USB-SA124A Spectrum Analyzer User Manual
Contents
1. 16 3 1 4 Measuring Low Level Signals 17 3 1 5 Measurements Near DANL 17 3 1 6 Capturing Pulsed or Intermittent Signals 17 3 2 Viewing Modulation eee 17 32 1 Capturing Pulses in Zero Span 18 3 3 Measuring Channel 19 3 4 Understanding Your Signal Hound 19 3 5 Measuring 20 3 6 Measuring Phase 1 20 3 7 Using the Measuring Receiver Utility 21 3 7 1 Audio Analysis Controls 21 3 7 2 The Analyzer Data 0 1060 22 3 8 23 3 9 Limitations of the Signal Hound 23 3 9 1 RBW Limitations 23 3 9 2 IF Feed Through sss 23 3 9 3 EO Eeakage eot 23 3 94 Sweep Time 23 4 ADDITIONAL FEATURES 25 4 1 1 Save Recall State 25 4 1 2 25 4 1 3 Listening to Demodulated Audio 4 1 4 Using an External Timebase 4 1 5 Using an External Trigger 26 4 1 6 Using Sync Out sss 27 4 2 Using Limit Lines 27 5 THEORY OF OPERATION 5 1 1 The Four Sweep Modes 5 12 Reducing Spurious and Residual Responses2. The left right arrows scroll between the available markers Markers 1 thru 9 are available each with its own reference point You may place a marker GETTING STARTED by simply clicking on the trace Fine tune a marker s placement using your mouse wheel PEAK moves the marker to the highest amplitude signal on the graticule DELTA anchors the marker s reference e g 1R at the marker s current position Move the marker by left clicking and or using the mouse wheel to make differential measurements relative to the reference gt UPDATE ON OFF When Update is ON the marker s amplitude updates each sweep When OFF the marker s amplitude does not update unless it is moved O marker sequence of OFF PEAK DELTA is good for reliable dBc OFF turns the marker off and back to default POOR CN settings MER to CF sets CENTER FREQUENCY to the current marker position gt to REF LVL sets the REFERENCE LEVEL to the current marker position 2 25 BANDWIDTH CONTROLS Res BW This controls the resolution bandwidth RBW For each span a range of resolution bandwidths may be used The resolution bandwidth controls the Intermediate Frequency IF bandpass filter o Resolution bandwidths are available from 0 1 Hz to 250 KHz typically in powers of 2 A 6 MHz RBW is also available for limited functions The SPAN stop start frequencies will affect which RBWs are available o The SPAN
3. on the application Except for zero span sweeps the user does not get to explicitly specify sweep time 24 ADDITIONAL FEATURES 4 Additional Features Learn about save recall state Automation Live Audio Streaming and Printing making printing and automation easy and straightforward Saving and recalling instrument states are now as simple as saving and opening files with virtually no limit to the number of instrument states saved Each instrument state saves into approximately 1 5 MB on your hard drive making it possible to save thousands of captures Since most Windows PCs come with speakers as well demodulated audio can even be played in real time through the computer speakers he Signal Hound leverages the power and flexibility of your Windows 4 1 1 Save Recall State To save an instrument state including trace data attenuator settings frequency settings and more select File gt Save State from the menu A standard File Dialog box will open prompting you to supply a filename This may be any legal file name and may be stored to any File Folder under Windows However for simplicity it is often best to save states in the default folder It is recommended when saving a trace capture to press SWEEP SINGLE then wait for the trace to complete before saving That way the state recalled has the trace captured and the sweep paused To recall a previously saved state select File gt Recall State from the
4. 47 dBm 8 3 Sweep Zero Span Sweep Time 0 1 ms to 10 sec 0 1 All other sweeps times are estimates reported after sweep completes Maximum I Q sample rate 486K sec Sweep Trigger free run single video external External Trigger 3 3V CMOS TTL input 8 4 Measuring Receiver FM Accuracy 1 typical AM Accuracy 1 typical Synchronous Level Detector 15 KHz IF BW timebases locked 100 KHz to 1 GHz 0 dBm to 125 dBm after 10 min warmup 0 25dB 1 GHz to 4 4 GHz 0 dBm to 115 dBm after 10 min warmup 8 Average Level Detector 15 KHz IF BW 100 KHz to 4 4 GHz 0 dBm to 70 dBm after 10 min warmup 0 25dB Maximum IF Bandwidth 240 KHz Audio Filters Low Pass Digital Windowed Sinc selectable cutoff Band Pass Selectable center frequency narrow band recursive 160 Hz 3 dB bandwidth Maximum sample rate 486K sec 8 5 Inputs and Outputs 1 BNC 10 MHz Reference Output 36 MHz IF Output 2 BNC Shared o Self Test Output SYNC Sweep Trigger In 3 SMA RF Input 4 USB 2 0 to host computer 8 6 Environment Operating Temperature 0 to 50 C 34 SPECIFICATIONS 8 7 Calibration Test with factory calibration software to verify that USB SA124A is operating within tolerance Recommended calibration interval is 1 year at 20 C to 25 C 8 8 Adjustments Factory adjustment software shall be used to generate new calibration constants when USB SA124A will not pass calibration Temperature correction data is gene
5. 13 GETTING STARTED 2 5 The USB SA124A Front amp Rear Panels The front panel includes a 5002 SMA RF input Do not exceed 20 dBm or damage may occur A READY BUSY LED flashes orange each time a command from the computer is processed The rear panel has three connectors 1 Reference IF output Select either 10 MHz timebase or 36 MHz intermediate frequency IP output 2 A USB type B connector Connect to your PC using the included USB cable 3 A multi purpose BNC connector This may be used as a TTL CMOS trigger input a Self Test Signal output a Tracking Generator Sync signal or a generic CMOS Sync Output The Signal Hound software controls the function of this BNC It defaults to unused no output 14 TAKING MEASUREMENTS 3 Taking Measurements Learn how to take amplitude frequency and modulation measurements with the Signal Hound internal I Q demodulator captures up to 2 Megabytes of information each second with a hardware limited bandwidth of 250 KHz The trace is actually a combination of several sweeps mathematically combined to reject image and spurious responses When taking measurements of highly modulated signals which exceed this 250 KHz bandwidth or any combination of signals with a bandwidth of gt 250 KHz great care must be taken as the I Q demodulator will reject out of band responses In other rare instances multiple CW input frequencies that are not harmonically related can
