Subjects of discussion in radiated emission measurements above 1 GHz

Some emission and susceptibility EMC standards already require measurements above 1 GHz or test site validations (IEC 2006, CISPR 2006). A simple assignment of the established measurement methods below 1 GHz to the frequency range above 1 GHz bears some risks. The ratio between the physical size of the equipment under test (EUT) and the wave-length rises with frequency. This increases the electrical size of the EUT. The directivity may become larger and the radiation pattern of the EUT is getting more complex which reduces the probability to detect the maximum emission with a simple planar cut scan. To analyse these effects in more detail this paper shows radiation characteristics of an exemplary EUT. The influence of a receiving antenna height scan and the angle increment of the turntable scan on the detection of the maximum of the electrical field strength will be discussed. As a result some ideas will be given to reduce the measurement time but keeping the reliability of the measurement results constant