Michael Powell, chairman of the FCC, will open an RF test laboratory in Columbia, Md., this coming week. The lab, at the FCC's Office of Engineering and Technology, will feature an RF "anechoic" chamber that can be used to test products that emit RF energy.
An anechoic chamber is a room that absorbs all audible sounds; the RF anechoic chamber will perform a similar function for electromagnetic radiation. Using the RF anechoic chamber, the FCC will be able to get more accurate and reliable measurements on RF-generating products, such as radios, cellphones, pagers, radar sets and television equipment.
The chamber is needed for testing since measuring low-emission devices in an open area can be difficult due to a noisy RF environment.