User Manual - SignalHound
Contents
1. 5 1 1 General Troubleshooting Procedure 5 12 General Advice to avoid problems 15 7 1 7 2 7 3 7 4 7 5 7 6 7 7 9 9 1 1 9 1 2 9 1 3 9 1 4 9 1 5 9 1 6 CALIBRATION AND ADJUSTMENT 16 17 Frequency eeseeseseeseoseoeosecscoscoecsecscososecseosesecseesese 17 17 Spectral Purity eese 17 Inputs and Outputs eee 17 Enyi konmen 17 Calibration cccsssssssssssssssssssssssesessssessseseseees 17 AdjustMents ccsccsssssssssssssessssssesesessseesesesers 17 REVISION HISTORY 18 WARRANTY AND DISCLAIMER 19 Warranty eec itte ette ete Warranty 1 Limitation of Warranty Exclusive Certification Credit Notice sees PREPARING FOR USE 1 Preparing For Use Unpacking your Tracking Generator and Installing Software tracking generator that works with the USB SA44 and USB SA44B facilitating scalar network analyzer measurements The Signal Hound USB TG44A is powered from the USB cable eliminating the need for a separate power supply Measuring less than 8 inches long and weighing only ten ounces the Signal Hound can be used virtually anywhere T he Signal Hound2. 3 4 Improving Accuracy One shortcoming of the Signal Hound Spectrum Analyzer and Tracking Generator is poor VSWR retutn loss performance However this can be easily overcome by adding good 6 dB or 10 dB pads fixed SMA attenuators to the output of the tracking generator and or the input of the spectrum analyzer A good 6 dB pad will improve return loss by nominally 12 dB and should enable accurate measurements relative to a 50 ohm system These may be included when sweeping the thru effectively nulling them out 10 TAKING MEASUREMENTS 3 5 Measuring Return Loss A directional coupler of appropriate frequency range sold separately may be used to make approximate return loss measurements Connect your tracking generator to the OUT port and connect your spectrum analyzer to the COUPLED port Use the IN port as your S parameter test port Sweep this setup as the thru with the test port open reflecting 100 of power Then connect your device to test e g antenna to the IN port Return loss or 511 will be displayed Once again measutement accuracy will benefit greatly from 6 dB pads on the Signal Hound devices If noise becomes an issue you can turn on the RF preamplifier and re sweep the thru remember to leave the IN port open for sweeping the thru This method is not as accurate as using a vector network analyzer but can be used as a reasonable approximation for many applications 3 5 1 Adjusting an An
3. Markers may be placed anywhere on the trace by SPAN Difference between statt and stop left clicking inside the frequencies graticule at the desired location gt SWP This is time elapsed during the last sweep gt MARKER DATA will appear along the bottom of the graticule gt Annunciators In the top left corner of the graticule you may see some letters These will notify you when readings are uncalibrated or a special setting exists See the HELP menu for additional information 2 2 The Tracking Generator Control Panel The tracking generator adds additional controls to the control panel below the PRESET button STEP SIZE is a slider control which sets the frequency step size of the sweep This will control how many frequencies the tracking generator hits during its sweep across the selected frequency span GETTING STARTED gt OUTPUT LEVEL controls the amplitude of the tracking generator signal This may be in absolute units dBm or units relative to the maximum power available in dBc START begins the tracking generator sweep The software switches from spectrum analyzer mode to scalar network analyzer mode and brings up a popup with some additional configuration options STORE THRU Stores trace data as the reference trace for making relative measurements Click this button to change from absolute amplitude units dBm to relative amplitude units dbc Each subsequent click will re measur
4. USB port or cable Verify the USB SA44 B spectrum analyzer is plugged in to USB as well 2 Launch the application software Set your spectrum analyzer to SPAN 100 KHz CENTER FREQ 10 MHz 3 Connect the TG RF output to the spectrum analyzer RF input 4 Check for a 10 MHz output from the TG between 20 and 25 dBm This is the default power on state 5 If no signal is present repeat steps 1 4 If there is still no signal contact technical support at http www signalhound com 6 Verify that the TG SYNC is connected to the SYNC out of the spectrum analyzer using a BNC cable Connect the TG and spectrum analyzer nose to nose using the SMA barrel connector 7 Click the Tracking Generator START button Click OK to use the default settings In 1 2 seconds you should see a trace about 10 dBm across the length of the graticule If you do not see this and your TG LED is red verify your SYNC cable If the cable is damaged replace it 8 Check function at 10 MHz 100 MHz and 1 GHz If you see a trace of approximately 10 dBm in all cases the tracking generator is working properly Otherwise contact technical support at http www signalhound com 14 TROUBLESHOOTING 5 1 2 General Advice to avoid problems gt Unplug your USB TG44A from the USB port when not in use or before shutting down your computer 15 CALIBRATION AND ADJUSTMENT 6 Calibration and Adjustment Contact Test Equipment Plus for more information re
