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User`s Manual

1. 56 15 PRECAUTIONS 55 aa e i Cid aia Saale biele ai a 60 16 REGULATORY WARNING sii ii oaia aaa aa ai a ai iai aula ai ia il a 60 17 AGKNOWLEDGMENTS qct 61 APPENDIX A cateii Ese RVESI SENE i ate a iati did 62 APPENDIX B FUNDAMENTAL 1 4 65 APPENDIX C UPGRADING THE FIRMWARE 2 2 2 4 67 APPENDIX D CALIBRATION 68 APPENDIX FREQUENCY 4 71 APPENDIX DETECT OR CALIBRATION ial amine alun ma b ii Boian 72 APPENDIX G FREQUENCY PRESETS FILE u 75 APPENDIX SCALE PRESETS fe alei ae alia alai am la Date an it Catia i ta 76 APPENDIX CUSTOM CABLE SETTINGS 78 Rev 1 1 7 October 29 2014 4 Melchor Varela EA4FRB 2011 2014 cc StepplR SsARK ne User s Manual 1 Introduction The StepplR SARK 110 Antenna Analyzer is a pocket size instrument providing fast and accurate measurement of the vector impedance VSWR vector reflection coefficient return loss and R L C as series or parallel equivalent circuits Additionally
2. sAaRK ne User s Manual e MCX to BNC adapter pigtail x 1 e Allen key x 1 Rev 1 1 7 October 29 2014 59 Melchor Varela EA4FRB 2011 2014 cc StepplR SsARK ne User s Manual 15 Precautions 1 Never connect the unit to an antenna during a lightning storm Lightning strikes and static discharges can damage the unit and may kill the operator 2 Never apply an RF signal or any other external voltage to the test port of this unit Doing so may damage the unit Note that powerful active transmitters nearby may induce a high RF voltage on the antenna 3 The test port is ESD protected however static build up on an antenna may cause damage to the unit when connected As a precaution always discharge the antenna before connecting and after operation disconnect the antenna 4 This product emits a low power RF signal during its active measurement mode When connected to an antenna system this radiation may cause interference to nearby communication systems Connect only for as long is necessary 16 Regulatory Warning This equipment is intended for use by radio amateurs in a laboratory environment only The product generates and radiates radio frequency energy and has not been tested for compliance of both EMC and R amp TTE directives which are designed to provide reasonable protection against radio frequency interference and if not installed and used in accordance with the instruction manual
3. 4 1 6 13 4 7 USING 65 2 2 2 0 1 2 7 0 1 1 1 6 13 48 CHANGING THE VERTICAL AXIS PARAMETER aaa aaa aaa aaa 16 4 9 SAVING AND RECALLING 5 aaa aaa see 17 4 10 TAKING SCREENSHOTS ta ai a a ia ii a ia du e a ar aa ai a raa 20 4 11 CHANGING THE OPERATING 00000 20 4 12 CHANGING THE 5 0 0000 21 5 SCALAR CHART MODE aa a aaa aa aaa aaa aaa aaa 32 6 SMITH CHART MODE aa a aaa aa aaa aaa aaa 34 7 SINGLE FREQUENCY MODE aaa aaa aaa aaa aaa aa aaa 36 8 CABLE TEST aaa aaa aaa aaa 38 9 FIELD MODE aaa aa aaa aa aaa aaa aa aaa 42 10 MODE aaa aaa a aaa aaa aaa aaa ae 44 11 SIGNAL GENERATOR MODE aa aa a aaa aaa aaa aaa ae 46 Rev 1 1 7 October 29 2014 3 Melchor Varela EA4FRB 2011 2014 StepplR SARK ne User s Manual 12 COMPUTER CONTROL MODE 2 6 ae pe aaa caile aaa ela aia ada ea ua 51 13 TRANSMISSION LINE ADD SUBTRACT 53 14 SPECIFICATIONS
4. Freq Span Preset 1 Markeri ooo M Harker File Mode TL Len Setup Filter This setup offers the choice of one of two noise reduction filters or none for the Scalar Chart Smith Chart Field and Multi band modes Rev 1 1 7 October 29 2014 28 Melchor Varela EA4FRB 2011 2014 StepplR SARK ne User s Manual Freq 13 300 p 5 00H TL 0 0m 20 50 sark 00 csv GQ gt 109 307j11 7 21 109 956 1 RhI 0 3857 0 12 85 11 5 48 5 2 21 6 16 28 2 IT Freq Span ee Preset Marker Harker Automatic Power Off Cable YSWR Circle Color Theme Plot Thickness Filter Sampling Reset Factory Defaults About Average tmoothing The Average filter minimizes the noise but at the expense of reducing the measurement speed Four samples are taken for each measurement frequency and an average from these samples is calculated The Smoothing filter is a moving average calculation for each measurement point the unweighted mean of the previous measurement points The measurement speed is not affected but there could be a loss of accuracy gt The magnitude of the peak or valley of a rapidly changing parameter may be affected Check the results with and without the filter if there is any doubt Rev 1 1 7 October 29 2014 29 Melchor Varela EA4FRB 2011 2014 St
5. 9 9 3 57 14 2 12 ciH 5 12 49 6 Freq Pan Preset 1 Lert Y Right Y Harker 1 select Tracking The Select option activates or deactivates the display of detailed parameters at the marker position The screenshot below shows Marker1 in the selected state Mi 15 72M p 5 00M TL 0 0m 20 50 mje ex V5WR 3 57 2 14 0 12 1121 14 2 lt 8 4 Rh 0 564 174 9 15 0 3 57 14 2 12 21 5 12 49 6 Freq pan Preset Left Y Right Y File Mode TL Len Setup The automatic tracking feature makes positioning of the markers easier thus helping the user to speed up measurements The following tracking modes are available Rev 1 1 7 October 29 2014 14 Melchor Varela EA4FRB 2011 2014 cc StepplR SsARK ne User s Manual e Peak Min p e Peak Max P e Absolute Min m e Absolute Max M e Value Cross Any X Value Cross Up e Value Cross Down v Mi 15 72M p 5 00M TL 0 0m 70 50 DON V5WR 3 59 2 14 0 12 1121 14 1 lt 8 5 IRh 0 56 174 12 21 5 14 49 5 Tracking Peak Hin Peak Hax ge Harker 1 Value Cross Up oE 00 Disabled Cross Down The automatic positioning of markers is activated in the Tracking sub option Select the tracking mode from any of the modes above and then the applicable parameter to track In addition a detecti
6. G Flash use y Er 256 KB 16 9 i eos Mini USB Port y a iT 48 KB i CREE 1 8V analog RY ji 1 8V digital 3 3V analog 3 3V digital Li Poly 5V Differential SASK no The StepplR SARK 110 comprises four main sections a signal generator used as an active source a bridge to provide signal separation two tuned receivers that downconvert and detect the signals and a microcontroller and display for calculating and reviewing the results The signal generator is provided by a single chip dual direct digital synthesizer DDS AD9958 from Analog Devices which generates a sinusoidal signal for impedance measurement and a local oscillator signal for the tuned receivers mixers One of the DDS channels operates at the specified test frequency and the other is programmed to operate just 1 kHz above it which is the value of the intermediate frequency The DDS has an internal oscillator driven by an external 24 MHz crystal and is able to multiply this clock internally by a user configurable factor of 4 to 20 so the maximum internal clock frequency is 480 MHz In general the DDS can be configured to generate a frequency of up to one third of the clock frequency but in this design due to the external reconstruction filter it is possible to achieve an output frequency of up to 230 MHz The amplitude level of the DDS channel s output is frequency dependent and it is reduced with increasing fr
7. Hode Automatic Power Off Cable Circle Color Theme Plot Thickness Filter Sampling Reset Factory Defaults About eu Custom TL Len Freq 13 300 5 5 00 TL 0 0m 20 50 sark_OO0 cs GQ 109 3 11 7 21 109 956 1 Rh 0 384 7 0 12 850 8 54 49 9 10 7 28 9 Freq Preset Marker e 1 Automatic Power Off at Gees Fen The wees Hodes 20 SEE ing TL Len OSE 00 Reser Factory Defaults Setup Automatic Power Off This setting allows the automatic power off delay to be selected from a set of predefined times Rev 1 1 7 October 29 2014 23 Melchor Varela EA4FRB 2011 2014 StepplR SARK ne User s Manual Freq 13 300 p 5 00H TL 0 0m 20 50 sark_O00 csv GQ gt FSWRi2 22 2 109 3 j11 7 21 109 946 1 0 38 lt 7 0 12 850 8 54 49 9 12 ciH 10 7 28 9 Freq Span re Preset Markerl 2 Left Y Cable Right Y v VSWR Circle Color Theme Auto Power Off Plot Thickness Filter 5 Minutes Sampling 10 Minutes Reset Factory Defaults 30 Hinute s About After power off press the Select m button to resume the operation Alternatively power off and power on the device using the Power Switch Setup Cable Type The length measurements in the cable test mode and transmission line operations require the proper setting of the cable type This setup all
8. lt Zs 1 00 254007 VSWR 40 0 N RL 0 20 N CL 0 1 0 N Rho 190 190 N lt Rho 0 100 N Rp 020 10000 10000 N Cs 100 100 N 15 10000 10000 N Cp 100 100 N Lp Rev 1 1 7 October 29t 2014 ff Melchor Varela EA4FRB 2011 2014 cc StepplR SsARK ne User s Manual Appendix I Custom Cable Settings The StepplR SARK 110 allows the user to specify three custom cable settings by supplying a special text file stored on the analyzer s disk The file name must be custcab txt and the format for each cable entry in the file is as follows legend 70 VF Kl K2 Where o legend string to be display in the preset menu max length 20 o Z0 characteristic impedance o velocity factor o DC resistance dB 100ft o coefficient for conductor loss dB 100ft o K2 coefficient for dielectric loss dB 100ft Example Test cable 1 91 2550 0 063897 221222725 0 000051 Test cable 2 60 Os 78 0 073897 2932027 0 000061 Test cable 3 205 7 208 0 069607 0 194297 0000071 Rev 1 1 7 October 29 2014 78 Melchor Varela EA4FRB 2011 2014
9. Markeri Automatic Power Uff Cable rue Lolor Theme Plot Thickness Filter Sampling Reset Factory Defaults About Rev 1 1 7 October 29 2014 25 Melchor Varela EA4FRB 2011 2014 StepplR SAR ne User s Manual In the screenshot below the circle has been changed to a VSWR of 5 0 Freq 12 80M 5 5 00 TL 0 0m 20 50 sark_OO0 cs GQ 109 3 31 21 109 956 1 Rh 0 384 7 0 11 5 48 5 1 6 16 28 2 Freq 1 Preset Markeri File EUST Setup Color Theme This setup permits the choice from two color theme options Black or White Freq 12 80M 5 5 00 TL 0 0m 20 50 000 GQ 109 3707411 7 21 109 956 1 Rh 0 384 7 0 12 85M 11 5 48 5 12 21 6 16 28 2 Preset Markeri Harker Automatic Power Off Cable Circle Plot Thickness Filter Sampling Reset Factory Defaults About The screenshots below shows graphs with color theme set to White and Black Rev 1 1 7 October 29 2014 26 Melchor Varela EA4FRB 2011 2014 cc EEE SteppIR SARK ne User s Manual Freq 13 300 4p 5 00H TL 0 0m 20 50 sark_O00 csv GQ 109 3 j11 7 21 109 956 1 ER h 0 384 7 0 Markert 0 2 TRY 0 2 Mode TL Len 0 5 28 Setup
