Rigol on RF Basics

Here’s a white paper on basic RF measurements from Rigol, a manufacturer of oscilloscopes, spectrum analyzers, and signal generators. It does a decent job of explaining topics like the difference between time-domain measurements (that you’d make with an oscilloscope) and frequency-domain measurement (that you’d make with a spectrum analyzer).

In addition to explaining how scopes and spectrum analzyers work, there are chapters on component tests, transmitter tests, and receiver tests. The third chapter, for example, explains how to use a spectrum analzyer (a Rigol, of course) to measure the bandwidth of filters, connector and cable insertion loss, and antenna VSWR.

An idealized view of a filter’s frequency response.

What you might actually see on a spectrum analyzer when measuring the frequency response of a filter.

I’m a little surprised that they didn’t more information about their latest signal generator, the DG1022Z. At $360, this 25 MHz signal generator looks like a great deal. It offers two output channels that you can program to output a wide variety of waveforms, and modulate those waveforms in many different ways. And, if you don’t find any of the pre-programmed waveforms to your liking, you can create an arbitrary waveform of up to 16 Mbytes long. It also includes a 200 MHz frequency counter.

I’m not sure how much I’d actually use it, but being the test equipment geek that I am, I’m really tempted. I probably should get a spectrum analyzer first, though.

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