Search Application Notes & Cards
Learn how to configure Rohde & Schwarz products to fit your application. Search our database by product, technology, or application to find relevant technical documents.
Search Application Notes & Cards
Learn how to configure Rohde & Schwarz products to fit your application. Search our database by product, technology, or application to find relevant technical documents.
273 Results
Interferences on audio transmissions, which happens only from time to time, are very difficult to be measured. This application note describes a method, used by the audio analyzers UPL and UPD, to monitor test tones without any interruption and detecting even the shortest clicks.
04-Jun-1998 | AN-No. 1GA31
This application note helps to understand the measurement uncertainty calculation for a modern spectrum analyzer and provides a tool to calculate the total measurement uncertainty for different measurements.
21-Apr-2010 | AN-No. 1EF63
This application explains the setup and procedure to measure the exact time relationship between the CDMA RF signal and even-second clock. The accurate knowledge of this time relationship is e.g. necessary for test setups which require the synchronization of the R&S®CMU200’s CDMA2000® system with a GPS simulator.
09-Nov-2007 | AN-No. 1CM33
Radio frequencies in bands around 28 GHz are being discussed as candidates for mobile communications of the fifth generation (5G). Beam steering will be a key feature in the context of 5G. It will be a major challenge to test the beam steering capabilities of base stations and user equipment in every phase from research and development through production. Conducted measurements will be mainly replaced by over-the-air measurements of electromagnetic radiation. Rohde & Schwarz offers the R&S®NRPM Over-the-Air (OTA) Power Measurement Solution that perfectly fits such measurement needs.Part of this solution are the R&S®NRPM-A66 antenna modules. They have integrated diode detectors. Thus, there are no cables between the antenna and the detector as in traditional setups. This avoids high and potentially unknown RF losses. The R&S®NRPM-A66 antenna modules with their integrated diode detectors are factory calibrated, which means that the user does not have to calibrate them to achieve highly accurate measurement results.This application note contains theoretical background on OTA power and pattern measurements. It gives step-by-step instructions for the verification of the power level and the radiation pattern of a device under test (DUT) in comparison to a golden device, and it presents an approach for verifying the accuracy of beam steering.
29-Aug-2017 | AN-No. 1GP118
Recent mobile test methods could not evaluate the quality of data reduced speech signals with different coded and decoded signals. The Perceptual Evaluation of Speech Quality (PESQ) provides the solution for this measuring problem. WCDMA PESQ is an add-on tool for CMUgo for automatic measurement of the PESQ for WCDMA mobile phones according to recommendation ITU-T P.862.1 featuring selectable fading profiles and variable Additional White Gaussian Noise (AWGN).
05-Jan-2012 | AN-No. 1MA137
Recent mobile test methods could not evaluate the quality of data reduced speech signals with different coded and decoded signals. The Perceptual Evaluation of Speech Quality (PESQ) provides the solution for this measuring problem. GSM PESQ is an add-on tool for CMUgo for automatic measurement of the PESQ for GSM mobile phones according to recommendation ITU-T P.862.1 featuring selectable fading profiles, frequency hopping sequences and variable Additional White Gaussian Noise (AWGN).
05-Jan-2012 | AN-No. 1MA119
Measuring cable characteristics is important when it comes to installing and servicing cable TV systems. Cable pinches or poor connections considerably influence the characteristics of cable TV systems. This document shows how the measurement is carried out in a 75 Ohm system. The basics of distance-to-fault measurements, the test setup, calibration and measurement are discussed.
21-Sep-2006 | AN-No. 7BM60
Recent mobile test methods could not evaluate the quality of data reduced speech signals with different coded and decoded signals. The Perceptual Evaluation of Speech Quality (PESQ) provides the solution for this measuring problem. CDMA2000® PESQ is an add-on tool for CMUgo for automatic measurement of the PESQ for CDMA2000® mobile phones according to recommendation ITU-T P.862.1 featuring selectable fading profiles and variable Additional White Gaussian Noise (AWGN).
05-Jan-2012 | AN-No. 1MA136
Measuring the spurious emissions of transmitters used in GSM, DCS 1800 and PCS 1900 networks requires highly complex test setups since con-ventional spectrum analyzers do not have the necessary dynamic range. To obtain this range, notch filters are used to suppress the useful sig-nal. The spectrum analyzers of the FSE family make it possible for the first time to verify com-pliance with stipulated limit values for spurious emissions within the transmission band and out-side the reception band without the use of notch filters. The measurement problem and its solution by means of FSE are described in the following by way of the example of a GSM base station.
