scope:

NEN-EN-IEC 61260-1 specifies performance requirements for analogue, sampled-data, and digital implementations of band-pass filters. The extent of the pass-band region of a filter's relative attenuation characteristic is a constant percentage of the exact midband frequency for all filters of a given bandwidth. An instrument conforming to the requirements of this standard may contain any number of contiguous band-pass filters covering any desired frequency range. Performance requirements are provided for two filter classes: class 1 and class 2. In general, specifications for class 1 and class 2 filters have the same design goals and differ mainly in the acceptance limits and the range of operational temperature. Acceptance limits for class 2 are greater than, or equal to, those for class 1. Maximum-permitted expanded uncertainties of measurement are also specified. Performance requirements are given for designs where the octave frequency ratio and the mid-band frequencies are powers of ten. Band-pass filters conforming to the performance requirements of this standard may be part of various measurement systems or may be an integral component of a specific instrument such as a spectrum analyser. This standard specifies the ranges of environmental conditions for operation of the filters. The required range depends on whether the instrument containing the filters is designed to be operated in a controlled environment or more generally in the field. Band-pass filters conforming to the requirements of this standard are capable of providing frequency-band-filtered spectral information for a wide variety of signals, for example, time-varying, intermittent or steady; broadband or discrete frequency; and long or short durations.