42,43 Simple Field Strength 12/14/01 10:32 AM Page 42

● MEASURE THAT FIELD STRENGTH - THE G4VFV WAY!

Finding Field Strength The Sim p

Gordon King G4VFV takes a breather from
preparing his Looking At series to present a
useful little instrument - the field strength meter,
which we should all have in our shack.
t’s convenient and important to

I be able to monitor the signal

field in and around the shack
and QTH arising from
radiated r.f. This can be done
definitively, though
expensively, by means of a
sensitive and accurately
calibrated commercial
field strength meter
(FSM), or less accurately
and with minimal sensitivity -
though far less costly - by the ● Fig. 2: Photograph of
simple indicator (FSI) which I’m original prototype,
describing here. showing the inside
Let’s say we’re working the 14MHz band construction.
using a half-wave dipole (about 10 metres long)
to which the r.f. input is 100W. At this level then
the electric field strength in free-space at 14 metres the radiation).
distance from the antenna would theoretically be 5V With the 14MHz dipole
per metre (5V/m), e.g., 1000.5 x 7/14. example, therefore, the
This simply means that the r.f. across a metre of distance works out to 10 metres
space 14 metres from the antenna would have a (2x102/20). This is the start of the far-field distance.
● Fig. 1: Basic construction of
a prototype. The meter
strength of 5V. The trick is knowing how to measure (The near field is regarded as distances closer to the
resistor is not shown, but the voltage! radiating antenna than this).
can be included inside the With a compressed antenna smaller than a half
wavelength, such as a helical, frame, small loop,
meter movement case or
the enclosure. (The text
Too Close etc., the far-field distance cannot be less than the
reveals how the resistor If measured too close to the transmitting antenna radiated wavelength divided by 2π π. At 14MHz, for
value is calculated). the result will be the near-field strength. A certain instance, this means that the far-field distance can
distance is never be less than a little over three metres (20/6.28).
required for the
electric (E) and
magnetic (M) Simple Device
components of The circuit of the simple FSI device is given in Fig. 1.
the wave to link It’s based on a simple peak-to-peak detector circuit
together and (sometimes known as a voltage-doubler), which
form what is connects to a sensitive moving-coil meter movement.
known as a plane The detector circuit proper merely consists of two
wave....EM diodes and two capacitors. These are housed, along
radiation then with the meter movement, in a metal case with a
commences. (This BNC socket at the top and a terminal at the bottom.
happens when Basically, a peak-to-peak detector operates as
the distance is follows: During negative swings of the input signal
not less than two diode D1 conducts and C1 charges to a value related
times the square to the signal’s negative peak.
of he greatest During positive swings D1 is back-biased while
dimension of the diode D2 conducts and C2 charges to a value related
aerial, divided by to the signal’s positive peak.
the wavelength of With successive half cycles C1 charge is

42 Practical Wireless, February 2002

 42,43 Simple Field Strength 12/14/01 10:36 AM Page 43

m ple Way!
to be adequate.
For enhanced
pickup an additional
wire can be connected
to the bottom
terminal, serving
rather like a
counterpoise! To locate
progressively transferred to C2, so that the voltage items ‘hot’ to r.f. in the
across C2 and hence across the meter relates to the shack, only a short
sum of the signal’s positive and negative peaks. sensing wire to the
An early prototype employed a relatively BNC socket may be all
insensitive meter of around 850µA full-scale. that’s necessary.
Although this provided reasonable indications of r.f., a
more sensitive movement of around 50µA full-scale
should be sought. Basic Calibration
However, since the aim is to obtain an indication of Some basic form of
the charge acquired by C2 it’s desirable to change the calibration could be
function to a voltmeter of the highest possible explored using a metre
sensitivity. This is easily achieved merely by long dipole established
including a resistor in series with the meter in a plane
movement. corresponding to that
For instance, to read 0.25V full-scale (V=0.25) of a transmitting
deflection on a 50µA (I = 50x10-6) movement, the antenna. For example,
series resistor (R) should have a value of a horizontal 29MHz
approximately 5kΩ (R=V/I or 0.25/50x10-6). For half-wave
voltage reading accuracy the relatively low resistance transmitting dipole
of the moving coil would be deducted from the 5kΩ, could be established in
but this hardly applies to the application in hand! the garden with the
FSI connected to its
own horizontal one-
Possible Switch metre wire.
It would, of course, be possible to include a switch to Transmitter power and FSI positioning could then ● Gordon G4VFV
select any required series resistor - 20kΩ for 1V full- be arranged to provide full-scale deflection. Once demonstrating an
scale (20kΩ per volt sensitivity), 40kΩ for 2V full- established, the transmit power could be decreased in early prototype in
scale, etc. Actually, the smallest loading across C2 the suitable steps while noting the meter deflection down action in the shack
better, consistent with the requirement. from full-scale. (hanging on the
In practice I’ve experimented with an inexpensive Of course, you’ll realise that the indicator cannot door, left)
high impedance digital voltmeter, reading down to a be expected to compete with commercial models. It responding to the r.f.
being radiated from
millivolt or so. Frankly, I was amazed by how isn’t meant to as it’s neither particularly sensitive nor
the short helical
sensitive the readout became with such a basic circuit flat in frequency response.
antenna of a
- from very low mains frequency to v.h.f.! However, this simple little device does lend itself to
144MHz hand-held
experimentation. This includes the addition of high
transceiver.
input impedance front-end solid-state amplification
Pick-Up Sensitivity and high impedance digital metering, as already
It will be appreciated, of course, that the effective mentioned.
sensitivity is also related to the nature of pickup So. altogether...it’s worthwhile making one for your
antenna or wire used. For a good few applications a own workshop. As I’ve said...it’s very useful!
one metre wire connected to the BNC socket is likely PW

Errors & Updates

The PW International Beacon Project Electronic Timer part 2, by Phil Cadman G4JCP on pages 32-35 of the January 2002 issue of PW.

Santa’s gremlins left us with rather red faces when the

wrong version of the diagram of Fig. 3 (p34) was Reset
WS1734
printed instead of the updated diagram shown here. If
you would like to update the drawing in your magazine
Test
then the following additions need to be made: C10 point
R6
1) The wire connected to pin 3 of IC4A should be 470p 22k C11
+ R7
VDD
connected to pin 13 of IC4B. These should then both be R5 1
Cx
2
RxCx 100k
2k2 4 +TR 6 1 5 10µ 14 16
Q
connected to the positive supply line labelled Vdd. IC4A
Cx
12 +TR
RxCx VD D 1 0
5 -TR 7 Q TP3
2) The supply lines to IC4 do not have their pins Reset
Q
1 1 -TR
IC4B
9
Q
numbers marked. Please add on to IC4B the pin S1 3 VS S Reset
Reset 8 13
number “8” to the line labelled Vss. And on the line push button

labelled Vdd please add the pin number “16”. VSS

My profound apologies for these mistakes and any

inconvenience that they might have caused. Editor

Practical Wireless, February 2002 43