Exposure EMF measurements with spectrum analyzers using free and open source software

Abstract

This paper describes a dedicated Software that was developed using Free and Open Source tools for the automation of Electromagnetic Field (EMF) exposure measurements with Spectrum Analyzers (SAs). This software is used for controlling measurement instrumentation, receiving, storing, processing and analyzing EMF measurement date, while offering a friendly user interface with many options. For the evaluation of the measurement results, all required protocols have been taken into account in order to be consistent with national (Greek Legislation) as well as other international recommendations and standards. The software runs under Ubuntu 14.04 LTS operating system and was developed in Python 3.4 programming language. Remote control and communication with the SAs is achieved with Standard Commands for Programmable Instruments (SCPI) and with the use of National Instruments Virtual Instrument Software Architecture (NI-VISA) in combination with Python Visa (PyVISA).