Power Measurements in DVB-T Systems: New Proposal for Enhancing Reliability and Repeatability

The rapid growth of digital video broadcasting by terrestrial transmission (DVB-T) has created the need for new measurement methods, as well as new test equipment that is capable of providing reliable and repeatable results. Some problems are, in fact, being experienced with power measurements, particularly with those involving the integration of the input signal power spectrum over a certain frequency interval. Trying to give a proper answer to the cited need, a digital signal processing method, which has already been proposed in the literature and specialized for power measurements in spread spectrum systems, is optimized here to be operative in the presence of DVB-T signals as well. Suitable stages, in simulation and emulation environments, are designed and applied to optimally regulate key parameters of the method, thus making it assure negligible bias and high repeatability in most operative conditions. The results of a number of experiments on actual DVB-T signals also give evidence of the method's efficacy with respect to competitive measurement solutions.