Testing
RF
Nurad facilities include all design, manufacturing, and test resources necessary to design and develop advanced antenna and radome systems, including extensive antenna radiation pattern and gain test facilities operating from 240 MHz to 60 GHz.
Our antenna test facilities include 5 fully equipped anechoic chambers and 1 load test chamber. These chambers utilize the Orbit/FR 959 Plus Automated Measurement Systems and Hewlett Packard Vector Network Analyzers (HP-8530, HP-8510C and HP-8720). Four of the anechoic chambers are 14' x 14' x 20' and have 2 foot diameter spherical quiet zones. A fifth 8' x 8' x 40' fully shielded anechoic chamber is used for both radiation pattern measurement and high power RF testing. The antenna positioning equipment in each chamber consists of a model tower and azimuth over elevation positioner.
Nurad also has a 250' outdoor antenna range that has been approved for full-scale testing by the U.S. Navy. It has a 4-axis mount, which allows roll over azimuth over elevation over azimuth pattern measurements with large fuselage mock-up ground planes.
Nurad recently built a state-of-the-art compact antenna range specifically designed for Radar Cross Section (RCS) measurements and radiation pattern and gain measurements. This facility includes a serrated-edge reflector, is instrumented with Orbit/FR and Agilent automated measurement equipment, is housed in a 60 x 36 x 26 ft. (L x W x H) anechoic chamber, and has a 8 x 8 x 5.3 ft. (L x W x H) quiet-zone. It is capable of antenna measurements over the frequency range of 2 to 50 GHz.
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RCS
Nurad facilities include all design, manufacturing and test resources necessary to design and develop advanced antenna and radome systems, including Radar Cross Section (RCS) test facilities.
Nurad's state-of-the-art compact antenna range is specifically designed for measurements of next generation airborne antennas and radomes. This facility includes a serrated-edge reflector, a heavy duty pylon, is instrumented with Orbit/FR and Agilent automated measurement equipment, is housed in a 60 x 36 x 26 ft. (L X W X H) anechoic chamber and has an 8 x 8 x 5.3ft. (L X W X H) quiet-zone.
This unique electrical test facility has a dual functionality that is capable of conventional antenna radiation pattern and gain measurements, as well as RCS measurements. Pattern and gain can be measured from 1 GHz to 50 GHz, with capability to test for low sidelobes, precise beam pointing, beam deflection through radomes, low cross polarization levels and all the other typical antenna electrical performance parameters.
Nurad not only uses this facility to support its own product development activities, but also makes it available as a "fee for service" test facility for selected customers.
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High Power
Nurad's high power test facility was created specifically to enable hardware testing to to the simultaneous conditions of high RF power, high/low temperature, and high/low altitude.
This facility will be suitable for high power antenna testing of EW/ECM, radar, and communication systems. The temperature/altitude chamber has an internal working space of 6x5x7 ft. (LxWxH), has a temperature testing range of -73° C to +250° C (-100° F to 482° F) and an altitude range of site pressure to 100,000 feet. RF power capabilities are 2.5 GHz to 18 GHz, continuous wave (CW) is 1,000 W typical, and pulse is 10 KW peak at 0-5% duty cycle.
Nurad uses this facility to support in-house product development and testing, and also to provide test services.
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Temperature & Altitude
Nurad facilities include all design, manufacturing, and test resources necessary to design and develop advanced antenna and radome systems, including some specialized environmental test capability.
Nurad's environmental test laboratory includes a large walk-in chamber for testing under the simultaneous conditions of temperature and altitude. The temperature/altitude chamber has internal dimensions of 6x5x7 feet (LxWxH), and hence can be used to test large antennas and other components. It is fully computer controlled and can be programmed to test over the temperature range of -73° C to +250° C and altitudes ranging from site pressure to 100,000 ft. In addition, the chamber is lined with RF absorbing material so that antennas can be tested while also transmitting RF power.
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