ATC Test Site Measurements

The development of antennas and antenna modules comes along with a lot of challenges and need certain iteration loops. They are often demanded to be highly integrated on a limited given area, while still ensuring connectivity. Simulation and component measurements of antenna give a good understanding of the module behaviour. On the final step you tune and approve your development on vehicle. The Antenna Technology Center (ATC) GmbH provides the tools and know-how to support you in the process. As an independent service provider, we work close with and for car OEMs and their suppliers.

Our semi-anechoic test site is capable to perform measurements from component scale, up to vehicle size. On spherical near field (SNF) and far field (FF) we obtain the physical performance of the antenna, in decibel_isotropic (dB_i) and decibel_Reference (dB_Ref) respectively. The encasing radome ensures stable measurement conditions for the AUT at any weather as well as protection for your prototype antennas and OEM vehicles, certified to the high TISAX standard, required by Volkswagen and further OEMs. Furthermore, every customer has the possibility to attend to the measurements if they want or need to.

If you want to have for example a proof of concept for your antenna/module design, we support you with

1. vehicle acquisition and preparation

2. Performing meaningful measurements

3. Processing, analysing and combining the data

4. Creating conclusive reports and presentations of all data

Figure 1: Example of 3D radiation pattern

Near-Field:

Near-field measurements can be performed in the frequency range of 50 MHz up to 6 GHz and include the full hemisphere of the antenna under test (AUT). The ground is made of perfect electrical conductor (PEC). After the Near-field-to-far-field (NF2FF) transformation, all results are represented in decibel (dBi or dBic) and an appropriate angular resolution. All comes with a detailed documentation and, when demanded, a wide-ranging measurement report.

Figure 2: Spherical nearfield setup

Far-Field:

We are also capable to perform far-field measurements on our site, with a 120 m distance between Tx and Rx with a metallic grid surface, meeting the same condition like in the radome. The frequency ranges from 50 MHz to 1 GHz (1 GHz to 2 GHz possible), covering the major broadcast services transmitting from ground stations. Far field measurements on elevations between 1° – 5° provide fast and conclusive results to a reference antenna (dbRef).

Antenna Technology Center GmbH