Gigahertz NFA 1000 User manual

© Gigahertz Solutions GmbH July 2019
Made in Germany
NFA 1000
NFA 400
3D Low Frequency
Analyser
with Data Logger
NFAsoft
Analysis and
Configuration
Software
Operating Manual
Version 8.7.1
The THREE-dimensional potentialfree E-field measurement of the NFA
1000 versus the ONE dimensional E field measurement of the NFA400
is the only significant difference between the two instruments.

Juli 2019 © Gigahertz Solutions GmbH
Madein Germany
Thank you!
We thank you for the confidence you have shown by buying this prod-
uct. It allows for a professional analysis of AC electric and AC magnetic
fields according to internationally recognized guidelines and the recom-
mendations of the building biology.
Technical data and specifications are to be found on our website
www.gigahertz-solutions.com.
Contents
1 Quick Start Guide 1
2 NFA 1000 Front Cover 2
3 LEDs / Display / Audio Signals 3
4 Switches / Push-Buttons / Connectors 6
5 How to Measure and Data-Log 12
6 Power Supply 15
7 „NFAsoft“ 17
8 Firmware-Update 24
9 What if… (FAQ) 25
Do not leave in the hot car !
Protect from humidity or condensing air humidity !
Do not wipe or touch display foil !
After long-term recordings please charge soon in
order to avoid – harmful – deep discharge !
This manual is based on firmware version 87 and NFAsoft version 172.
The firmware and software of the NFA will be continuously improved
and made available via download from our homepage.

© Gigahertz Solutions GmbH - 1 - July 2019
Made in Germany
1Quick Start Guide
After switching on, the CPU boots, performs some self-tests and then
automatically starts measuring. After switching off, please do not turn it
back on while the status LED is red to allow the processor to shut
down properly.
Set all switches to their top position!
(Auto, tRMS, M3D and On)
With these settings you will achieve your first meaningful results with-
out further knowledge about the instrument.
The LCD display will now indicate the 3D magnetic field strength. The
coloured frequency LEDs above the LCD display show the comprised
frequencies. The dominant axis x, y or z is indicated by a red LED on
the right of the LCD display.
NFA 1000:
To measure the E-field with ground-reference simply connect the
grounding cable. The NFA detects the attached cable and automati-
cally shows the corresponding electric field strength and frequencies.
The ‘mode’ button toggles between this and the 3D magnetic field.
To measure the three dimensional potential-free AC electric field,
switch to E3D and fix the instrument onto a potential-free rod or onto a
support. The ‘mode’ button toggles between this and the magnetic Z-axis.
NFA 400:
For an E-field measurement, simply switch to Ey.
If the grounding cable is plugged in and connected to the
ground potential, you are measuring “against ground”.
If you attach the meter to a potential-free rod or place it onto a
support, you are measuring “potential free”.
The ‘mode’ button toggles between this and the 3D magnetic field.
For data analysis …
… unzip NFAsoft, double-click and follow intuition!
Should the meter not do what you expect…
… Please have a look the FAQs (page 26ff).
Note:
To allow a simplified freehand measurement, the meter is pre-adjusted with a 16 Hz
high pass filter for the magnetic field and a 50 Hz high pass filter for the electric field
(see page 23 for measurements from 5 Hz onwards).

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2Front Cover
Analogous front cover for NFA 1000 and NFA 400
NFA 400: „Ey“
Technical data and specifications are to be found on our website.
12-15 V
Y
X
Z
Power
Signal
Made in G ermany
R
GIGAHERTZ
Mode
NFA 1000
3D-NF-Analyser
5 Hz - 1000 kHz
Freq.
AC/DC
Peak
Rec.
Mode
mV
nT
mG
V/m
Band
E3D
M3D
tRMS
Auto
XYZ
On
Off
Log
I/O
X
Y
Z
Hold
/
TCO-Band I II

