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Learn how to configure Rohde & Schwarz products to fit your application. Search our database by product, technology, or application to find relevant technical documents.
Search Application Notes & Cards
Learn how to configure Rohde & Schwarz products to fit your application. Search our database by product, technology, or application to find relevant technical documents.
735 Results
Phase distortions in a transmission channel are determined using group delay measurements, they must be as low as possible to maintain good signal quality. Vector network analyzers are normally used to characterize the group delay variations as a measure of phase distortion.This application note provides basic information about the concept of a group delay measurement with spectrum analyzers and signal generators, and how this method simplifies the test setup and improves the measurement speed.Measurement examples show the limiting factors of this approach and help the user to understand and avoid some limitations of this method. In addition the test results are compared to those generated with vector network analyzers.
09-Aug-2017 | AN-No. 1EF98
Energy efficiency of RF Frontends (RFFE), especially transmitters, continues to gain greater prominence.Meeting the efficiency challenge is increasingly difficult at higher operating frequencies and bandwidths, such as those proposed for 5G.There is a group of transmitter RFFE architectures whose signal output is constructed from two, or more, efficiently generated components. This signal construction in effect, means that such architectures use predictive, post-correction linearization. Their predictive nature enables distortion to be completely eliminated.The capabilities of multi-channel signal synthesis setups with R&S®SMW200A, in combination with the R&S®FSW analyzer enable measurement, hence development, of these types of transmitters.The document focusses on devices for the 3.5 GHz NR (5G New Radio) candidate band, but its findings are equally applicable to developments and measurements for, for example, K-band satellite applications or mmW NR candidate bands, where efficiency is an even more crucial design target.
01-Aug-2017 | AN-No. 1MA289
The R&S®Pulse Sequencer software together with any Rohde & Schwarz vector signal generator offers an easy and convenient way to generate pulses. For the first time, one package helps you define all the test cases you need in the lab for your entire product development cycle. Test cases extend from simple pulse scenarios for initial component testing to complex 3D radar emitters for acceptance testing of complete systems.
27-Jul-2017
This application note provides a brief introduction into the capabilities of the Rohde & Schwarz Vector Signal Generators (VSG) to create user defined digitally modulated signals called Custom Digital Modulation (CDM). Additionally an in depth description of the functions and the operation of the CDM-Toolbox is provided. The CDM-Toolbox is application software which allows an easy remote configuration of CDM signals on Rohde & Schwarz VSGs but also the creation of data list and control list files which are most useful to further extend the application area of CDM signals.
24-Jul-2017 | AN-No. 1GP96
Spurious emission search with spectrum analyzers is one of the most demanding measurements in the design, verification and production of RF and microwave devices. RF designers, especially in the aerospace & defense industry need to detect very low level spurs. Very narrow resolution bandwidths are required to measure with a low noise floor, hence increasing measurement time. Even working with very fast spectrum analyzers, a spur search may take several hours or even days.In this paper we will review the basics of spurious measurements and how the parameters used can affect the detection performance. A new technique as used in the R&S®FSW-K50 spurious measurement application which makes spurious search faster and easier to configure.
14-Jul-2017 | AN-No. 1EF97
Starting from June 2017, almost all radio transmitters and receivers sold or put into operation in the European Union have to be tested for immunity against interferers in adjacent frequency bands. ETSI standard EN 303 340 defines the tests to be performed on digital television receivers and requirements to be passed.This application note describes the test procedures and provides save-recall files and interferer signals for the Broadcast Test Center R&S®BTC.
11-Jul-2017 | AN-No. 1GP116
The Internet of Things (IoT) is considered the driving force of current and future wireless communications. In release 13, 3GPP has specified Narrowband-IoT (NB-IoT) as a new physical layer. This application note gives a short introduction to NB-IoT and shows the easy measurements with Rohde & Schwarz instruments.
