Scalar Network Analysis for Low Frequency with TG124A

Greetings,

I would like to use the BB60C & TG124A for scalar network analysis at frequencies in the AM radio range. On first try it appears that the minimum frequency resolution for this configuration is 1 kHz which prevents accurate measurement of -3 dB point and other frequency related parameters.

Is there a setting available to get frequency resolution below 1 kHz in this measurement? A screenshot of the best result I have obtained so far is attached.

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[Justin Crooks]

Devjack,
We are looking into this. It does look like we clamp to 1 kHz in this mode, which I can see does not make sense for your measurement, especially since the TG itself has 10 Hz resolution.
Two potential workarounds while we investigate:
1) You can use linear interpolation to get a good estimate of the 3 dB points
2) You can exit scalar analysis mode, and just do a sweep with max hold. Then step the TG in finer steps using the TG control.
I apologize for the inconvenience.

• This reply was modified 6 days, 2 hours ago by Justin Crooks.

Thanks Justin,

I figured this was within the capabilities of the TG124A generator. Just wanted to make sure I was not missing anything.

Can Spike sweep the generator through a pre-defined frequency range, or would that be something best done through the Python interface?

Best,

Garth

[Justin Crooks]

Garth,
Yes, if you wanted to do this programatically, you could use the sa_api and tg_api. Do 2 sweeps, one with your reference through, and one with your DUT. For each point within the sweep, tune the TG then do a small (100 kHz span or smaller) sweep around the signal and find the max value. Subtract the 2 sweeps for your insertion loss. We created a support ticket for this issue, but I don’t know where it is in the queue, so a “DIY” TG sweep might be a good solution in the short run.

• This reply was modified 4 days, 4 hours ago by Justin Crooks.

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