Configuration Requirements for Emission Testing and Cables

Question: What are the configuration requirements for emission testing of an Equipment Under Test (EUT) when the cables, which are absent during normal operation and are connected only temporarily (for maintenance, initial installation, pre-programming, repair, adjustment etc..

Answer: ANSI Standard C63.4 – 2003, which is incorporated the FCC Rules by reference (47 CFR 15.31(a)(6) and 15.38), is the procedure the FCC uses for testing most intentional and unintentional radiators. Cables that are used only temporarily for maintenance, repair, adjustment, etc. need not be connected to the EUT during compliance testing. Cables that are used during normal operation, whether permanently connected or not, must be connected. (See Clause 6.2 of ANSI Standard C63.4-2003.)
(source fcc.gov / Publication Number: 368196)

Agilent 85054BAgilent/HP 85054B Standard Mechanical Calibration Kit, DC to 18 GHz, Type-N, 50 ohm The Agilent 85054B mechanical calibration kit contains precision standard devices

Agilent 85052CPrecision mechanical calibration kit, DC to 26.5 GHz, 3.5 mm The Agilent 85052C precision mechanical calibration kit contains precision standard devices to characterize the systematic errors of Agilent network analyzers

Agilent 85133EAgilent/HP 85133E Flexible Cable, 2.4 mm The Agilent 85133E is a 97 cm (38 in) long flexible cable with a 2.4 mm female2 to PSC-2.4 mm female connector.

Agilent 85134FFlexible Cable Set, 2.4 mm to 3.5 mm

Agilent 85133FAgilent/HP 85133F Flexible Cable Set, 2.4 mm The Agilent 85133F is a 63 cm (25 in) long1 flexible cable set composed of a 2.4 mm female2 to PSC-2.4 mm

Agilent 85131FFlexible Cable Set The Agilent 85131F is a 62.2 cm (24.5 in) long1 flexible cable set composed of a 3.5 mm female2 to PSC-3.5 mm female connector

What is the Smith Chart?

A plot of complex reflection overlaid with an impedance and (or) admittance grid referenced to a 1-ohm characteristic impedance. The Smith chart, invented by Phillip H. Smith is a graphical aid designed for electrical and electronics engineers specializing in radio frequency (RF) engineering to assist in solving problems with transmission lines and matching circuits. Use of the Smith chart utility has grown steadily over the years and it is still widely used today, not only as a problem solving aid, but as a graphical demonstrator of how RF parameters behave at one or more frequencies, an alternative to using tabular information. The Smith chart can be used to represent many parameters including impedances, admittances, reflection coefficients, S_{nn}\, scattering parameters, noise figure circles, constant gain contours and regions for unconditional stability. The Smith chart is most frequently used at or within the unity radius region. However, the remainder is still mathematically relevant, being used, for example, in oscillator design and stability analysis. Smith Chart is a registered trademark of Analog Instruments Company, New Providence, NJ.

Smith Chart Resource:

Free Smith Chart for Excel by RF Cafe – two unique spreadsheets that allow entering either S-parameters or complex numbers