How is RF pulse power measured?
Unlike an average power meter, a peak power meter can directly measure the peak power of a pulsed RF signal. A peak power meter would be used with a peak power sensor, which is a diode-based detector with a fast response. That response enables it to accurately measure the envelope of a pulsed signal.
What does a spectrum analyzer measure?
A spectrum / signal analyzer measures the magnitude of an input signal versus frequency within the full frequency range of the instrument. The primary use is to measure the power of the spectrum of known and unknown signals.
What is RF peak power?
Peak power, such as the overshoot of an RF pulse or IQ waveform, is the maximum value over some period of time. The power measurement can be averaged across a time period, such as across a series of RF pulses, yielding the average power. Another instrument commonly used to measure RF power is a spectrum analyzer.
What is difference between oscilloscope and spectrum analyzer?
Oscilloscopes and spectrum analyzers are two of the most important instruments in any electronic laboratory. Simply speaking, a spectrum analyzer is used to measure frequency information on a signal, whereas oscilloscopes are used to measure the timing information around a signal.
What is reference level in spectrum analyzer?
For example, on power-up, the reference level is 0 dBm, meaning that the top line on the screen is at 0 dBm and you measure the amplitudes of lines in the spectrum down from that level. For example, if the REF LEVEL is set to +10dBm, a signal peak that reaches the top of the display is +10dBm.
How to measure pulsed signals using a spectrum analyzer?
How to measure pulsed signals using a spectrum analyzer – some of the key concepts and techniques. Pulsed signals are used in a variety of areas of electronics and radio. One particular example is within radar signals, but many other applications exist.
What are the parameters of a pulsed signal?
A pulsed signal switches on and off at a periodic rate. This leads to many spectral lines across a wide frequency range. Key parameters like pulse width () and pulse repetition rate (T) describe the spectral shape.
How is power measured in a rms detector?
The RMS detector measures the power of the spectrum represented by a pixel by applying the power formula to all samples. For higher repeatability the number of samples per pixel can be controlled by the sweep time. With longer sweep times the time for power integration for each pixel increases.
How is pulse desensitisation factor defined in a spectrum?
The overall effect as seen on a spectrum analyser is that the peak power reduces, but it is spread over a wider bandwidth. It is possible to define a pulse desensitisation factor α. This can be described in the equation: It should be noted that this relationship is only really valid for a true Fourier line spectrum.