6. De emphasis is a digital single pole low pass filter used to remove the high frequency emphasis used in many FM broadcasts or to filter out noise Apply Changes stops the demodulation applies any new settings then re starts the audio 4 1 4 Using an External Timebase An external 10 MHz timebase my be used to improve the accuracy of frequency and phase noise measurements The level of the external timebase must be gt 0 dBm 13 dBm is recommended to achieve optimal phase noise performance To use simply connect the timebase to the Ext Ref In after connecting the USB launch the software then select Utilities External Reference 4 1 5 Using an External Trigger TTL CMOS trigger may be used to initiate a sweep at a specific time The trigger must be a 3 3V or 5V TTL CMOS To activate select Settings gt SYNC TRIGDTRIG IN The selected sweep will wait for a trigger then begin within 10 microseconds of the trigger s rising edge When using an external trigger remember that image rejection happens in a separate sweep after the first sweep is triggered so turn it off if it will interfere If you are trying to capture an event you may wish to use Zero Span AM or FM 26 ADDITIONAL FEATURES 4 1 6 Using Sync Out 3 3V CMOS output may be used to trigger external equipment The Sync Out goes high as each sweep begins and remains high until the sweep is complete To activate select Settings gt SYNC TRIGSSYNC OUT There is
7. 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 10 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 10 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 No other warranty is expressed or implied Test Equipment Plus specifically disclaims the implied warranties or merchantability and fitness for a particular purpos
8. be used to reduce the LO leakage to an acceptable level You may also increase the attenuator setting to reduce LO leakage 19 TAKING MEASUREMENTS 3 5 Measuring Harmonics A harmonics utility is included for one click measurements of harmonics To use this utility you must span down to 100 KHz or less narrower spans will give a lower noise floor center the signal on the graticule then select Utilities gt Harmonics Viewer from the Menu When the sweep completes you will see the relative amplitude of the fundamental first four overtones This utility is for amplitude measurements only The frequencies ate assumed to be integer multiples of the fundamental When your measurements are complete select Utilities gt Harmonics Viewer to un check this utility and resume normal operation 3 6 Measuring Phase Noise A phase noise utility is available to quickly plot SSB phase noise from 1 Hz to 1 MHz For best results it is recommended to use this utility with a high quality OCXO external timebase of 13 dBm input with External Reference selected To use the utility center your CW signal on the graticule with a span of 1 KHz or less If the frequency is known and timebases locked simply enter the frequency as the CENTER FREQ Then select Utilities gt Phase Noise Plot Your span must be 10 KHz or less to invoke this n and the amplitude of the signal must be 0 10 dB below the reference level The automated phase n
9. id 28 5 1 3 IF to Bits Receiver 4 29 5 1 4 IF and RBW 1 29 6 TROUBLESHOOTING 30 7 CALIBRATION AND ADJUSTMENT 32 8 16 50 9 05 8 1 Frequency 8 2 8 3 8 4 Measuring Receiver eee 34 8 5 Inputs and Outputs eee 34 8 6 34 8 7 Calibration eese eee eese tenen tn tntaennenene 35 8 8 Adjustments 35 89 35 9 REVISION HISTORY 36 10 WARRANTY AND DISCLAIMER 37 10 1 1 Warranty a 10 1 2 Warranty 6106 37 10 1 3 Limitation of Warranty 37 10 1 4 Exclusive Remedies EE 10 1 5 Certification 10 1 6 Credit 1 0 10 sss PREPARING FOR USE 1 Preparing For Use Unpacking your Signal Hound and Installing Software economy spectrum analyzer and measuring receiver with an RF preamplifier Using recent innovations in RF technology the Signal Hound has the sensitivity accuracy and dynamic range you d expect in a unit many times its cost The Signal Hound is powered from the USB cable eliminating the need for a sepatate power supply Measuring less than 8 inches long and weighing less than 1 pound the Signal Hound can be used virtually anywhere T he The Signal Ho
10. measurable amplitude error due to the addition of noise To compensate for this subtract the amplitude with no signal present the noise in linear power units from the amplitude with signal present to calculate the signal level Please note that the measurement uncertainty will increase from this process 3 1 6 Capturing Pulsed or Intermittent Signals To capture an intermittent signal of unknown frequency MAX HOLD may be used If the duration of the signal is less than the displayed sweep time turn off image rejection to capture the signal For very short signals video bandwidth should be set to maximum Sweep Time may be turned to slow 3 2 Viewing Modulation A signal s modulation envelope may be viewed or measured using ZERO SPAN To use zero span follow these steps 17 TAKING MEASUREMENTS 1 Click the ZERO SPAN button A popup should appear with the Zero Span controls 2 Select your desired Resolution Bandwidth This is equivalent to the intermediate frequency or IF Bandwidth 3 Select your desired Video Bandwidth This will smooth out the zero span data This must be set to a value larger than your demodulated audio bandwidth 4 If you want to use video triggering Check the appropriate box and fill out the trigger controls a The trigger level is the approximate minimum power in dBm that will trigger the sweep b The trigger position sets the amount of pre trigger data to display as a percent of
11. menu A standard File Dialog box will open prompting you to select a file Once you select a file it will be instantly displayed on the Graphical User Interface GUID 4 1 2 Printing Printing is handled through the default Windows print and print preview dialog boxes accessed by selecting File Print It is similar to printing from an Office application Print to any installed printer Everything on the GUI above and below the graticule is printed An optional title set by selecting Edit Set Title is printed along the top 25 ADDITIONAL FEATURES 4 1 3 Listening to Demodulated Audio Frequency MHz IF Bandwidth Modulation Mode FM De emphasis usec ub 27 2062 Fm Changes When you identify a modulated signal and wish to listen Figure 4 Audio Listen to the modulation you may position your marker on the signal in question and select Utilities gt Audio Listen If you do not place a marker the CENTER FREQ will be used This frequency will be pre loaded into the dialog box on the left Additional demodulation options will be preloaded with the last values used or default settings Please have span set to 200 KHz or less before entering Audio Listen mode to ensure device is set up correctly and on frequency Frequency represents the center frequency of the RF cartier Modulation Mode may be set to AM FM SSB upper or lower sideband or CW IF Bandwidth may be set from 30 KHz to 240 KHz FM
