Field Probes Performance for the Measurement of Spread-Spectrum Radio Signals

Abstract

This letter describes results obtained from an experimental evaluation of field probes used to assess digitally modulated electromagnetic fields. Making use of an experimental setup specifically developed, a large number of devices with different characteristics were analyzed in the presence of three different spread-spectrum schemes: wideband code division multiple access [(W)CDMA], direct sequence spread spectrum (DSSS), and orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM). The measurement error caused by the modulation was investigated as a function of its main parameters: signal power, time variation, and occupied bandwidth.