Spurious emission search with spectrum analyzers is one of the most demanding measurements in the design, verification and production of RF and microwave devices. RF designers, especially in the aerospace & defense industry need to detect very low level spurs. Very narrow resolution bandwidths are required to measure with a low noise floor, hence increasing measurement time. Even working with very fast spectrum analyzers, a spur search may take several hours or even days.In this paper we will review the basics of spurious measurements and how the parameters used can affect the detection performance. A new technique as used in the R&S®FSW-K50 spurious measurement application which makes spurious search faster and easier to configure.

14-Jul-2017 | AN-No. 1EF97

RF pulse measurements, to characterize the signal in the frequency domain, are traditionally carried out on an RF spectrum analyzer. For time related pulse parameters, oscilloscopes are widely used. However, the measurement capabilities of state of the art test and measurement equipment has evolved over time and crosses domains. With a combination of R&S®RTO digital oscilloscope and dedicated pulse analysis software R&S®VSE-K6, pulse signals can be analyzed in both domains, frequency and time.The R&S®RTO digital oscilloscopes are unique in that they allow output of I/Q data for processing. This application note focusses on signal measurement using this instrument.Analysis of an L-/S-band ATC RADAR utilizing the R&S®RTO2044 oscilloscope running Vector Signal Explorer Software R&S®VSE and Pulse Analysis personality R&S®VSE-K6 is followed by measurements on an X-band RADAR utilizing R&S®FSW, R&S®FPS, R&S®FSV or FSVA signal & spectrum analyzers with the same dedicated R&S®VSE-K6 software.

18-Oct-2016 | AN-No. 1MA249

This application note belongs to a series of application notes which explains how to test EW receivers at RF in the lab with commercial, off-the-shelf signal generators and software. The series will cover all relevant use cases. This application note will discuss threat simulation and verification. Further application notes will address calibration and verification of multi-channel setups for simulation of angle of arrival, generation of radar signals in a hardware in the loop (HIL) environment with PDW Streaming, and automated threat creation and sequencing.

23-Mar-2021 | AN-No. 1GP123

Designing and implementing an active phased array antenna requires precise characterization of individual components and the integrated performance of the array. To ensure an accurate test of the intended adaptive nature of the active phased array antenna, the embedded algorithms need to be tested as well.This application note aims to explain test procedures and give recommendations towards characterization of the relevant parameters for active phased array antennas and their passive subsystem, as often used in applications for Mobile Communication and RADAR. This application note describes transmit signal quality testing, multi-element amplitude and phase measurement techniques both in receive and transmit cases and introduces a new automated test methodology antenna radiation pattern measurement over frequency. This paper also describes the test system used for transmit and receive module (TRM) characterization in active array antennas.

04-Jul-2016 | AN-No. 1MA248

This application note describes Methods of Implementation (MOI) for precise, fast, and error-free compliance testing of USB Type-C to legacy cable assemblies supporting USB3.1 Gen2, USB3.1 Gen1, and USB2.0. Based on 5 Gbps signaling per lane with vector network analyzers from Rohde & Schwarz.

18-Jan-2024 | AN-No. 1SL406

This application note describes Methods of Implementation (MOI) for precise, fast, and error-free compliance testing of USB Type-C to Type-C cable assemblies supporting USB4 Gen3, USB4 Gen2, USB 3.2 Gen2, USB3.2 Gen1, and USB2.0.

30-Nov-2023 | AN-No. 1SL405

This application note describes Methods of Implementation (MOI) for precise, fast, and error-free compliance testing of USB 3.2 Legacy Cable Testing for USB Type A, Type B, and Micro family connector types. Based on 5 Gbps and 10 Gbps signaling per lane with vector network analyzers from Rohde & Schwarz.

09-Nov-2023 | AN-No. 1SL408

In the satellite sector, components, subsystems and entire satellites must be qualified in a thermal vacuum chamber before they can be used in space. This qualification proves that equipment can not only survive but also function in the harsh conditions encountered during launch and in space.

05-Oct-2022

Due to today’s worldwide highly competitive communications market, achieving shorter product design cycles, quicker response to customer requests and high-volume product runs at low costs is vital for manufacturers of wireless devices and components. These requirements inevitably lead to demands for improving the throughput of Automated Test Equipment (ATE) by increasing its speed. This application note describes in detail how the special features of the R&S® SMATE200A can be used to optimize speed and throughput in an automated test environment.

