A typical application for signal generators and spectrum analyzers is measuring nonlinearities of RF amplifiers. This application note discusses the basics of nonlinearities and describes the nonlinearity measurement using the R&S Value Instruments RF Signal Generator R&S®SMC100A and Spectrum Analyzer R&S®FSC.

20-May-2014 | AN-No. 1MA71

Especially with test receivers not comprising a built-in disk drive (ESHS10, ESVS10, ESVD, ESVB and ESPC) it is necessary to store instrument settings before a firmware update or before changing the battery of the static memory to be able to restore the settings later on. Frequently it is desirable to exchange settings or comprehensive data like transducer sets between receivers, or receivers have to be set up to suit different applications.

18-Jan-2002 | AN-No. 1EE20

This application note shows how to configure, calibrate and perform conducted EMS (Electro Magnetic Susceptibility) measurements according to IEC / EN 61000-4-6 and EMI (Electro Magnetic Interference) measurements according to CISPR 16-2-1 with the R&S®EMC32 software tool.

19-Jul-2013 | AN-No. 1MA212

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

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

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

The application note has a focus on the theoretical background of the PLL measurement method and illuminate its application in the R&S FSUP. Based on measurement examples on different sources, the loop settings for optimum measurement performance are discussed.

04-May-2010 | AN-No. 1EF72

This application note describes a software application that can be utilized in conjunction with Rohde&Schwarz Signal- and Spectrum Analyzers and Signal Source Analyzers to capture and analyze transient signals. The software application takes advantage of the instrument’s IQ memory buffer of up to 705 Msamples to capture and analyze IQ signals in the time domain and / or frequency domain. This is useful for measuring lock time, analyzing radar pulses, finding spurious transients, and other measurements similar in nature to these. This application can be used with R&S®Signal Source Analyzer FSUP and R&S®Signal and Spectrum Analyzers FSQ, FSU, FSG, FSV.

16-Feb-2009 | AN-No. 1MA141

Rohde & Schwarz recognizes the potential risk of computer virus infection when connecting Windows®-based test instrumentation to other computers via local area networks (LANs), or using removable storage devices.This white paper introduces measures to minimize malware threats and discusses ways to mitigate risks while insuring that instrument performance is not compromised.The paper discusses the use of anti-virus software. It also outlines how to keep the Windows® 10 operating system properly updated through regular installation of OS patches.

23-Sep-2016 | AN-No. 1EF96

Joint solutions of R&S® and COMPRION®

The GSMA specified a global standard for remote provisioning and management of the embedded Universal Integrated Circuit Card (eUICC) in the machine-to-machine (M2M) environment as well as the consumer devices via Over the Air (OTA) methodology.This application note describes GSMA compliant remote eUICC provisioning test solution based on R&S® CMW500/CMW290/CMX500 and COMPRION® eUICC Profile Manager software tool. Moreover, an eUICC provisioning method for GSMA Security Accreditation Scheme (SAS) compliant consumer devices by adopting COMPRION® eSIM Test Profile Service is introduced which is essential for RF, protocol testing on R&S®CMW500/CMW290/CMX500 for eSIM capable consumer devices.

03-Jun-2020 | AN-No. GFM342

This application note provides information about spectral measurements with noise correction. The basic requirements and the limiting factors of a spectrum analyzer are explained. Dynamic range improvements by means of a noise correction is presented. Measurement examples show the improved performance of TOI measurements with noise correction.

25-Oct-2012 | AN-No. 1EF76

In this application note, a UHD 4K end-to-end solution utilizing products from Rohde & Schwarz is described in detail from the point at which 4K content is captured until its delivery to households via a DVB-T2 SFN network.

29-Aug-2014 | AN-No. 7BM90

Frequency converters e.g. in satellite transponders need to be characterized not only in terms of amplitude transmission but also in terms of phase transmission or group delay, especially with the transition to digital modulation schemes. They often do not provide access to the internal local oscillators This application note describes a method using the R&S ZVA to measure group delay of mixers and frequency converters with an embedded local oscillator very accurately. The key aspect of this new technique is, that the network analyzer applies a 2-tone signal to the frequency converter. By measuring the phase differences between the two signals at the input and at the output, it calculates group delay and relative phase between output and input.

