Radar transceiver testing

Your radar transceiver testing challenges

The diversity and variety of military missions, as well as the difficult operational conditions they entail, require a complex set of test scenarios, that adequately address the potential risks. Intimate knowledge of the system operating modes is required to ensure sufficient and effective test coverage.

These systems must not emit any electromagnetic interference above specified limits and should be immune to high levels of electromagnetic energy. Emission and susceptibility tests are usually conducted in an anechoic or reverberation chamber.

Addressing all these challenges requires sophisticated test and measurement equipment, such as those provided by Rohde & Schwarz. These tools are capable of accurately simulating real-world conditions and offering comprehensive analysis and diagnostics, making them essential for effective radar transceiver testing.

High-performance solutions for radar transceiver testing

• Receiver testing covers the measurement of receiver RX sensitivity, noise figure, spurious - AM/AM and AM/PM conversion, IMD and LO leakage. For this, the R&S®SMW200A or R&S®SMM100A vector signal generators can generate precise, arbitrarily modulated signals over a wide frequency, bandwidth and power range. Spurious and other signals can measured with the R&S®FSW vector signal analyzer. The noise figure of a low noise amplifier (LNA) can be measured with the R&S®FS-SNS noise source.
• Average clock sources have the potential to degrade overall system performance. This must be mitigated during characterization and verification. For this, it is common to substitute the COHerent Oscillators (COHO) and/or STAble Local Oscillators (STALO) with an ultra-clean signal source, such as the R&S®SMA100B signal generator.
• Transmitter characteristics such as transmit power (TX), gain, compression point, spectral purity, spurious emissions and Inter-Modulation Distortion (IMD) and pulse stability are typically measured with a R&S®ZNA vector network analyzer. Amplifier memory and higher-order effects can be analyzed with a combination of the R&S®FSW vector signal analyzer and R&S®SMW200A vector signal generator using digital pre-distortion (DPD) or intermodulation distortion techniques. A transmitter's output power can be easily and precisely measured with a Rohde & Schwarz RF & microwave power meter.
• R&S®FSWP phase noise analyzers are used to measure and characterize phase noise and Voltage Controlled Oscillator (VCO) performance with high sensitivity, speed and versatility.
• Signal and power integrity of digital interfaces and buses used for data and control can be effectively tested with Rohde & Schwarz oscilloscopes.
• From EMI debugging at module level, to full compliant EMC testing for aerospace and defense, Rohde & Schwarz provide a comprehensive range of EMC test solutions, including EMI test receivers, broadband amplifiers, EMC test automation software and turn-key test systems.