12. one of the 8 presets or the Power On preset SETTINGS Downconverter Offset Adds a fixed frequency offset to the display and marker readout to compensate for your downconverter LO Assumes low side injection External Reference Disabled for the SA124 The 10 MHz reference is an output An optional high accuracy timebase 15 available if your application requires 0 1 ppm accuracy gt Image and Spur Reject Some combinations of 1st and 2nd LO frequencies have strong spurious image or residual responses If you find an unexpected signal toggle this ON If the signal shifts in frequency or disappears consider it a false response Preamplifier Always on for the SA124 Do not use 10 GETTING STARTED 2 3 6 2 3 7 Ref Level Offset Adjusts the displayed amplitude to compensate for an external attenuator probe or preamplifier Set Marker Freq Places the active marker at a specific frequency gt Signal Track At the end of each sweep the center frequency will be set to the frequency of the peak signal thus tracking the peak signal SYNC TRIG Used to enable an external trigger or to generate a sync signal when a sweep begins Generally used in Zero Span Video Averaging Averages several sweeps together and shows the result Advanced You may select a different FFT window function or change the MAX HOLD to MIN HOLD here TRACE Copy Trace A to Stores a copy of
13. set to 50 Exports trace data to a spreadsheet file in linear power units GETTING STARTED 2 3 2 2 3 3 2 3 4 2 3 5 Print Used to print the Graticule trace data and settings The title is printed as well Free PDF print utilities such as PDF995 are available to print to and save a PDF file EDIT Set Title Enter an optional title This will appear across the top of printouts VIEW Toolbar Shows or Hides the toolbar icons Status Bar Shows or Hides the status bar which shows the mouse cutsor s location inside the graticule Split Selects the split between the graticule and control panel useful to resize ot hide the control panel gt Color Scheme Allows you to customize the colors used in the graticule Classic Select yellow trace on black background etc TEP Select green trace on black background etc White Background Select dark green trace on white Custom Select your own colors Save As Default Save your preferred color scheme so that it will always be used PRESETS Load Preset 1 8 Loads a previously saved Preset State which contains frequency span reference level bandwidth settings and other information regarding the instrument state This can be recalled instantly with Ctrl 1 thru Ctrl 8 Restore Factory Preset Restores the original preset state Store As Preset This is where you can save the current state into
14. trace To bring you a low cost compact spectrum analyzer we used recently developed high level RF integrated circuits he Signal Hound is built around a narrow band IF to bits receiver with a 5 1 1 The Four Sweep Modes Zero Span the Signal Hound operates by continuously mixing a fixed LO frequency with the RF input and displaying the instantaneous amplitude or frequency of that signal as a function of time gt Below 6 5 KHz RBW or VBW the Signal Hound processes the spectrum in 200 KHz sections or smaller by mixing two fixed LO frequencies typically one above the RF frequency and one below These are masked together to produce the displayed trace LO and IF frequencies selected automatically to best cancel image and spurious responses gt Spans using 6 5 KHz 250 KHz RBW or VBW the Signal Hound operates by rapidly stepping LO frequencies in 200 KHz steps covering above and below the center frequency These are processed with small FFTs and masked together to reject image responses and produce the displayed trace o For RF frequencies below 25 MHz image rejection requires additional steps and the trace will be slower 6 MHz RBW Rapidly sweeps across the spectrum to find a strong signal quickly Certain RF frequencies may produce spurious responses in this mode and amplitude accuracy is reduced 5 1 2 Reducing Spurious and Residual Responses Certain RF frequencies may produce small spurious and or r
15. Hz Range 1dB Gain Compression to Displayed Average Noise Level DANL 1dB Gain Compression attenuator set to 30 dB gt 12dBm Typical Displayed Average Noise Level 0dB input attenuation 1Hz RBW Frequency DANL1HzRBW Test Conditions 100 kHz to 10 MHz 147 dBm RF Atten 0 dB 10 MHz to 100 MHz 151 dBm RBW VBW 100 MHz to 3 GHz 152 dBm RBW lt 100 KHz 3 GHz to 5 5 GHz 145 dBm Ref Lvl 70 dBm 5 5 GHz to 7 GHz 149 dBm Vid Avg 16 7 GHz to 8 GHz 147 dBm Image Reject ON 8 GHz to 11 GHz 134 dBm 11 GHz to 12 4 GHz 129 dBm Absolute Accuracy lt 6 GHz Reference level lt 0 dBm 1 5dB Absolute Accuracy lt 12 4 GHz Reference level lt 0 dBm 2 5dB Relative Accuracy Reference level lt 0 dBm 0 25 dB Maximum Safe Input Level preamp off 15 dB atten 20dBm 33 SPECIFICATIONS DC Volts gt 16V absolute maximum Residual Responses 6 5 KHz RBW 0 dB RF Atten Frequency Range Signal Level Test Conditions 100 kHz to 10 MHz gt 100 dBm 0 dB RF Atten 70 dBm reference level 10 MHz to 8 GHz lt 93 dBm RBW VBW 6 5 KHz 8 GHz to 11 GHz gt 82 dBm Video Averaging 16 11 GHz to 12 4 GHz lt 85dBm_ Image Reject ON Spurious Responses 100 KHz span CW tone input lt 80 dBm typical with SPUR REJECT on Typical Maximum LO Feedthrough all conditions gt 1 GHz lt 57 dBm 1 GHz to 12 4 GHz lt
16. Hz o RMS This is the root mean square of the FM modulation sometimes referred to as the average FM deviation RMS sqrt 2 With single tone modulation this is equal to the FM Peak or Peak with noise spikes smoothed o PEAK This is the highest instantaneous frequency above the carrier o PEAK This is the highest instantaneous frequency below the carrier o Audio Freq This is the count of the demodulated audio frequency Relative Power is the change in power reported from the Synchronous Average power detector The reference power level 0 dBc is set to the power when the 22 TAKING MEASUREMENTS START button was first pressed It may be reset to 0 dBc by checking or un checking the Synchronous Level Detector box o Averaged is the average of the last ten relative power readings AM Modulation readings are taken on the AM modulation envelope after IF and audio filtering The units for all AM readings are percent 3 8 EMC Measurements You may import CSV files for path loss e g cable loss and antenna factor under File Import These files should have frequency in MHz followed by amplitude in dBc dB m A sample Isotropic Antenna Factor file is included To make an EMC measurement import your Antenna Factor table Then click Reference Level and select the units you wish to use Units such as mV m and nW cm in log and linear scales are available If you have any difficulty using these tools plea
