USING VCOS AS RF MEASURING DEVICES

by Taylor, Carl Elliot

This thesis presents an alternative way to test the amount of energy harvested by an antenna. Accurately measuring the amount of energy an antenna harvests is a challenge. The test equipment that touches the antenna can greatly affect the results of the test. Using a VCO to measure an antennas harvested power enables accuracy and prevents the need to attach testing equipment. The VCO is powered by a harvesting antenna. The frequency produced is then output to a transmitting antenna. The output frequency of the VCO can easily be determined and then used to look up the power from the characteristics of the VCO. A background study of types of VCOs, and VCOs available on the market will also be included in this thesis. Finally the experiment setups and results will be presented.