Wireless, over-the-air test & measurement.
Products
After decades of providing custom solutions to the wireless market, The Howland Company developed our own complete line of turnkey wireless test systems and accessories. Designed to test over-the-air (OTA) performance of cell phone handsets and other wireless devices, our turnkey wireless test labs have been certified by the CTIA and set the industry standard for measurement accuracy.
Our products are popular with a wide range of customers across the U.S. and worldwide, including handset manufacturers, independent test labs, and manufacturers of IOT-enabled devices of every description, from parking meters to light fixtures.

Custom solutions.

Wireless Test Systems
Model 2100
The Model 2100D is a compact measurement system designed to make Over-the-Air (OTA) measurements on wireless devices. It is a scaled-down version of the popular CTIA−certified Model 3100 WTL. While not meeting the current range length requirement of the CTIA Test Plan for Mobile Station Over the Air Performance, it does provide measurement uncertainties that are consistent with CTIA requirements in a small, mobile chamber that requires no facility modifications.


Model 3100
The Model 3100 is the smallest chamber available on the market that meets the certification requirements of the CTIA Test Plan for Mobile Station Over-the-Air Performance. The Model 3100 can be installed in rooms with a 10 foot (3 meter) ceiling height.
In spite of its small size, the quality of the electromagnetic field is excellent and far exceeds the performance of much larger chambers. The secret to the Model 3100’s high-quality electromagnetic field is its distributed axis positioning system. This allows the handset to be supported on a block of low density styrofoam, avoiding ‘gravity vector’ issues, and minimizes the interaction of the test device and the positioning equipment.

Model 3500
The Model 3500 is designed specifically to meet the expanded requirements of Version 3.0 of the CTIA Test Plan for Mobile Station Over-The-Air Performance, which includes requirements for the MediaFLO, Cell, GPS, PCS, and AWS-1 bands. In accordance with the new CTIA requirements, the Model 3500 is designed with a larger Quiet Zone to accommodate larger wireless devices, such as notebook computers.

Model 4100
The Model 4100 Wireless Test Lab is specifically designed for mobile video applications, both terrestrial and satellite. It is designed with a thicker absorber, allowing it to operate down to 400MHz and a longer range length to keep the measurement antenna out of the reactive near-field of the equipment under test.

Model 4800
The Model 4800 is a complete automated measurement system designed to meet the requirements of the CTIA Certification Program for Over-The-Air Performance. Applicable for testing virtually any wireless device, it includes a shielded chamber, two-axis conical scan positioning system, instrumentation, and software. The Model 4800 is designed specifically to test both terrestrial DVB-H signals at 470MHz and satellite DMB signals at 2.6GHz.

Measurement (Probe) Antennas
The measurement antenna paired with the device under test (DUT) creates the over-the-air path for the wireless device. In The Howland Company’s distributed axis systems, the measurement antenna mounts on the theta boom. It is connected via RF cables to the power measurement device(s) and/or base station simulator.
Three different models are available. All are dual-polarized quad-ridged designs with low cross polarization, low return loss, and good port to port isolation.
QR Series

The QR series: QR-3A, QR-2, QR1, and QR-4
Model QR-1

Model QR-2A

Model QR-3A

Model QR-4

Gain Standard Antennas
Gain Standard Antennas are required to determine the calibration factors for a wireless test lab. Over-the-Air (OTA) measurements of a wireless device must be converted to values of Effective Isotropic Radiated Power (EiRP) in order to calculate values for Total Radiated Power (TRP). These calibration factors are the total loss from the center of the test zone to the power measurement device connected to the measurement antenna. This loss is measured by placing an antenna of known gain at the center of the test zone. The calibration factor is the difference between the power into the gain standard and the power measured by the power measurement device offset by the gain of the gain standard antenna.
VA-100-D Series Gain Standard Dipoles
Each VA100 dipole is independently calibrated using the three antenna method. Although time-consuming, this method provides an accurate measurement of the gain of the antenna without requiring a gain transfer standard. During the manufacturing process, each VA100 is carefully adjusted for a symmetrical azimuth pattern. Typical pattern asymmetries are less than ±0.05dB.




VA-100-H Series Gain Standard Horns






Model BLPA-19 Broadband Gain Standard
Using the Model BLPA-19, it is possible to reduce the range calibration time by a factor of 10 while simultaneously significantly reducing the chance of operator error.






