R&S ATS1500C antenna test chamber

The R&S ATS1500C antenna test system from Rohde & Schwarz now offers an added temperature test option and feed antenna, enabling temperature-controlled measurements in a wide temperature range as well as parallel access to both polarisations, increasing test efficiency and flexibility. The compact antenna test range (CATR)-based antenna test chamber is carefully designed to eliminate ghost targets within the chamber during target simulation tests and includes a positioner for angular measurements.

The R&S ARC-TEMP temperature test option creates a temperature-controlled environment for the radar under test and supports a wide range from -40 to +85°C. The heated or cooled air is provided by an external thermal air stream system that supplies the air to the temperature bubble mounted on the positioner. This changes the temperature without affecting the chamber’s measurement performance. This feature makes it possible to automate measurements at different temperatures without a separate climatic chamber, which increases radar testing speed.

The R&S ARC-FX90 universal feed antenna, which supports 60 to 90 GHz, can be added to the test chamber. The antenna includes an orthomode transducer, which enables parallel access to vertical and horizontal polarisations.

With these options for the test chamber, developers can efficiently characterise RF transmitters, calibrate antenna manifolds, measure antenna patterns, test robustness against interference, check compliance with regulations such as ETSI and FCC, and plan testing and calibration procedures for later mass production. The chamber is used as a reference environment before porting the procedures to a production tester.

The test chamber can be used for automotive radar module development, validation, calibration and compliance testing. The universal feed antenna and temperature test option are both hardware extensions to the R&S ATS1500C and can be retrofitted.