ABSTRACT
Microwave and radio frequency (RF) measurements can be classified in two distinct but often overlapping categories: signal measurements and network measurements. Signal measurements include observation and determination of the characteristics of waves and waveforms. Network measurement determines the terminal and signal transfer characteristics of devices and systems with any number of ports. General RF and microwave network analyzers measure scattering parameters. The number of measurements that must be made on a signal over a specified period of time is a function of the stability and modulation placed on the signal. Modulation domain measurements yield the instantaneous frequency of a signal as a function of time. With the measurement frequency accurately known and the phase and amplitude response measured and corrected, the Fourier transform of the frequency domain yields the time domain response. The vector network analyser is a multichannel phase-coherent receiver with a tracking signal source.