Gain Standard Antennas
Gain Standard Antennas are required to determine the calibration factors for a wireless test lab. Over-the-Air (OTA) measurements of a wireless device must be converted to values of Effective Isotropic Radiated Power (EiRP) in order to calculate values for Total Radiated Power (TRP). These calibration factors are the total loss from the center of the test zone to the power measurement device connected to the measurement antenna. This loss is measured by placing an antenna of known gain at the center of the test zone. The calibration factor is the difference between the power into the gain standard and the power measured by the power measurement device offset by the gain of the gain standard antenna.
VA-100-D Series Gain Standard Dipoles
Each VA100 dipole is independently calibrated using the three antenna method. Although time-consuming, this method provides an accurate measurement of the gain of the antenna without requiring a gain transfer standard. During the manufacturing process, each VA100 is carefully adjusted for a symmetrical azimuth pattern. Typical pattern asymmetries are less than ±0.05dB.






VA-100-H Series Gain Standard Horns






Model BLPA-19 Broadband Gain Standard
Using the Model BLPA-19, it is possible to reduce the range calibration time by a factor of 10 while simultaneously significantly reducing the chance of operator error.






Validation Antennas
The electromagnetic field in any test chamber is a combination of the direct signal and the reflected signals from the walls of the chamber. These reflected signals cause errors in all measurements and are typically the largest contributor of uncertainty in the measurement.
Since the reflected signals phase in and out with the direct signal at different positions in the chamber, they cause a ripple in the electromagnetic field in the test zone (quiet zone). The magnitude of this ripple is an indication of the purity of the electromagnetic field.
Evaluating the ripple in chambers designed to measure essentially omni-directional antennas is not an easy task. The traditional methods of free space VSWR or field probes are not appropriate because the test apparatus introduces too many errors.
The CTIA has developed a method that uses dipole and loop antennas to evaluate the ripple in a chamber. The dipoles and loops used in this procedure must have pattern asymmetry of less than +/-0.1dB.
Positioners
Model 504 Heavy Duty Azimuth Positioner
Features
- Capable of supporting 750 lb vertical loads
- Small foot print
- Stepper motor drive
- Complete with 2ftx2ft mounting plate
- Integral home and limit switches
- Capable of continuous rotation




Components
Model IC-10-M Broadband Cartridge Cable
The ferrites also serve to reduce the re-radiation of signals from the coax when it is illuminated by an RF wave. The Broadband Cartridge Cable can also be used during chamber calibration to provide single setup for calibrating multiple frequency bands. When used with the Model VA100-19-BLPA Broadband Gain Standard, it provides a single setup to calibrate a wireless test lab from 700MHz to 6 GHz.


Video Monitor System


WTL Module Two Software for Multi-frequency Passive Measurements
Features
- 3-D spherical antenna pattern plots plus 2-D line plots
- Support of 4-port or 2-port Network Analyzers
- Fast, multi-frequency measurements of passive devices
- Simultaneous measurement of two polarizations
- No limitation on the number of measurement frequencies
- Both time based and angle based measurements
- Data format is standard ASCII tab separated variables
- Frequency sweep test capability for all available S-Parameters
- Supports operation of Howland RF Switch Units Issue 2, 3, or 4
- Supports different instrumentation suites








Spherical N2F Software
The Howland Company’s Spherical N2F Software is a stand-alone package that transforms the spherical nearfield radiation pattern of an antenna to the farfield radiation pattern that the data would produce at an infinite distance. The package relies on algorithms developed by the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), but the software code has been re-written for optimum performance on modern personal computers. The result is a software package that retains the high accuracy of the original NIST implementation but processes the data much more efficiently.
Features
- Stand-alone software package for Windows PCs
- Simple Graphical User Interface
- ASCII Data input
- Fast, multi-frequency data transforms
- Selectable angular resolution
- Compatible with Howland WTL Data Acquisition Software
- Optional pattern fill for unmeasured data points
- 2D and 3D graphical output
- Gain & directivity vs frequency output
Characteristics
- Minimum output angular resolution 0.2 degree
- Gain accuracy – Dependent on gain standard
- Transform time – Typically less than 1 second per frequency
Test Article Support Fixtures
Test Article Support Columns are designed to have the lowest dielectric constant possible while at the same time supporting the load of the equipment under test. The test article is supported on a block of low density polystyrene foam. This top cap is, in turn, supported by a thin wall fiberglass tube.
The standard support columns are identical for each of the different model wireless test labs, except that the height varies to place the test article at the center of the test zone. The standard support columns are designed to support the load of a phantom head, phantom hand and handset. Custom-designed columns and fixtures can be provided for larger loads or larger test articles.


Standard support column for Model 3100D/3500D Wireless Test Lab


Standard support column for Model 5100 Wireless Test Lab


Heavy-Duty support column for Full-Body Phantoms & other large DUTs


Custom Fixture: 72-inch hollow foam column, 1-inch wall thickness, with wooden base & cap
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