Screening of cables in the MHz to GHz frequency range extended application of a simple measuring method

Although cables are passive components, which can not disturb the circumference by its own, their electromagnetic compatibility (EMC) is as important as the EMC of active devices, which are connected with those cables. The increasing use of cables, especially in the field of information technologies and cable distributed television systems up to very high frequencies requires new measuring methods for determination of the screening effectiveness of those cables. These methods shall be cheap, easy to use, applicable up to the GHz range and with good reproducibility. An investigation shows, that the well known triaxial measuring method with a one-sided short circuit commonly used for lower frequencies retains its merits also in the GHz range. The extension of this triaxial method up to higher frequencies was first investigated in 1993 in Germany. After two years of discussion and improvement in the international working group IEC TC46/WG5 it became a Committee Draft, IEC 46A/320/CDV, "shielded screening attenuation test method".