5. is to use the Slow High Dynamic Range sweep This is accessible after you click START Each sweep will employ a narrow RBW a slow sweep and built in scaling for low level signals Up to 100 dB of dynamic range is typically possible when you use the maximum available output power WARNING This will drastically affect sweep time sweeping 2 points per second instead of 700 For some setups the RF input attenuator may be set to 0 dB and or the RF preamplifier may be turned on to decrease the noise floor It is recommended that the preamplifier be used only when the input power into the Signal Hound is less than 20 dBm such as when 6 or 10 dB pads used on the Signal Hound RF in out ports 3 7 4 Tuning Notch Filters A special case of low level signal measurement is tuning a band reject or notch filter While a band pass filter is easily tuned using the standard fast sweep a band reject filter often requires 100 dB or more rejection The easiest way to accomplish this is to set the software to a span of 10 KHz and the Center Frequency to the CW frequency you wish to reject then turn on the tracking Generator CW mode under the Utilities menu Turn the attenuator to 0 dB preamplifier on reference level 60 dBm then adjust until a minimum signal level is achieved 12 THEORY OF OPERATION 4 Theory of Operation Learn about the internal blocks that make up the Signal Hound Tracking Generator modulus DDS This allows t
6. under the copyright laws 9 1 1 Warranty The information contained in this manual is subject to change without notice Test Equipment Plus makes no warranty of any kind with regard to this material including but not limited to the implied warranties or merchantability and fitness for a particular purpose Test Equipment Plus shall not be liable for errors contained herein or for incidental or consequential damages in connection with the furnishing performance or use of this material This Test Equipment Plus product has a warranty against defects in material and workmanship for a period of one year from date of shipment During the warranty period Test Equipment Plus will at its option either repair or replace products that prove to be defective 9 1 2 Warranty Service For warranty service or repair this product must be returned to Test Equipment Plus The Buyer shall pay shipping charges to Test Equipment Plus and Test Equipment Plus shall pay UPS Ground or equivalent shipping charges to return the product to the Buyer However the Buyer shall pay all shipping charges duties and taxes to and from Test Equipment Plus for products returned from another country 9 1 3 Limitation of Warranty The foregoing warranty shall not apply to defects resulting from improper use by the Buyer Buyer supplied software or interfacing unauthorized modification or misuse Operation outside of the environmental specifications for the product N
7. MA adapter and the SYNC TRIGGER ports connected using the included BNC cable click START A dialog box will appear with some additional setup options Click OK to use default settings You should see a vertical line around 10 dBm representing the level of the tracking generator output into the spectrum analyzer Disconnect the tracking generator RF OUT and observe the low signal level If you do not observe the correct levels see the Troubleshooting section GETTING STARTED 2 Getting Started Learn about the basic functions and features of your Signal Hound Tracking Generator The Signal Hound Graphical User Interface or GUI is used to communicate with the Signal Hound spectrum analyzer and tracking generator sending commands and receiving data over USB The user sends commands using the Control Panel and Menu The data is returned over USB and displayed in the Graticule as a Trace For specific measurements the Marker and Status Bar may be used as well See Figure 1 for the locations of these items MENU MARKERS TRACKING GENERATOR CONTROLS Figure 1 The Signal Hound Graphical User Interface GUI There ate two primary sweep modes The Fast Sweep mode is optimized for rapid general purpose measurements over a 60 dB dynamic range Approximately 700 discrete readings per second are achievable allowing for trace updates of less than one second for most sweeps The Slow Sweep mode is optimized f
8. TEST EQUIPMENT PLUS Signal Hound USB TG44A TEST EQUIPMENT PLUS Signal Hound USB TG44A User Manual 2010 Test Equipment Plus 35707 NE 86 Ave La Center WA 98604 Phone 360 263 5006 Fax 360 263 5007 Version 1 00A Table of Contents 1 PREPARING FOR USE 1 11 Initial Inspection eese 1 12 Software Installation 2 1 2 1 System 2 1 22 Install the Signal Hound Software 2 13 Running the software for the first time 2 2 GETTING 4 2 1 5 2 2 The Tracking Generator Control 5 2 2 1 Additional Configuration Options 6 23 The Signal Hound Front amp Rear Panels 7 3 TAKING MEASUREMENTS 8 3 1 Measuring Insertion Loss or Gain 8 3 2 Measuring IS211 eese 9 3 3 Using Limit Lines rere 10 3 4 Improving Accuracy eeeeeeeeee tette tntnnns 10 3 5 Measuring Return 3 5 1 Adjusting an Antenna 3 6 Using the Markers 3 7 Measuring Low Level Signals 12 3 7 1 Tuning Notch Filters sss 12 4 THEORY OF OPERATION 13 5 TROUBLESHOOTING