17-Apr-2007 | AN-No. 1GP63

Audio Analyzers UPD and UPL with their large variety of functions provide practically all measurement procedures required in audio technology. Thanks to the Universal Sequence Controllers UPD-K1 and UPL-B10, which are available as options, the user is able to considerably expand the range of functions to suit his particular requirements. It is possible, for instance, to add complete measurement functions - eg measurement of ohmic resistance - and to read out, convert or reload sweep results or to add new scale labelling (eg group delay). Another example is the analysis of sweep curves and the display of results in a window next to the curve. As far as softkey labelling and functions are concerned, operation of the sequence control programs is analogous to the softkey control of the UPD/UPL graphics display.

04-Jun-1998 | AN-No. 1GA16

Using S-parameters instead of a fixed offset makes measurements more accurate by accounting for the interaction between the sensor and a component. This shifts the sensor's reference plane from the sensor's RF connector to the input of the device that is being applied externally. This application note explains the fundamentals of using S-parameters and discusses some common applications in which S-parameter correction is useful. It also introduces a command line tool for updating S-parameter data in custom applications or in automated test setups.

27-Jul-2012 | AN-No. 1GP70

- not available -

01-Oct-2001 | AN-No. 7TS01

World’s first fully electronically steerable antenna array.

27-Jun-2023

This application note is to provide a basic understanding as to the configuration and control of DVQ via an Ethernet link.

26-Apr-2001 | AN-No. 7BM04

Long Term Evolution (LTE) technology has become the technology of choice for keeping up with the requirement of higher throughput in mobile communication in bands below 6 GHz. It is expected that within the next decade LTE will become the primary commercial standard. LTE is often used to broadcast emergency information in times of natural disasters and national crises and is under investigation for further end use application in government as well as military application fields.Communication via LTE has some vulnerabilities. This drawback is a matter of concern since it is possible to completely take down the LTE network or at least partially block communication, intentionally with the help of jamming signals, or unintentionally through various forms of interference.An example of unintentional interference issues is the frequently discussed co-existence issues with Air Traffic Control (ATC) S-band radar and Digital TV bands. The in-device co-existence challenge is also a potentially important issue with the rapid evolution of multi-standard radios.This White Paper will focus on the vulnerabilities of LTE communication by explaining LTE jamming and unintentional interference problems, address the coexistence issues with other services, and discuss the mitigation options to build a broad perspective on the possible deployment of the LTE technology for future military and civil governmental applications.Understanding the susceptance of new technologies to known and expected environments is critical to the adoption for defense applications

16-Sep-2014 | AN-No. 1MA245

True or false: 30 dBm + 30 dBm = 60 dBm? Why does 1% work out to be -40 dB one time but then 0.1 dB or 0.05 dB the next time? These questions sometimes leave even experienced engineers scratching their heads. Decibels are found everywhere, including power levels, voltages, reflection coefficients, noise figures, field strengths and more. What is a decibel and how should we use it in our calculations? This Application Note is intended as a refresher on the subject of decibels.

21-Apr-2015 | AN-No. 1MA98

The LTE technology as specified within 3GPP Release 8 was first commercially deployed by end 2009. Since then the number of commercial networks is strongly increasing around the globe. LTE has become the fastest developing mobile system technology. As other cellular technologies LTE is continuously worked on in terms of improvements. 3GPP groups added technology components into so called releases. Initial enhancements were included in 3GPP Release 9, followed by more significant improvements in 3GPP Release 10, also known as LTE-Advanced. Beyond Release 10 a number of different market terms have been used. However 3GPP reaffirmed that the naming for the technology family and its evolution continues to be covered by the term LTE-Advanced. I.e. LTE-Advanced remains the correct description for specifications defined from Release 10 onwards, including 3GPP Release 12. This white paper summarizes improvements specified in 3GPP Release 11.

09-Jul-2013 | AN-No. 1MA232

Complex production workflows in several broadcast, post production or presentation environments not only need a solid storage architecture, but also intelligent project sharing since several teams require access to all data.

