Customized technical solutions & expertise for RF & Microwave Measurement.

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Welcome to The Howland Company

Since 1975, The Howland Company has specialized in providing standard products and customized solutions for free space RF and microwave antenna test and measurement. From turnkey wireless test systems to design and consulting services and more, we deliver reliable products, independent advice, and personalized service to meet our customers’ unique needs.

With a reputation for high-quality products and world-class expertise, we have successfully completed hundreds of projects for customers in the telecommunications, Internet of Things (IoT), automotive, aerospace, and defense markets in the United States and around the world.

45+ years of excellence.

Areas of Expertise

At The Howland Company, we offer a wide range of products and services to support our customers’ projects. Our standard products include various sizes of Wireless Test Systems, quad-ridge horn antennas, standard gain antennas, multi-axis positioners, various accessory components to streamline the process of antenna measurements, our Near-field to Far-field (N2F) transform software, and specialized testing fixtures.

wireless testing products | Buford GA and USA

Products

Our design and consulting services support customers with their antenna range design requirements. Our experience encompasses outdoor ranges and indoor far-field ranges as well as compact ranges, spherical and planar near-field, Hardware-in-the-Loop (HWIL), and Radar Cross Section (RCS) facilities. Moreover, we can assist in the design of facility electromagnetic shielding and ICD 705 requirements.

Our testing expertise includes IEEE 299 shielding effectiveness testing, CTIA ripple testing, quiet zone probing, gain calibration, and OTA test chamber calibration as well as other unique test and evaluation approaches.

antenna measurement services

Services

Our project experience spans the defense, automotive, and wireless sectors as well as start-up Internet of Things (IoT) manufacturers. The Howland Company is ready to join your project team.
defense and military contractor

Projects

Our History

Ray Howland | The Howland Company

1965: Ray Howland featured in Aviation Week magazine.

1975

Ray Howland founded The Howland Company in 1975. At that time, the company focused on design and consulting for long-haul microwave point-to-point networks. Over the next 15 years, a great deal of the US’s long-distance telephone traffic was carried on networks designed by The Howland Company.

compact range in anechoic chamber | The Howland Company

1982: Compact range for F-16 radar testing at Hill AFB Utah.

radar cross-section testing | The Howland Company

1982: National Radar Cross Section Test Facility (NRTF) (formerly RATSCAT) at White Sands.

1980s

The Howland Company began designing anechoic chambers, primarily for the defense industry. Typically, these chambers were used for measuring the radiation characteristics of antennas. Our services often included the design of the RF shield, determining the optimum size and shape of the chamber, and the configuration of the anechoic material.

The Howland Company expanded its expertise in anechoic chamber design to two new fields: Radar Cross-Section (RCS) measurements and large Installed System Test Facilities (ISTF).

Customers included Motorola Government Electronics Group, Grumman, the Navy’s Pacific Missile Test Center, Hughes Aircraft, Sandia National Labs, E-Systems, and Naval Air Weapons Station China Lake. We also designed many outdoor antenna ranges for companies like Ford Aerospace, Nynex, and General Electric.

We also consulted on the design of several ISTF projects, including the MESA facility at China Lake and the Point Mugu Bistatic RCS chamber, and we led the concept design study for the ACETEF facility at Pax River. These facilities are key elements of US military R&D infrastructure and continue to prove their worth decades later.

antenna range complex at Motorola HQ | The Howland Company

1994: Antenna Range Complex at Motorola HQ.

anechoic material testing | The Howland Company

1999: Ray Howland supervising anechoic material testing at ACETEF.

1990s

During this period, we leveraged our technical and “real world” experience to support construction contractors tasked with building facilities with RF shielding and integrated anechoic chambers. Clients included Bechtel and the Army Corps of Engineers.

In the mid 90s, The Howland Company was selected by Motorola to design a multi-range antenna test facility at the company’s Illinois headquarters. This complex included a custom outdoor offset arm spherical near-field scanner for testing cellular phone antennas on automobiles and trucks.

Motorola asked The Howland Companyto design an indoor version of the offset arm scanner to meet the requirements of the CTIA Over-The-Air (OTA) test specification. This was the beginning of the Wireless Test Lab product line and the company’s entry into the wireless device test market.

Model 3100D wireless test lab | The Howland Company

2013: Model 3100D Wireless Test Lab for Google.

F-22 RCS functional test facility | The Howland Company

2004: F-22 RCS Functional Test Facility. Photo by USAF.

2000s

Numerous Howland Company Wireless Test Lab installations were completed around the US and internationally, including China, Taiwan, South Korea, Singapore, Italy, Germany, the UK, and Brazil.

The Howland Company entered into a license agreement to manufacture and market wireless test accessories designed by Motorola.

We continued our support to the defense and aerospace sector, with clients including Lockheed Martin, Nasa’s Jet Propulsion Lab and Marshall Space Flight Center, the Air Force and Army Research Labs, and Boeing Phantom Works. Our work in the RCS arena focused on the design of RCS test facilities for production-environment measurement of complete airframes.

Army Research Lab EMVAF | The Howland Company

2010: Army Research Lab EMVAF at White Sands. Photo by US Army.

electromagnetic compatibility testing

2015: MQ-4C Triton is lifted inside the Navy’s ACETEF anechoic chamber. Photo by US Navy.

2010s

The Howland Company was selected as a design consultant for numerous indoor antenna test ranges (Far-Field, Near-Field, and Compact Range) for major defense industry partners as well as DoD projects like the Army Research Lab’s Electromagnetic Vulnerability Assessment Facility (EMVAF) at White Sands Missile Range. After consulting the Army on the design, the construction contractor retained us to advise on RF shielding and anechoic chamber construction and testing issues.

The Howland Company also worked with the Navy’s design team for the two control centers for the MQ-4C ocean surveillance drone constructed at Jacksonville, Florida. There, we developed some novel RF shielding techniques to address special security requirements. On all of these projects we worked with the construction contractors and all the building trades to ensure the RF shielding and anechoic work was accomplished efficiently.

The Howland Company manufactured and installed 20+ Wireless Test Labs for a leading mobile device manufacturer, cementing our Model 3500D Wireless Test Labs as a reliable industry standard.

With the advent of the IoT, we have worked with customers to ensure their internet-enabled products are designed and manufactured to the highest standard.

Today

Our customers, leaders in the defense and communication sectors, continue to rely on our products and services. And our expansion into antenna test and measurement tailored to the Internet of Things ensures The Howland Company’s leading position for years to come…
For trusted expertise in free space antenna measurement techniques, contact us today!

The Howland Company Inc

5012 Bristol Industrial Way
Suite 108
Buford, GA 30518

Contact

t. 678-546-5680
f. 678-546-5939
e. info@TheHowlandCompany.com

Hours

Monday – Friday:
8:00 AM – 5:00 PM