Guest Column: Time Matters — How Power Meters Measure Fast Signals

This article is part of a series of quarterly guest columns by Wolfgang Damm, Ph.D., International Product Management Director, Wireless Telecom Group.

Power Measurements

Modern wireless and cable transmission technologies, as well as radar systems, present demanding challenges for device and system developers. Manufacturers of test and measurement equipment are driven to offer products that fully support today’s needs, while anticipating the requirements of future technologies. Accuracy has always been a critical requirement in the test and measurement world, but modern technologies demand another must-have — highest data acquisition and processing speeds to allow accurate measurements of complex signal waveforms. This article describes the different techniques RF peak power meters employ to meet these challenges.