10. 8 2 6464 2 0 67 9 9 3 57 14 2 12 21 5 14 49 5 Freq 1 Presei Span 600H 500 KHz 160K 1 8 HHz 80H 3 6 MHz 5 3 MHz 40M 7 1 Markeri Harker Left Right Y File 4M 70 1 MHz 2M 145 MHz TL Len 4 7 Using Markers The StepplR SARK 110 has two markers that can either be manually positioned by the user or set to operate in automatic tracking mode The markers indicate the horizontal and vertical position of Rev 1 1 7 October 29 2014 13 Melchor Varela EA4FRB 2011 2014 StepplR SARK ne User s Manual the point they are positioned on The horizontal position of a marker is shown by a dotted vertical line which extends from the top to the bottom of the measurement diagram The markers information window in blue background shows the frequency or distance in cable test mode and the two values that correspond to the plotted values at each of the markers Use Navigator A to highlight either Marker1 or Marker2 in the main menu Press the Select m button to activate the Marker popup submenu Available options are Enable for activating or deactivating the marker Select for selecting or deselecting the marker and Tracking for selecting the tracking mode see screenshot below Freq 123 80M 5 5 00 TL 0 0m 20 50 4 07 2 36 0 374 3 2 82 6 564 27 0 6 7
11. Rev 1 1 7 October 29 2014 10 Melchor Varela EA4FRB 2011 2014 cc StepplR SsARK ne User s Manual The Run Hold button is used to control the operating state of the Stepp R SARK 110 Working or Paused In the paused state the signal generator and measurement circuits are inactive Note when loading a stored data file the analyzer is automatically placed in a paused state Select m The button is used to activate the popup submenu associated with the highlighted option and for selecting the desired option within the popup submenu Note Pressing any other button will cancel a selection Save Screen e The Save Screen button is used to take a screenshot of the current screen The screenshot is stored on the internal flash disk Save Conf A The Save Conf button is used to store the complete analyzer state and settings The stored state is restored automatically after the device is powered on 4 4 Changing the Frequency There are two methods of editing the frequency centre frequency for sweep modes i Use Navigator A to highlight Freq in the main menu on the left side of the display Press the Select m button to display the popup dialog associated with Freq Then use Navigator B to change the frequency The frequency will change according to the current frequency multiplier that is highlighted in reverse video Use Navigator A to change the frequency multiplier position if needed Press
12. default the file name has the format sark where xxx is an automatically assigned number change the file name use Navigator B to change the character value and Navigator A to change the character position highlighted in inverse video Press the Select m button to validate the selection Press any other button to cancel the operation Freq 13 80M p 5 00M TL 0 0m 70 50 V5WB 4 97 Z 36 0 j74 2 21 82 5 lt 64 1 Rhl 0 66 459 9 12 85M 3 86 13 0 Preset 1 Markeri Markar2 Left Y Right Mode 1 File 4 Setup Select the options Load Bitmap File or Browse Bitmaps from the File menu to review the captured screenshots Also they can be reviewed on a PC because they are in Windows bitmap compatible format gt Note the bitmap files use a significant amount of disk 188KB per screenshot 4 11 Changing the Operating Mode Use Navigator A to highlight Mode in the main menu Press the Select m button to activate the Mode popup submenu see the screenshot below Rev 1 1 7 October 29 2014 20 Melchor Varela EA4FRB 2011 2014 StepplR SARK ne User s Manual Freq 13 300 p 5 00H TL 0 0m 20 50 sark_O00 csv QO gt 109 307j11 7 21 109 956 1 0 38 lt 7 0 12 850 8 54 49 9 12 ciH 10 7 28 9 Freq Smith Chart Single Frequency Cable Test Field Hode Multi band Signal Generator Computer Contral Use Naviga
13. in the main menu for data file operations Press the Select m button to activate the File popup submenu Use Navigator B to highlight the desired submenu File option Save Data File The Save Data File option allows saving the current measured data for further review Freq 13 300 p 3 00M TL 0 0m 20 50 4 99 7 13 8 74 2 4 8 2 4 64 3 ERhl 0 67560 0 12 850 3 86 13 0 12 ciH 5 14 19 6 Load Data File Load Bitmap File Browse Bitmaps Delete File Delete All After selecting the Save File submenu option enter the file name By default the file name has the format sark_xxx csv or sark xxx tdr for Cable Test mode where xxx is an automatically assigned number To change the file name use Navigator B to change the character value and Navigator A to change the character position highlighted in inverse video Press the Select m button to validate the selection Press any other button to cancel the operation Rev 1 1 7 October 29 2014 17 Melchor Varela EA4FRB 2011 2014 StepplR SARK ne User s Manual Freq 13 300 p 5 00H TL 0 0m 20 50 4 99 7 32 8 74 2 21 82 4564 3 IRh 0 6 7560 0 12 850 3 86 13 0 12 ciH 5 14 19 6 Freq Load Data File Load Bitmap File File Browse Bitmaps sark_007 csu perete Load Data File To retrieve the stored data select the Load Data File submenu option A second popup submenu is displayed with a li
14. m button to enter into Multi band mode Operation is similar to the scalar chart mode with some limitations such as unavailability of markers there is only a single trace and load and save data file operations are not available The main menu Band option allows selecting the active band The selected band is highlighted in the frequency axis of the band graph Frequency and span settings are applied to the selected band The detailed measurements at the top of the screen correspond to the selected band as well Freq 15 05HM 5p 31 90M TL 0 0m 50 DON ex VSWR 3 86 2 14 24 437 7 2 23 1 lt 50 3 0 59 lt 138 0 Rev 1 1 7 October 29 2014 45 Melchor Varela EA4FRB 2011 2014 cc StepplR SsARK ne User s Manual 11 Signal Generator Mode The StepplR SARK 110 can be used as a programmable RF signal source in Signal Generator Mode It outputs a sinusoidal RF signal at a frequency programmable from 100 kHz to 230 MHz with eight user selectable amplitude levels ranging from 73 dBm to 10 dBm In addition frequency sweeps can be programmed with linear bi linear logarithmic or bi logarithmic functions This signal generator mode is ideal for receiver testing and alignment sensitivity tests RF signal tracing and troubleshooting Use Navigator A to highlight Mode in the main menu Press the Select m button to activate the Mode popup submenu and use Navigator B to highlight Signal Generator submenu mo
15. port Both the magnitude and phase are measured The ratio of the two corresponds to the impedance we want to measure One of the mixers is used for the voltage measurement and the other for the current measurement The output of the mixers is the 1 kHz I F signal which is then amplified and filtered with a bandpass filter before digitizing Identical mixer and amplifier circuits are used for both the voltage and current sensing paths Any small differences in the gain and phase shift of these two signal paths are taken care of by the calibration process The core of the analyzer is STM32F103 microcontroller from STMicroelectronics This microcontroller incorporates the high performance ARM Cortex 32 bit core operating at 72 MHz a Flash memory of 256 KB SRAM of 48 KB and an extensive range of I O and peripherals including a USB device controller and three 12 bit ADC converters The digitizing of the 1 KHz signal is done by two independent 12 bit ADC converters contained in the STM32 MCU These two converters operate simultaneously and are synchronized so providing good accuracy for the phase measurement The two sets of digital data from the voltage and current sensors are analyzed using an optimized implementation of the discrete Fourier transform that works with a single bin This produces the amplitude and phase of the 1 kHz fundamental signal and cancels out any dc component due to offsets in the operational amplifiers
16. start 11 300 000Hz End 15 300 000Hz Freq 12 80M 5 5 00 TL 0 0m 20 50 sark_OO0 cs GQ 5 109 3 j11 7 21 109 956 1 Rh 0 384 7 0 11 5 48 5 1 6 16 28 2 3 a dm Freq Span Setup Plot Thickness This setup allows choice of thickness of the diagram s traces from two options Thick and Thin This option is unavailable in the Field Mode graph where traces are always set to thick Freq 12 80M 5 5 00 TL 0 0m 20 50 sark_OO0 cs GQ 109 3 11 7 21 109 956 1 Rh 0 384 7 0 11 5 48 5 6 16 28 2 LM Freq Span Preset Marker Automatic Power OFF Cable Circle Color Theme Sampling Reset Factory Defaults About Rev 1 1 7 October 29 2014 2 Melchor Varela EA4FRB 2011 2014 StepplR SARK ne User s Manual The screenshots below shows graphs with plot thickness set to Thick and Thin Freq 12 80M 5 5 00 TL 0 0m 20 50 sark_OO0 cs v GQ 109 3 11 7 21 109 956 1 Rh 0 384 7 0 12 53H 11 5 48 5 1 6 16 28 2 Freg 1 Freq Span Preset Harkeri Harker File Hode TL Len Freq 12 80M p 3 00M TL 0 0m 20 50 sark_OO0 cs GQ e 109 3 31 21 109 956 1 Rh 0 384 7 0 12 85M 11 5 48 5 1 21 6 16 28 2 E
17. to compensate for the stray capacitance and impedance of the external test fixture e g the extension cable This should be performed every SteppIR SARK ne OSL Calibration User s Manual time the external test fixture is changed as well as periodically Calibration is performed by using a set of calibration plugs consisting of an Open circuit a Short circuit and a calibrated Load having the same value as the reference impedance These loads are connected sequentially to the end of the test lead as instructed on the screen as described below gt reference impedance please refer to Setup ZO in the chapter 4 12 The place where these loads are connected during the calibration is called the Reference Plane Reference Plane The analyzer performs a series of measurements with these loads calculating error coefficients that are stored in a file that is automatically loaded each time the analyzer is run These error coefficients are used to correct the measured values 5 lt 11 69 The calibration operation is selected from menus Setup Calibration OSL Calibration Freq 13 80H p 5 00H 12 85M 8 54 49 9 Freq Span Preset Left Y Right Y File 1 Mode 27 TL Len Rev 1 1 7 October 29 2014 Calibration TL 0 0m Frequency Calibration Detector Calibration 68 20 50 s
