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.
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.
72 Results
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
The new IP connection security analysis solution for the R&S®CMW500 platform identifies IoT and mobile communications devices’ IP connection vulnerabilities in an early stage of development.
04-Apr-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
5G networks will need to offer more capacity and flexibility while lowering the operational expenses of the system. Two new technologies can simultaneously address both the increase in capacity and the increase in energy efficiency: Virtualization & Massive MIMO. This white paper provides an overview of test solutions addressing current and future requirements for antenna verification including both conducted and over-the-air (OTA) test methods, which result from applying Massive MIMO antenna technology.This white papers complements the white paper (1MA276) from Rohde & Schwarz, which introduces fundamental theory behind beamforming antennas and provides calculation methods for radiation patterns, a number of simulation results as well as some real world measurement results for small linear arrays.
11-Nov-2016 | AN-No. 1MA286
The Doherty Amplifier continues to be rolled out in an increasing number of TxFE (Transmit Frontend) applications, as the quasi-linear amplifier architecture of choice.The advent of 5G, with its inevitable microwave or millimeter wave air interface, increase the design challenges associated with its construction; not least of all because of the potential for increased dispersion in the constituent amplifiers and combiners.This application note describes a measurement-based development methodology by which the Doherty Amplifier may be enhanced, increasing performance and/or performance bandwidth. This methodology is supported with a working example.The methodology may also be extended to balanced, spatially combined and anti-phase (so called "pushpull" or "differential") amplifiers, the latter often itself nested in Doherty configurations.The R&S®Quickstep sequencing software may be downloaded from:
26-Sep-2016 | AN-No. 1MA279
Millimeter-wave bands are of increasing interest for the satellite industry and potential 5G bands.Antennas for 5G applications make use of these high frequencies to incorporate a large count of radiating elements. These antenna arrays are essential for beamforming operations that play an important part in such next generation networks.This white paper introduces some of the fundamental theory behind beamforming antennas. In addition to these basic concepts, calculation methods for radiation patterns and a number of real world measurement results for linear arrays are shown.
15-Sep-2016 | AN-No. 1MA276
Designing and implementing an active phased array antenna requires precise characterization of individual components and the integrated performance of the array. To ensure an accurate test of the intended adaptive nature of the active phased array antenna, the embedded algorithms need to be tested as well.This application note aims to explain test procedures and give recommendations towards characterization of the relevant parameters for active phased array antennas and their passive subsystem, as often used in applications for Mobile Communication and RADAR. This application note describes transmit signal quality testing, multi-element amplitude and phase measurement techniques both in receive and transmit cases and introduces a new automated test methodology antenna radiation pattern measurement over frequency. This paper also describes the test system used for transmit and receive module (TRM) characterization in active array antennas.
04-Jul-2016 | AN-No. 1MA248
Enhanced Mobile Broadband, Massive Machine Type Communication, Ultra-reliable and low latency communication have been identified as the requirements to be supported by the 5thGeneration of Mobile Communication, short 5G. 5G is extensively discussed in the wireless industry. A lot of research and pre-development is being conducted worldwide, including an analysis of the waveforms and access principles that are the basis for current LTE and LTE-Advanced networks.In this application note we discuss potential 5G waveform candidates, list their advantages and disadvantages and compare them to Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing (OFDM), which is used in LTE/LTE-Advanced.
10-Jun-2016 | AN-No. 1MA271
Widespread adoption of higher order modulation schemes, larger signal bandwidths and higher operating frequencies, to enable higher data throughput in communication links like 5G, places increasingly tough demands on the frontend. Signal fidelity is often enhanced with linearization.The greater number of RF chains and signal bandwidth in 5G Frontends mean that DPD (Digital Pre-Distortion) may no longer be the default linearization choice; 5G Frontends will be completely different from their 4G predecessors.The key metrics of Efficiency, Linearity, Bandwidth and Output Power remain, as does the question of how to optimally create the signal with just enough fidelity and power, with a minimum of wasted power. The solution set to that question, however, has never been greater.Amongst other topics, this White Paper, (i) proposes a classification of Linearization schemes, (ii) introduces the hard limiter, (iii) illustrates linearization of an exemplary mmWave PA using non-DPD techniques, and (iv) introduces a class of linearized transmitters that create their signal and linearity from efficiently generated components.
25-Feb-2016 | AN-No. 1MA269
Generation of wideband digital modulated signals in V-band and above is a challenging task and typically requires a set of multiple instruments. This application note aims at simplifying the task and looks into the analysis part as well. Latest signal and spectrum analyzers like the R&S®FSW67 and R&S®FSW85 are first to allow use in V-band up to 67 GHz and E-band up to 85 GHz respectively without external frequency conversion. Up to 8.3 GHz of modulation bandwidth can be covered using the R&S®FSW-B8001 option. Millimeter wave use of analyzers ranging from 26 GHz up is shown. Application note 1MA217 describes V-band signal generation and analysis up to 500 MHz modulation bandwidth. This application note expands modulation bandwidth up to 2 GHz and covers both V- and E-band examples.
18-Jun-2015 | AN-No. 1MA257
Verification of the spectrum allocation and in depth analysis of the transmitted signals is very important in many domains. For example, the IEEE 802.11ad standard makes use of approximately 2 GHz bandwidth in the 60 GHz frequency domain. Researchers and developers of Automotive radar discuss the 79 GHz frequency band with an available bandwidth of up to 4 GHz. Finally the upcoming 5G technology for cellular networks discusses the use of up to 2GHz signals in the cm and mm-wave frequency bands.This technical evolution already indicates the need of signal measurement and analysis in the mm-wave domain with high bandwidth.Therefore, this application note presents a method to measure and analyze signals with an instantaneous bandwidth of up to 2 GHz using new tools on the R&S®FSW Signal and Spectrum Analyzer platform in collaboration with an R&S®RTO Digital Oscilloscope.
16-Jun-2015 | AN-No. 1EF92
This application note describes how to generate and analyze wideband digitally modulated signals in the mm-wave range.Rohde & Schwarz measuring equipment and some 3rd party off-the-shelf accessories are used for both signal generation and analysis. Measurement results are shown which demonstrate the typical performance for millimeter wave signals in terms of error vector magnitude (EVM) and adjacent channel power (ACLR).Two test setups and their measurement results on a commercial V-band transceiver module are presented.
02-Sep-2014 | AN-No. 1MA217