30-Jun-2017 | AN-No. 1MA296
More and more everyday items such as household appliances, vehicles, lights, etc. are now connected to the Internet, forming what is known as the "Internet of Things". Even clothing with sewn-in sensors to measure vital functions can now connect to the Internet and transmit data to cloud services. These different things use a variety of wireless technology standards to establish a connection. Due to its popularity, one of the most important standards is Bluetooth (or Bluetooth Low Energy). Before a new product with Bluetooth functionality can be launched, the qualification process defined by the Bluetooth SIG must be successfully completed. To save time and money, performance tests need to be performed in the development stage. This application note describes how to use the R&S CMW platform to perform the measurements defined in Bluetooth test specification version 5. As an alternative solution, we also cover how to perform almost all of the measurements with a spectrum analyzer and signal generator.The Bluetooth® word mark and logos are registered trademarks owned by Bluetooth SIG, Inc. and any use of such marks by Rohde & Schwarz is under license.
19-Jun-2017 | AN-No. 1MA282
This application note outlines two different approaches for remote-controlling Rohde & Schwarz instruments out of MathWorks MATLAB:The first one uses VISA connection and direct SCPI commands.The second approach takes advantage of Rohde & Schwarz VXI plug&play instrument drivers and MATLAB Instrument Control Toolbox.
12-Jun-2017 | AN-No. 1MA171
To simulate radar scenarios with frequency and level agility with high pulse density and long playtime, engineers can take advantage of the real-time sequencing capability of the R&S®SMW200A vector signal generator.
06-Jun-2017
The amendment 802.11ad to the WLAN standard defines the MAC and PHY layers for very high throughput (VHT) in the 60 GHz range. This application note provides a brief examination of key 802.11ad parameters, describes the required measurements and test setups and contains several important recommendations for over-the-air (OTA) measurements.
17-May-2017 | AN-No. 1MA260
What used to be the car radio has evolved from adding a cassette player to state of the art entertainment on the move. All this while keeping driver & passengers connected. The design challenge is to bring all the communication and broadcast standards into a small form factor that fits in the dashboard of the car. The RF modules need to support multiple standards in a single assembly and multiple modules are placed next to each other. The frequencies defined by the RF standards are in very close proximity and hence need to co-exist with each other. Moreover, the antennas inside the car are subjected to cross-coupling effects with mobile devices of passengers. To ensure the RF performance of the infotainment system, all of these scenarios need to be thoroughly tested.This application note highlights some of the RF measurement challenges and introduces Rohde & Schwarz equipment required for relevant RF characterization of car infotainment devices.
08-May-2017 | AN-No. 1MA275
This Application Note describes the basic operating principles of distance measurement equipment (DME) and tactical air navigation (TACAN) for distance and bearing measurements in aviation along with diverse test possibilities for maintenance of DME/TACAN ground stations.Some tests are performed on the ground (on the RF port of the DME or TACAN station or in the field via antenna) while others require flight inspection.The R&S®EDS300 DME/pulse analyzer is the specialist for flight inspection and simultaneous measurement of up to 10 different DME’s and can also be used for monitoring tasks on ground (e.g. far field monitoring of all DME’s of an airport).The R&S®EDST300 TACAN/DME analyzer focusses on commissioning and regular maintenance checking of TACAN and DME ground stations and battery operated field measurements in the immediate environment of the station.
28-Mar-2017 | AN-No. 1EF91
The R&S®RTB2000 digital oscilloscope lets you share your scope’s display with any computer/projector via LAN or Internet. The oscilloscope comes with an RJ-45 Ethernet jack and a built-in web server (as standard). The screen is displayed via a direct connection to a PC, via LAN or over the Internet.
21-Mar-2017
With the R&S®RTB2000/RTM3000/RTA4000 oscilloscopes, you control and interact remotely via LAN. These oscilloscopes incorporate the USB-based connectivity standard media transfer protocol (MTP).