18. use Navigator B to highlight Computer Control submenu mode option Finally press the Select m button to enter into Computer Control mode The analyzer establishes the USB link when it is connected to the personal computer but only accepts commands from the client in Computer Control mode Rev 1 1 7 October 29 2014 51 Melchor Varela EA4FRB 2011 2014 cc EE SteppIR SARK ne User s Manual Fille View Calibration Marker Settings Tools Continuous Frequency Control cant span Presets Cursor Enabled Right Y M1 17 338 758 MHz 2 13 024 731 MHz Zs 7 4 848 4 2 15 7555 4 0 8 0 Rho 0 1 0 8 Deor 199107 16 280 403 29 1 reda m 298 ivan 13 702 996 1190 0 U A VSWR 25 1 14 071 197MHz 1 5 Rin enters 11 300 000 8 9 P Cursor 14 400 640 MHz Disconnected File C Users mvarela Documents SARK sark_000 csw ZO 50 0 The command interface specification is open for anyone wishing to develop client software Source code examples of the communication interface are available for different operating systems This information is available at the following link http www sark110 com commands interface Rev 1 1 7 October 29 2014 52 Melchor Varela EA4FRB 2011 2014 cc StepplR SsARK ne User s Manual 13 Transmission Line Add Subtract The StepplR SARK
19. 0 0 129420 Len meters oe anaes 2 008761 o o Freq 7 10M p 6 00H TL 33 9m 20 50 SWR 100 00 7 22 3 1706 7 4 707 25 88 0 Eh 0 9945 8 1 96 8 1 2k 0 00 537 Freq lm Span Preset 1 Markerl Harker Rev 1 1 7 October 29 2014 55 Melchor Varela EA4FRB 2011 2014 cc StepplR SsARK ne User s Manual 14 Specifications Synthesizer Direct Digital Synthesis with 1Hz resolution Sine wave output e Frequency range from 0 1 to 230Mhz Measured Complex impedance series and parallel and reflection coefficient in Parameters rectangular and polar form VSWR return loss reflection power percentage quality factor equivalent capacitance equivalent inductance Operating Modes Scalar Chart Smith Chart Single Frequency Cable Test Field Multi band Signal Generator Computer Control Features Common Presets for amateur radio bands Jon adus Adjustable reference impedance e Save to disk and recall functions e Three available fixed scale options and automatic scaling e Presets for popular coaxial cables Add subtract transmission line e Black or white color schemes Adjustable plot trace widths Scalar Chart Mode Graphical plot of two user selected parameters in a rectangular chart e wo markers with manual or automatic positioning e Display detailed parameters for center frequency or any of the two marker positions Smi
20. 110 provides the capability of subtracting a length of transmission line transpose to load or adding a length of transmission line transpose to input Use the subtraction feature to discount the effect of the feed line so the measurements will be as if the analyzer were connected at the antenna feed point Use the addition feature for simulating the effect of a feed line The transmission line type has to be known in advance The StepplR SARK 110 provides a comprehensive list of cable types and in addition the user can specify up to three custom cable types The selection of the cable is available in the menu Setup Cable Type see the screenshot below Freq 12 80M 5 5 00 TL 0 0m 20 50 sark_OO0 cs GQ 5 109 3 31 21 109 956 1 0 38 lt 7 0 1 2 1 6 16 28 2 Cable Andrew Heliax LOF5 508A Andrew Heliax LOF6 50 Belden 8215 RO 6A U Belden 7915A Belden 9116 RO 6 CATY Belden 237 RO U Belden 9251 RO U Belden 9913 80 870 Belden 9913F7 BG6 8 U Automatic Power Off Belden 9914 80 870 Belden 9258 0 85 Circle Belden 8213 RGO 117U Color Theme Belden 238 RG 11 U Plot Thickness Belden 261 EG 1in ub Filter Belden 9212 RGO 117U Sampling Belden 219 RO 58A U Reset Factory Defaults About The transmission line length has to be entered into the TL Len menu option within the Main menu Use negative quantities for Su
21. 9 26 Freq Preset 1 VSWR bar 10 Detailed measurements 2 Series impedance complex form 11 Detailed measurements extended 3 Circuit equivalent series 12 Frequency setting Series resistance and equivalent 13 Transmission Line length setting inductance or capacitance values Parallel impedance complex form 14 Reference impedance setting Parallel circuit equivalent 15 Calibration status Parallel resistance and equivalent 16 Run Hold status inductance or capacitance values 8 Highlighted menu option 17 USB Battery status a RENE The Single Frequency mode provides impedance measurements at a single frequency All the measured fundamental parameters at the selected frequency are shown in the display In addition a Rev 1 1 7 October 29 2014 36 Melchor Varela EA4FRB 2011 2014 cc StepplR SsARK ne User s Manual VSWR graph is available for a quick visualization of this parameter As well as the two element equivalent circuit models both series and parallel circuits are displayed as schematics Use Navigator A to highlight Mode in the main menu Press the Select m button to activate the Mode popup submenu and use Navigator B to highlight Single Frequency submenu mode option Finally press the Select m button to enter into Single Frequency mode The analyzer performs the measurements continuously unless it is paused by pressing the Run Hold button The measurements can be r
22. F Color Theme DLE Plot Thickness Mode ut Filter EN Sampling Rev 1 1 7 October 29 2014 30 Melchor Varela EA4FRB 2011 2014 StepplR SARK ne User s Manual Setup About The about screen displays copyright information firmware release number disk size and free space Rev 1 1 7 October 29 2014 91 Melchor Varela EA4FRB 2011 2014 StepplR SARK ne User s Manual 5 Scalar Chart Mode 10 11 12 13 14 Freq 13 80M 9 5 00 TL 0 0m 20 50 sark_ 9 SWR 2 22 2 109 3 j11 7 2 109 9 lt 6 1 0 38 lt 7 0 s Spit 14 07M 1 49 53 6 12 87M 8 30 50 8 Freq T 140151 oO lt Preset Markerl 7 Marker Left Y Right Y 10 Frequency and span settings 11 Transmission Line length setting 12 Reference impedance setting 13 Loaded data file name 14 Disk write operation in progress 15 Calibration status 17 USB Battery status pw II The Scalar Chart mode provides functionality for impedance measurements of antennas transmission lines and RF circuits The analyzer performs reflection measurements within a user specified frequency range defined by the frequency and the span The two user selectable fundamental parameters are displayed as a Cartesian diagram Up to two markers can be selected Rev 1 1 7 October 29 2014 32 Melchor Varela EA4FRB 2011 2014 cc StepplR SsARK n
23. L 40 0 Log RL 60 0 Log CL 0 20 Log CL 0 30 Log Rho 0 1 0 Linear Rho 0 1 0 Linear Rho 190 190 Linear Rho 190 190 Linear Rp 0 100 Rp 0 100 Q 0 20 Linear Q 0 50 Linear Cs 10000 10000 Linear Cs 100000 100000 Linear Ls 100 100 Linear Ls 1000 1000 Linear Cp 10000 10000 Linear Cp 100000 100000 Linear Lp 100 100 Linear Lp 1000 1000 Linear Low Min Max Scale Rs 0 250 Linear Xs 125 125 Linear Rp 0 250 Linear Xp 125 125 Linear 25 0 250 Linear Zs 100 100 Linear VSWR 1 00 10 00 Log RL 20 0 Log CL 0 10 Log Rho 0 1 0 Linear Rho 190 190 Linear Rp 0 100 Q 0 20 Linear Cs 1000 1000 Linear Ls 10 10 Linear Cp 1000 1000 Linear Lp 10 10 Linear Rev 1 1 7 October 29 2014 76 Melchor Varela EA4FRB 2011 2014 StepplR SARK ne User s Manual Default scale presets can be modified by the user by supplying special text files stored on the analyzer s disk The file names for each of the scales have to be the following Scale Normal scal def txt e Scale High gt hig txt Scale Low gt low txt Scale Auto gt scal aut txt The files must contain an entry for each parameter with the following syntax min max log 11 11 Note that logarithmic scales do not accept negative ranges Example file name scal def txt 10 1000 Y Rs 500 500 N Xs 10 1000 Y Rp 500 500 N 10 1000 Y 25 100 100 N
24. The load impedance magnitude is the voltage amplitude divided by the current amplitude The phase angle of the impedance is the difference in the phase angles of the voltage and current Knowing these two parameters we can calculate the equivalent resistance and reactance of the load impedance The rest of the parameters such as VSWR reflection coefficient etc are derived from the measured impedance value Rev 1 1 7 October 29 2014 63 Melchor Varela EA4FRB 2011 2014 cc EE SteppIR SARK ne User s Manual E xxx eee Rev 1 1 7 October 29 2014 64 Melchor Varela EA4FRB 2011 2014 cc StepplR SsARK ne User s Manual Appendix B Fundamental Parameters Abbreviation Parameter Description Hs Series resistance Resistive value of a series impedance Xs Series reactance Reactance value of a series impedance Rp Parallel resistance Resistive value of a parallel impedance Xp Parallel reactance value of a parallel impedance IZs Magnitude of a Represents the absolute magnitude of the ratio of the series Impedance voltage difference amplitude to the current amplitude IZ E JR x Zs Impedance Angle is a measure of the phase angle of the ratio of the amplitude of the voltage to the amplitude of the current expressed in degrees VSWR Voltage Standing is a measure of how efficiently radio frequency power is Wave Ratio transmitted from a power source through a transmiss
