Test & Measurement Environments
Low Intermodulation Analysis
Passive intermodulation is the failure mode that only appears at power. Two clean carriers meet a mildly non-linear junction and produce products that land in the receive band, and a sector that measured perfectly on a small-signal bench loses its uplink. Measuring PIM honestly means having a test chain quieter than the device.
-160 dBc
Two-Carrier
IM3
Low-PIM
N-Type
-160 dBc
Measurement Floor
2 × 43 dBm
Test Carriers
≤1.15
Typical VSWR
Design Notes
Measuring Below Your Own Noise
Five conditions for a PIM measurement that means something.
01
Test Chain Floor
Your equipment generates PIM too. If the chain is not ten decibels quieter than the limit you are testing to, you are measuring the chain.
02
Contact Pressure
PIM is largely a contact mechanics problem. Under-torqued connections, and connections that have loosened, are the most common source of a bad reading.
03
Ferrous Contamination
Any ferrous material near the current path generates products. Plating choice, and keeping steel swarf out of the interface, matter more than most electrical parameters.
04
Dynamic vs. Static
Static PIM can pass while dynamic PIM — measured while the assembly is flexed or tapped — fails. Field failures are usually dynamic.
05
Repeatability
PIM measurements vary with assembly. Several connection cycles, not one, are what establish whether a device genuinely passes.
Reference Data
Typical PIM Test Requirements
Operator specifications govern. These are representative conditions.
| Parameter | Typical Requirement | Relevant Series | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| Test carriers | 2 × 43 dBm | Low-PIM chain | Standard two-tone method |
| Measurement floor | ≤ -160 dBc | Low-PIM N-Type | Chain must beat the limit |
| Connector family | N-Type, 4.3-10 | Low-PIM series | Threaded, high contact pressure |
| Torque | Per IEC 61169-16 | All low-PIM series | Under-torque is the usual cause |
| Test method | Static and dynamic | Low-PIM assemblies | Dynamic finds field failures |
| Repeats | Multiple connection cycles | All low-PIM series | Establishes genuine pass |
Our Role
What We Supply for PIM Benches
01
Low-PIM Test Interfaces
N-type and low-PIM assemblies specified to sit below the measurement limit, so the bench is not the thing being measured.
02
Chain Built as a Set
The whole path from source to device supplied together and measured together, because PIM is a property of the chain, not of one part.
03
Measured and Documented
Per-unit PIM data with lot traceability, which operator acceptance testing asks for.
Selected Products
Interfaces for PIM Measurement
Typical starting points for low-PIM test chains. Send us the limit and the device interface and we will quote the chain.
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N Female 4-Hole Flange Mount RF Connector – Field Replaceable, 18.35mm Hole Spacing, 0.38mm Pin Diameter
$23.00 Add to cartQuick View -
N Female 4-Hole Flange Mount RF Connector – Field Replaceable, 18.35mm Hole Spacing, 0.51mm Pin Diameter
$22.00 Add to cartQuick View -
N Male to N Male System Interconnect Low-Loss RF Cable Assembly – Use CFS830H Coax
$20.00 Add to cartQuick View -
N Male to N Male RF Adapter
$22.00 Add to cartQuick View
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PIM Engineering Support
Setting Up a PIM Bench?
Send us the measurement limit, the carriers and the device interface, and our engineers will propose the chain.