17. NTER FREQ from the spectrum analyzer RF Carrier Freq 27 MHz IF Bandwidth 60 KHZ Audio Filter LowPass 3 KHz IF Synchronous Level Detector Show FM Frequency Modulation I Show AM Amplitude Modualtion Amplitude Range Select gt High Power Range EXIT Figure 3 RF COUNTER 27000000 05 Hz FM RMS 357 67 Hz RMS RT2 505 82 Hz PEAK 525 4 Hz 523 3 Hz Audio Freq 1002 604 Hz Relative Power 0 001 dBc Averaged 0 000 dBc Measuring Receiver Enter the desired IF and audio settings then click START to begin analysis 3 7 1 Audio Analysis Controls RF Carrier Freq the frequency of the RF carrier IF Bandwidth keep this at least 2 4x your peak FM modulation Any modulation outside this bandwidth will be rejected Audio Low Pass This selects a digital low pass filter windowed sinc for the demodulated audio to reject high frequency audio noise The filter rejects audio modulation above the selected cutoff frequency Audio Band Pass Natrow band audio filter 160 Hz BW to select a single modulation frequency and reject all others The Synchronous Average Level Detector is used to select between two relative amplitude measurement modes o There are two gain ranges for RF level If your amplitude readings must span both ranges you must take a stable power level reading in the overlapping region 45 to 65 dBm to properly calc
18. TEST EQUIPMENT PLUS Signal Hound USB SA124A TEST EQUIPMENT PLUS Signal Hound USB SA124A User Manual 2011 Test Equipment Plus 35707 NE 86 Ave Phone 360 263 5006 Fax 360 263 5007 Version 2 13A Table of Contents 1 PREPARING FOR USE 1 11 Initial Inspection reete 2 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 4 2 2 The Control 2 2 1 FREQUENCY CONTROLS ii 2 2 2 SPAN 60 8 sse 223 AMPLITUDE 0 018 224 MARKER CONTROLS 2 2 5 BANDWIDTH CONTROLS 2 2 6 TRACE CONTROLS 227 TRIGGER AND SWEEP CONTROLS 8 2 2 8 ADDITIONAL CONTROLS 9 2 2 9 TRACKING GENERATOR CONTROLS9 2 3 The Menu 2 3 1 FILE 2 3 2 EDIT 2 33 2 3 4 2 3 5 2 3 6 2 3 7 2 3 8 2 4 13 2 5 The USB SA124A Front amp Rear Panels 14 3 TAKING MEASUREMENTS 15 3 1 X Measuring Frequency and Amplitude 3 1 1 Using the Markers sess 3 12 Example Identify a Signal s Frequency 16 3 1 3 Using the DELTA Marker
19. a popup will open allowing you to enter the frequency using the mouse or keyboard STEP sets the frequency increment decrement amount Default is 10 MHz The UP and DOWN arrows will change the center frequency by a preset STEP amount START and STOP set the sweep s start and stop frequencies respectively SPAN CONTROLS SET SPAN sets the span of the sweep the difference between start and stop frequencies The center frequency is held constant The UP and DOWN arrows will step through the default spans from 100 Hz to 1 GHz in a 1 2 5 pattern ZERO SPAN changes the x axis on the graticule to time instead of frequency The y axis may be demodulated amplitude or frequency When this button is clicked a popup will open allowing the user to select amplitude AM or frequency FM for the y axis FULL SPAN sets the span to its maximum AMPLITUDE CONTROLS REFERENCE LEVETL sets the power level for the top graticule line You may select EMC units here including V m mW cm etc in log or lineat mode The UP and DOWN arrows will change the reference level by a preset amount equal to dB div ATTEN sets the internal electronic attenuator to 0 10 20 or 30 dB dB div sets the scale for the y axis It may be set to any positive value o 10 dB div is default giving a full scale range of 100 dB LIN sets the amplitude scale to linear voltage units instead of logarithmic MARKER CONTROLS
20. a 220 ohm internal impedance for this output 4 2 Using Limit Lines Limit lines may be used for PASS FAIL testing This feature is enabled with or without the USB TG124A tracking generator Limit lines are imported from a CSV comma separated value file 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 allowed typically in dBm but dBc is used for the tracking generator 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 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 27 THEORY OF OPERATION 5 Theory of Operation Learn about the internal blocks that make up the Signal Hound maximum bandwidth of 250 KHz It receives up to 2 Megabytes of I Q data each second which it processes into a
21. and RBW determine the number of data points in a sweep roughly 2 5 SPAN RBW gt Video BW This controls the video bandwidth VBW After the signal has been passed through the RBW filter it is converted to an amplitude This amplitude is then filtered by the Video Bandwidth filter This is implemented as a simple rectangle averaging window o Video bandwidths are available from 0 1 Hz to 250 KHz typically in powers of 2 VBW must be equal to or less than RBW GETTING STARTED 2 2 6 2 2 7 AUTO To reset either RBW or VBW to automatically use the default setting for each span click AUTO Video Detector Settings As the video data is being processed the minimum maximum and average amplitudes are stored Minimum maximum average or Min amp Max may be displayed When converting from I Q data to unprocessed amplitude data the amplitude may be represented as voltage linear power or logarithmic power data Select linear power for RMS power measurements Logarithmic power is closest to a traditional spectrum analyzer in log scale For older or underpowered computers select BYPASS to skip video processing Sweep Time A slider is available to select fast or slow sweep times Fast sweep times process a small amount of data per trace and update quickly Slow sweep times process a large amount of data and update slowly Use slower sweep times for longer RMS power readings or to observe any given spectra
22. annel power displayed in absolute units and dBc relative to the main channel TS TEST zen Image rejection plays an important role when measuring channel power since it may reject a portion of the power if used incorrectly Image rejection may remain on if a tone or white noise is used as the modulation source However for speech or non repetitive modulation sources image rejection must be turned off and your signal should be completely contained in a 20 MHz span Channel bandwidth and channel spacing may be set to any value from 100 Hz to 20 MHz 3 4 Understanding Your Signal Hound The Signal Hound switches between two intermediate frequencies and three IF gain settings when measuring signals and performing image suppression Most of this occurs automatically and can be ignored but may cause unexpected behavior in some situations The Signal Hound automatically selects the IF gain based on avoiding compression for the given reference level As the attenuator settings change or the reference level changes the IF gain may change as well This typically occurs between 5 dBm and 30 dBm depending on settings This may affect the noise floor but should not affect your measurements Some Local Oscillator leakage occurs at frequencies offset by approximately 2 9 or 10 7 MHz from the RF center frequency This is a concern when connecting to an antenna or sensitive device A preamplifier or circulator may
23. e 37 10 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 10 1 5 Certification Test Equipment Plus certifies that at the time of shipment this product conformed to its published specifications 10 1 6 Credit Notice Windows is a registered trademark of Microsoft Corporation in the United States and other countries 38
