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research bodyEMSL & GNSS

European Microwave Signature Laboratory and EU GNSS Simulation and Receiver Testing Facilities

The European Microwave Signature Laboratory and EU GNSS Simulation and Receiver Testing Facilities offers a broad range of testing capabilities for satellite navigation and wireless communications systems.

The EMSL offers a broad range of testing capabilities in the radio-frequency range, in support to the Galileo project, to standardisation and regulation under the EU Radio Spectrum Policy.

The European Microwave Signature Laboratory (EMSL) is a state-of-the-art experimental facility which provides unique measurement capabilities in the field of microwave remote sensing and Radio Frequency (RF) compatibility. The laboratory was originally designed to perform wide-band polarimetric radar measurements and it has been successfully used in other research fields such as, for example, antenna measurements, material testing through microwaves and detection of buried objects (e.g. landmines).

Take a virtual tour

Presently, the EMSL is primarily used for testing wireless communication systems, including Global Navigation Satellite Systems (GNSS). The laboratory can be used for RF measurements from 700 MHz up to 50 GHz and it is equipped with an advanced GPS and Galileo signal simulator able to generate complex scenarios involving signals from different frequency bands.

Putting its unique measurement capabilities at the service of policy makers, the end-users community and industry, the EMSL is a key instrument to assess potential interferences and vulnerabilities of present and future wireless communication services.

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Exploded View of the EMSL: As shown in the above figure, the EMSL anechoic chamber has a hemispherical shape with a diameter of 20 m. It has two separate TX/RX modules plus a set of 37 fixed receive antennas. Mono and bistatic measurements can be performed with variable incidence and bistatic angles (±115°) for any aspect of the target under test. Multistatic measurements outside the incidence plane can be performed using the receive antennas uniformly distributed on the dome.

 

Take a virtual tour of the European Microwave Signature Laboratory