IEC 61196-1-119:2023
(Main)Coaxial communication cables - Part 1-119: Electrical test methods - RF power for coaxial cables and cable assemblies
Coaxial communication cables - Part 1-119: Electrical test methods - RF power for coaxial cables and cable assemblies
IEC 61196-1-119:2023 provides test methods for RF power rating and power withstanding of RF coaxial cables and cable assemblies at specified frequency, temperature and altitude.
This document is applicable to RF coaxial cables and cable assemblies.
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Standards Content (Sample)
IEC 61196-1-119
®
Edition 3.0 2023-07
INTERNATIONAL
STANDARD
colour
inside
Coaxial communication cables –
Part 1-119: Electrical test methods – RF power for coaxial cables and cable
assemblies
IEC 61196-1-119:2023-07(en)
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IEC 61196-1-119
®
Edition 3.0 2023-07
INTERNATIONAL
STANDARD
colour
inside
Coaxial communication cables –
Part 1-119: Electrical test methods – RF power for coaxial cables and cable
assemblies
INTERNATIONAL
ELECTROTECHNICAL
COMMISSION
ICS 33.120.10 ISBN 978-2-8322-7184-1
Warning! Make sure that you obtained this publication from an authorized distributor.
® Registered trademark of the International Electrotechnical Commission
---------------------- Page: 3 ----------------------
– 2 – IEC 61196-1-119:2023 © IEC 2023
CONTENTS
FOREWORD . 3
1 Scope . 5
2 Normative references . 5
3 Terms and definitions . 5
4 Preparation of test sample (TS) . 6
4.1 Coaxial cable . 6
4.2 Cable assembly . 7
5 Test conditions . 7
6 Test principle . 7
7 Test equipment . 8
8 Test procedure . 9
8.1 Power withstanding . 9
8.1.1 Average power/continuous wave power withstanding . 9
8.1.2 Peak power withstanding . 10
8.2 Average power and continuous wave power rating . 11
8.2.1 General . 11
8.2.2 Test procedure . 12
8.2.3 Conversion of average power rating at other frequencies . 12
8.2.4 Conversion of average power rating at different temperatures . 13
8.2.5 Requirements . 13
8.2.6 Information to be given in the relevant specification . 14
8.2.7 Test report . 14
Annex A (informative) Average power/continuous wave power rating – Low frequency
power AC test . 15
A.1 Test procedure . 15
A.2 Symbols used in Annex A . 19
Annex B (informative) Influence of high VSWR loads on RF power capabilities of
cables and cable assemblies . 21
B.1 General . 21
B.2 Assessment of the power withstanding of cables and cable assemblies . 22
B.2.1 General . 22
B.2.2 Derating calculation . 22
B.2.3 Measurement with high VSWR load . 23
Bibliography . 24
Figure 1 – Illustration of peak power . 6
Figure 2 – Test principle . 8
Figure A.1 – Arrangement of low-frequency power test equipment . 15
Figure B.1 – Thermal distributions of an RG 316 cable with slightly varying frequencies . 21
Figure B.2 – Measured temperatures of a 3,5 mm airline inner conductor . 22
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IEC 61196-1-119:2023 © IEC 2023 – 3 –
INTERNATIONAL ELECTROTECHNICAL COMMISSION
____________
COAXIAL COMMUNICATION CABLES –
Part 1-119: Electrical test methods –
RF power for coaxial cables and cable assemblies
FOREWORD
1) The International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) is a worldwide organization for standardization comprising
all national electrotechnical committees (IEC National Committees). The object of IEC is to promote international
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8) Attention is drawn to the Normative references cited in this publication. Use of the referenced publications is
indispensable for the correct application of this publication.
9) IEC draws attention to the possibility that the implementation of this document may involve the use of (a)
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IEC 61196-1-119 has been prepared by subcommittee 46A: Coaxial cables, of IEC technical
committee 46: Cables, wires, waveguides, RF connectors, RF and microwave passive
components and accessories. It is an International Standard.
This third edition cancels and replaces the second edition published in 2020. This edition
constitutes a technical revision.
This edition includes the following significant technical changes with respect to the previous
edition:
a) complete technical revision;
b) extension to measure also cable assemblies.
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The text of this International Standard is based on the following documents:
Draft Report on voting
46A/1622/CDV 46A/1629/RVC
Full information on the voting for its approval can be found in the report on voting indicated in
the above table.
The language used for the development of this International Standard is English.