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3Display / LEDs / Audio
3.1 Display and LEDs
When switched to “On”, the NFA will briefly show “bAtt” and the re-
maining battery life. When switched to “Log”, the remaining
battery life is shown cyclically with the elapsed log time and name of
the log file. After some self-tests the measurement starts automatically.
Time indications are set up as follows:
„Xd.XX“: X days and XX hours or
„XX.XX“: XX hours and XX minutes.
„XX.XX“: (with blinking dot): XX minutes und XX seconds.
1 day, 12 hours is the specified minimum logging time. The real capac-
ity can be higher, in particular with new batteries.
The unit of the reading shown on the LCD is
indicated by the adjacent green LED
A flashing LED indicates the unit of a secondary measure-
ment parameter, which can be selected by depressing the
“Mode>” button.
If the LCD range for the standard unit is exceeded, the
next higher unit is displayed, that is uT instead of nT and
Volt instead of mV. Additionally the color of the adjacent
LED changes to red and the “x 1000”-LED is also lit red.
LEDs to indicate the applicable frequency bands:
The frequency-LEDs change their
colour (“traffic light principle”).
”16.7 Hz“:In use for railway lines
in some European countries. The
reading also includes the 2nd har-
monic.
”50/60 Hz“1:Mains frequency. The bandwidth only covers the individual frequency of
50 Hz resp. 60 Hz with its lock-in range.
”100/120 Hz“1: This LED indicates the contribution of the second
through fourth “even” harmonics. The strongest frequency can be numerically dis-
played when using “Freq” mode.
”150/180 Hz“1: This LED indicates the contribution of the third through
fourth “uneven” harmonics. The third harmonics will presently be found in many homes
and most offices as a significant portion of the total measurement. The frequency of the strongest
source can be numerically displayed when using “Freq”.
1The NFA automatically detects the mains frequency and adjusts the indication of its
harmonics. With “Freq.” the actual mains frequency can be determined exactly. The
LED’s for 16.7 Hz, mains frequency and its harmonics up to 2 kHz have a suitable lock-
in range to cover mains fluctuations.

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”R < 2kHz“: Means “Remainder of frequencies below 2 kHz”.
This LED does not show the whole band, but only the sum of all frequencies below 2 kHz which
are not covered by the LEDs on the left.
”> 2kHz“: Comprises frequencies within the upper TCO-band of 2 KHz
up to 1 MHz.
Status LED
The “Status” LED indicates the current mode of operation
“Red” indicates special operating conditions. Do not switch off while
the Status LED is red!
“Yellow” means “measurement in progress, NO recording”.
“Green” means “measurement in progress WITH recording”,
Note: with the switch set to “Log.”, the “Status”-LED is switched off after a short while,
in order to extend battery life.
“x 1000”-LED
Turns red when the scale increases to the superior unit.
Special LCD Display Messages
“Low Batt“: Please recharge the battery a.s.a.p.
“Err.“ = short for ‘Error’: Indicates an inappropriate configuration. This
can occur when a grounding cable or mains adapter is connected AND
potential-free E-field measurement is selected.
„----“: Autocalibration in progress, processor busy, or the value is too
small to be measured reliably.
„CHAr“: Instrument is being charged.
„FULL“means: battery fully loaded or SD memory card is full.
„nbAt“:The processor cannot recognize the battery (see chapter 9)
OR the 15 V AC adapter should be disconnected (the batteries have reached
their maximum possible capacity. Storage at this capacity level is not advised)
„Sd-L“: short for SD memory card is Locked.
„Sd-F“: short for SD memory card failure“. Try re-starting the NFA or
re-formatting the memory card according to chapter 9, first paragraph.
If necessary, replace SD memory card (max. 16 GB).

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There are two display modes for the frequency-LEDs:
“Simple/Steady“: (= preset)2
The red LED represents the strongest frequency , and the yellow LED
the second strongest. The green LEDs indicate the total frequency
range in the current setting.
“Full Information/Volatile”: This makes the LEDs rather unsteady/vol-
atile. (To be configured with NFAsoft)
The proportion of the respective frequency band in relation to the total
signal is being displayed. These proportions are shown as follows3:
RED = DOMINANT (> 50%)
YELLOW = MEDIUM (< 50%)
GREEN = SMALL (< 10%)
3.2 Audio Signal
The acoustic signal is always linked to the respective measured value
and has a „Geiger Counter” characteristic, i. e. an increasing signal in-
tensity will in turn cause an accelerated rattling sound.
If the “Mode”-switch is set to „ “, press the ‘Mode >’ button to
turn the volume up and the ‘Rec. >’ button to turn the volume down
(and finally: off), as long as no grounding cable is connected to the in-
strument.
Please note: For extra-precise measurement requirements turn the
acoustic signal volume down or even switch it off completely.
2In order to allow for less fluctuations in this mode an internal high pass filter is
switched on. With NFAsoft it can be configurated to 16.7 and 50 Hz. Experience has
shown that the best combination for a freehand measurement is a filter set to 16.7 Hz
for magnetic fields and to 50 Hz for electric fields. Electric fields of the 16.7 Hz railway
line power frequency (in some European countries) are quite rare indoors and can still
be evaluated in the “band” mode. They can still be separately evaluated with NFAsoft.
3To make it more ergonomic for the user, frequencies below the nominal display reso-
lution (that is < 0.1 V/m or < 1 nT) are not indicated by an LED-signal but will still be
recorded down to the noise level. Hysteresis: 9/12% resp. 45/50%.
/