24. e This controls the frequency step size for the sweep A lower step size yields a slower sweep with more data points Output Level You may control output level in dBm or control the attenuator in dB 2 3 The Menu 2 3 1 FILE Recall State This loads a previously saved instrument state including trace data It can be used to recall an instrument setup or view saved trace data States are saved as standard Windows files with the tsa extension Save State This saves an instrument state including controls and trace data SaveAs Same as above with a different filename Pause Sweep on Recall If you are interested in the stored data select this to view the recorded sweep If you just want to load the settings leave this un checked Import gt Path Loss Table Imports a path loss table The table should be comma separated values CSV format where each line contains frequency in MHz then cable path loss in dB Import Antenna Factor Table Imports an antenna factor table The table should be comma separated values CSV format where each line contains frequency in MHz then antenna factor in dB m Import gt Limit Line Table Imports a limit line table The table should be comma separated values CSV format where each line contains frequency in MHz then minimum value in dBm or dBc for TG sweeps then maximum value in dBm or dBc If no minimum value is desired set to 200 If no maximum is desired
25. esidual responses To verify a displayed signal center it and step the span down to 10 KHz or less If it disappeats it was likely a mixing artifact or a harmonic from a system clock To avoid 28 THEORY OF OPERATION known residual responses at multiples of the primary RR MD RR OK E EA of mixer improves at lower system clocks a secondary clock frequency is signal levels For accurate selected for spans 100 KHz or below harmonics measurements you should have less than 25 dBm into the mixer The mixers can typically operate with up to 0 dBm input but keeping the input level 25 dBm or lower will greatly improve linearity 5 1 3 IF to Bits Receiver The IF to bits receiver has three gain ranges and several selectable bit rates The gain range will be automatically selected based on attenuator settings and reference level to avoid IF ADC compression which will greatly distort the data The software should warn you if compression is occurring If this happens change reference level attenuator and or input level settings 5 1 4 IF and RBW Selection The I Q data comes in over USB and is processed using an FFT with a Flat Top window The software controls the bit rates and the size of the FFT based on your selected RBW The available RBWs are a function of the span since very large RBWs with a small span would result in a trace with only a few data points and a blocky appearance and very small RBWs with a large span wo
26. ith the Signal Hound 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 d MARKER GRATICULE CONTROL PANEL TRACE STATUS BAR Figure 1 The Signal Hound Graphical User Interface GUI 2 1 The Graticule The Graticule contains ten vertical and ten horizontal divisions to display trace data The trace data is the processed and formatted data from the Signal Hound displayed in the graticule Above and below the Graticule you will find indicators regarding settings and markers The indicators include GETTING STARTED REF Reference level top left The reference level is the signal amplitude for the top Graticule line gt 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 top center The internal electronic attenuator may be set to 0 5 10 or 15 dB INT EXT REF Top tight Indicates whether internal or external reference is selected START CENTER STOP Bottom left center and right of Display Window Start centet and stop frequencies representing the frequency of the left center and right Graticule lines respectively Mar
27. itself For best close in phase noise use an external 10 MHz reference with gt 10 dBm power level To resume normal operation click Phase Noise Plot a second time to un check gt Self Test Requires a BNC cable and BNC to SMA adapter Loops the Self Test Output back to the RF Input through a customer supplied coax testing the basic function blocks of the spectrum analyzer gt Smith Chart Displays a Smith Chart view for 511 measurements at a single frequency See application notes for further information gt Tracking Generator CW When a USB TG124A is connected you may set an output frequency and amplitude here Tracking Generator Sweep When a USB TG1244A is connected you may statt a scalar network analyzer sweep here 12 GETTING STARTED 2 3 8 HELP About Signal Hound Look here for hardware software and firmware versions gt Annunciator Help Explains the meaning of various annunciators which appear in the top left graticule User Manual Opens this manual SignalHound com Takes you to the website 2 4 The Status Bar When the mouse pointer enters the graticule area the Status Bar automatically displays the frequency or time of the mouse s x coordinate and the signal level of the trace at that frequency or time This can be used to check a signal level without moving the markers It can also be used to help you more accurately place markers position on the graticule
28. kers may be placed anywhere on the trace by RBW Selected Resolution Bandwidth left clicking inside the calculated from FFT size and sample rate graticule at the desired location gt VBW Video Bandwidth currently selected SPAN Difference between start and stop frequencies gt SWP In zero span this is the exact sweep time from left to right In all other spans this is time elapsed during the last sweep MARKER DATA will appear along the bottom of the graticule 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 such as image rejection off See the HELP menu for additional information 2 2 The Control Panel The control panel is the section on the right hand side of the Graphical User Interface or GUI It has buttons for the most common user commands Frequency span reference level trigger video and resolution bandwidth processing sweep and marker commands are available here Try this Click CENTER FREQ then using the mouse click the buttons 1 2 3 MHz You should see your center frequency change to 123 MHz Now click SET SPAN 5 0 KHz Watch as start and stop frequencies and span are updated in the lower section of the graticule GETTING STARTED 2 2 1 2 2 2 2 2 3 2 2 4 FREQUENCY CONTROLS gt gt CENTER FREQ sets the center frequency of the sweep When clicked
