Calibration Kits

[CalLabSolutions]

I have a customer that is looking to calibrate their own calibration kits for network analyzers.  They believe they have all the standards required to do the job correctly.

I am looking for a subject matter expert I can can bring on board who knows the process and procedures required to calibrate calibration kits.

If you have any questions contack me at 
MSchwartz@CalLabSolutions.com

[Bryan]

Looking at these in the past, at least Agilent types they have some statements that they use some ring gages that are supposed to be great and airlines & shorts that are traceable to NIST with characterisitics developed from mechanical measurement.
My experience is limited but I have had to exchange a short ot open after one was damaged and the kit was not due for 6 months.  The Agilent test reports have them measured against a "model".  Opens & shorts have reported phase values.  I have found that I set up my 8510 for the frequencies on the report and calibrate it with another kit I can get phase measurement results that are withing the tolerances they report vs. the "model" for my replacmeent device.
I don't think a short/open from another manufacturer will nescessarily fit the "model" but the main thing I belive is that they are 180 degrees in phase from each other at a given frequency.  Loads of course can be tested for return loss or SWR, sliding loads are a another story and more time consuming using a signal separation chart as I recall.

[CalLabSolutions]

Bryan,
Do you have some sample calibration reports you can send / fax me?

[Bryan]

Sent a couple if, not rec'd holla!

[CalLabSolutions]

Thanks Bryan. 

I am finding there are a lot of labs that would like to calibrate thier own calibration kits.

[griff61]

It's been a minute, but are there (relatively) automated cal programs for 8510s that run on something newer than a old HP puter? I remember trundling around an old HP boat anchor & dot matrix printer to do those.

[CalLabSolutions]

There is a lot of 8510 Code out there..  I am sure there are some labs using RB programs with the 8510 to calibrate cal kits..

The 8510, 8340 and 8566 are great pieces of equipment... They will out live all of us..

Agilent has been rolling out newer and newer network analyzer.  I have had several customers ask if we can write a program to use their newer PNA to calibrate cal kits. 

We are a Microsoft Certified Partner, and we have done several projects in .Net calibrating various items like power sensor, attenuators, power splitters and most recent noise source.  So more than likely the next project will be a cal kit package using our SAM.net framework (Specialized Applications for Metrology) .

I am an ex-Army metrologist... But now a days I lean more towards the software side.  I know enough about calibration to know when I need a Subject Matter Expert (SMU).  And calibration kits with uncertainties is not going to be an easy task.

I have had several people from this site contact me with valuable information and specific needs of your lab, So I would like to say thank you all for the info.