TABLE OF CONTENTS Spectrum and network analyzer specifications are the instrument manufacturer's way of communicating to the user the level of performance which the user can expect from a particular instrument. Understanding and interpreting instrument specifications enables the instrument user to predict how the instrument will perform in a specific measurement situation. More specifically, the user can determine the overall accuracy of a measurement.
The form and style of the specifications are usually related somewhat to the block diagram and measurement techniques internal to the instrument. These specifications will often appear to be more complex than necessary. Oversimplifying an instrument data sheet may force the manufacturer to understate the performance level of an instrument in order to cover all possible cases in a single specification. For instance, if the high-impedance input of an instrument exhibits poorer amplitude accuracy than the 50 ? input, it makes sense to specify accuracy for the two inputs separately, rather than compromising the overall accuracy specification.
The signal source on a network analyzer or a tracking generator on a spectrum analyzer may have a certain amount of error in its frequency and its amplitude. The manufacturer's specifications delineate these imperfections. In cases where the frequency of the source and receiver are both derived from a common reference oscillator, the source frequency specifications may also apply to the receiver.
Ideally, the source output produces only one frequency-the desired, fundamental frequency. In practice, a source also produces other frequencies, both harmonic and nonharmonic frequencies. A...
