Achieve Accurate Measurements When Using a Spectrum Analyzer
White Papers
Introduction
The increasing number of wireless services continues to demand space in the available spectrum, resulting in a need for strict signal requirements and expansion into higher frequencies. Effective validation of these newly introduced wireless signals requires spectrum analyzers with extended frequency and highly accurate measurement capabilities. This white paper provides measurement techniques that enable spectrum analyzer tuning to achieve accurate signal measurements for high frequencies.
Internal Harmonic Mixing
You can begin by using harmonic mixing to achieve an extended frequency range for spectrum analyzers. For typical measurements, the Figure 1 analyzer block diagram demonstrates the most common design. You need to remove the low-pass filter that initially prevented high-frequency signals from reaching the mixer in order to achieve much higher frequencies. You must also adjust the tuning range to be above 3.6 GHz by moving the internal frequency to below 3.6 GHz