Comparison of RF coupling to passenger aircraft avionics measured on a transport aircraft and in a reverberation chamber

Abstract

This paper describes measurements of the radio frequency (RF) energy coupled to instrumented avionics boxes from a large transport aircraft and a simulated avionics box. The measurements were performed as a part of the experiments lead by Naval Surface Warfare Center, Dahlgren Division (NSWCDD) to investigate the electromagnetic reverberation characteristics of a large transport aircraft. Measurements of the coupling of RF energy to the unpowered, instrumented aircraft and simulated avionics boxes were made when the avionics bay, cockpit and passenger cabin were internally excited with swept CW RF energy from 100 MHz to 6 GHz and mechanical mode-mixing techniques were used. The measurements were then repeated in the reverberation chamber facility at NSWCDD. The tests are intended to demonstrate that the RF coupling characteristics of the aircraft and simulated avionics boxes measured in a reverberation chamber constitute valid descriptions of the same boxes when installed in the aircraft.