25. U Setup The signal generator outputs continuously unless it is paused by pressing Run Hold button In the Hold state the level graph and power level indicators change to red Signal generation can be resumed at any time by pressing the same button again Continuous Freq 10 100 000 dBm Preset 80 67 53 40 27 14 0 Sweep Rev 1 1 7 October 29 2014 47 O Melchor Varela EA4FRB 2011 2014 cc SteppIR SARK NnO User s Manual In frequency sweep mode the signal frequency will sweep across a range of provided frequencies To change the sweep parameters use Navigator A to highlight Sweep in the main menu and press the Select m button to validate the different sweep parameters The following parameters should be supplied Sweep o None o Frequency Repeat o Continuous o Single o Count Continuous frequency mode Sweep frequency mode Continuous signal generation Signal generator stops after a single sweep Signal generator stops when number of sweeps reach count Count Function o Linear o Log o o Bi Log Start Frequency o Start Stop Frequency o Stop Number of points o Points Delay uS o Delay uS Rev 1 1 7 October 29 2014 Linear frequency increase or decrease Logarithmic frequency increase or decrease Start Stop Stop Start sweep Linear Start Stop Stop Start sweep Log Hertz Hertz N
26. ark 000 GQ 109 307411 7 21 109 956 1 Rh 0 3847 0 10 7 28 9 Automatic Power Off Cable Circle Color Theme Plot Thickness Filter Sampling Reset Factory Defaults About Melchor Varela EA4FRB 2011 2014 StepplR lt User s Manual The calibration procedure is as follows Connect the open load Press the appropriate button to continue or 1 Connect open lnad to exit Exit i Bh 1 004 0 2 The calibration progress will be shown in the display bar Open Standard Progress 21 Connect the short circuit load Press the appropriate button to continue or 2 Connect short load to exit Exit i Rh 0 754179 The calibration progress will be shown in the display bar Short Standard Progressi th Rev 1 1 7 October 29 2014 69 O Melchor Varela EA4FRB 2011 2014 cc EEE SteppIR SARK ne User s Manual Connect the reference load Press the appropriate button to continue or to exit The calibration progress will be shown in the display bar Press the appropriate button to apply the new calibration settings or to cancel them Rev 1 1 7 October 29 2014 70 Melchor Varela EA4FRB 2011 2014 StepplR SAR ne User s Manual Appendix E Frequency Calibration This setup permits the frequency synthesizer to be calibrat
27. art mode the Stepp R SARK 110 can display two traces from any of the available parameters for the vertical axis Use Navigator A to highlight either LeftY or RightY in the main menu There are two methods of changing the selected vertical axis parameter i Press the Select m button to activate the LeftY or RightY popup submenu Use Navigator B to highlight the desired submenu parameter option Press the Select m button to validate the selection Press any other button to cancel the operation The screenshot below show the available parameters for the vertical axis Freq 12 80M p 3 00M TL 0 0m 20 50 sark_OO0 cs 109 3 11 7 21 109 956 1 Rh 0 384 7 0 12 540 10 0 13 92H 1 77 83 2 Freq Span Preset Markeri Harker Bight Y ii Use Navigator B when either the LeftY or RightY option is highlighted Options are selected sequentially Rev 1 1 7 October 29 2014 16 Melchor Varela EA4FRB 2011 2014 cc StepplR SsARK ne User s Manual 4 9 Saving and Recalling Measurements The StepplR SARK 110 has the capability to store measurements to the internal disk and recall them either to review the data later in the analyzer screen or to download the data from the USB disk to a PC for further analysis using SARK Plots or the ZPLOTS Excel application available from http www ac6la com zplots html Use Navigator A to highlight File
28. ass internal disk o HID Class Computer Control mode 2 MB internal disk FAT compatible USB Mass Storage Screenshot save and recall feature 57 Melchor Varela EA4FRB 2011 2014 cc Calibration Measurement Architecture Processor RF Output Power Environment Dimensions Weight Package Content Rev 1 1 7 October 29 2014 SteppIR SARK NnO User s Manual Measurement data save and recall feature Possibility of files with user definable frequency presets scale settings and three custom cable types Measurement data files compatible with SARK Plots and ZPLOTS programs Automated Open Short Load calibration 256 calibration points Calibration settings stored on disk Frequency calibration Single conversion super heterodyne Two independent measurement channels for simultaneous voltage and current measurement for precise phase measurement Two synchronized 12 bit analog to digital converters 72 MHz STM32 MCU 256KB Flash 48KB SRAM Connector MCX socket Output power 10 dBm 0 1mW 70 7mV rms into a 50 ohm load 3 V 1000mAh Internal Lithium Polymer battery USB for operation and charging Automatic Power Off functionality disabled 5 10 or 30minutes Autonomy 2 5 hours Charge time 3 5 hours Operating temperature 0 to 50 98 60 14 5 mm 120g StepplR SARK 110 x 1 Battery x 1 58 O Melchor Varela EA4FRB 2011 2014 cc
29. btract operations transpose to load and positive quantities for Add operations transpose to input The pop up edit dialog is activated by pressing the Select m button when the TL Len option is active see the screenshot below The value is set by using Navigator B to adjust the digit at each of the current length multiplier positions shown in reverse video The length multiplier position can be changed using Navigator A The length is validated by pressing the Select m button The setting is cancelled by pressing any other button Note that the length value can be set to zero by pressing the Save Screen e button Rev 1 1 7 October 29 2014 53 Melchor Varela EA4FRB 2011 2014 StepplR SAR ne User s Manual Cote 16 056 5 31 90 TL 0 0m 20 50 3 aS V3WR 3 89 14 9 119 0 2 24 1551 9 0 294132 3 9 99 11 6 0 08 19 55H 128 a d 4 Center T Span Preset Markeri Markar2 Belden 8240 RG S8A U 51 500000 0 660000 20 ys UF i KO 0 118904 Len meters Ki 0 321239 0 004695 0 The second method for changing transmission length is simply using Navigator B when the TL Len menu option is active The length value will change according the current length multiplier The length multiplier can be changed from the pop up transmission line length edit dialog Since the precise cable length is not normally known in advance there is a procedur
30. change the span frequency multiplier position if needed Press the Select m button to validate the span selection Press any other button to cancel the operation The screenshot below is of the span edit dialog showing the span frequency multiplier positioned over digit 7 frequency increments of 1 MHz Rev 1 1 7 October 29 2014 12 Melchor Varela EA4FRB 2011 2014 StepplR SARK ne User s Manual Freq 13 300 p 5 00H TL 0 0m 20 50 4 07 36 0 74 3 4 82 0 lt 64 0 7 9 9 3 57 14 2 12 ciH 5 12 49 6 Span O08 000 OOO ii Use Navigator A to highlight Span in the main menu on the left side of the display Then use Navigator B to change the span The span will change according to the current span frequency multiplier The span frequency multiplier can be changed from the popup dialog see i above 4 6 Frequency Presets The analyzer provides predetermined frequency and span settings including the amateur radio bands and other suitable settings Use Navigator A to highlight Preset in the main menu Press the Select m button to activate the Preset popup submenu Use Navigator B to highlight the desired preset Press the Select m button to validate the preset selection Press any other button to cancel the operation See in the screenshot below the available presets Freq 12 80M 5 5 00 TL 0 0m 20 50 4 07 136 0 74 3 4
31. de option Finally press the Select m button to enter into Signal Generator mode The screenshot below shows the signal generator screen in continuous frequency operation mode The screen includes the programmed frequency in Hertz and the output power level expressed both in dBm and volts Continuous Frequency can be changed as usual see chapter 4 4 For changing the output level use Navigator A to highlight Level in the main menu Use Navigator B to select the desired level or press the Select m button to activate the level selection pop up dialog There are eight selectable output levels ranging from 73 dBm to 10 dBm The Maximum output level setting produces the device s maximum output signal level that the hardware can support at the assigned frequency Note that when using this setting there is both a more noticeable amplitude roll off with frequency as well as higher distortion of the output signal Rev 1 1 7 October 29 2014 46 Melchor Varela EA4FRB 2011 2014 SteppIR SARK NnO User s Manual Continuous Freq 10 100 000 dBm Preset 80 67 53 40 27 13 0 Sweep 73 dBm Level 50 uU Signal Leuel 73 dBm 50 uY 63 dim 160 u 33 dBm 500 43 dim 1 6 mY 33 dim 5 mV 23 dim 16 mV 13 dBm 50 mY File Mode Setup Continuous Freq 10 100 000 dBm Preset 80 67 53 40 27 14 Sweep Power 10 dBm Level 1 m
32. e Operation is similar to the scalar chart mode with some limitations such as one trace is plotted and the markers feature is not available Rev 1 1 7 October 29 2014 43 Melchor Varela EA4FRB 2011 2014 StepplR SAR ne User s Manual 10 Multi band Mode 8 10 _ Freq 16 05M 5 31 90 TL 0 0m 20 50 7 V WR 3 88 2 14 6 317 8 2 23 0 lt 50 5 Rhi 0 59 lt 137 9 e Param File 2 amp b TL Len Setup Diagrams Frequency and span settings selected band 1 3 Selected band 10 Reference impedance setting 1 oar 5 2 Freq Span 5 Highlighted menu option 1 Run Hold status 6 Frequency and magnitude value for 13 USB Battery status each band Detailed measurements at centre frequency of selected band The Multiband mode is a unique feature of the StepplR SARK 110 to display the plot of an impedance parameter in four scalar charts simultaneously This feature is ideal for tuning multiband antennas Additionally it can be used to display different views of the same band as a kind of zoom feature Rev 1 1 7 October 29 2014 44 Melchor Varela EA4FRB 2011 2014 cc StepplR SsARK ne User s Manual Use Navigator A to highlight Mode in the main menu Press the Select m button to activate the Mode popup submenu and use Navigator B to highlight Multi band submenu mode option Finally press the Select