20-Mar-2017
Rapid and accurate verification of beamforming weights is required for example, for codebook generation or beamforming algorithm development or verification. This document describes the unique application of Rohde & Schwarz VNA (Vector Network Analyzers) to fully characterize the passive part of multi-element antennas intended for beamforming.A range of R&S VNA models are optionally equipped with multiple independent sources, whose relative amplitude and phase may be arbitrarily controlled ("defined coherence mode"), in addition to frequency and true time delay. These sources may be connected to individual elements of a multi-element antenna to derive and verify transmit (Tx) mode beamsteering and beamforming operation.The R&S®ZVA in "Defined Coherence Mode" can electronically be switched to / from the conventional S-parameter mode. Therefore, Sparameter and beamforming measurements may be performed efficiently within a single connection cycle of the antenna.Multiple VNA may be daisy-chained, to extend the concept shown to support an arbitrary number of ports.The R&S®Quickstep sequencing software may be downloaded from:https://www.rohde-schwarz.com/software/quickstep/
20-Mar-2017 | AN-No. 1MA278
The R&S®TSStream multi-TS streaming software streams a number of MPEG transport stream files simultaneously over a single IP interface. The individual transport streams result in a high overall bit rate. To make the streams available on a standard PC, the R&S®TSStream software does not play the transport stream files directly from the hard disk but first loads them into the RAM. The maximum number and length of the transport streams depends solely on the PC's available RAM.
16-Mar-2017 | AN-No. 1GP113
Distortions caused by components in the RFFE (radio frequency front end) limit the performance and throughput of communications systems. Types of distortions include:▪ AM-AM and AM-PM (complex variations of gain with amplitude)▪ Non-linear frequency response (memory effect)All RFFE components exhibit all of these distortions, only the proportions vary. In this Application Note, illustrative measurements of individual RFFE components, as well as a complete RFFE, will be made. This is followed by the documentation of a more complete analysis, including comparison against theoretical limits, of a linearized commercial SatCom BUC product.
27-Feb-2017 | AN-No. 1MA299
IoT devices have tight requirements for power consumption in order to achieve expected battery life times of multiple years without a connection to a power supply. In order to verify the power consumption and expected battery life time, voltage and current have to be measured accurately for different operating states of the device under test.This application note explains battery life tests using RT-ZVC in combination with CMWrun and CMW500, including example applications.The solution by Rohde & Schwarz enables precise voltage, current and consequently, power measurements.The RT-ZVC Multi-Channel Power Probe can be driven as part of a test plan combining signaling and power measurements for a detailed view of the power consumption in different signaling states as well as an estimation of overall lifetime given a certain battery capacity.
17-Feb-2017 | AN-No. 1MA281
The compact R&S®CMA180 Radio Test Set allows straighforward tests on devices that use analog or digital modulation and demodulation formats. This application note focusses on the use of the digital radio capabilities for measurements on radio transceiving devices in terms of their functionality and parameter characterization. Also shown is how to use the instrument with the various software tools available from Rohde & Schwarz for creating and evaluating digitally modulated signals. Various software examples are provided as free download along this paper. This application note addresses readers who develop, produce or optimize digital radio transmitting and receiving devices or maintain analog radio communication equipment alongside those with digital modulation.
10-Feb-2017 | AN-No. 1MA277
Reliable small cell planning is essential for important deployments like hospitals, manufacturing facilities, simply VIP (CxO) office floors or meeting rooms (the list of examples is endless). Often planning tools do not provide this high reliability and required accuracy.This application note is a simple step-by-step guide that introduces a practical method to perform reliable small cell planning.
09-Feb-2017 | AN-No. 1MA297
This Application Note gives 10 useful Tips & Tricks for the users of Rohde & Schwarz attribute-based instrument drivers. It is recommended for the first-time LabVIEW users as well as for the experienced programmers.
30-Jan-2017 | AN-No. 1MA228
The need for higher data rates and flexibility for IP and Cable TV (CATV) has led to the introduction of DOCSIS®3.1. With channel bandwidths up to 192 MHz and 96 MHz on the downstream and upstream respectively as well as the cable network frequency extension up to 1.2 GHz (1.8 GHz as a future extension) the technical requirements of cable components have increased significantly. This application note describes a test scenario tor testing cable components with an R&S®CLGD Cable Load Generator for DOCSIS 3.1 or R&S®SFD DOCSIS 3.1 Generator and an R&S®FSW Signal & Spectrum Analyzer.
