All four parameters of CISPR 16-1-1 Table K.1, VSWR, sine-wave voltage tolerance, response to pulses and selectivity, verified in every CISPR band from A to E, together with attenuator accuracy, log fidelity, frequency and span accuracy. Measured on site under LAB Support Ltd.'s A2LA accredited ISO/IEC 17025 scope.
An EMI receiver must meet CISPR 16-1-1 for input VSWR, absolute accuracy, bandwidths and the response of its quasi-peak, peak, CISPR-average and RMS-average detectors to pulses. A sine-wave calibration cannot show most of that, and the manufacturer's self-test does not cover it against traceable standards. An ISO/IEC 17025 certificate that reports each Table K.1 parameter against its limit, in the bands and modes you use, is what your uncertainty budget and your assessor need.
| Parameter | Range | Common methods and standards |
|---|---|---|
| Absolute amplitude accuracy, frequency response | 9 kHz to 40 GHz | CISPR 16-1-1, ANSI C63.2, signal generator and power meter |
| Reference level and marker display level accuracy | 9 kHz to 40 GHz | CISPR 16-1-1, signal generator, step attenuator |
| Attenuator accuracy | 0 dB to 115 dB | Step attenuator, power meter |
| Log fidelity | 1 Hz to 40 GHz | Signal generator, step attenuator |
| Span and frequency readout accuracy | 1 Hz to 40 GHz | Frequency reference |
| Pulse repetition response | CISPR Bands A/B, C/D and E | CISPR 16-1-1, pulse generator; pulse-modulated signal generator in Band E |
| CW to pulse amplitude comparison | CISPR Bands A/B, C/D and E | CISPR 16-1-1, pulse generator, signal generator, power meter |
| Bandwidth accuracy and overall selectivity | Bandwidths from 10 Hz to 50 MHz | CISPR 16-1-1, signal generator |
| Bandwidth switching accuracy | 9 kHz to 40 GHz | Signal generator |
| VSWR and input impedance | 5 Hz to 40 GHz | CISPR 16-1-1, network analyser with calibration kit to 20 GHz; signal generator, power meter and directional couplers above |
| Noise floor | 1 Hz to 40 GHz | 50 Ω termination |
The methods and standards shown are the ones most commonly requested. Within each parameter and range listed on the accredited scope, other calibration methods and standard editions can be supported under the flexible-scope provisions of LAB Support's A2LA accreditation. The measurement uncertainty for each parameter is stated on the certificate. Field calibration is included in the scope for every line above.
Annex K of CISPR 16-1-1 sets the minimum that has to be verified before a receiver can be said to comply: VSWR, sine-wave voltage tolerance, response to pulses and selectivity, at the start, centre and stop frequency of each CISPR band. Our certificate reports each of them against the limit in the standard, including Band E.
| Table K.1 parameter | Clause in CISPR 16-1-1:2019 | What is measured on site |
|---|---|---|
| VSWR | 4.2 | Input VSWR at 0 dB and at 10 dB or more of input attenuation, on each RF input and coupling the receiver has. |
| Sine-wave voltage tolerance | 4.3 | Level accuracy against a power-meter reference in receiver mode and in time-domain scan mode, with the preamplifier off and on, over the full range of the receiver. |
| Response to pulses | 5.2, 6.4, 7.3, 8.3 | Pulse repetition response and the CW to pulse amplitude relationship for the quasi-peak, peak, CISPR-average and RMS-average detectors. Bands A to D with a CISPR pulse generator; Band E at 1 GHz, 9.5 GHz and 18 GHz with a pulse-modulated carrier, as Annex E of the standard describes. |
| Selectivity | 4.4 | The bandwidth mask of each CISPR bandwidth, 200 Hz, 9 kHz, 120 kHz and 1 MHz, measured for every detector, and the impulse bandwidth. |
Also reported: response to intermittent, unsteady and drifting narrowband disturbances for the CISPR-average and RMS-average detectors, the response to random noise for each detector, frequency and span accuracy, attenuator accuracy, log fidelity, bandwidth switching and noise floor. Clause numbers are those of Edition 5.0 (2019); calibration to other editions and to ANSI C63.2 is available.
The quasi-peak detector is defined only up to 1 GHz, and so is the classic CISPR impulse generator. That is why many receiver certificates show a pulse response up to 1 GHz and nothing beyond it. The standard does not stop there. Above 1 GHz, product standards set their limits with the peak and average detectors, and CISPR 16-1-1 defines the response of the peak, CISPR-average and RMS-average detectors to pulses in Band E as well. Table K.1 asks for it at the start, centre and stop of the band.
Because no impulse generator has a flat spectrum to 18 GHz, the standard specifies a pulse-modulated carrier tuned to the receive frequency, with a pulse short enough for the 1 MHz impulse bandwidth. We bring that source with us, so the peak, CISPR-average and RMS-average detectors are verified with pulses at 1 GHz, 9.5 GHz and 18 GHz, in receiver mode and in time-domain scan mode. Pulse repetition response and CW to pulse amplitude comparison are both on the accredited scope for CISPR Bands A, B, C, D and E.
Read the technical note: an EMI receiver is not a spectrum analyser with a CISPR badge →
From our own calibration records. Any instrument within the scope can be calibrated; these are the ones we see most.
Yes. The quasi-peak, peak, CISPR-average and RMS-average detectors are checked with the pulse repetition rates CISPR 16-1-1 lists, and the amplitude relationship between a pulse and a sine wave is measured for each of them. It is not done with CW signals only.
Yes. In Band E, 1 GHz to 18 GHz, the peak, CISPR-average and RMS-average detectors are verified with a pulse-modulated carrier at 1 GHz, 9.5 GHz and 18 GHz, the method Annex E of CISPR 16-1-1 gives because an impulse generator cannot cover that range. Pulse repetition response and CW to pulse amplitude comparison are on the accredited scope for CISPR Bands A/B, C/D and E. The quasi-peak detector is only defined up to 1 GHz, so it is verified in Bands A to D.
Yes. Where the receiver has an FFT-based time-domain scan, the frequency accuracy, level accuracy, pulse response and amplitude relationship are measured in that mode as well as in the stepped receiver mode, because the two use different signal paths.
By default Edition 5.0 (2019), with ANSI C63.2 as a reference. Calibration to another edition of CISPR 16-1-1 or to ANSI C63.2 can be specified, which matters when your product standard carries a dated reference.
Yes. Each Table K.1 parameter receives a result that takes the measurement uncertainty into account, in the way Annex K of CISPR 16-1-1 sets out: clearly within the limit, within the limit by less than the uncertainty, outside it by less than the uncertainty, or clearly outside.
Yes. Amplitude accuracy is measured with and without the preamplifier, and with the preselector where fitted, so all the paths you use are covered.
The certificate reports measured values. Where the manufacturer allows user adjustment it can be performed and the instrument re-measured; otherwise out-of-tolerance results are reported for your action.
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