Understanding and Testing RF Multi-Channel Systems - Part 1
White Papers
Most wireless systems, whether in commercial applications or aerospace and defense, use multiple antennas techniques at the receiver, transmitter, or a combination of both to improve for overall system performance. These techniques include antenna diversity, MIMO (multi-input, multi-output) spatial multiplexing, beamforming, or phased-array radar. Engineers use multi-antenna techniques to achieve diversity, multiplexing, or antenna gains. Wireless systems can increase a receiver’s data throughput and signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) through these gains.
However, as the number of antennas grows, test complexity also increases. As a result, generating and analyzing multiple RF channels for receiver and transmitter testing is necessary. Generating and analyzing multiple synchronized RF signals are potentially challenging. This white paper discusses test signal requirements for evaluating multichannel RF systems and how to configure instruments for accurate synchronization.