Question
How can I measure noise power in a transmission channel, e.g. 1 MHz
bandwidth at 1 GHz RF frequency?
How to Measure Noise Power in a Transmission Channel
Answer
There are two solutions for measuring noise power in a transmission channel.
One solution is the Noise Marker function at the RF with bandwidth correction.
The bandwidth correction factor must be calculated as follows:
Correction factor = 10x log (bandwidth / 1 Hz)
But: If the noise in the channel is not flat, the result is not correct!!
A better solution is the Channel Power function. Please proceed as follows:
Set the analyzer center frequency to the DUT’s RF and SPAN > transmission
channel bandwidth.
Go to the MEAS menu where you will find the softkey for channel power measurement
(CHAN PWR ACP) and open the configuration menu (CP/ACP CONFIG).
Set Channel Bandwidth and press Adjust Settings to get optimum settings for resolution
bandwidth, video bandwidth und detector.
The result is displayed on the analyzer. To normalize the noise power to 1Hz (= noise
power density), press also the CHAN PWR / HZ softkey.