24-Jan-2017 | AN-No. 1MA285
The need to properly represent the ever changing complexities of the RF environment across communications, surveillance, electronic support measures (ESM) and signal intelligence system (SIGINT) with the advances of signal complexity and bandwidth, requires an enormous test and measurement effort.Extensive field tests are often applied to verify the performance and capabilities under preferably natural but controlled conditions. This is both costly and requires a great deal of time.RF signal environment generation using Test & Measurement equipment brings field tests into the laboratory, where a controlled, cost-effective and reproducible environment exists. The R&S®Pulse Sequencer software is a versatile tool to generate arbitrary and realistic RF signal scenarios ensuringsystem readiness for the real operational world.This application note introduces the R&S®Pulse Sequencer software, explains several examples that are applicable for research, development, before operational and during life-time test in detail, and guides you through the necessary steps, to generate a self-defined, arbitrary real life RF signal environment.
17-Jan-2017 | AN-No. 1MA288
This document describes the adaptive frequency hopping mechanism for improved signaling performance in Bluetooth Basic Rate and Enhanced Data Rate devices.The R&S CMW provides this feature for remote operation in TX, Loopback and Connection test mode. Thereby the R&S CMW acts as a master, while the Equipment under Test (EUT) represents the slave(s) of the piconet.
14-Dec-2016 | AN-No. 1C108
This document describes the direct test mode mechanisms for testing Bluetooth Low Energy devices and explains how the direct test mode connection is established. The R&S CMW uses a USB port for the direct test mode connection while the Equipment under Test (EUT) may provide a USB port, a serial port or even a 2-wire UART interface for this purpose. Installing or assigning the right driver for the EUT is the main configuration task on the R&S CMW. For EUTs with USB port, the R&S CMW provides a Bluetooth Low Energy USB driver which has to be assigned to the connected EUT.
14-Dec-2016 | AN-No. 1C105
After a communications satellite is on its target orbit, several routines need to be performed in order to ensure proper performance from the transponders in the payload. The on-orbit measurements are a vital part of the maintenance of a live satellite as well. Operating a satellite channel for an on-orbit measurement rather than the intended application comes with significant opportunity cost and hence test duration needs to be minimized as much as possible. Rohde & Schwarz test and measurement equipment recommended in this paper is market leading not only in terms of measurement accuracy but also offers unparalleled speed of measurement. This application note focuses on satellite post-launch or on-orbit measurement and monitoring strategies used for satellite functionality checks when running maintenance routines. A complementary paper treats pre-launch payload measurements.
25-Nov-2016 | AN-No. 1MA263
This document answers frequently asked questions regarding Rohde & Schwarz Broadband Amplifiers. It describes remote operation and monitoring of the R&S® Broadband Amplifier series through a standard web browser.
04-Nov-2016 | AN-No. 7TA1
RF pulse measurements, to characterize the signal in the frequency domain, are traditionally carried out on an RF spectrum analyzer. For time related pulse parameters, oscilloscopes are widely used. However, the measurement capabilities of state of the art test and measurement equipment has evolved over time and crosses domains. With a combination of R&S®RTO digital oscilloscope and dedicated pulse analysis software R&S®VSE-K6, pulse signals can be analyzed in both domains, frequency and time.The R&S®RTO digital oscilloscopes are unique in that they allow output of I/Q data for processing. This application note focusses on signal measurement using this instrument.Analysis of an L-/S-band ATC RADAR utilizing the R&S®RTO2044 oscilloscope running Vector Signal Explorer Software R&S®VSE and Pulse Analysis personality R&S®VSE-K6 is followed by measurements on an X-band RADAR utilizing R&S®FSW, R&S®FPS, R&S®FSV or FSVA signal & spectrum analyzers with the same dedicated R&S®VSE-K6 software.
18-Oct-2016 | AN-No. 1MA249
The R&S®SGT100A SGMA vector RF source offers a remote emulation feature that makes it possible to control the instrument by commands other than the built-in native SCPI commands. This feature allows the user to replace signal generators, e.g. from other manufacturers, with the R&S®SGT100A without having to change the remote control code. This application note describes how to use the remote emulation feature in general. Furthermore, it describes in detail the remote emulation for each supported instrument, limitations of the individual emulations and the remaining differences between the emulated and the original commands.
11-Oct-2016 | AN-No. 1GP109