33. e User s Manual to provide precise information in the plotted areas Their positions can either be user selected or automatically tracked They are also useful for indicating characteristic points in the plot Use Navigator A to highlight Mode in the main menu Press the Select m button to activate the Mode popup submenu and use Navigator B to highlight Scalar Chart submenu mode option Finally press the Select m button to enter into Scalar Chart mode The analyzer performs the measurements and updates the plot continuously unless it is stopped by pressing the Run Hold gt button The results of the measurements kept in internal memory and plotted on the display to permit user analysis The measurements can be resumed at any time by pressing the Run Hold button again Measurement data can be stored at any time on the internal disk and restored later for review through different options in the File menu Rev 1 1 7 October 29 2014 33 Melchor Varela EA4FRB 2011 2014 StepplR SARK ne User s Manual 6 Smith Chart Mode 10 11 12 13 seas 16 17 _ Freq 13 80M 5 5 00 TL 0 0m 20 50 sark 000 csv 9 SWR 2 22 2 109 3 j11 7 121 109 9 lt 6 1 Rh 0 38 lt 7 0 NNT 14 07M 49 7 20 1 12 87M 12 1 49 4 f m Freq pan Preset Markeri Marker2 File TL Len Setup 10 Frequency and span settings 11 Transmission Line length setting 12 Reference imp
34. e a single file on the device disk When selecting the Delete File option a popup submenu will be displayed with the list of available files Use Navigator B to highlight the desired file Press the Select m button to validate the selection Press any other button to cancel the operation Freq 12 80M 5 5 00 TL 0 0m 20 50 4 99 7 13 8 74 2 4 8 2 4 64 3 Rh 0 67 lt 60 0 12 850 3 86 13 0 2 1 5 14 19 6 pan 1 Preset Markari Marker Lefty Right Y Delete File 00l bm p O02 cs sark_002 bmp sark 01 csv Load Data File Hode sark_003 bmp Load Bitmap File ark Q d bmp Browse Bilmapsz TL Len B sark 000 cal 000 Delete All Setup Delete Use the Delete All option to delete all user files When selecting the Delete All option a confirmation dialog box is activated to prevent an accidental deletion Rev 1 1 7 October 29 2014 19 Melchor Varela EA4FRB 2011 2014 StepplR SARK ne User s Manual Freq 13 300 p 5 00M TL 0 0m 20 50 FSWR 4 99 2 35 8 574 2 21 82 4564 3 RhI 0 67 60 0 12 850 3 86 13 0 2 1 5 14 19 6 Delete All Press m to confirm Load Data File Load Bitmap File Browse Bitmaps Delete File 4 10 Taking Screenshots Press the Save Screen e button to capture the current screen Then enter the file name By
35. e to get the cable length as follows As a precondition the cable must be unterminated at the far end Set the StepplR SARK 110 to Smith Chart mode and select Preset Full HF The Smith Chart will show a spiral from infinite impedance and going towards the centre When setting negative length values this spiral will be progressively unrolled and transposed to the infinite impedance point when the exact length will be set Then if a load is connected at the cable far end the presence of the transmission line will be discounted The screenshots below show an example of this in operation A line of 33 9m of RG 58C U coax cable is unterminated at the far end The first screenshot shows the measurement without applying the TL compensation and the last screenshot shows the measurement once the subtract feature has been applied Freq 16 05M 5p 31 90M TL 0 0m 20 50 3 2 14 8 1 2 23 1550 2 0 294138 0 9 99H 11 6 0 94 19 88 125 85 8 Freq span Marker Rev 1 1 7 October 29 2014 54 Melchor Varela EA4FRB 2011 2014 EE SteppIR SARK NnO User s Manual Freq 16 056 p 21 90M TL 0 0m 20 50 3 86 Z 14 7 j17 7 2 23 0 lt 0 0 9 lt 138 1 9 99 11 3 0 91 19 88H 125 1d Fre P cai 3 Den Span MN Preset Markeri Hark er z Belden 8262 RG 5S8C U 60 660006 6600606
36. ed to 1 Hz The calibration operation is available at Setup Calibration Frequency Calibration Freq 123 80M p 3 00M TL 0 0m 20 50 000 GQ 109 3 11 7 21 109 956 1 Rh 0 384 7 0 12 97H 7 78 55 6 14 63H 4 08 16 7 Freq Span Preset Marker Automatic Power Off TIS VEU Citt File Color Theme ni Plot Thickness Hade Calibration Filter Sampling TL Len Reset Factory Defaults Detector Calibration About To calibrate the synthesizer select Frequency Calibration from the Calibration submenu and adjust the frequency while measuring it with an accurate frequency counter or alternatively zero beat it against WWV Use Navigator B to change the frequency The frequency will change according to the current frequency multiplier that is highlighted in reverse video Use Navigator A to change the frequency multiplier position if needed When an exact 10 MHz output is obtained press the Select m button to permanently store the setting gt For best accuracy allow the unit to be turned on for at least 10 or 15 minutes Press the Save Screen e button if the default setting needs to be restored To Calibrate the Synthesizer beat to 10 MHz or connect a frequency counter Adjust the frequency Apply the calibration Rev 1 1 7 October 29 2014 71 Melchor Varela EA4FRB 2011 2014 cc EEE SteppIR SARK ne User s Manual Appendix F De
37. edance setting 13 Loaded data file name 14 Disk write operation in progress 15 Calibration status 17 USB Battery status Lini The Smith Chart mode is equivalent to the Scalar Chart mode but in this case the complex reflection measurements for the user specified frequency range are displayed in a Smith Chart diagram Rev 1 1 7 October 29 2014 94 Melchor Varela EA4FRB 2011 2014 cc StepplR SsARK ne User s Manual Use Navigator A to highlight Mode in the main menu Press the Select m button to activate the Mode popup submenu and use Navigator B to highlight Smith Chart submenu mode option Finally press the Select m button to enter into Smith Chart mode As in the Scalar Chart mode the measurements are performed continuously unless paused by pressing the Run Hold gt button The impedance measurement data and marker positions are preserved when changing to the Scalar Chart mode and vice versa For example markers be set at the zero reactance points of the plot where the plot crosses the X axis in the Smith Chart mode and see them in Cartesian format in the Scalar Chart mode Rev 1 1 7 October 29 2014 35 Melchor Varela EA4FRB 2011 2014 StepplR SARK ne User s Manual 7 Single Frequency Mode 12 13 44 as ae 17 Freq 10 10M TL 0 0m 20 50 6 10 SWR 4 36 2 11 7 56 7 2 13 5 lt 30 0 0 63 lt 163 8 11 Q 0 58 RL 4 06dB ZRPwr 3
38. enter 16 100 000 pan 13 00M 20 50 sark 002 wr 4 68 2 11 6 14 1 121 18 3 lt 50 7 IB hi 0 65 146 8 18 27M 3 67 174 3 Center Span Preset Markert Markere tere Mode 960 1 77 13 93 16 10 18 27 SS ARE MN Vector Impedance Antenna Analyzer User s Manual Hevision 1 1 7 This document is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution NonCommercial ShareAlike 3 0 Unported License Melchor Varela EA4FRB 2011 2014 cc saRK ne User s Manual TUM Updated to Firmware Version 0 8 x eee Rev 1 1 7 October 29 2014 2 Melchor Varela EA4FRB 2011 2014 StepplR SARK ne User s Manual Contents 1 INTRODUCTION eerte tnter tre a aaa aaa aaa aaa 2 MAIN FEATURES cca aaa a aaa aa aaa aaa aaa aaa ta 3 OVERVIEW OF FUNCTIONS cca aaa aa aa aaa aaa a aaa ca 4 OPERATING THE STEPPIR SARK 110 cccccccccccccescescscecsescecsevecccceccesseuseusessevsevseseseusausausenseuaes 4 1 ma 4 2 STATUS SYMBOLS MEANING x Ea e D Rc Ge EC st ai EE i eaaa 10 4 3 MEANS OF INPUT a aaa aaa aaa aaa aaa 10 4 4 CHANGING THE FREQUENCY cccccccccccecccccccccceuucueccuuecuucueucuuecuuuueuaueucuucueuaueccuueuuusueusunsuuneuens 11 45 CHANGING THE SPAN 0 3 aaa aaa aaa 12 46 FREQUENCY 5
39. epplR SARK ne User s Manual Setup Sampling This setup allows choice of the number of measurement samples from two options Normal fast or Double slow The Normal fast option is the default setting and the more convenient for most cases The Double slow option is intended for enhanced accuracy measurements because it reduces measurement ripple by doubling the number of samples taken but at the expense of a slower sweep speed This enhancement in the measurements is more noticeable when using automatic scales for measurement over a small range of values Freq 12 80M p 3 00M TL 0 0m 20 50 sark_OO0 cs GQ 10 11 7 21 109 956 1 Rh 0 384 7 0 12 85H 11 5 48 5 1 6 16 28 2 Freq i Span Preset Harker Automatic Power OFF Cable Type Circle Color Theme Plot Thickness Filter File Mode TL Len Sampling Reset Factory Defaults About Double slow Setup Reset to Factory Defaults The Reset Factory Defaults option permits resetting the analyzer to its default settings Freq 13 80 5 5 00 TL 0 0m 20 50 sark_OO0 cs C 109 3 j11 7 21 109 956 1 0 38 lt 7 0 12 85M 11 5 48 5 1 21 6 16 28 2 Reset Factory Press m to confirm Prezet Markerl Har k Automatic Power Off 1 Cable Circle
40. epplR SsARK ne User s Manual The analyzer makes swept reflection measurements over the entire frequency range and mathematically transforms the gathered data to Time Domain using an inverse Fourier transform As a result the step and impulse responses are plotted on the display providing information about the location and the nature of any fault The impulse response trace green trace gives an indication of the fault location The step response trace red trace provides an indication of the nature of the fault The vertical axis of the graph displays the reflection coefficient Rho lt 1 for short load 0 for matched impedance load ZLoad 20 or Rho 1 for open load The horizontal axis displays the distance in meters Use Navigator A to highlight Mode in the main menu Press the Select m button to activate the Mode popup submenu and use Navigator B to highlight Cable Test submenu mode option Finally press the Select m button to enter into Cable Test mode This measurement requires the user selection of the cable s characteristic impedance and velocity factor These settings are obtained from the selected cable in the Setup Cable Type menu option As in the other modes the measurements are performed continuously and controlled by the Run Hold button but in this case it takes some seconds for the results to show on the display due to the time it takes to make a full frequency sweep The distance
