In our company we make stuff that must meet EMC requirements. Usually the radiated emissions are the most challenging. We have these checked in accredited test houses, which are expensive.
So we try to pre-check the products to see if there is fair chance of success.
We have no OATS or anechoic room, so we make do with a logper antenna in an empty office room. The ambient radio smog is making this virtually impossible nowadays.
I recently bought a secondhand 3m TemCell, intending to use it the wrong way around (not immunity, but unwanted radiation).
After reading up on the matter I became convinced that it should be possible to get at least a fair -albeit uncalibrated- impression of the radiated spurious of the EUT.
Not so however. If a EUT with known radiation characteristics is placed in the TemCell, all I see is a Flat line on the spectrum analyzer. I might as well have connected a dummy load. Even with a preamp I see nothing.
Connecting the same spec on the same setting on the antenna, the screen lights up. And the EUT does radiate..
Question:
Anybody else out there doing what I do? Am I expecting something that is not there? Does a TemCell not work both ways (reciprocal)?
Or is the cell just broken...and do I need to tear it open for repairs?
Thanks in advance!
Best Regards, Rene