTM Data Acquisition & Analysis Software. It provides analysis of the scans for:
- Amplitude Taper, Ripple and Symmetry
- Total Amplitude Variation
- Phase Taper, Ripple, Slope and Tilt
- Total Phase Variation
These parameters are evaluated across a user defined quiet zone within the scans. In addition, field probes scans taken during the focus and alignment phase of an antenna range can be processed to assist in aligning the range more quickly.