29. l support at http www signalhound com 2 Your Signal Hound LED is off Make sure the USB cable is connected at both ends your PC is on and the USB drivers are installed properly Is your PC or laptop configured in low power mode The Signal Hound is a high powered USB device and may be shut down in some power saving configurations 3 Your Signal Hound doesn t find a signal gt Is it a swept or transient signal a pulse or a rapidly modulated signal If so and you know the frequency of the signal set up for a 200 KHz span ot less then turn image suppression off This disables the image rejection algorithm which will reject data if it has moved or disappeared when the image is checked it also allows the image frequency through which is 21 4 MHz above 30 TROUBLESHOOTING the CENTER FREQ You may also try MAX HOLD to capture transient signals 4 You receive a specific error code Error 1 Your Signal hound was not found on a USB port Plug in your Signal Hound if it isn t already If it is already plugged in unplug it reboot re install the USB driver and or try a different USB port Error 2 6 A USB communications error occurred If multiple errors occur close out of the software unplug the Signal Hound wait 20 seconds plug it back in and try again If you get a recurring error please make a note of the error number and e mail or call tech support 6 General Advice to avoid problems gt Unplug
30. l window for a longer period of time o For Zero Span there is a separate Sweep Time control that allows you to explicitly set this parameter o This control is secondary to the RBW and VBW controls Under many conditions it is ignored Image Reject Turn OFF to catch a transient signal that lasts for duration less than the sweep time Turn ON to filter out image frequencies and noise when a steady signal is present TRACE CONTROLS gt NORMAL The entire trace is updated each sweep gt MAX HOLD The highest amplitude for each frequency point is displayed Each sweep only frequency points with higher amplitudes are updated TRIGGER AND SWEEP CONTROLS CONTINUOUS A new sweep begins as soon as the last sweep is completed SINGLE A single sweep is run then the Signal Hound remains inactive FREE RUN In Zero Span mode a sweep begins immediately GETTING STARTED VIDEO In Zero Span mode the Signal Hound waits for a minimum signal amplitude before sweeping When clicked a popup opens where the user sets the minimum signal amplitude This is useful for measuring pulses as short as 10 microseconds 2 2 8 ADDITIONAL CONTROLS PRESET restores the Signal Hound software and hardware to its initial power on state 2 2 9 TRACKING GENERATOR CONTROLS gt When a tracking generator is installed controls to start and stop scalar network analyzer sweeps will appear below the PRESET control gt Step Siz
31. mix to produce spurious responses For these reasons the Signal Hound is not recommended for taking measurements of signals with a bandwidth of greater than 250 KHz T he Signal Hound is capable of making a wide range of measurements The For signals within the 250 KHz bandwidth limit a high degree of accuracy and sensitivity are available The I Q demodulator has dual 24 bit DACs yielding a very high internal resolution 3 1 Measuring Frequency and Amplitude 3 1 1 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 The marker s accuracy is dependent on the SPAN and RBW Narrower spans amp RBWs have higher marker accuracy 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 15 TAKING MEASUREMENTS 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 The frequency and amplitude are read as before 3 1 2 Example Identify a Signal s Frequency and Amplitude TRY THIS EXAMPLE find a signal within a certain freq
32. oise measurement takes several seconds or longer depending on settings Video Averaging may be enabled to smooth our any bumps in the signal Set to Video Averaging to 10 to reduce the uncertainty in your measurement Figure 2 Phase Noise Plot The Signal Hound s internal TCXO timebase contributes more phase noise to these measurements than an external OCXO 10MHz timebase Please review the Signal Hound s specifications for phase noise If the signal you re measuring has considerably more phase noise than the Signal Hound you should be able to get meaningful results using the internal TCXO timebase Otherwise an external OCXO timebase will be needed to make a useful measurement 20 TAKING MEASUREMENTS When your measurements are complete again select Utilities Phase Noise Plot to un check this utility and resume normal operation 3 7 Using the Measuring Receiver Utility The measuring receiver utility takes measurements of AM and FM modulation and relative signal level measurements If you are familiar with other measuting receivers some of this information will be redundant In addition to modulation measurements the measuring receiver also accurately measures relative power To use this center the signal on the graticule in the spectrum analyzer with a span of 200 KHz or less then select Utilities gt MEAS RCVR the menu Note The carrier frequency for modulation measurements will be set to the CE
33. rated only at time of manufacture 8 9 FCC Compliance This device is exempt from FCC Certification under 47 CFR Part 15 103 c 35 REVISION HISTORY 9 Revision History Software Version 2 04 Initial Release of 2nd Generation software Firmware Version 2 02 Added support for broadband signal peaking utility Software Version 2 05 Implemented 5 MHz RBW Changed video processing added broadband signal peaking and tracking generator fast sweep support Firmware version 2 03 Improved tracking generator support removed a noise inducing bug Software Version 2 06 Implemented EMC units and conversions Added path loss and antenna factor tables Software Version 2 07 Tracking Generator Supported Added limit lines and channel power adjacent channel powet Software Version 2 11 Moved USB interface to a separate realtime process Fixed external triggering Added 8 presets Moved default installation location to Program Files x86 Added support for CW vector measurements Software Version 2 13 Added SA124 compatibility 36 WARRANTY AND DISCLAIMER 10Warranty and Disclaimer Copyright 2011 Test Equipment Plus All rights reserved Reproduction adaptation or translation without prior written permission is prohibited except as allowed under the copyright laws 10 1 1 Warranty The information contained in this manual is subject to change without notice Test Equipment Plus makes no warranty of
34. rker off if it is currently on Adjust the settings until your desired signal is displayed with a span narrow enough for your required accuracy A 5 to 50 KHz span is ideal for many measurements 3 Place your marker using the mouse left click or the PEAK button 4 Press the DELTA button This freezes the location of the first market s REFERENCE point e g 1R 5 Move the marker by left clicking inside the graticule then using the mouse wheel to fine tune the market s position 6 The differential measurement is displayed below the graticule If you want the matker to update automatically with each sweep toggle UPDATE OFF to UPDATE ON 3 1 4 Measuring Low Level Signals To measure low level signals there are a few tricks to getting accurate readings First of all set the internal electronic attenuator to 0 dB click the ATTEN button Then set your reference level to 40 dBm or lower This internally selects the highest sensitivity settings Using an external timebase and narrow span 1 KHz or less should give you better results For frequencies above 500 KHz the RF preamplifier may be turned on to further reduce the noise floor Video averaging may be required fot a stable amplitude reading 3 1 5 Measurements Near DANL The amplitude displayed is the sum of all energy present in the IF This includes the signal as well as noise and residual responses Measurements of signals less than 10 dB above the noise floor will have a
