Fluke Precision Measurement, in collaboration with the National Physical Labratory (NPL), has developed a new single piece of equipment that is capable of effectively calibrating radio frequency (RF) devices.
The calibration of such RF devices has typically required several different pieces of equipment, such as a signal sources, power meters and reference sensors.
NPL’s Dr Matthew Harper recently spent two weeks on secondment to Fluke, based in Norwich, assisting with the development of the device known as the Fluke 9640A RF Reference Source.
Using a new technique developed by NPL called in-phase quadrature (IQ), Harper was able to aid in the creation of the new device as well as prove its effectiveness.
Paul Bunyan, head of metrology at Fluke, said: “Working together with a member of NPL staff on-site was a significant factor in understanding and demonstrating the potential for this novel measurement technique in our particular application. The two-week secondment has saved Fluke between three to six months of internal engineering development work.”
The system can be used to calibrate a broad range of RF test equipment including spectrum analyzers, modulation meters and analysers, RF power meters and sensors, measurement receivers, frequency counters and attenuators.
