Randomized trial demonstrates accurate RF attenuation calibration in a practical system, implying reliable measurements for communication and EMC testing.
Key Points
To develop an accurate and robust RF attenuation calibration system for traceable measurements from 9 kHz to 10 MHz.
Developed a practical attenuation measurement system utilizing direct RF substitution technique.
Employed two cascaded resistive step attenuators with total attenuation range of 60 dB and 1 dB resolution.
Established traceability against an inductive voltage divider-based primary attenuation standard.
Measurements up to 60 dB showed excellent agreement with the primary attenuation standard.
Expanded uncertainties were reported as 3.6 × 10−3 dB at 20 dB, 5.6 × 10−3 dB at 60 dB, and 8.4 × 10−3 dB at 100 dB.
Consistency demonstrated at 80 dB and 100 dB, yielding comparable uncertainty levels to similar systems.