35. s installs the necessary device drivers This takes several seconds Once you see The hardware is ready to use continue 1 3 Running the software for the first time 1 If your Signal Hound is not yet plugged in to your computer s USB port connect the Signal Hound 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 Launch the Signal Hound application from the Start Menu or desktop The first time the software runs temperature corrections are PREPARING FOR USE downloaded from the internet and calibration data is transferred from the Signal Hound to the computer This takes about 10 seconds 3 You may begin using the Signal The Signal RF Hound Spectrum Analyzer now If you A input is DC coupled Always use DC block wish to optionally verify basic when your signal has AC functionality proceed with the next steps and DC combined 4 Connect the SELF TEST BNC output to the RF IN SMA input using a BNC cable and BNC to SMA adapter 5 From the GUI select Utilities SELF TEST 6 Observe that all self tests pass If not see the Troubleshooting section GETTING STARTED Ci 2 Getting Started Learn about the basic functions and features of your Signal Hound Spectrum Analyzer and Measuring Receiver The Signal Hound Graphical User Interface or GUI is used to communicate w
36. se contact us 3 9 Limitations of the Signal Hound 3 9 1 RBW Limitations Although a resolution bandwidth RBW of 0 1 Hz is available for very narrow spans be aware of the limitations The internal timebase has phase noise limiting the usefulness of narrow RBWs For best results keep your RBW in Hz larger than your CENTER FREQ in GHz when using the internal timebase For example for a 1 6 GHz CF use an RBW of 1 6 Hz or higher Your RBW may be 10x less when using a high quality external timebase The Signal Hound mostly uses digital RBWs in powers of two starting at 0 1 Hz 3 9 2 IF Feed Through Intermediate frequencies of 2 9 MHz and 10 7 MHz are used for all frequencies An RF input signal near these frequencies may generate spurious responses and degrade the performance of the image rejection algorithm 3 9 3 LO Leakage A Local Oscillator signal may be observed at the RF input port often found 10 7 MHz above the RF frequency being scanned Typically this level will not interfere with your measurements If you are connecting to an antenna please use the preamplifier and set the attenuator to 15 dB to minimize LO leakage This will typically reduce your LO leakage to less than 2 nanowatts for all frequencies below 1 GHz 3 9 4 Sweep Time Sweep Time varies based on system settings For sweeps with a small span typically less than 5 MHz the user may select slow medium or fast sweep speeds depending 23 TAKING MEASUREMENTS
37. sweep time This allows you to see data both before and after the trigger event 5 Enter your Sweep Time in milliseconds This becomes your X Axis on the graticule display 6 Select amplitude vs time or Frequency vs time to view and measure AM or FM respectively You may use the markers as above to take basic measurements SINGLE sweep will make these measurements much easier to make 3 2 1 Capturing Pulses in Zero Span To capture a pulse click ZERO SPAN as before then click VIDEO trigger You must supply the minimum amplitude to trigger the sweep When you begin a video triggered sweep data is collected continually in the background When a signal with sufficient amplitude is detected the software continues to collect data until the sweep is complete 18 TAKING MEASUREMENTS 3 3 Measuring Channel Power The Utilities menu includes a Channel Power utility When selected a popup will appear requesting channel bandwidth and channel spacing Channel Bandwidth is the band whose power you wish to measure Channel spacing is the center to center frequency measurement Between channels there is typically but not always a small guard band whose power is ignored For example with channel bandwidth of 8 KHz and channel spacing of 10 KHz the center 8 KHz of the sweep will be integrated and displayed as channel power then 2 KHz on each side will be ignored then the next 8 KHz on each side will be integrated as adjacent ch
38. trace A the main trace displayed into trace B or C and displays the copied trace gt Show Hide Displays or hides traces or trace math Trace A Trace Trace C Shows or hides selected traces e Trace B A or A B Displays trace math on a new scale You will be prompted for scale information A B or B A may be shown Limit Lines Displays or hides a lower limit line and an upper limit line Utilities Audio Listen Opens a dialog box with controls for demodulating audio AM FM SSB and CW ate available For SSB 30 KHz IF is recommended For best sensitivity have your reference level set to 40 dBm and your attenuator set to 0 dB before opening the Audio Listen dialog Broadband Signal Peaking is a mode that combines fast sweeping with high sensitivity for locating and peaking broadband gt 5 MHz bandwidth low level signals The preamplifier is automatically turned on in his mode When selected a dialog box opens Select a frequency step of 1 2 or 5 MHz Check the maximize sensitivity box if you are hunting for a small signal This will set the reference level to 50 dBm and attenuator to 0 dB Please note that the waveform displayed represents a sampling of spectrum above and below the frequency reported The response is uncalibrated and will yield unpredictable amplitudes for narrow band signals To resume normal operation click Broadband Signal Peaking a second time Broadcast Masks allow yo
39. u to test your AM or FM broadcasts against published masks See application note for further information 11 GETTING STARTED Channel Power Opens a dialog box where you enter channel bandwidth and spacing To use set the center frequency to the channel center frequency then set channel bandwidth and spacing If channel power and adjacent channel power all fit within the currently selected span the selected channel and adjacent channels will display their respective power levels in dBm Harmonics Viewer Displays the amplitude of the first 5 harmonics of the center frequency when checked It is recommended to have a span of 200 KHz or less before starting the Harmonics Viewer To resume normal operation click Harmonics Viewer a second time to un check Frequency Difference Meter Use only with the high accuracy timebase since 10 MHz input is not available Measuring Receiver This invokes the Measuring Receiver software See the Measuring Receiver section of the manual for details Phase Noise Plot Displays the phase noise amplitude in dBc Hz vs offset from carrier when checked You must have a span of 10 KHz ot less and the signal should be within 1 division of the reference level e g within 10 dB This utility takes about 1 minute to run It will sweep several times then combine the sweeps into a phase noise plot The data is approximate and is limited by the phase noise of the Signal Hound