This document was drafted in accordance with ISO/IEC Directives, Part 2, and developed in
accordance with ISO/IEC Directives, Part 1 and ISO/IEC Directives, IEC Supplement, available
at www.iec.ch/members_experts/refdocs. The main document types developed by IEC are
described in greater detail at www.iec.ch/publications.
A list of all parts in the IEC 61196 series, published under the general title Coaxial
communication cables, can be found on the IEC website.
The committee has decided that the contents of this document will remain unchanged until the
stability date indicated on the IEC website under webstore.iec.ch in the data related to the
specific document. At this date, the document will be
• reconfirmed,
• withdrawn,
• replaced by a revised edition, or
• amended.
IMPORTANT – The "colour inside" logo on the cover page of this document indicates
that it contains colours which are considered to be useful for the correct understanding
of its contents. Users should therefore print this document using a colour printer.
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IEC 61196-1-119:2023 © IEC 2023 – 5 –
COAXIAL COMMUNICATION CABLES –
Part 1-119: Electrical test methods –
RF power for coaxial cables and cable assemblies
1 Scope
This part of IEC 61196 provides test methods for RF power rating and power withstanding of
RF coaxial cables and cable assemblies at specified frequency, temperature and altitude.
This document is applicable to RF coaxial cables and cable assemblies.
2 Normative references
The following documents are referred to in the text in such a way that some or all of their content
constitutes requirements of this document. For dated references, only the edition cited applies.
For undated references, the latest edition of the referenced document (including any
amendments) applies.
IEC 61196-1-113, Coaxial communication cables – Part 1-113: Electrical test methods – Test
for attenuation constant
3 Terms and definitions
For the purposes of this document, the following terms and definitions apply.
ISO and IEC maintain terminology databases for use in standardization at the following
addresses:
• IEC Electropedia: available at https://www.electropedia.org/
• ISO Online browsing platform: available at https://www.iso.org/obp
3.1
power rating
input power at a specified frequency and normalized environmental conditions, which can be
handled continuously without either the maximum permissible operating voltage, or maximum
inner conductor temperature being exceeded, when the cable assembly is terminated by a load
corresponding to the characteristic impedance
3.2
power withstanding
ability of RF coaxial cable and cable assembly to handle power specified in the relevant
specification at the temperature, altitude and frequency as specified
3.3
average power
energy transfer rate of an RF coaxial cable and cable assembly averaged over many periods of
the RF waveform at the specified frequency, temperature and altitude
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3.4
peak power
maximum RF power P injected in a RF coaxial cable and cable assembly with a pulse
max
duration τ over period Τ with the duty factor R at the specified temperature and altitude
Note 1 to entry: The relationship of duty factor, pulse duration and period is as shown in Figure 1 and expressed
as Formula (1).
Figure 1 – Illustration of peak power
τ
(1)
R ×100（%)
T
where:
R is the duty factor, in %;
τ is the pulse duration, in s;
T is a period of pulse, in s.
3.5
continuous wave power
when duty factor R = 1 in Formula (1), the power curve in Figure 1 approximates a straight line
4 Preparation of test sample (TS)
4.1 Coaxial cable
Both ends of the coaxial cable should be terminated with suitable high-power RF coaxial
connectors to make an RF cable assembly as a test sample (TS). The length of the cable should
be long enough so that the heat dissipation caused by the connectors at both ends can be
negligible. The selected connectors shall be suitable to connect to the test equipment directly.
Their RF power rating shall be higher than the RF power of the coaxial cable to be tested.
For a test of average power and continuous wave power rating the temperature of the inner
conductor of the TS shall be monitored.
a) Drill a small hole at the centre of the cable length and at least 0,5 m away from both sides
of the TS so that a temperature sensor can be inserted to measure the temperature of the
inner conductor.
b) Insert a temperature sensor (such as fibre optic temperature sensor) into the hole to
measure the temperature T of the inner conductor.
i
If specified in the relevant specification the temperature of the inner conductor of the TS shall
also be monitored as well for a power withstanding test. If the temperature rating of the dielectric
and inner conductor is not a concern, the test can be conducted without monitoring the
temperature of the inner conductor.
=
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IEC 61196-1-119:2023 © IEC 2023 – 7 –
4.2 Cable assembly
Each cable assembly to be tested shall be a test sample (TS).
For a test of average power and continuous wave power rating the temperature of the inner
conductor of the TS shall be monitored.
