Understanding And Calculating Probability Of Intercept In Spectrum Analysis

From the perspective of wireless RF signal analyzers, the Probability of Intercept (POI) represents the amount of time that a signal needs to be present, or that there is a probability that the signal will be intercepted and sufficiently captured for analysis. In this application note, the POI will be explained pertaining to a radio-frequency (RF) signal analyzer, including the context of product export controls. It also covers the RTSA7550’s mechanisms for triggering and capturing a signal in real-time, and calculates the signal durations conforming to a 0% POI and 100% POI.