BluFlux provides RF engineering and customized antenna design, including modeling, analysis, fabrication, and over-the-air (OTA) testing in-house at their Louisville, Colorado, facility. The customized antenna design capabilities – from inception to optimization – not only ensure a successful product launch but also expedites the product's time to market. When BluFlux was ready to expand their wireless test capabilities, they consulted the experts at ETS-Lindgren. For the past few years, BluFlux has used ETS-Lindgren's Antenna Measurement System Model AMS-8923 to support OTA performance testing in the 700 MHz to 6 GHz frequency range for Cellular, Wi-Fi, A-GPS, LTE- SISO (FDD/TDD), and MIMO requirements. To expand their capabilities to support OTA performance testing in the 24 GHz to 43.5 GHz frequency range per 3GPP TR 38.810, BluFlux recently added ETS-Lindgren's Model AMS-5703, a Compact Antenna Test Range (CATR), to their test laboratory. With these two test chambers, Models AMS-8923 and AMS-5703, BluFlux can test a wide variety of 5G and mmWave wireless devices over an extended frequency range to address both FR1 and FR2 test requirements. BluFlux appreciates ETS-Lindgren's ability to design and manufacture standard and customized AMS solutions for wireless testing in the lower and higher frequency ranges.
"The 60 cm diameter quiet zone of our new CATR is a key feature," said Flavio Caduda, Lab Manager and RF Antenna Engineer at BluFlux. "With the larger quiet zone, we have greater flexibility in the products we can test, such as wearables, mobile phones, smart meters, and even drones! We have the capability to perform dual-axis, 3-dimensional radiated OTA performance measurements of 5GNR wireless devices, with or without antenna feed ports, as well as test bands n257, n258, n260, and n261 per 3GPP TR 38.810. Thanks to ETS-Lindgren, our customers are very happy with the expanded wireless test services we can now offer."
ETS-Lindgren's AMS chambers feature the industry-leading EMQuest EMQ-100 software interface for FR1 and FR2 test requirements. EMQuest EMQ-100 offers a wide range of fully parameterized test methods for measuring basic antenna performance metrics, as well as for testing both radiated and conducted performance of various wireless devices. Flexible in its design, EMQuest EMQ-100 can be used to analyze antennas in stand-alone applications or to test an embedded antenna system and radio module against any of the industry standard OTA radiated performance test requirements. EMQuest software is instrumentation brand-agnostic, giving test labs the ability to use existing instruments as well as those that may be purchased in the future.
ETS-Lindgren also provides on-site installation, on-site integration, on-site training, as well as CTIA Certification system and audit assistance for its wireless test systems. ETS-Lindgren is the first company to have received the CTIA Authorized Test Lab distinction in 2002. Today, more than 80% of the CTIA OTA labs worldwide utilize ETS-Lindgren's solutions for OTA radiated performance testing.
More information on ETS-Lindgren's Wireless Test Solutions, including the industry-leading AMS family of test chambers and EMQuest antenna measurement software can be found on ETS-Lindgren's website. Solutions overview for 5G wireless testing as well as a 5G upgrade package for existing OTA test systems installed by ETS-Lindgren or other manufacturers can also be found on the website. ETS-Lindgren's Model 2304 Precision Multi-Axis Positioning System (MAPS) can be used in a wide range of test facilities for performing 2-cut, 3-cut, and spherical EIRP, TRP, and antenna pattern measurements.