41. equency following a SIN X X function The StepplR SARK 110 software compensates Rev 1 1 7 October 29 2014 62 Melchor Varela EA4FRB 2011 2014 cc StepplR SsARK ne User s Manual for this amplitude rolloff effect by using the capability of the DDS to adjust the amplitude level of the output signal so the analyzer maintains a flat output amplitude The output of each of the DDS channels is differential and is amplified by a dual high speed current feedback amplifier working in differential input mode and with output in single ended mode Most DDS designs use a broadband balun transformer to convert to single end mode but because of the restricted height available in the StepplR SARK110 enclosure a silicon based solution was chosen The output of each amplifier is followed by elliptic low pass filters with a cut off frequency of 230 MHz These filters reduce the level of spurious high frequency components that appear in the output of the DDS These high frequency components consist of aliases at multiples of the internal clock frequency as well as other spurs For impedance measurement a resistive bridge is used because of its simplicity and good frequency response working down to DC In the bridge a voltage across one resistor is proportional to the voltage being applied to the circuit under test and the voltage across another resistor is proportional to the current flowing into the circuit connected to the analyzer s test
42. esumed at any time by pressing the same button again This mode offers optional VSWR audio feedback When activated by the menu option Audio the analyzer produces beeps of different duration as an indication of VSWR The audio is produced only for VSWR values between 1 0 and 10 0 and beep duration is shorter for lower values Freq 10 10H TL 0 0m 20 50 1 04 52 0 10 2 4 52 040 Rh 0 02 3 6 0 0 00 BL 34 12dB ZBPwr 04 Freq a Audio Enabled Rev 1 1 7 October 29 2014 37 Melchor Varela EA4FRB 2011 2014 StepplR SARK ne User s Manual 8 Cable Test Mode TDR 10 12 86717 73 4m Zoom E YF 0 66 20 50 sark 000 tdr md 9 Imp 0 0000 Step 0 7466 MI 3 4 0 0000 0 7466 146 8m 0 0000 0 7466 Zoom 9 Marker1 Marker2 5 9X 10 Length indication 12 Cable Velocity Factor Setting 13 Reference impedance setting 14 Loaded data file name 15 Disk write operation in progress 16 Calibration status 18 USB Battery status Cable Test or Time Domain Reflectometer TDR mode is intended to identify potential coaxial cable faults that could disrupt signal transmission Unlike native TDR test equipment the method of measurement the StepplR SARK 110 is based on the theory of Frequency Domain Reflectometry FDR Rev 1 1 7 October 29 2014 38 Melchor Varela EA4FRB 2011 2014 cc St
43. f the antenna impedance characteristics on a user selected sweep range This includes the graphical plot of two user selectable parameters in a scalar chart or the complex reflection coefficient in Smith chart form To help speed up measurements two markers are available both of which are user positionable or can operate in automatic tracking mode The Multiband mode is a unique feature of the StepplR SARK 110 whereby it is able to display simultaneously the plot of an impedance parameter in four scalar charts This feature is ideal for tuning multiband antennas Also included is a single frequency measurement mode which presents a complete impedance parameter analysis at a user selectable frequency and displays diagrams of equivalent circuits The analyzer uses an internal 2MB flash disk for the storage and recall of measured parameters screenshots analyzer configuration and firmware updates This disk is accessible via USB so the Rev 1 1 7 October 29 2014 5 Melchor Varela EA4FRB 2011 2014 cc StepplR SsARK ne User s Manual measured parameters can be downloaded to a PC for analysis using the ZPLOTS spreadsheet program or with Stepp R SARK Plots client software for Windows Please let us have your suggestions through the website http www sark110 com as we are highly motivated to extend this device s functionality based on community requests 2 Main Features Pocket size and lightweight e Solid alumin
44. from the start of the cable to any discontinuity may be found by moving one of the markers over the discontinuity of interest The distance of the fault from the start of the cable would then be shown in that marker s distance figure There is a basic zoom feature controllable from the Zoom menu option This allows zooming one of the four quarters of the graph or the complete span via the option Extends See in the screenshots below the operation of the zoom function in which the measurement of a coaxial cable line of 27 5 meters and Velocity Factor of 0 66 in open condition unterminated at the other end is shown below Rev 1 1 7 October 29 2014 39 Melchor Varela EA4FRB 2011 2014 StepplR SAR ne User s Manual 73 4 Zoom E Y F 0 66 20 50 sark_O00 tdr OQ Imp 0000 5 0 7466 T3 dm 0 0000 0 7466 146 8m 0 0000 0 7166 quarter fend quarter 3rd quarter 4th quarter Setup M1 18 4m foom lq YF 0 66 20 50 sark_OO00 tdr GQ Imp 0000 5 0 0000 18 4m 0 0000 0 0000 36 0 0000 0 7466 m eri Marker File Mode 1 Figures below illustrate the responses of known discontinuities Rev 1 1 7 October 29 2014 40 Melchor Varela EA4FRB 2011 2014 StepplR lt User s Manual Element Impulse Response Step Response Display Open Unity reflection Unity reflection V Short Unity reflectio
45. hen connected to USB The internal battery charger manages automatically the charge cycle and stops the process when battery is fully charged The complete charge cycle takes around 3 5 hours Slide the Power Switch button located on the right side to the ON position for turning on the unit An automatic power off feature can be set for power saving after a user specified period of inactivity Operation is controlled by four buttons and two navigation keys located on the top side of the unit A 3 TFT color LCD is used for display diagrams Rev 1 1 7 October 29 2014 Melchor Varela EA4FRB 2011 2014 StepplR SARK ne User s Manual 4 Operating Stepp R SARK 110 This chapter provides information about the StepplR SARK 110 s basic functionality and user interface 4 7 Screen Layout The following figure shows the screen layout in Scalar Chart mode It shows diagram areas that are the same for all operating modes of the StepplR SARK 110 Screen layouts that show specifics for each operating mode provided corresponding sections of this manual oR PE a Freq 13 80M p 5 00M TL 0 0m 20 50 sark 000 csv 12WSWR 2 22 2 109 3 j11 7 121 109 9 lt 6 1 Rh 0 38 lt 7 0 1 14 07 1 49 53 6 12 87M 8 30 50 8 MI 9 Freq 2 Span e Preset Marker1 Marker Left Y Right Y Load Data File Load Bitmap File Browse Bitmaps 11 Markers informati
46. ion line and into a load for example from a power amplifier through a transmission line and into an antenna RL Return Losses Return loss is the negative of the magnitude of the reflection coefficient in dB RL 20x log CL Cable Losses Measurement of insertion loss of a cable in dB The measurement should be performed by applying a short circuit in the cable end RL CL ABS p IRho Magnitude of a It is a measure of the absolute magnitude of the ratio of Reflection the amplitude of the reflected wave to the amplitude of the Coefficient Rho incident wave Rev 1 1 7 October 29 2014 65 Melchor Varela EA4FRB 2011 2014 cc EEE Abbreviation lt Rho Ref Pwr Cs Ls Cp Lp Parameter Reflection Coefficient Angle Percentage of Reflected Power Quality Factor Series Capacitance Series Inductance Parallel Capacitance Parallel Inductance Rev 1 1 7 October 29 2014 SteppIR SARK ne User s Manual Description is a measure of the phase angle of the ratio of the amplitude of the reflected wave to the amplitude of the incident wave Ph a 1400 RhoR 96 RPwr Rho x100 It is defined as the ratio of the energy stored in a component to the energy dissipated by the component Equivalent series capacitance at the measurement frequency Equivalent series inductance at the measurement frequency Equivalent parallel ca
47. may cause harmful interference to radio communications Operation of this equipment in other environments may cause interference with radio communications in which case the user 15 required to take whatever measures may be needed to correct this interference at their own expense Rev 1 1 7 October 29 2014 60 Melchor Varela EA4FRB 2011 2014 cc StepplR SARK ne User s Manual 17 Acknowledgments would like to offer a special thanks to the Seeed Studio team for making this product a reality e he analyzer schematics and layout have been developed using the DesignSpark PCB tool Product information is available at www designspark com pcb e The analyzer firmware has been developed using the Lite edition of the Atollic TrueSTUDIO for STM32 Product information is available at www atollic com e FAT File System was provided by the ChaN FatFs module e he STM32 firmware and USB library are provided by STMicroelectronics e Many thanks to Dan Maguire AC6LA for the great ZPLOTS MSExcel application http www ac6la com zplots html Rev 1 1 7 October 29 2014 61 Melchor Varela EA4FRB 2011 2014 cc StepplR SsARK ne User s Manual Appendix A Theory of Operation The block diagram below illustrates the main functional blocks of the StepplR SARK 110 Antenna Analyzer po AER ESL Pl Mixers Amplifiers BPFs PWM N 10 8
