BS EN 61580 is a series on methods of measurement for waveguides. A waveguide is a structure that guides waves, such as electromagnetic waves or sound, with minimal loss of energy by restricting the transmission of energy to one direction.
BS EN 61580-2 is applicable to intermodulation products in waveguides. The objective of BS EN 61580-2 is to characterise the level of unwanted signals caused by the presence of two or more transmitting signals in waveguides or waveguide assemblies.
BS EN 61580-2 on Intermodulation products is useful for:
There are different types of waveguides for different types of waves. The original and most common meaning is a hollow conductive metal pipe used to carry high-frequency radio waves, particularly microwaves. The basic theory of the generation of intermodulation products in RF circuits are well described in BS EN 61580-2. In the case of passive waveguide components, intermodulation distortion is caused by sources of non-linearity of mostly unknown nature, location, and behaviour.
A few examples are intermetallic contacts, corrosion products, dirt, etc. Most of these non-linearities generate measurable intermodulation products only when exposed to relatively high RF-power levels (>1 W). Threshold and cut-off effects are found frequently. In addition, most of these effects are subject to changes over time due to mechanical stress, temperature changes, variations in material characteristics (cold flow, etc.), climatic changes and so on. The test set-ups given in BS EN 61580-2 are also suitable for measuring intermodulation products of higher-order. Using BS EN 61580-2 you can specify intermodulation products in waveguides.
IEC 61580-2:1996