How to Improve Local Oscillator Purity for Radar and Electronic Warfare

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Pro XG7 Analog Signal Generator
+ Pro XG7 Analog Signal Generator
Pro XG7 Analog Signal Generator
+ Pro XG7 Analog Signal Generator

Control Local Oscillator Contributions

Radar and electronic warfare (EW) receiver characterization can use an external signal generator in place of the system's local oscillator (LO) to provide a controlled RF reference. Configure the substituted LO at the required frequency and level, route it to the mixer or frequency-conversion stage, and measure the resulting receiver or intermediate-frequency response. The source must provide the spectral characteristics required for the offsets, bandwidth, and signal levels being evaluated.

Phase noise, broadband noise, spurious signals, and harmonics from the substituted source can propagate through the conversion chain and appear in the resulting measurement. Compare source performance at the frequency offsets relevant to the radar or EW response, account for RF path loss when setting the LO level, and monitor low-level responses relative to the resulting noise and spurious content. Multi-path systems can also require independent RF sources for separate receiver, converter, or signal paths.

Low-Noise Local Oscillator Substitution Solution

Local oscillator substitution requires a signal source with low phase noise, broadband noise, spurious content, and harmonics to minimize its contribution to the measurement. The Keysight SG6311A Pro XG7 analog signal generator covers 9 kHz to 20 GHz, with typical phase noise of -135 dBc/Hz at 10 GHz and 10 kHz offset and a typical broadband noise floor of -166 dBc/Hz at 10 GHz and 30 MHz offset. Low source noise helps preserve visibility into radar and electronic warfare responses. For multi-path measurements, two fully independent RF channels can provide separately controlled signals in a compact 2U chassis.
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See Block Diagram of Low-Noise Local Oscillator Substitution Solution

How to Improve Local Oscillator Purity for Radar and Electronic Warfare

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