48. n 180 Unity reflection 180 AN o o LZ AO Resistance R gt Zo Positive peak Positive level shift M0 OUT UN Resistance R lt Zo Negative peak Negative level shift eee Inductance Positive then negative peaks Positive peak Capacitance V Negative then positive peaks Negative peak Rev 1 1 7 October 29 2014 41 Melchor Varela EA4FRB 2011 2014 StepplR SARK ne User s Manual 9 Field Mode Freq 13 80M 9 5 00 TL 0 0m 20 50 sark_ 000 csv MU 14 1 49 Frea 925 0 Span FER 14 6 8 55 Param 3 00 Ede 1 71 Mode TL Len 1 00 211 13 80M 16 30M Field Mode is equivalent to the Scalar Chart mode but with a more visible presentation aimed at operation in the field especially if combined with the White color theme Frequency and magnitude of maximum and minimum points in the trace are shown at the top of the graph This will be helpful for instance in the identification of the frequency and magnitude of the minimum VSWR point Rev 1 1 7 October 29 2014 42 Melchor Varela EA4FRB 2011 2014 cc StepplR saRK ne User s Manual SE SS ne Use Navigator A to highlight Mode in the main menu Press the Select m button to activate the Mode popup submenu and use Navigator B to highlight Field submenu mode option Finally press the Select m button to enter into Field mod
49. on 12 Detailed measurements 13 Frequency and span settings 14 Transmission Line length setting 15 Reference impedance setting 16 Loaded data file name 17 Disk write operation in progress 18 Calibration status Rev 1 1 7 October 29 2014 8 Melchor Varela EA4FRB 2011 2014 cc EE SteppIR SARK ne User s Manual E 9 Highlighted submenu option 19 Run Hold status 0 10 Currently selected submenu option 2 USB Battery status Rev 1 1 7 October 29 2014 9 Melchor Varela EA4FRB 2011 2014 cc StepplR SsARK ne User s Manual 4 2 Status Symbols Meaning Calibrated Calibration status Non calibrated Measurements in progress Run Hold status Measurements on hold Device operating from USB USB Battery status Charge status of the battery when the device is operating from the battery Disk Disk write operation in progress 4 3 Means of Input There are four buttons and two navigation keys on the Stepp R SARK 110 Select Save Conf Navigator A Run Hold Save Screen Navigator B SARK nNo Navigator A Navigator A is used to navigate within the main menu left side of the screen The active option is highlighted with a green background color Navigator B Navigator B is used for changing the value of the highlighted option the main menu for Freq Span Marker1 Marker2 LeftY and RightY and to navigate within the popup submenus Run Hold gt
50. on value must be specified for the Cross detection modes For example you could set Marker 1 to track automatically the minimum VSWR values in the trace Marker1 Tracking Peak Min VSWR and Marker 2 to track the crossovers on 50 ohm impedance value Marker2 Tracking Cross Any Z 50 0 You could also program the unit to detect the bandwidth by setting Marker1 Tracking Cross Down VSWR 2 0 and Marker2 Tracking Cross Up VSWR 2 0 Navigator B will be used to move to the different detection points except for the Max and Min tracking modes where logically there is only a single detection point The tracking mode for each marker is shown in the markers information window This information is displayed in red if either the data is not available or if the tracking condition cannot be resolved otherwise it is displayed in green The screenshot below shows Marker1 tracking the minimum value of VSWR and Marker 2 tracking all Z crossing at 50 ohms Rev 1 1 7 October 29 2014 15 Melchor Varela EA4FRB 2011 2014 StepplR SARK ne User s Manual Mi 15 74M p 5 00M TL 0 0m 20 50 ON ex V5WR 3 5 amp 2 14 0 12 1121 14 2 lt 8 3 Rh 0 564 174 9 5 72M 3 58 14 2 EXIT 5 15 49 6 IHR Span 1 Preset Left Right Y File Mode EN TL Len setup 4 8 Changing the Vertical Axis Parameter In Scalar Ch
51. ows selection of the cable parameters from a set of predetermined values for most popular coaxial cables In addition the user can specify three custom cable settings see Appendix Freq 13 300 5 5 00 TL 0 0m 20 50 sark_OO0 cs GQ 109 3 31 21 109 956 1 Rh 0 384 7 0 12 850 11 5 48 5 12 ciH 6 16 28 2 ios Freq Cable Type Span Andrew Heliax LDF5 50A Andrew Helias LDF5 50 Preset Belden 2715 08080 60 Belden 7915A RG 6 HDTV Marker Belden 9116 RG 6 CATY Belden 2237 RG U Belden 9251 BG U Belden 9913 0 0 70 Belden 9913 7 RG 8 U Belden 9914 0 0 70 Belden 9258 RG 8 Belden 213 RG 11 U Belden 238 RG 11 U Belden 261 RG 11A U Belden 9212 RG 11 U Belden 219 80 58870 Marker Automatic Power Uff Circle Color Theme Plot Thickness Filter Sampling Reset Factory Defaults About Setup VSWR Circle This setup allows changing the value of the constant impedance circle in the Smith Chart The circle diameter is defined by the VSWR value Rev 1 1 7 October 29 2014 24 Melchor Varela EA4FRB 2011 2014 StepplR SARK ne User s Manual Freq 13 300 p 5 00H TL 0 0m 20 50 sark 00 csv GQ gt 109 307j11 7 21 109 956 1 Rhl 0 38 7 0 12 85 11 5 48 5 2 21 6 16 28 2 EN E m Freq Span Preset
52. pacitance at the measurement frequency Equivalent parallel inductance at the measurement frequency 66 O Melchor Varela EA4FRB 2011 2014 StepplR SARK ne User s Manual Appendix C Upgrading the firmware The StepplR SARK 110 s firmware may be upgraded via USB as described in the following steps This procedure assumes you have downloaded the appropriate update file from http www sark110 com files firmware gt Note Two versions of the zipped upgrade file are always available This is explained on the download page The downloaded file should be unzipped to produce an update file in the format SARK110 VAA APP x y z dfu Where x y z is the incremental version number 1 Connect the Stepp R SARK 110 to the PC with a USB cable 2 Copy the firmware file e g SARK110 VAA APP x y z dfu to the SARK s USB disk 3 Power off the Stepp R SARK 110 and power it on again while simultaneously holding down the Run Hold button 4 The Device Firmware Upgrade screen prompts you to install the firmware file 5 f several firmware files are on the USB disc use Navigator B to select the file to load 6 The firmware upgrade will commence after pressing the Select m button 7 Once complete press the Save Conf A button which will reset the analyzer and run the upgraded firmware Rev 1 1 7 October 29 2014 67 Melchor Varela EA4FRB 2011 2014 Appendix D The StepplR SARK 110 provides a calibration procedure
53. st of available files Use Navigator B to highlight the desired file Press the Select m button to validate the selection Press any other button to cancel the operation Once the file is selected the data is loaded and plotted Freq 13 20M 5 5 00 TL 0 0m 20 50 4 99 7 33 8 74 2 4 8 2 4 564 3 Rh 0 67 lt 60 0 12 850 3 86 13 0 2 1 5 14 19 6 Freq Spa Preset 1 Markeri Left Y Harker Right Y Load Data File Load Bitmap File Browse Bitmaps Delete File Delete All Mode nl csv O00 cs TL Len tup Load Bitmap File Use the Load Bitmap File option to display a captured screenshot Press the Select m button to finalize the operation Rev 1 1 7 October 29 2014 18 Melchor Varela EA4FRB 2011 2014 StepplR SARK ne User s Manual Freq 13 300 p 5 00H TL 0 0m 20 50 4 99 7 352 8 74 2 21 82 4564 3 IRh 0 6 7560 0 12 850 3 86 13 0 12 ciH 5 14 19 6 Freq Load Bitmap File Load Data File sark 001 bm p Browse 00 Delete File sark 003 bm p Delete All Browse Bitmaps Select the option Browse Bitmaps from the File menu to review the captured screenshots Use Navigator B to select the different bitmaps Press the Select m button to finalize the operation Delete File Use the Delete file option to delet
54. tector Calibration This procedure performs alignment of the Stepp R SARK 110 s internal measurement circuits This operation is done once at the factory and it is not necessary for the user to repeat it but the procedure is detailed for completeness The following test loads are required 0 50 100 and 200 ohm These loads need to be precise and stable and should be properly implemented in order to have the least possible stray impedance Before performing this operation it is strongly recommended that the file containing the factory results detcalib dat is backed up to enable a restore if needed The calibration operation is available at Setup Calibration Detector Calibration Freq 13 300 p 3 00M TL 0 0m 20 50 sark_OO0 cs GQ 109 3 j11 7 21 109 956 1 Rh 0 384 7 0 12 97H 7 78 55 6 14 63H 4 08 16 7 Freq Span 1 ete t ark eri Har ker 2 Left T Automatic Power OFF Cable 239 VSWR Circle File 1 Lolor Theme Plot Thickness Calibration Filter Sampling TL Len Frequency Calibration Reset Factory Defaults About The calibration procedure is as follows Connect the short load Press the appropriate button to continue or to exit Rev 1 1 7 October 29 2014 72 Melchor Varela EA4FRB 2011 2014 StepplR SARK ne User s Manual The calibration progress will be shown in the display bar DETECTOR CALIBRATION DDS Level Adj
55. th Chart Mode Plots complex reflection coefficient in Smith Chart form e wo markers with manual or automatic positioning e Display detailed parameters for center frequency or either of the two marker positions Single Frequency Mode Display all parameters for a single frequency Graphical representation of series and parallel impedance equivalent VSWR Audio feedback Rev 1 1 7 October 29 2014 56 Melchor Varela EA4FRB 2011 2014 cc Cable Mode e Field Mode e Multi band Mode e Signal Generator e Mode Markers e Interface PC Interface e Storage e Rev 1 1 7 October 29 2014 SteppIR SARK NnO User s Manual Maximum length about 250 m Displays step and impulse responses Graphical plot of one user selected parameter in a scalar chart with enhanced legibility Display max and min values Display rectangular charts for four bands simultaneously Precise RF signal generator with 1 Hz resolution Programmable output level from 73 dBm to 10 dBm Continuous and frequency sweep modes Linear logarithmic bi linear and bi logarithmic sweep modes Tracking modes o Peak Min o Peak Max o Absolute Min o Absolute Max Value Cross o Value Cross Up Value Cross Down Full color TFT LCD 400 x 240 4 dedicated buttons 2 navigation keys MCX antenna socket USB Mini B receptacle USB 2 0 Full Speed USB Composite Device o Mass Storage Cl