9. USB TG44A is a USB based 10 Hz to 4 4 GHz economy USB TGAAA 10 Hzt0 4 4GHz Tracking Generator 1 1 Initial Inspection Check your package for shipping damage before opening Your box should contain a USB cable a CD ROM an SMA M M adapter a 3 BNC cable and a Signal Hound USB TG44A PREPARING FOR USE 1 2 Software Installation The Signal Hound is operated from a Windows based PC using our application software same software that powers the Signal Hound spectrum analyzer also powers the USB TG44A tracking generator Additionally there is a small standalone utility for using your USB TG44A in a standalone mode 1 2 1 System Requirements The Signal Hound software and drivers are compatible with Windows operating systems It is recommended that you have at least 500 MB of free disk space 1 GB of RAM USB 2 0 and a multi core processor and internet access for a one time calibration data download Your computer must have the Microsoft net framework version 3 5 or newer installed If you have Windows 7 or Windows Vista with automatic updates turned on you should already have this If you do not already have a newer version please install it from the CD The software connects to the internet to download a temperature correction file An internet connection is required the first time you run the software 1 2 2 Install the Signal Hound Software e Run setup msi from the CD by double clicking the file Follow the di
10. USB type B connector Connect to your PC using the included USB cable 3 TG Sync Connect to the USB SA44 B Sync Out port for fast sweeps TAKING MEASUREMENTS 3 Taking Measurements Learn how to take path loss amplifier gain and mixer gain loss measurements with the USB SA44 B Spectrum Analyzer is capable of making a wide range of scalar network analysis measurements Whether you are tuning an RF filter sweeping an amplifier to plot gain or sweeping a mixer s conversion loss measurements ate quick and easy with the USB TG44A tracking generator The tracking generator defaults to a rate of 700 points per second plus 150 200 ms ovethead so a sweep of 50 MHz in 100 KHz steps takes less than 1 second T he Signal Hound USB TG44A Tracking Generator TG working in concert 3 1 Measuring Insertion Loss or Gain The Signal Hound USB TG44A Tracking Generator may be used to measure insertion loss or gain To measure insertion loss of a cable or attenuator the following approach is recommended 1 Plug the spectrum analyzer and tracking generator devices into the PC using the supplied USB cables 2 Connect the spectrum analyzer and tracking generator nose to nose using the SMA barrel connector provided 3 Connect the TG Sync to the spectrum analyzer Sync Out 4 Launch the Signal Hound software 5 Set start stop center span frequencies to desired sweep range 6 Click Tracking Generator Start button 7 In th
11. dialog box click sweep thru immediately then click OK This will sweep the barrel connector and set this to S21 of 1 0 Wait for thru to sweep Insert device to test between the tracking generator output and the spectrum analyzer input TAKING MEASUREMENTS 11 Wait for a complete sweep to finish Place markers and take measurements as necessaty 3 3 Using Limit Lines Limit lines may be used for PASS FAIL testing Limit lines are imported from a CSV comma separated value format This standard file format can be exported from spreadsheet applications or generated manually in a text editor Three values per line separated by commas correspond to 1 The frequency in MHz 2 The minimum amplitude z allowed This may bein pisum dBm if no thru is swept or dBc after sweeping a thru Enter 200 for no minimum 3 The maximum amplitude allowed in dBm or dBc Enter 50 for no maximum From the Signal Hound menu Select File gt Import gt Limit Line Table This will open a popup where you can navigate to your limit line CSV file Select your file and click Oper The limit lines will be drawn on the graticule and a Pass Fail annunciator will appear If the entire trace is above the minimum and below the maximum PASS will be displayed Otherwise FAIL will be displayed Please note that when a setting is changed there is a one sweep delay before the PASS FAIL annunciator is valid
