Feature Article: Making Power Measurements In The Field

By Stefan Pongratz, Anritsu Company

Increasing data demands are changing the modulation signals in today's communication systems. Digitally complex signals such as CDMA, EV-DO, GPRS, EDGE, WCDMA, and WiMAX add complexity to power measurement testing. These signals can have a large crest factor, and a 10 to 12 dB peak-to-average power ratio is common for Quadrature Amplitude Modulated signals. This amplitude variation puts a constraint on the power meter solutions that can be used to obtain accurate power measurements, especially in the field.