16-Jan-2002 | AN-No. 1EF17
The application note address test and measurement possibilities for DVB-S2 and DVB-S2X signals in the Ku & Ka -band. The AN includes detailed description of measurement setups, DVB-S2 and DVB-S2X signal generation, up-conversion and signal quality (Error Vector Magnitude and Modulation Error Ratio) analysis in the Ku & Ka-band using Rohde & Schwarz instruments.This paper is intended towards satellite equipment manufacturers, network operators, government & authorities, CE receiver chip set manufacturers, car manufacturer and automotive infotainment system manufactures.
08-Mar-2016 | AN-No. 1MA273
This application note describes how to use the mask and limit test features of the R&S®RTO, R&S®RTE and R&S®RTM Digital Oscilloscopes for EUT monitoring of signal forms, jitter etc. with the R&S®EMC32 Measurement Software. The mask test function allows autonomous characterization of digital signal integrity during EMS tests. R&S®EMC32 software records violations of userdefined limits or mask templates and evaluates the immunity threshold at frequencies of critical electromagnetic susceptibility.
20-Apr-2015 | AN-No. 1MA242
This application note provides an application program and instructions for performing speech quality tests and delay measurements in a live network, using the R&S®UPV audio analyzer.
14-Dec-2017 | AN-No. 1GA68
This paper reviews the classical spectrum analyzer measurement of L(f) and its shortcomings and discusses how modern phase noise test sets measure phase noise and avoid the limitations imposed by direct spectrum measurements.
31-Mar-2020
The LCR meters R&S®LCX100 and R&S®LCX200 precisely measure the complex impedance and the resulting components values over a wide frequency range. Dynamic impedance measurements allow to perform these measurements while sweeping the test signal frequency or other parameters like test signal level and DC bias. This application note provides a PC-based software tool for comfortably setting the sweeps and displaying the results in numerous charts.
14-Mar-2022 | AN-No. 1GP132
The option R&S®EMC32-K23 extends the emission measurement of the EMI Auto Test (R&S®EMC32-K10) with 3D measurement capabilities.This extension is useful to display the 3D radiation pattern of each frequency.This Application Notes shows all necessary settings for 3D measurement.
26-Aug-2014 | AN-No. 1SP08
A large variety of measurements is performed in audio engineering in order to ensure transmission quality of analog and digital devices. An audio analyzer suitable for all these tasks will, therefore, incorporate a multitude of functions, resulting in a correspondingly large number of settings.This application note is to help test engineers using the R&S®UPP and R&S®UPV audio analyzers. It presents setting examples for all basic audio measurements to be performed immediately. For each setup, information is given on the type of measurement, the underlying standards, and on how to modify the graphic display results.
07-Jul-2014 | AN-No. 1GA64
This application note is about measurement accuracy of the LCR-Meters R&S®LCX100 and R&S®LCX200. On the R&S®LCX100 and R&S®LCX200, the accuracy is calculated in real time, depending on the instrument settings and on the measured impedance. It is displayed on the lower part of the instrument display. If no test instrument is available, or information about the measurement accuracy at a certain measured impedance is sought without having a DUT at hand, this accuracy calculation tool provides the desired values.The document explains the background of the calculation and the prerequisites for installing and running the program. The installer provided installs the program on your PC.
11-May-2023 | AN-No. 1GP138
Adjacent Channel Power performance of power amplifiers used in digital TV systems has to be guaranteed over a wide frequency range, 54 to 890 MHz, which may lead to time consuming test procedures. The application software described here provides swept ACP analysis, using AMIQ and SMIQ for signal generation and FSP, FSU or FSE for signal analysis. ACP measurement is performed according to FCC Regulation 47CFR 73.622(h).
16-Oct-2001 | AN-No. 1MA43
This application note illustrates the operation of the OFDM measurement software R&S FSQ-K96. It describes applications, setup, features, settings and results. Further it concentrates on generating the configuration file for R&S FSQ-K96, the appropriate IQ data files for Signal Analyzer R&S FSQ and waveform files for R&S Signal Generators. With this description the user obtains a complete R&S test solution for signal generation and analysis of generic OFDM signals.
17-Oct-2008 | AN-No. 1EF65
The constantly decreasing size of components and the available board space form a challenge to place adequate test connections for RF instruments. Recent improvements in the availability and use of high performance differential building blocks in RF circuits intensify the problems of connecting test equipment. Using oscilloscope probes is a possibility to perform measurements by connecting to printed circuit board lines and chip contacts where only a minimal area is required to make contact. This application note provides information on how to use oscilloscope probes in RF measurements using spectrum analyzers, and show the results of differential measurements with a spectrum analyzer.