12. e popup dialog box click sweep thru immediately then click OK This will sweep the barrel connector and set this to 0 dB TAKING MEASUREMENTS 10 Wait for thru to sweep The units displayed will convert to dBc when complete Insert device to test between the tracking generator output and the spectrum analyzer input Wait for a complete sweep to finish Place markers and take measurements as necessaty 3 2 Measuring S21 In two port linear networks S21 refers to the forward transmission gain through a netwotk This may be greater than one in the case of an amplifier or less than one in the case of an attenuatot With a Vector Network Analyzer S21 is measured as a vector with magnitude and phase With a Scalar Network Analyzer SNA only the magnitude is available The Signal Hound USB TG44A Tracking Generator may be used to measure 521 the magnitude of the forward transmission gain as follows 1 10 Plug the spectrum analyzer and tracking generator devices into the PC using the supplied USB cables Connect the spectrum analyzer and tracking generator nose to nose using the SMA barrel connector provided Connect the TG Sync to the spectrum analyzer Syne Out Launch the Signal Hound software Set start stop center span frequencies to desired sweep range Under the amplitude controls click Linear This will change the units to mV Click Tracking Generator Start button In the popup
13. e the thru 2 2 1 Additional Configuration Options Z Slow High Dynamic Range Use when more than 70 dB dynamic range Slow High dynamic range 25 Hz RBW is required such as when tuning a Sweep thru immediately duplexet Use Mixer Offset 0 MHz So Mods gt Sweep THRU immediately Click to Absolute Amplitude 30 to 10 dBm make the first sweep the thru and subsequent sweeps plotted relative to the thru If you do not check this you may store a thru later using the control panel button Relative Amplitude 0 to 30 dB attenuation Use Mixer Offset Adds an offset frequency to the tracking generator useful especially when sweeping a mixer or downconverter Amplitude Control Mode Depending on your application you may want a fixed absolute output level e g 15 dBm or you may want a 30 dB range of control with maximum and minimum power levels available GETTING STARTED 2 3 The Signal Hound Front amp Rear Panels The front panel includes 50 SMA RF input Do not apply signal or DC to this port It is a DC coupled output Applying DC or signals in excess of 20 dBm will cause damage A READY BUSY LED flashes orange each time a command from the computer is processed READY ovo A 6 o 420dBm MAX BUSY The rear panel has three connectors 1 10 MHz Reference output Connect to the USB SA44 B 10 MH input for slow sweeps 2 A
14. garding calibration software and required equipment 16 SPECIFICATIONS 7 Specifications 7 1 Frequency Frequency range 10 Hz to 4 4 GHz Frequency Accuracy 1ppm Frequency steps 19 selectable step sizes from 10 Hz to 10 MHz 7 2 Amplitude Amplitude range 30 to 10 dBm Absolute Amplitude accuracy 2 0 dB Amplitude steps 1 dB 7 3 Spectral Purity Harmonics Typically lt 10dBc 7 4 Inputs and Outputs 1 BNC Timebase Output 10 MHz output 2 BNC TG Sync 3 SMA RF Output 7 5 Environment 20 C to 25 C to achieve published specifications 0 70 safe operating range with derated amplitude specifications 7 6 Calibration Test with factory calibration software to verify that USB TG44A is operating within tolerance Recommended calibration interval is 1 year at 20 C to 25 C 7 7 Adjustments Factory adjustment software shall be used to generate new calibration constants when USB TG44B will not pass calibration Temperature correction data is generated only at time of manufacture 17 REVISION HISTORY 8 Revision History Software Version 2 07 Initial Release of Tracking Generator Software Firmware Version 1 00 Initial Release of USB TG44A firmware 18 WARRANTY AND DISCLAIMER 9 Warranty and Disclaimer Copyright 2010 Test Equipment Plus All rights reserved Reproduction adaptation or translation without prior written permission is prohibited except as allowed
15. he firmware to set precise 10 Hz steps The DDS generates frequencies from 10 Hz to 28 MHz directly To produce higher frequencies this signal is multiplied by an integer from 5 to 200 he Signal Hound Tracking Generator is built around a 32 bit programmable Below 28 MHz the output has low harmonic content However above 28 MHz harmonics are generated and not filtered Typically harmonics as high as 10 dBc will be observed for much of the RF spectrum For use as a tracking generator the presence of harmonics has very little impact on the measurement since the harmonics will generally be well outside the spectrum analyzer s input bandwidth However when verifying the output power level with an RF power meter the harmonic content can add up to 0 7 dB to the measured output Please note that the phase noise of the USB TG44A is higher than the USB SA44 However this will have minimal impact on readings as out of band energy is rejected by the spectrum analyzer 13 TROUBLESHOOTING 5 Troubleshooting There is a known intermittent power on problem with the USB TG44A The remedy is to simply unplug the USB count to 10 then plug it back in If you repeatedly experience this power on problem contact Test Equipment Plus for repair or replacement 5 1 1 General Troubleshooting Procedure 1 Unplug the USB cable from your Tracking Generator count to 10 and plug it back in If the LED is green proceed Otherwise try a different
