Metrology and Measurement Systems

Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access (WiMAX), based on the IEEE 802.16 standards, is a technology that offers low cost mobile broadband access to multimedia and internet applications for operators and end-users. Similarly to cellular phone or other Radio Frequency devices, WiMAX has to be considered as a possible source of electromagnetic pollution and so monitoring its emission could be necessary to verify compliance with the applicable emission limits. Generally, the monitoring of the electromagnetic pollution is performed by means of a suitable measurement chain constituted by an antenna connected to a traditional spectrum analyzer. The use of this kind of device to measure the power of digital modulated noise-like signals, such as WiMAX, requires to use proper measurement methods and to carefully set many instrument parameters to obtain reliable measurement results, otherwise a significant underestimate or overestimate of the human exposure can be obtained. In this framework, this paper investigates the feasibility of using the traditional spectrum analyzer to perform the electromagnetic pollution measurements due to WiMAX devices. A large experimental campaign is carried out to identify the most proper measurement method and spectrum analyzer settings able to warrant reliable measurements.