EMC studies of the ERS-1, initial evaluation

An EMC design philosophy and procedures for RF EMC system qualification of ERS-1 are presented. Particular EMC problems arise because of the two high power radars in its payload, which are mounted adjacent to sensitive receivers. Mutual coupling between antennas is a major potential source of incompatibility. It is shown that the achievement of EMC in the flight model can only be assured if potential sources of incompatibility are identified at an early stage and remedial action is initiated. For this the emissions and susceptibilities of all the subsystems are required, together with their mutual transfer functions. An EMC data bank that can be dynamically updated as more experimental data becomes available is advocated.