16. o other warranty is expressed or implied Test Equipment Plus specifically disclaims the implied warranties or merchantability and fitness for a particular purpose 19 9 1 4 Exclusive Remedies The remedies provided herein are the Buyer s sole and exclusive remedies Test Equipment Plus shall not be liable for any direct indirect special incidental or consequential damages whether based on contract tort or any other legal theory 9 1 5 Certification Test Equipment Plus certifies that at the time of shipment this product conformed to its published specifications 9 1 6 Credit Notice Windows is a registered trademark of Microsoft Corporation in the United States and other countries 20
17. or high dynamic range sweeps whete measurements down to 100 dBc are possible This is useful when tuning duplexers or notch filters but is much slower requiring closet to 1 2 second per data point GETTING STARTED 2 1 The Graticule The Graticule contains ten vertical and ten horizontal divisions just as it did with the Signal Hound Spectrum Analyzer The primary difference now is that the displayed trace represents hundreds of power readings at various frequencies as the tracking generator sweeps from the start frequency to the stop frequency REF Reference level top left The reference level is the signal amplitude for the top Graticule line This may be in dBm dBc for relative measurements DB div Amplitude scale near top left in dB per division of the Display Window In Linear scale this will be mV div ATTEN Attenuator setting for USB SA44 B top center The internal electronic attenuator may be set to 0 5 10 or 15 dB In Slow Sweep mode this will be controlled by the software to achieve maximum dynamic range INT EXT REF Top right Indicates whether internal or external reference is selected In slow sweep mode you must connect the tracking generator s 10 MHz out to the spectrum analyzer s 10 MHz in START CENTER STOP Bottom left center and right of Display Window Start center and stop frequencies representing the frequency of the left center and right Graticule lines respectively
18. rections on the screen You must have administrator privileges You should already have the Visual C 2008 redistributable and vc redist x86 installed from your initial Signal Hound software installation If not install them now 1 3 Running the software for the first time 1 Using the included USB cable connect the USB TG44A tracking generator TG to any available USB 2 0 port Wait while Windows installs the necessary device drivers This takes several seconds Once you see The hardware is ready to use continue 2 Connect your Signal Hound Spectrum analyzer USB cable as well 3 Connect the SYNC TRIGGER ports of the two devices using the included BNC cable 4 Connect the RF output of the tracking generator to the RF input of the spectrum analyzer 5 Launch the Signal Hound application from the Start Menu or desktop The first time the software runs calibration data is transferred from the tracking generator to the computer This takes about 10 seconds 6 Observe the new controls below the PRESET button These are for the tracking generator PREPARING FOR USE po You may begin using the Signal The tracking generator Hound Tracking Generator now If output is DC coupled i Always use a DC block you wish to verify basic functionality when your device has DC 10 11 proceed with the next steps present With the tracking generator RF out connected to the spectrum analyzer RF in using the provided S
19. tenna To adjust an antenna for a certain frequency it is often sufficient to simply maximize return loss at that frequency This may be done in a swept or CW tracking generator mode Mount your antenna and ground as you normally would then connect to the IN port as above Lengthen shorten and tweak impedance matching elements until the desired return loss is achieved Be aware that you will be radiating some RF during this process It is your responsibility to understand and obey laws regarding transmitting on those frequencies 3 6 Using the Markers The Signal Hound has several tools for identifying a signal s frequency and amplitude The easiest to use is the Marker There are 9 markers available each with its own reference To activate the marker and place it at the peak frequency locate the Marker PEAK button on the Control Panel The frequency and amplitude readout of the marker is located below the graticule Please note that the amplitude accuracy is NOT dependent on the vertical dB div since the I Q data is linear in voltage and has much higher resolution than is displayed To measure a signal that is not the peak you may simply move the mouse over the desired signal and left click to place a marker Use the mouse wheel to fine tune the market s placement 11 TAKING MEASUREMENTS 3 7 Measuring Low Level Signals To measure more than 60 dB insertion loss you will need to employ a few tricks The first trick available
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