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4Switches / Push-Buttons /
Connectors
4.1 On / Off switch (“Power“)
“On” = Standard Measurement Setting
Allow some seconds for self-testing until measurement starts automati-
cally. LEDs and acoustic signal are activated for full information during
manual measurements. They remain activated when you start logging
by shortly switching to “Log” until the Status-LED is lit green and then
back to “On”.
“Log” = Logging / long term recording
All LEDs and the acoustic signal are deactivated in order to save bat-
tery life during data logging.
“Off” = Device is off
When turning off the device allow some seconds for shutting down its
operating system before switching it back on.
4.2 Field Selection for
3D Measurement
M3D = Magnetic field (3D)
The isotropic point or magnetic field sensors are below the
coordinate system printed on the meter faceplate. The domi-
nating axis is indicated by a red LED next to the display.
XYZ = Axis indication
Here, the NFA 1000 will show either the magnetic or the electric field in
its three individual components depending on the field type from which
the switch was set to “XYZ”, whereas the NFA 400 will only show the
individual components of the magnetic field. Press the ‘Mode >’ button
to switch from one axis to the other. Please see chapter 4.9 for details
to this or to the automated scrolling.
E3D(NFA1000) / Ey(NFA400) = Potential-free E-field
The field sensor pairs for the X-, Y- and Z-axis (directions correspond
to the imprint) are situated within the meter close to the housing. For a
proper measurement the meter has to be set up more than 12 inches
away from any metal objects on an insulated “holder” (accessory PM1)
or held with an insulated rod (mounting aid PM5s). Also cables or
probes must not be connected during this measurement setting. In the
Y
X
Z

© Gigahertz Solutions GmbH - 7 - July 2019
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case of an erroneous configuration, the display will indicate “Err.” until
the configuration is corrected or the setting is changed to magnetic
field measurement. The measuring person should avoid hectic move-
ments and keep a distance of at least 1.5 m to the object of measure-
ment.For potential-free E-field-measurements the highest accuracy will be reached when used
without the yellow silicone holster.
For E-field measurements against earth potential, please plug in the
grounding cable and
-switch to “M3D” (automatic adjustment) on the NFA 1000
-switch to “Ey” on the NFA 400.
4.3 Sockets for Inputs and Grounding
AC/DC = Combined AC/DC-Input
The moment you connect an external sensor, its signal
will automatically be displayed in mV and logged if
required. (“Mode” switch is set to “Auto”. Protected against
overvoltage).
AC: A displayed value of 2000 corresponds to an AC
signal of “1VRMS”.
DC: It can linearly display and log signals from +/- 0.1 to
+/- 1500mV, i.e. with an HF59B connected and set to coarse (adjust to
1V), the values recorded will be between 1µW/m² and approx. 30,000
µW/m². The value will be displayed in mV4.
For logging RF please make sure to remember the settings of the con-
nected HF-Analyser, as they will not be registered by the NFA. You
may use the audio note feature for that.
Available options for the AC/DC Socket
Connecting cable for an HF-Analyser for data logging high-frequency
(KAB0053). Potentially falsifying LF- or RF-inductions can reliably be
suppressed by means of our suppression kit (EDY).
Electrostatic probe for measuring electrostatic charges of surfaces
(ES-NFA).
3D-magnetostatic probe for measuring the Earth’s magnetic field and
its distortions (MS3-NFA).
An AC signal being connected to the AC/DC socket will by default be
displayed as total RMS signal in CH4. For the analysis and mitigation
of dirty power it is useful to have the signal of a current sensor (“cur-
rent clamp”) to be split into the frequency ranges of the NFA (FA1). An
example for an adequate current sensor is the MiniFlex MA 200 from Chauvin Arnoux.
4For all measurement ranges, even when using an attenuator or amplifier, NFAsoft of-
fers a comfortable conversion tool. The random noise will make it impossible to
properly display or record measurement values below 0.1µW/m², though.

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= Input socket for body voltage hand probe
Input for the connection of a hand probe for the measurement of body
voltage in mV. The connector is a 4 mm banana jack. For displaying
and recording, set the “Mode”-switch to and plug in the ground-
ing cable.
This is the only input which cannot be recognized automatically (being
single-pole).
= Socket for the grounding cable
Allows the connection of a grounding cable for an E-field measurement
with reference to ground (in compliance with TCO). This will be de-
tected automatically by the instrument and the display will change to E-
field with reference to ground correspondingly.
Socket for the TCO-conformed probe at the front
end of the meter
This is for the TCO-conformed probe available as an optional acces-
sory from Gigahertz Solutions. No data logging!
4.4 Mode = Selection of
Measurement Mode
Selects all measurement and display options of the in-
strument with the field selector switch and the “Mode
>” button. Configuration errors will be detected and in-
dicated by “Err.” on the display until resolved.
When set to the NFA recognizes probes con-
nected to it, and shows the corresponding values. If
there is no external probe connected to the instrument,
it will show the selected 3D field type. By pressing the
mode button, you can “toggle” between the primary
and secondary display measurements. The secondary measurement
field is indicated by a short flashing of the corresponding unit-LED.
/
Mode
Freq.
Band
Auto
/