Hi!

I would like to set up a calibration system for calibrating, "Cable & Attenna Tester for Wireless System: Bird Site analyzer". Please suggest me the Reference Standards which can calibrate the following parameters:
1. RF Power
2. RF Frequency
3. VSWR, Return Loss

Your reply will be highly appreciated.

Sarju

Hello Sarju!

Welcome to the Elsmar Cove!:agree1:

First, just a few preliminary questions. How many units are you wanting to calibrate?

Would you not think that it would be better in the end to send them to a qualified lab and have them calibrate them?

Do you have the accuracy requirement listed?

Depending on what kind of equipment you are wanting to calibrate, it can get very expensive very quickly buying the standards that you need. You will need higher-order power/frequency sensing equipment.

Anyway, when you get a chance, drop a note and let us know a little more about your situation.

Hi!

I would like to set up a calibration system for calibrating, "Cable & Attenna Tester for Wireless System: Bird Site analyzer". Please suggest me the Reference Standards which can calibrate the following parameters:
1. RF Power
2. RF Frequency
3. VSWR, Return Loss

Your reply will be highly appreciated.

Sarju

Hello Sarju,

I did a search and found a listing of various Site Analyzers (http://www.etesters.com/search/product/listbymanufacturer.cfm?company=Bird+Electronics+Corporation&companyID=337e3ad4-38ff-4612-afaf-59ddffb1f2c7&keyword=Antenna+Analyzers) manufactured by Bird Electronics Corporation.

Each of the product descriptions has a link to a downloadable manual (Pdf) that descibes the calibration method. The analyzer that I looked at has a "self calibration" routine described in Chapter 2. Have you looked at this site and info before?

Here (http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q=calibrating+BIRD+antenna+site+analyzers&btnG=Search) is another collection of links you should look at.

Hope this helps a little. If not, let us know.

Stijloor.

Glad that u r trying to find something. I have gone through those site. The "self calibration" u r talking about is different. That is actually a zeroing or we can say its a lead compensation kind of function, which we need to do it everytime before using the instrument. I need the "Annual calibration method", to verify whether its specification are still within its limits. I tried to contact Bird, but not getting any reply.

Folks, please help me finding a solution!!!

Hello Sarju!

I'm pretty confident there are plenty of people to help you with a solution, but I for one will need some more information.

What are you trying to calibrate? Why are you interested in calibrating this instead of having a qualified vendor calibrate it?

Many times a MFG. of equipment will not be interested in providing information about servicing their equipment. It's easier, safer, and more profitable for them to have you send it back to them for service.

As far as setting up your own lab, one piece of test equipment can be $20,000 USD alone, not to mention it's annual calibration cost.

So when you can, please try to provide us answers to my previous questions and the like.

Dear Mr. Brad,

Thank you for your concern. We have almost 50 nos. of Site Master/ Analyzers. Therefore ,we are planning to set up an inhouse calibration lab. If we consider the cost& time to be spent, it is a better option than sending it all to the MFG. for annual calibration.

RF reference standard/source should have the capability to verify the following parameters:
1. RF Power (dBm)
2. RF Frequency (Hz)
3. Return Loss(dB)
4. VSWR
5. Attenuation
6. Bandwidth
7. Amplitude Modulation
8. Frequency Modulation
9. Phase Modulation

We are trying for Fluke 9640A RF Reference Source( 0.05dB accuracy), but till date Fluke is unable to establish the set up for VSWR/ Return Loss.

Hope, the informations may be of use in finding the best standard that can serve my purpose.

So, please drop your ideas and experiences in the field of RF calibration.

Sarju

Hi!

I would like to set up a calibration system for calibrating, "Cable & Attenna Tester for Wireless System: Bird Site analyzer". Please suggest me the Reference Standards which can calibrate the following parameters:
1. RF Power
2. RF Frequency
3. VSWR, Return Loss

Your reply will be highly appreciated.

Sarju

Some additional questions.......

First, what are the applicable Standards (e.g., IEC 60101, IEC 60950, IEC 61010)?

Are you testing 1, 3, and 10 meters? Or only 1 and 3? Or.....?

Are you indoors or outdoors?

What is the anticipated frequency range and configuration type of the antenna(s)?

Do you have TDR/FDR equipment for the cables?

Some additional information is helpful.....

Dear Mr. Hershal,

You seems to be talking about testing of Antenna, may be I've created a confusion using the word Antenna Tester. I've as many as 50 nos. of RF Instruments called, " Site Analyzer( Make: Bird)" which is used for testing cable and antenna and I want to calibrate those Site analyzer using a right Reference Standard. But, unfortunately i dont have the calibration procedure or some alternate method to calibrate its parameters like, Power Level(dBm), VSWR, Return Loss etc.

Hope things are cleared now. So please drop your idea.

Sarju

Malaya, I'm not for sure, but I think what Hershal was trying to ask had to do with finding out about more of your application. The questions regarding the antennas are not to test the antenna, but to find out what kind of simulation should occur to the equipment hooked to the antenna. Make sense?

Per his response, what is the applicable procedures? Also, are you going to be testing this equipment in a controlled environment, or calibrating them in-place?

You might want to contact Bird again, and offer to pay for a calibration procedure for the meter. In the end, it might be worth it to you. Also, if you perform any American Government work, you can access GIDEP, and they probably have the applicable procedure.

Another suggestion would be to contract someone to come on-site. Pay them to help establish a procedure, identify the correct equipment, train you on how to properly calibrate it and such.

Just some more thoughts.