ORIGINAL PAPER
Optimization of measurement methods for a multi-frequency electromagnetic field from mobile phone base station using broadband EMF meter
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Politechnika Wrocławska / Wroclaw University of Technology, Wrocław, Poland
(Wydział Elektroniki, Katedra Telekomunikacja i Teleinformatyki / Faculty of Electronics, Telecommunications and Teleinformatics Department)
Corresponding author
Paweł Cała
Politechnika Wrocławska,
Katedra Telekomunikacji i Teleinformatyki, Janiszewskiego 9, 50-370 Wrocław
Med Pr Work Health Saf. 2015;66(5):701-12
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ABSTRACT
Background: This paper presents the characteristics of the mobile phone base station (BS) as an electromagnetic field (EMF) source.
The most common system configurations with their construction are described. The parameters of radiated EMF in the context of
the access to methods and other parameters of the radio transmission are discussed. Attention was also paid to antennas that are
used in this technology. Material and Methods: The influence of individual components of a multi-frequency EMF, most commonly
found in the BS surroundings, on the resultant EMF strength value indicated by popular broadband EMF meters was analyzed. The
examples of metrological characteristics of the most common EMF probes and 2 measurement scenarios of the multisystem base
station, with and without microwave relays, are shown. Results: The presented method for measuring the multi-frequency EMF
using 2 broadband probes allows for the significant minimization of measurement uncertainty. Equations and formulas that can
be used to calculate the actual EMF intensity from multi-frequency sources are shown. They have been verified in the laboratory
conditions on a specific standard setup as well as in real conditions in a survey of the existing base station with microwave relays. Conclusions: Presented measurement methodology of multi-frequency EMF from BS with microwave relays, validated both in laboratory
and real conditions. It has been proven that the described measurement methodology is the optimal approach to the evaluation
of EMF exposure in BS surrounding. Alternative approaches with much greater uncertainty (precaution method) or more complex
measuring procedure (sources exclusion method) are also presented. Med Pr 2015;66(5):701–712