56. the Select m button to validate the frequency selection Press any other button to cancel the operation The screenshot below is of the frequency edit dialog showing the highlighted frequency multiplier positioned over digit 5 frequency increments of 10 KHz Rev 1 1 7 October 29 2014 11 Melchor Varela EA4FRB 2011 2014 cc StepplR SsARK ne User s Manual Freq 13 300 4p 5 00H TL 0 0m 20 50 4 07 36 0 74 3 21 82 6 564 2 IRh 0 67559 9 3 5 14 2 5 12 49 6 Preset Marker rk Lefty 3 Frequency 013 8 ZO 000 ii Use Navigator A to highlight Freq in the main menu on the left side of the display Then use Navigator B to change the frequency The frequency will change according to the current frequency multiplier The frequency multiplier can be changed from the popup dialog see i above Note the span range will be adjusted automatically if the resultant upper or lower frequency entry causes it to fall outside operational limits 4 5 Changing the Span There are two methods of editing the Span i Use Navigator A to highlight Span in the main menu on the left side of the display Press the Select m button to display the popup dialog associated with Span Then use Navigator B to change the span The span will change according to the current span frequency multiplier that is highlighted in reverse video Use Navigator A to
57. the analyzer features a TDR Time Domain Reflectometer mode which is intended for fault location and length determination in coaxial cables as well as a programmable RF signal generator The StepplR SARK 110 is intended for standalone operation but also operates connected to a personal computer in combination with the Stepp R SARK Plots client software for Windows further enhancing the capabilities of the instrument Typical applications include checking and tuning antennas impedance matching component testing cable fault location measuring coaxial cable losses and cutting coaxial cables to precise electrical lengths As a signal generator it is ideal for receiver calibration sensitivity tests and signal tracing The StepplR SARK 110 features a Direct Digital Synthesis DDS generator with a range of 0 1 to 230 MHz and a frequency resolution of 1 Hz The instrument has full vector measurement capability and accurately resolves the resistive capacitive and inductive components of a load The measurement reference plane is automatically adjusted the Open Short Load calibration standard for higher measurement accuracy Also the analyzer implements a transmission line addition or subtraction feature in order to make antenna measurements while discounting the effect of the feed line The user interface based on a color display has been designed to be intuitive and easy to use The graphical impedance displays provide a quick view o
58. tor B to highlight the desired submenu mode option Press the Select m button to validate the selection Press any other button to cancel the operation 4 12 Changing the Settings Use Navigator A to highlight Setup in the main menu Press the Select m button to activate the Setup popup submenu see the screenshot below Freq 13 300 5 5 00 TL 0 0m 20 50 sark_OO0 cs OQ 109 3 j11 7 21 109 956 1 Rh 0 384 7 0 12 850 8 54 49 9 12 ciH 10 7 28 9 E Preset Marker Marker Left Y Automatic Power Off Right Circle Color Theme Plot Thickness Filter Sampling Reset Factory Defaults About File Mode TL Len Use Navigator B to highlight the desired submenu setup option Press the Select m button to validate the selection Press any other button to cancel the operation Setup Calibration The calibration features are accessible through the Calibration submenu Rev 1 1 7 October 29 2014 21 Melchor Varela EA4FRB 2011 2014 StepplR SARK ne User s Manual Freq 13 300 p 5 00H TL 0 0m 20 50 sark_O00 csv QO gt 109 307j11 7 21 109 956 1 Rhl 0 38 7 0 12 850 8 54 49 9 12 ciH 10 7 28 9 Freq Span Automatic Power Off Cable Circle Color Theme Plot Thickness Calibration Filter Sampling Frequency Calibration Reset Factory Defaults Detector Calibration Abo
59. ul span default multiplier for setting the span o 1 freq default marker 1 frequency specified in MHz o marker2 freq default marker 2 frequency specified in MHz Example 500 KHz Uu Ls Das 3 4 0 2 Dao LOOM 71 20 MHz lea a dy doo A asul S46 MBz lay Oui Oy Du Say 3a 60M 5 3 MHz DO Tady Dy Oy Da Sii 40M 7 1 MHz Oud Jal Ov Oy Pel 7 2 30M 101 MHz Cady Lobe Dr Or iUs HE REID L35 Maz 11 20 15 59 Oy Oy 120 1404 ZUM i422 MHz 2 4 105 2 Oy 14 0 14 4 17M 10 71 MHz losl Uel 525 540 22 22 LOM 2le2 MHz 4 2 Dy Or 120 42 12M 24 9 MHz Z4 n 5 Oy 5245 204 LIM 4750 MHz 20 290 Of Oy 20 2 0 10M 29 2040 32 0 Gy Ty 727021 Ahel 6M 51 MHz 45 07 354 by 7 2050 3220 AM 7021 MHZ Coe sly By Oy 7021 7024 2M 145 MHz 142 0 148 0 6 7 144 0 146 0 FuLL HF GeL 240 9 1120 20 0 Full Span Dad 250805 Uu Ju Jost 12 222 Rev 1 1 7 October 29 2014 15 Melchor Varela EA4FRB 2011 2014 SteppIR SARK NnO User s Manual Appendix H Scale Presets Following tables show the default scale presets Normal Min Max Scale High Min Max Scale Rs 10 1000 Log Rs 10 5000 Log Xs 500 500 5 2500 2500 10 1000 Log Rp 10 5000 Log Xp 500 500 2500 2500 Zs 10 1000 Log Zs 10 5000 Log Zs 100 100 Linear lt 75 100 100 VSWR 1 00 25 00 Log VSWR 1 00 100 00 Log R
60. um case e Intuitive and easy to use Operating modes Scalar Chart Smith Chart Single Frequency Cable Test Field Mode Multi band Signal Generator and Computer Control Good accuracy over a broad range of impedances e Resolves the sign of the impedance Manual and automatic positioning tracking markers e Internal 2MB USB disk for the storage of measurements screenshots configuration and firmware upgrade e Exports data in ZPLOTS compatible format for further analysis on a PC SARK Plots client software for Windows e Lifetime free firmware upgrades e Open to community requested features Open source Software Development Kit SDK including a device simulator for development of user applications Rev 1 1 7 October 29 2014 6 Melchor Varela EA4FRB 2011 2014 cc StepplR SsARK ne User s Manual 3 Overview of Functions Select Save Conf Navigator A Run Hold Screen Navigator B Test Port Mini USB Port Power Switch SARK nO 3 TFT LCD The unit has a Test Port located on the left side to connect to the device under test This receptacle accepts straight MCX plug connector types The product pack includes a MCX plug to BNC female cable adapter The USB port located on the right side allows connecting the unit to a personal computer for communication and internal battery charging using a compatible mini USB cable not included The unit charges the internal battery w
61. umber of steps between start and stop frequency Step time Micro seconds 48 Melchor Varela EA4FRB 2011 2014 Sweep Frequency MM M Freq Preset 1 Start SteppIR SARK ne Function Linear Log 150 500 000 Rev 1 1 7 October 29 2014 49 User s Manual Dye O Melchor Varela EA4FRB 2011 2014 cc StepplR SsARK ne User s Manual All the sweep parameters are shown on the screen as seen in the screenshot below Sweep Frequency Freq 1 Preset Sweep Another useful output power level value for receiver testing is 107dBm which is 1uV into 50 ohms equates to 51 on an S meter This power level is not available in the StepplR SARK 110 but a 34dB attenuator could be made to give 107dBm with a pi network of two 52 ohm resistors as shunt in and out and a 1 2 52 ohm series resistor Rev 1 1 7 October 29 2014 50 Melchor Varela EA4FRB 2011 2014 cc StepplR SsARK ne User s Manual 12 Computer Control Mode StepplR SARK 110 can be operated from a personal computer using SARK Plots client software for Windows further enhancing the capabilities of the instrument There is no need to install a dedicated driver since the communication is implemented using the standard USB HID interface Use Navigator A to highlight Mode in the main menu Press the Select m button to activate the Mode popup submenu and
62. ust E Connect the 50 ohm load DETECTOR CALIBRATION Press the appropriate button to continue or 2 Connect 50 load to exit Connect the 100 ohm load DETECTOR CALIBRATION Press the appropriate button to continue or 3 Connect 1990 0100 load to exit Connect the 200 ohm load DETECTOR CALIBRATION Press the appropriate button to continue or 4 Connect 200 ohm load to exit Rev 1 1 7 October 29 2014 73 O Melchor Varela EA4FRB 2011 2014 StepplR lt User s Manual The calibration is completed The calibration coefficients are shown at the bottom of the screen for information Press the appropiate button to apply the new calibration settings or to cancel them Rev 1 1 7 October 29 2014 74 Melchor Varela EA4FRB 2011 2014 SteppIR SARK NnO User s Manual Appendix G Frequency Presets File Default frequency presets can be modified by the user by supplying a special text file stored on the analyzer s disk The file name must be presets txt and the format for each band entry in the file is as follows legend start freq stop freq def mul freq def mul span marker1 freq marker2 freq Where o legend string to be displayed in the preset menu max length 20 o Start freq start frequency specified in MHz o Stop freq stop frequency specified in MHz o def mul freq default multiplier for setting the frequency o def m
63. ut Setup Calibration OSL Calibration oee Appendix D Setup Calibration Frequency Calibration oee Appendix E Setup Detector Calibration oee Appendix F Setup Scale The StepplR SARK 110 provides three pre defined scale values Normal High and Low as well as automatic scaling This setting defines the maximum and minimum values for each parameter on the Y axis see Appendix H This setup is valid for the Scalar Chart Field and Multi band modes Freq 13 300 5 5 00 TL 0 0m 20 50 000 GQ 109 307411 7 21 109 956 1 Rh 0 384 7 0 12 850 8 54 49 9 10 7 28 9 Freq Preset 1 Marker rk er 2 Automatic Power Off Right Y Lable Circle Color Theme Plot Thickness Filter Sampling Reset Factory Defaults About TL Len Rev 1 1 7 October 29 2014 22 Melchor Varela EA4FRB 2011 2014 StepplR SARK ne User s Manual Setup Z0 This setting allows the reference characteristic impedance to be changed The value can be selected from a set of predetermined values or it can be user specified selecting the Custom option Freq 12 80M 5 5 00 TL 0 0m 20 50 sark_OO0 cs GQ 109 3 11 7 21 109 956 1 Rh 0 384 7 0 12 850 8 54 49 9 12 ciH 10 7 8 9 Freq Preset 1 Harkert Harker Left Y Right Y File

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