27-Aug-2012 | AN-No. 1EZ60

Blocking test, WLAN, Wi-Fi, RF device, performance limit Customize blocking tests and make sure to address parameters like frequency positions, levels or bandwidths when verifying RF device performance. Verifying RF device performance with a blocking test Blocking test, WLAN, Wi-Fi, RF device, performance limit Customize blocking tests and make sure to address parameters like frequency positions, levels

31-Oct-2019

In environments such as mobile use as well as in service shops and education, spectrum analyzers with dedicated built-in pulsed-signal analysis features are often not available. This paper describes the smartphone app Pulsed RF Calculator that aids in finding the right choice of spectrum analyzer settings to calculate the so-called pulse desensitization for manual compensation of pulsed signal amplitudes. Automatic compensation and many other features necessary for in-depth pulsed signal analysis require the use of dedicated functionalities and are outside the scope of this app.

24-Sep-2015 | AN-No. 1MA240

This application note describes how to generate and analyze wideband digitally modulated signals in the mm-wave range.Rohde & Schwarz measuring equipment and some 3rd party off-the-shelf accessories are used for both signal generation and analysis. Measurement results are shown which demonstrate the typical performance for millimeter wave signals in terms of error vector magnitude (EVM) and adjacent channel power (ACLR).Two test setups and their measurement results on a commercial V-band transceiver module are presented.

02-Sep-2014 | AN-No. 1MA217

This application note describes the techniques to measure the dielectric properties of materials using a vector network analyzer. It also shows methods for converting the s-parameters to dielectric properties.

23-May-2012 | AN-No. RAC-0607-0019

The measurement speed for spurious signal measurements is mainly defined by the spectrum analyzer sweep speed. With traditional swept spectrum analyzers and tight spurious limits the measurement can easily take hours or even a full day. This application note describes the differences in sweep speed between swept spectrum analyzers and modern spectrum analyzers with a wide-band FFT process, and how this improves the measurement speed for general spurious measurement.

10-Jul-2012 | AN-No. 1EF80

The scope of the subject “radar” has expanded in the recent years in terms of its technical evolution and spreading of applications. This application note along with its corresponding white paper 1MA207 show how to use the R&S radar product portfolio to tackle test and measurement tasks in modern radar technology. Target groups are students who want to become familiar with radar issues as well as radar professionals who want to solve certain test and measurement tasks.

10-Aug-2012 | AN-No. 1MA127

This application notes introduces the Multi-Standard Radio Analyzer function of the R&S®FSW and shows how it performs the measurement on multi-standard radio transmitters. It reveals interactions caused by the coexistence of signals of different cellular standards and localizes the root cause. With an example of a base station signal consisting of three radio access technologies (GSM/WCDMA/LTE FDD) it shows how easy interactions can be found. The R&S®FSW is the ideal tool for trouble shooting tasks with its combination of a large bandwidth and the versatile Multi-Standard Radio Analyzer in one measurement instrument.

17-Jul-2012 | AN-No. 1EF83

radiated conformance testing according to TS 38.141-2, Rel. 16

3GPP defines the Radio Frequency (RF) conformance test methods and requirements for 5G NR Base Stations (BS) in the technical specifications TS 38.141. This application note describes all mandatory radiated RF transmitter tests (TS 38.141-2, chapter 6), according to Release 16.Furthermore, this document provides a brief introduction about the different R&S OTA antenna test solutions and how they are applicable for base station conformance testing. Rohde & Schwarz offers solutions for any test case that is mentioned in this application note.

20-Dec-2019 | AN-No. GFM324

Automating measurement setups is advantageous for multiple reasons. It saves time in case of repeated measurements and in hazardous environments, instruments can be operated from a distance. The measurements are repeatable because they are always performed with a defined procedure, leading to higher test confidence.But in remote control applications, users often perceive synchronization and binary transfers as challenging. Therefore, this application note focuses on binary transfer of data to and from the instrument and shows code example to demonstrate the ease of use.

31-Mar-2022 | AN-No. 1SL381

Millimeter-wave bands are of increasing interest for the satellite industry and potential 5G bands.Antennas for 5G applications make use of these high frequencies to incorporate a large count of radiating elements. These antenna arrays are essential for beamforming operations that play an important part in such next generation networks.This white paper introduces some of the fundamental theory behind beamforming antennas. In addition to these basic concepts, calculation methods for radiation patterns and a number of real world measurement results for linear arrays are shown.

15-Sep-2016 | AN-No. 1MA276