Electromagnetic environment characterization of below-deck spaces in ships

With wireless systems currently being introduced into confined, reflective spaces that were not originally intended for radio frequency emissions, it becomes necessary to assess the resultant electromagnetic environment of these spaces, especially where potential hazards may exist. In this work, we present experimental data to demonstrate that the below-deck compartments aboard Navy ships can be characterized as complex reverberant cavities. For general reverberant spaces, a cavity calibration factor can be used to predict maximum diffuse electric fields as a function of frequency and total radiated power.