Radio engineer states Consumer Reports iPhone 4 tests are flawed

Bob Egan, an experienced electro-magnet engineer has pounced on the Consumer Reports test, stating that it was not done in the proper way. Apparently, there was no way in the way that CR conducted its test that it could have deduced anything more detailed than what anyone can determine at home, covering the steel casing with a finger.

Here are a few key quotes from his blog:

“To even reasonably run a scientific test, the iPhone should have been sitting on a non-metallic pedestal inside an anechoic chamber. The base station simulator should have been also sitting outside the chamber and had a calibrated antenna plumbed to it from inside the chamber.

In case you weren’t sure, an anechoic chamber is one of those special rooms with walls covered in sponge spikes to kill any echoes.

“I have not seen Consumer Reports‘ claim directly that the finger effect reduces the iPhones sensitivity by 20db as reported elsewhere, but unless Consumer Reports connected to a functional point inside the iPhone that number is fantasy.

“Even the way they seem to have tested the change – by varying the base station simulator levels – seems to assume the iPhone receiver and/or transmitter operate in a linear fashion (the same way) across all signal strengths – bad assumption.

“Bottom line: from what I can see in the reports, Consumer Reports replicated the same uncontrolled, unscientific experiments that many of the blogging sites have done.”

Everybody knows by now that the device in many cases drops signal if held in the left palm, with contact bridging the gap on the bottom left side of the phone. Interestingly, Egan writes that the way the test was performed it still doesn’t answer the question as to whether the reception issue is AT&T’s problem or Apple’s. I’m sincerely hoping that Jobs will come clean in the press conference on Friday.

Another enticing twist to the never ending saga that is the antenna agony of Cupertino. One to please the fanboys, for now at least.

Via: Bob Egan

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