40. uency range e g 200 MHz to 500 MHz and measure its exact frequency a gt simple procedure would be 1 Set START FREQ to the lowest possible frequency e g 200 MHz 2 Set STOP FREQ to the highest possible frequency e g 500 MHz 3 Set REFERENCE LEVEL to the highest signal level you expect e g 0 dBm 4 Wait for the sweep to complete 5 Ifa signal is identified click PEAK gt to move the signal to the center of the graticule 6 Under the Span Controls section click the down arrow to decrease span until your span is 50 MHz 7 Select Settings gt Signal Track gt ON 8 Under the Span Controls section click the down arrow until your span is 50 KHz Your signal should remain centered horizontally in the graticule during this process Notice the change in sweep speed from wider bandwidths RBW gt 6 5 KHz VBW AUTO to narrower bandwidths RBW or VBW 6 5 KHz This is due to the software internally changing modes of operation For wider bandwidths a firmware controlled sweep collects small packets of data quickly from several local oscillator frequencies For narrower spans a software controlled sweep collects large amounts of data from a smaller set of local oscillator frequencies 3 1 3 Using the DELTA Marker To measute a difference or change in frequency and or amplitude use the DELTA market 1 Select a marker 1 thru 9 from the control panel 16 TAKING MEASUREMENTS 2 Turn the ma
41. ulate relative power When the RF level is in this TAKING MEASUREMENTS overlapping area the Low Power Range button will become available Select the low power range to generate a correction for spanning the two gains Once this correction value is calculated an asterisk will appear by Relative Power indicating you are in the high sensitivity range You can now step power across the full dynamic range When you need to go above 45 dBm or so select High Power Range again There is no limit to the step size except for the compression point in each range o Checking the Synchronous Average Level Detector box wil zero the relative power reading and enable the synchronous detector Use this to measure a clean phase locked RF CW signal over a 140 dB dynamic range Use a common external 10 MHz reference o Un checking this box will zero the relative power reading and enable the average detector Use this to measure a noisy modulated or drifting signal over a 80 90 dB dynamic range Show FM Check this box to view FM modulation measurements Show AM Check this box to view AM modulation measurements 3 7 2 The Analyzer Data Window RF COUNTER displays the carrier frequency It has a 1 100 Hz resolution but its accuracy may be lower than this at high frequencies or IF bandwidths FM Modulation Readings are readings taken on the FM modulation after IF and audio filtering The units for all FM readings are
42. uld result in a large data set that would be difficult to manage and process The resolution bandwidths are not the traditional analog 1 3 10 KHz filters The bandwidths are a function of the size of the FFT which is a power of 2 The RBW listed on the GUI is calculated from the bit rate divisor and FFT size This number is the approximate RBW and is listed in the lower left region of the GUI For wide spans an additional RBW of 6 MHz is used This is a typical value There is no specification for this RBW but it is typically within 20 29 TROUBLESHOOTING 6 Troubleshooting If you experience a problem with your Signal Hound please try these troubleshooting techniques before contacting us 1 Your Signal Hound Is Not Sweeping Properly gt Try this first Close the Signal Hound software Unplug the USB cable and any external BNC cables from the Signal Hound and wait 10 seconds Plug the USB cable back in Check that both ends of the USB cable ate firmly seated and the Signal Hound LED is green With the optional timebase the green LED will not come on until the oven is warm Launch the Signal Hound Software Try your sweep again Still not working Unplug the USB cable from the Signal Hound Disconnect all USB devices from your PC Reboot your PC Wait until the PC has completed rebooting Plug in the Signal Hound s USB Launch the Signal Hound Software Try your sweep again gt Still not working Contact technica
43. und USB SA124A is a USB based 100 kHz to 12 4 GHz PREPARING FOR USE 1 1 Initial Inspection Check your package for shipping damage before opening Your box should contain a USB cable a CD ROM and a Signal Hound USB SA124A 1 2 Software Installation The Signal Hound is operated from a Windows based PC using our application softwate 1 2 1 System Requirements The Signal Hound software and drivers are compatible with Windows operating systems You must have at least 500 MB of free disk space 2 GB of RAM USB 2 0 and a 2 GHz 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 exe from the CD by double clicking the file Follow the directions on the screen You must have administrator privileges Signal Hound software is now installed You must reboot your PC before the Signal Hound will operate correctly e Before launching the software connect the Signal Hound to any available USB 2 0 port using the included USB cable Wait while Window
44. your Signal Hound from the USB port when not in use or before shutting down your computer Do not connect your Signal Hound s USB port until your computer has completed its bootup sequence If you do it may need to be unplugged for 20 seconds then plugged back in before operating properly Do not overpower the Signal Hound 31 CALIBRATION AND ADJUSTMENT 7 Calibration and Adjustment Contact Test Equipment Plus for more information regarding calibration software and required equipment 32 SPECIFICATIONS 8 Specifications Unless otherwise stated specifications are valid for an ambient temperature range of 0 to 50 C image rejection on amplitude of signal applied less than the reference level 8 1 Frequency Frequency Range 100 kHz to 12 4 GHz Span Modes Center Frequency Span or Start Stop Frequencies Maximum Span 4 4 GHz Minimum Span 10 Hz or Zero Span Internal Frequency Reference Accuracy 1 ppm Optional Reference 0 1 ppm Frequency Readout Accuracy reference error 1 sample Marker Accuracy reference error 1 sample Resolution Bandwidth 0 1Hz to 250KHz and 6MHzO Spectral Purity Residual FM 3 kHz Audio LPF 15 kHz IF BW 0 1 Hz 4 Hz GHz typical RMS FM e g 2 GHz RF would have 8 1 Hz RMS FM Increasing IF BW increases residual Note 1 1 sample typically represents approximately 40 of the selected RBW Note 2 6 MHz RBW available only above 200 MHz 8 2 Amplitude RBW 100K
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