28-Jun-2013 | AN-No. 1EF84
Phase distortions in a transmission channel are determined using group delay measurements, they must be as low as possible to maintain good signal quality. Vector network analyzers are normally used to characterize the group delay variations as a measure of phase distortion.This application note provides basic information about the concept of a group delay measurement with spectrum analyzers and signal generators, and how this method simplifies the test setup and improves the measurement speed.Measurement examples show the limiting factors of this approach and help the user to understand and avoid some limitations of this method. In addition the test results are compared to those generated with vector network analyzers.
09-Aug-2017 | AN-No. 1EF98
IoT devices have tight requirements for power consumption in order to achieve expected battery life times of multiple years without a connection to a power supply. In order to verify the power consumption and expected battery life time, voltage and current have to be measured accurately for different operating states of the device under test.This application note explains battery life tests using RT-ZVC in combination with CMWrun and CMW500, including example applications.The solution by Rohde & Schwarz enables precise voltage, current and consequently, power measurements.The RT-ZVC Multi-Channel Power Probe can be driven as part of a test plan combining signaling and power measurements for a detailed view of the power consumption in different signaling states as well as an estimation of overall lifetime given a certain battery capacity.
17-Feb-2017 | AN-No. 1MA281
P25 and FRMCS scanning
Key points: Critical Infrastructure: Learn about mission-critical communication for various agencies who deal with Public Safety such as first responders, police, firefighters, medics and its crucial role in ensuring safety of society.Reliability of Communication: Understand the challenges posed by mission-critical communication, highlighting performance and reliability needs and special requirements such as safe group communications.Technology Migration: Delve into the migration of mission-critical communication from long-standing narrow-band technologies to broadband use cases considering migration timelines.Measurement Techniques: Explore network measurement methods for passive testing of legacy MCX technologies planned to be used in the networks for quite some time (a later release of the document will focus on the broadband successors)
12-Mar-2024 | AN-No. 8NT12
To analyse the quality of CD players, lots of measurements have to be done. This application note presents a program, which combines these measurements to an automatically running sequence and gives a printout of the results. A test CD is used for generating the test signals. Here the Audio Test Disc UPA-CD from Rohde & Schwarz is used, which holds all required signals in a sequence permitting automatic measurements to be carried out, without the need of controlling the CD player. In addition, this application note explains the measurements and informs about the different standards.
16-Feb-1998 | AN-No. 1GA21
This application note is about creating your own battery model for the R&S®NGM200 and R&S®NGU201, beyond the standard models provided within the battery simulation option NGM-K106 and NGU-K106. To get to a battery model, a few steps are required. To determine the parameters for the battery model, it is necessary to discharge a battery using a selected method, to record the data and to calculate the model on this basis. With this software, a connection can be established to the instrument, batteries can be measured using various measurement methods, and a model can then be created from these measurements. These models, which are determined from the measurements, can then be simulated with the power supply, thus creating a digital twin of the battery. Using these, test scenarios can be carried out in a safe and reproducible environment.
21-Nov-2022 | AN-No. 1GP136
Noise sources used for noise figure and gain measurements are typically controlled by the spectrum analyzer or noise figure meter instruments and are calibrated with their ENR value (Excess noise ratio). While this external control and the use of ENR values is common in noise figure test, it may be difficult in system applications where the noise source control is not available, and the use of ENR values is replaced with the values for the noise output power of the noise source. The calculation of the output power for the noise source requires to know the P_hot value (hot power) which is not a common specification for noise sources used in test and measurement applications.This application note describes a technique to perform a calibrated noise power measurement (P_hot) with spectrum analyzers and noise sources. The next sections will give further details.
31-May-2022 | AN-No. 1EF113
Software tool for fast and repeatable optimization of signal analyzer RF front-end settings
The signal conditioning in the RF front-end of signal analyzers is crucial to achieve the best performance with respect to image-suppression, noise-floor, dynamic range and other RF-key parameters.Precise signal levelling is especially important for complex measurements like Error-Vector-Magnitude (EVM). To minimize the measurement uncertainty from test system contributions over a wide range of different levels, the RF front-end needs to be adapted continuously according to the signal characteristics, signal power and frequency - ideally using an automatic levelling algorithm.This document describes the approach of a waveform specific, on-site characterization of the signal analyzer: For each waveform and frequency of interest, the instrument is evaluated in a first step. With this additional data, a fast and repeatable auto-levelling can be performed during the actual measurement.
24-Jan-2022 | AN-No. 1EF111
This application note describes an effective method for generating test setups, performing measurements and producing test reports with the hand-held Spectrum Analyzer R&S FSH3
31-Jan-2003 | AN-No. 1EF50
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