The new ELT400 provides an easy means for health and safety professionals in the rail industry to prove compliance with the impending EMF directive, which comes into force in July 2016.

Manufactured by Narda Safety Test Solutions, the ELT-400 Model 107 exposure level tester is as straightforward to operate as, say, a noise meter, displaying magnetic field strengths as a percentage of the High, Low and Limb Action Levels defined in the EMF directive. If required, the field strength can also be displayed in milliTesla (mT) units.

The new instrument enables users to quickly assess the fields generated by electric trains, trams or other electrical installations with a current greater than 100A, which can exceed the values listed in the directive.

Covering the frequency range 1Hz to 400kHz, the ELT-400 Model 107 features an integrated ‘shaped time domain’ function employing the ‘weighted peak method’ specified by the EMF directive. In practice this means the instrument automatically sums the complex magnetic fields that are commonly encountered in the rail industry and weights them against the frequency-dependent exposure levels detailed in the directive. Most importantly, the result is provided as an easily understood percentage value of the given exposure level.

The measurement results are displayed on a backlit LCD panel, and since the instrument continuously monitors the field and updates the display, any alteration to the equipment under test, e.g. a power reduction, can be evaluated immediately.

Housed in a rugged case, the ELT-400 Model 107 is supplied complete with an isotropic probe, which measures magnetic fields regardless of their direction and can be attached to the instrument either directly or via a suitable cable, depending on the requirements of the application. A three-axis analogue signal output is also provided to allow advanced signal-shape/frequency analysis using an oscilloscope or FFT analyser.