18-Nov-2014

- not available -

20-Jul-2001 | AN-No. 7BM25

As part of Release 13, 3GPP has specified a new radio interface, the Narrowband Internet of Things (NBIoT). NB-IoT is optimized for machine type traffic. It is kept as simple as possible in order to reduce device costs and to minimize battery consumption. In addition, it is also adapted to work in difficult radio conditions, which is a frequent operational area for certain machine type communication devices. Although NBIoT is an independent radio interface, it is tightly connected with LTE, which also shows up in its integration in the current LTE specifications.In this whitepaper we introduce the NB-IoT technology with an emphasis on the tight connection to LTE.

08-Aug-2016 | AN-No. 1MA266

This white paper describes the basic functionality of antennas. Starting with Hertz's Antenna model followed by a short introduction to the fundamentals of wave propagation, the important general characteristics of an antenna and its associated parameters are explained. A more detailed explanation of the functionality of some selected antenna types concludes this white paper.

04-Nov-2014 | AN-No. 8GE01

This application note describes how to connect and use the highly popular R&S®NRP-Z family of USB SMART power sensors with the Android application (app): R&S®Power Viewer Mobile for mobile devices running on Android 4.0 operating systems. Multi-path diode and wideband power sensors as well as thermal R&S®NRP-Z sensors are supported. The app "R&S®Power Viewer Mobile" is available on .

04-Jun-2013 | AN-No. 1MA215

- not available -

20-Jul-2001 | AN-No. 7BM19

This program applies to SFQs which are equipped with the first generation of noise generators (Var 02) and with FW version 1.24 or higher. [[ br /> One of the most important measurements of DVB systems concern noise margins. The C/N signal produced by the SFQ needs to be as accurate as possible. [[ br /> The present application note is intended to this purpose, with a special calibration process.

20-Jul-2001 | AN-No. 7BM08

A simple concept with Azure IoT

Cloud development, microservice architectures and container virtualization are becoming more and more standard. Software components are repacked into containers, networked with each other and then brought into the cloud. The topic is also becoming increasingly interesting for test & measurement.But how do you connect your existing measurement equipment to the cloud, with instruments in some cases not even having an internet connection?This document describes an approach how to establish a remote connection between the instrument and the cloud using an IoT broker. The implementation is done using an Azure IoT Hub and software in .NET Core.

15-Dec-2020 | AN-No. GFM319

Emergency Call (eCall) is a service provided in Europe with the goal of reducing response times for accidents or other emergencies on the roadways. This application note briefly describes the technology behind eCall and presents conformance tests for eCall using the R&S®CMW500 RF tester and the R&S®SMBV100A vector signal generator. A Test software for eCall makes it quick and easy to perform these tests with the GSM or WCDMA wireless communications standard. It also shows a test solution for GNSS performance tests for eCall using the R&S®SMBV100A vector signal generator and the option R&S®SMBV-K361 together with CMWrun.This application note is outdated. We therefore refer to the newer application note .

24-Jan-2018 | AN-No. 1MA241

Frequency Modulated Continuous Wave (FMCW) radar signals are often used in short range surveillance, altimeters and automotive radars. To ensure proper functionality, signal quality measures such as frequency linearity are of great importance.This application note focuses on fully automated, fast and accurate measurements, of linear FMCW radar signals. It explains the basic signal processing, the impact on radar key performance indicators in case of linearity deviations and explains test and measurement of linear FMCW signals in detail.Measurement of an FMCW radar signal in the 77-81 GHz band with 500 MHz of measurement bandwidth is demonstrated.

25-Apr-2014 | AN-No. 1EF88

This application note introduces the program GPIB-Bus Device Finder GPIB FIND.The GPIB-Bus Device Finder GPIB FIND helps you identify the devices connected to a GPIB (IEC or IEEE) bus. It shows the addresses of these devices and their response to the identity query (*idn?). Additionally GPIB FIND helps you to locate GPIB problems with GPIB card installation, incorrect address setting or broken cables. GPIB FIND includes an additional program to send (write) a message to a device or to receive (read) a message from the device.

28-Oct-2009 | AN-No. 1MA17

This white paper describes the POLQA® algorithm implemented in the R&S®UPV Audio Analyzer and shows an example hardware setup for standard independent audio measurements.

30-May-2012 | AN-No. 1MA202

This Application Note describes the operating principle of DME (Distance Measurement Equipment) that is used for distance measurement in aviation. It also describes various test scenarios for the maintenance of a DME transponder. These tests require an R&S®SMA100A signal generator with R&S®SMA-K26 DME modulation option, and an R&S®NRP-Z81 wideband power sensor.

26-Feb-2009 | AN-No. 1GP74