The TS shall be prepared as follows:
a) Drill a small hole at the centre of the cable length, and at both ends of connectors and also
at both connections between the connector and the cable respectively so that a
thermosensor can be inserted to measure the temperature of the inner conductor. If the
least cross section of the connector is neither positioned at the end of the connector nor on
the connection between connector and cable, drill also a hole on the position with the least
cross section.
b) Insert a thermocouple (such as fibre optic temperature sensor) into each hole to measure
the temperature T of the inner conductor.
ix
If specified in the relevant specification, the temperature of inner conductor of the TS shall also
be monitored for a power withstanding test. If the temperature rating of the dielectric and inner
conductor is not a concern, the test can be conducted without monitoring the temperature of
the inner conductor.
5 Test conditions
The test shall be performed at stable conditions of temperature and atmospheric pressure.
a) Temperature stability:
When the temperature variation of the test sample is not more than ±2 °C within 5 min, the
temperature shall be considered stable.
When using a test chamber, the temperature shall be considered stable when the
temperature variation of the chamber and the test sample is no more than ±2 °C within
5 min.
b) Altitude stability:
When the power rating is specified for a specific altitude, the altitude is considered stable
when the pressure variation inside the low-pressure test chamber is within the range of ±5 %
of the specified value within 10 min.
6 Test principle
A combination of power source, directional coupler, fixed attenuator (when required), power
meter and load are used for the test, as shown in Figure 2. At the directional coupler, the
incident power P is split between the coupled port P and the transmitted port that is connected
i f
to the TS. The reference power P is measured by a power meter. If necessary, a fixed
0
attenuator can be inserted between the directional coupler and power meter to adjust the power
level to the test range of the power meter. A feed line may also be used. If a feed line is used,
the input power of the test sample will be attenuated by the feed line. The TS is terminated with
a load.
Since the coupling factor C (calculated from Formula (2)) of the coupler, attenuation value D
(calculated from Formula (3)) of the fixed attenuator and the attenuation A of the feed line
(if used) are fixed, the actual input power of the sample can be obtained from Formula (4).
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P
i
C= 10lg
(2)
P
f
P
f
D= 10lg
(3)
P
g
P= P+ DC+− A (4)
o
where:
C coupling factor of the coupler, in dB;
P incident power to the coupler, in dB;
i
P power value at the coupled port, in dB;
f
D attenuation of the fixed attenuator, in dB;
P power value attenuated by the fixed attenuator, in dB;
g
P incident power value at the TS, in dB;
P reference power, in dB;
o
A attenuation of the feed line, in dB.
Figure 2 – Test principle
7 Test equipment
Test equipment is as follows:
a) Power source, directional coupler, fixed attenuator, power meter, high-power load or
absorber. The rated power of the selected devices shall be more than 2 to 2,5 times of the
maximum power measured, so as to prevent the devices from burning out due to overheating
in case of non-steady power.
b) Temperature sensors to measure inner and outer conductor temperatures with sufficient
sensitivity and an accuracy of ±1 °C.
c) Temperature–altitude test chamber (if applicable) meeting the test requirements as stated
in the relevant specifications.
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IEC 61196-1-119:2023 © IEC 2023 – 9 –
d) Test room to prevent air circulation, such as fans of the climatic cabinet. If necessary, the
test room should fit into the climatic cabinet and be large enough so that the test items can
be 20 cm (8 in) away from the walls of the test room.
e) Load with a voltage standing wave ratio (VSWR) of less than 1,2.
NOTE The VSWR of the load is an important factor as regards RF test results and the capability in the application,
see Annex B for details.
8 Test procedure
8.1 Power withstanding
8.1.1 Average power/continuous wave power withstanding
8.1.1.1 Test procedure
The test procedure is as follows:
a) Connect the TS into the power test system as shown in Figure 2.
b) If specified in the relevant specification, for coaxial cables, use the temperature sensor to
monitor inner conductor temperatures t in middle of the TS and record the temperature
i
values t . For cable assemblies, use the temperature sensor to monitor inner conductor
i
temperatures t in the middle of the TS and at both ends of connectors and also at both
ix
connections between the connector and the cable respectively. Record the temperature
values t .
ix
c) The TS shall be stored and stabilized at room temperature unless otherwise specified in the
relevant specification. If the ambient temperature and/or altitude for the test are specified
in the relevant specification, the TS shall be placed in a temperature and/or altitude test
chamber for testing. The temperature and/or air pressure in the test chamber shall conform
to the relevant specification and shall be monitored throughout the test.
d) Set test parameters of frequency and average power and continuous wave power. Start the
test.
e) Keep the input power steady at that frequency for a duration as specified in the relevant
specification. The temperature of the surface of the TS shall be monitored and recorded by
a temperature sensor when required in the relevant specification.
