It's come to this: TV antenna testing

[Gregg Lengling]

posted by tvbarn on March 24, 2004 11:34 AM
CEA Enhances Standard Test Method For Television Antennas

Result will Help Consumers Receive Over-the-Air DTV

Arlington, Va., March 23, 2004 - The Consumer Electronics Association (CEA) announced today that its R5 Antenna Systems Committee has adopted a new edition of the CEA-774 standard for television antennas. Titled CEA-774A - TV Receiving Antenna Performance Presentation and Measurement, the updated standard provides manufacturers of television antennas with the test and measurement procedures necessary to make their products compliant with the antenna categories defined at //www.antennaweb.org. Antennaweb.org is a CEA website used by consumers and professional installers to determine which types of television antennas are most appropriate for specific street addresses.

This enhanced standard will allow manufacturers to design and build high-quality antennas to help ensure that viewers can receive over-the-air digital television signals. The most significant improvement in the new version of the standard is the addition of a method for measuring antenna performance in a Gigahertz Transverse Electromagnetic Mode (GTEM) cell. GTEM cells are relatively small, specially designed compartments. They allow testing of antennas to be conducted indoors in appropriately equipped laboratories with no impact from the laboratory environment. The standard previously required that tests be conducted outdoors on an open field test range.

"CEA-774A not only embraces and refines the time tested antenna range test methods," said Ray Connover, chair of the Antenna Systems committee that developed the standard and consultant to CONUS Communications and Hubbard Broadcasting, "it also adds new alternate test methodologies such as the addition of a GTEM cell. Use of these new test methods allow antennas to be tested quickly without any environment effects. Antennas for digital television service are especially well suited to the new test methods defined in CEA-774A."

CEA-774-A is available from Global Engineering Documents at http://global.ihs.com/. Additional information about CEA's Technology and Standards department can be found at //www.ce.org/standards.

About CEA: The Consumer Electronics Association (CEA) is the preeminent trade association promoting growth in the consumer technology industry through technology policy, events, research, promotion and the fostering of business and strategic relationships. CEA represents more than 1,300 corporate members involved in the design, development, manufacturing, distribution and integration of audio, video, mobile electronics, wireless and landline communications, information technology, home networking, multimedia and accessory products, as well as related services that are sold through consumer channels. Combined, CEA's members account for more than $90 billion in annual sales. CEA's resources are available online at //www.CE.org, the definitive source for information about the consumer electronics industry. CEA also sponsors and manages the International CES - Defining Tomorrow's Technology. All profits from CES are reinvested into industry services, including technical training and education, industry promotion, engineering standards development, market research and legislative advocacy.