TEST & MEASUREMENT APPLICATION NOTES AND WHITE PAPERS

  • Measurement Of The Phase Between Several Signals

    Measurement of magnitude can be done with spectrum analyzers, power meters etc. For a phase measurement, a VNA is the easiest, fastest and most accurate instrument. 

  • VSWR Conversion To Reflected Power

    VSWR measures how efficiently RF power is transmitted through a load, with high VSWR indicating poor efficiency. Explore VSWR's relation to return loss, reflection coefficient, and mismatch loss.

  • Directivity And VSWR Measurements: Understanding Return Loss Measurements

    The characterization of microwave networks requires discriminating between forward and backward traveling waves. Unfortunately no directional device is perfect, leading to potentially dramatic measurement errors. In this note we show that return loss and VSWR measurements are greatly complicated by the finite performance of the directional device used to measure the reflected power.

  • DPX® Acquisition Technology For Spectrum Analyzers Fundamentals

    Signal detection is the first step in characterizing, diagnosing, understanding, and resolving any problem that relates to time-variant signals. Engineers are requiring better tools to help find and interpret complex signal behaviors and interactions. The Tektronix Digital Phosphor technology, or DPX®, can be used in Real-Time Spectrum Analyzers (RSAs) to reveal signal details that are completely missed by conventional spectrum analyzers and vector signal analyzers. This white paper describes the methods behind the DPX Live RF spectrum display, swept DPX, Time-Domain DPX Displays, DPX Density™ measurements, DPX Density™ and Frequency Edge triggers.

  • Field Probe Correction Factors

    To better achieve accurate field level measurements, it is helpful to have an understanding of field probe calibrations, the factors generated, and what’s presented as data during testing. This application note presents how to utilize the factors presented for inclusion into test data, how to generate composite measurements, and why calibrations are performed at selected frequencies.

TEST & MEASUREMENT SOLUTIONS

XF leverages the EM principle of superposition to quickly analyze port phase combinations with a single simulation.

The SMS7630 Series comprises low-cost, surface mountable, plastic packaged silicon mixer Schottky diodes designed for RF and microwave mixers and detectors. They include low barrier diodes and zero-bias detectors that combine Skyworks advanced semiconductor technology with low-cost packaging techniques. All diodes are 100 percent DC tested and deliver tight parameter distribution, which minimizes performance variability.

Model HP 4268A is a capacitance meter designed for testing high value multilayer ceramic capacitor (MLCC) designs

Radar simulation systems (i.e., RF sources and/or receivers) must perform to an exacting minimum standard if they are to accurately prove the field worthiness of EW systems.

The dB-9001 from dB Control is a custom-mounted Instantaneous Frequency Measurement (IFM) unit designed to operate in the C, X, and Ku-band frequency range and provide highly accurate measurements at 100 ns to CW pulse width measurements.

Bird offers the FH-AV-KIT, a FlightHawk™ RF Aviation Test Kit designed for avionics testing and measurement applications. This kit includes a proven antenna and cable testing functionality of the FlightHawk handheld analyzer, all necessary adapters and cabling, and Bird’s aviation testing software that allows anyone on the maintenance team to test and verify all antenna systems in a fleet.

Holzworth Instrumentation was founded as a phase noise measurement company. Along the path to phase noise analysis solutions, our high performance building blocks were developed and sold in the form of RF Synthesizers, Phase Detectors, etc. The HA7401A is a Fixed Frequency Phase Noise Analyzer, and the HA7402A is a Phase Noise Measurement Engine.

The dB-9002 from dB Control is a custom-mounted Dual Instantaneous Frequency Measurement (DIFM) unit designed to operate in the C, X, and Ku-band frequency range and provide highly accurate measurements at 100 ns to CW pulse width measurements.