f) If a frequency range is specified in the relevant specification, the maximum power shall be
applied at the maximum frequency for 60 min after the temperature is stabilized.
g) If the above e) test conditions are not available, the test shall be carried out at
high-frequency, middle-frequency and low-frequency points, respectively. Unless otherwise
specified in the relevant specification, the high-frequency point selected in the test shall be
within 10 % of the upper limit frequency of the sample, and the test duration shall not be
less than 60 min. The middle-frequency point should be the approximate intermediate
frequency in the frequency range, and the test duration should not be less than 20 min. The
low-frequency point should be within 0,10 GHz at the lower end of the frequency range, and
the test duration should not be less than 20 min.
h) The TS should be carefully observed during the test for evidence of breakdown and burning.
i) The TS shall be stored and stabilized at room temperature after the test. If specified, verify
compliance to electrical specifications according to relevant standards.
8.1.1.2 Requirements
During the test, there shall be no breakdown and burning on the TS and, when specified,
temperature rises of the TS and the test chamber shall comply with the relevant specifications.
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8.1.1.3 Information to be given in the relevant specification
The following information shall be given in the relevant specification:
a) test conditions;
b) allowable temperature rise and position of temperature measurement;
c) test frequency and power;
d) test duration;
e) any variation from the test method of this document.
8.1.1.4 Test report
The test report shall include information such as the following:
a) test conditions;
b) test frequency and power;
c) test duration;
d) test equipment;
e) test sample number;
f) test results;
g) operator's name and test date.
8.1.2 Peak power withstanding
8.1.2.1 Test procedure
The test procedure is as follows:
a) Connect the TS into the power test system as shown in Figure 2.
b) The TS shall be stored and stabilized at room temperature unless otherwise specified in the
relevant specification. If the ambient temperature and/or altitude for the test are specified
in the relevant specification, the TS shall be placed in the temperature and/or altitude test
chamber for testing. The temperature and/or air pressure in the test chamber shall conform
to the relevant specification and shall be monitored throughout the test.
c) Set the test frequency, peak power, pulse duration, duty factor or period in accordance with
the relevant specification and start the test. Unless otherwise specified in the relevant
specification, the duration of the test shall not be less than 15 min. If specified in the relevant
specification, the temperature of the surface of the TS should be monitored during the test.
d) The TS shall be carefully observed during the test for evidence of breakdown and burning.
e) The TS shall be stored and stabilized at room temperature after the test. If specified in the
relevant specification, verify compliance to electrical specifications according to relevant
standards.
8.1.2.2 Requirements
During the test there shall be no breakdown and no burning of the TS. The temperature rises
of the TS and the test chamber (if specified) shall comply with the relevant specifications.
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IEC 61196-1-119:2023 © IEC 2023 – 11 –
8.1.2.3 Information to be given in the relevant specification
The following information shall be given in the relevant specification:
a) test conditions;
b) test frequency and peak power;
c) duty factor, pulse width or cycle;
d) test duration;
e) any variation from the test method.
8.1.2.4 Test report
The test report shall include information such as the following:
a) test conditions;
b) test frequency and peak power;
c) duty factor, pulse duration or cycle;
d) test duration;
e) test equipment;
f) test sample number;
g) test results;
h) operator's name and test date.
8.2 Average power and continuous wave power rating
8.2.1 General
If a suitable RF power source is available, it is possible to determine the RF average power or
continuous wave power rating at a specified frequency by increasing the input power until the
temperature of the inner conductor reaches its maximum allowable temperature. This method
is specified in 8.2.2.
Sometimes, the RF power source cannot cover all the frequency or the required power; in that
case, conversion methods can be used as follows.
If a suitable RF power source is available, it is possible to determine the RF average power /
continuous wave power rating at a specified frequency by increasing the input power
incrementally until the temperature of the inner conductor reaches its maximum allowable
temperature. This method is specified in 8.2.2.
Sometimes the RF power source cannot provide the required frequency or power. In that case,
conversion methods can be used, such as the following.
a) If the RF average power/continuous wave power rating cannot be tested at the specified
frequency directly, the power rating can be calculated from the test result obtained at
another frequency by using the conversion per 8.2.3.
b) If there is no RF power source available that can make the temperature of the inner
conductor reach its maximum allowable temperature t, but a temperature that is not more
than 15 K below the maximum allowable temperature, the power rating can be extrapolated
per 8.2.4. The average power ratings at different
...
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