Agilent PN 89400-13 Extending Vector Signal Analysis to 26.5 Ghz with 20 Mhz Information Bandwidth Product Note
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Agilent PN 89400-13 Extending Vector Signal Analysis to 26.5 GHz with 20 MHz Information Bandwidth Product Note The Agilent Technologies 89400 Figure 1. The Agilent 89410A series vector signal analyzers provide vector signal analyzer and unmatched signal analysis capabilities 71910A wideband surveil- from traditional spectrum analysis to lance receiver together form transient analysis, analog and digital a wideband vector signal demodulation, high-speed spectrum analyzer system. monitoring, phase noise analysis, and more. They are used in applications as wide ranging as surveillance, signal monitoring, digital communications, radar signal analysis, and underwater acoustics. For some applications, the vector The vector signal analyzer has two signal analyzer’s information band- System Description input channels, each with a band- width and frequency coverage has The wideband vector signal analyzer width of 10 MHz. Normally, this been a limitation. Instruments such system consists of two major compo- would represent the maximum band- as the Agilent 89441A are limited nents: an 89410A two-channel vector width of the signal to be analyzed. to frequencies below 2.65 GHz and signal analyzer and a 71910A wide- However, the 89410A is capable of information bandwidths of 7 MHz. band surveillance receiver with a treating the signals on each channel This precludes the analysis of many wideband IF and quadrature outputs. as two parts of the same signal. That spread spectrum, radar, and satellite The vector signal analyzer provides is, the signal going into channel one signals which typically occupy more the user interface and display, and represents the real part of a complex than 7 MHz bandwidth and may exist performs all of the signal processing. signal, and the signal going into chan- only at microwave frequencies. The 71910A is basically a microwave spectrum analyzer with additional nel two represents the imaginary part. These two signals are usually referred By combining two Agilent products— features to optimize it for surveillance to as the in-phase and quadrature- the 89410A vector signal analyzer and signal monitoring applications. phase components, or simply I and Q. and the 71910A wideband surveillance In this application, it converts the RF The vector signal analyzer digitizes receiver—into a single measurement or microwave signal into a baseband the I and Q signals which are, by them- system, the unique capabilities of the signal which can be further processed selves, real signals and then combines vector signal analyzer can be used by the vector signal analyzer. As the them internally into a single complex on signals with 20 MHz bandwidth at front end of the measurement system, signal of the form I+jQ or CH1+jCH2, frequencies up to 26.5 GHz. it also provides the necessary gain or attenuation. where j represents the square root of negative one. This new complex signal, This product note describes how to which exists only in digital form, has configure, calibrate, and operate a a maximum bandwidth of 20 MHz, measurement system capable of wide or twice the input bandwidth of the bandwidth vector signal analysis. vector signal analyzer. In the wideband vector signal analyzer to provide access to all the measure- does not. If you intend to make tradi- system, the analog I and Q signals are ment and analysis features of the tional scalar spectrum measurements generated in the wideband IF module vector signal analyzer. The example with the system, the display section of the microwave receiver as shown program is written in Instrument should be included. System configura- in Figure 2. The IF has a bandwidth BASIC. It can be run on the 89410A, tion is also simplified when the MMS of 100 MHz which ensures a relatively or on an external controller. Contact display section is available. If the sys- flat frequency response over the cen- your local Agilent sales representa- tem will be used primarily for vector ter 20 MHz used in this system. A flat tive for information on how to obtain signal analysis, the MMS display is IF is important in vector signal analy- the example program. redundant since all analysis and dis- sis. An IF with a significant amount play can be done by the 89410A. of amplitude unflatness or group delay System Configuration distortion would produce significant This section describes the necessary To support measurements of the errors. This is especially true for mod- components, the physical connections complex (I+jQ) output signal of the ulation analysis where the IF charac- between components, and the soft- 71910A, the 89410A vector signal teristics would introduce distortion ware required to create a wideband analyzer must have Option AY7 in the time domain characteristics of vector signal analysis system. Two (Second 10 MHz Channel) and Option the signal. For example, group delay system configurations are described: AYA (Vector Modulation Analysis) distortion in the IF would result in one includes the Modular Measure- installed. To control the system or increased inter-symbol interference ment System (MMS) display and one perform the system calibrations via in a digitally modulated signal. In this Instrument BASIC as described system, the microwave receiver is always used at its widest bandwidth to obtain the best accuracy. The vec- tor signal analyzer is responsible for reducing the measurement bandwidth to 20 MHz and below. When the microwave receiver is used at frequencies below 12.8 GHz, the spectrum obtained using I+jQ is mir- rored about the center frequency. There are two ways to compensate for this mirroring. The first is to simply swap the I and Q outputs. While this works, it’s inconvenient and makes calibration more difficult. A simpler way to compensate for the mirroring Figure 2. The IF module generates I and Q signals using quadrature mixer. Calibrations is to conjugate the complex signal. compensate for imperfections such as DC offset, gain errors, and delay mismatch. The In other words, I–jQ instead of I+jQ. vector signal analyzer combines I and Q signals into single, complex digital signal. The vector signal analyzer has a spec- tral mirror key which conjugates the CH1+jCH2 data. This corrects both time and frequency domain results with- out affecting the I and Q calibration. As a measurement system, there is an obvious need for software to link the two instruments together. This software should provide a user inter- face to the system, as well as provide for system calibration. An example program is available which provides these functions. The primary purpose of the example program is calibration. However, it also provides for simple control of center frequency and refer- ence level. Once the system is cali- brated and the center frequency and reference level are properly adjusted, the program is paused or terminated Figure 3. The upper trace shows the spectrum of 10 Mb/s QPSK signal measured using the wideband vector signal analyzer system. The trace is 20 MHz wide. The lower trace is an eye diagram of the same signal obtained using the 89410A vector modulation analy- sis (Option AYA). 2 earlier, Option IC2 (Instrument BASIC) The rear panel views in Figures 4 and To perform the calibrations, the must also be installed. The instrument 5 show the connections between the example software uses the 300 MHz firmware must be revision A.04.00 or 89410A and the 71910A. In both con- calibrator built into the microwave later and can be upgraded by ordering figurations, the 10 MHz frequency ref- spectrum analyzer. The software Option UE2. Additional information on erence for the system is provided by measures the magnitude and phase configuring the 89410A can be found the 70310A reference section. This is of the calibration signal while adjust- in the Agilent 89400 Series Vector the recommended configuration. If ing the center frequency of the micro- Signal Analyzers Configuration Guide your 89410A includes Option UFG, wave spectrum analyzer. It also meas- (p/n 5964-3630E). you have a second GPIB connector. ures the amount of residual DC in Referring to Figures 4 and 5, note that the I and Q signals. From these meas- The 71910A surveillance receiver con- the GPIB connection is made from urements, the software determines tains all the MMS components which the main GPIB port of the 89410A the IQ gain imbalance, IQ magnitude make wide bandwidth vector signal (labeled “GPIB”) and not the connec- error, IQ delay mismatch, IQ quadra- analysis possible. Minimally, Option 004 tor labeled “System Interconnect.” ture error, and the DC offset. It then (Analog I/Q Outputs) must be ordered For additional information, please adjusts both instruments to minimize and, depending on the other measure- refer to the 89410A User’s Guide. the effects of the errors. These adjust- ments you may want to make with ments are depicted in Figure 2. the system, the MMS display (Agilent Calibration Methods 70004A) may also be needed. A system The 89410A vector signal analyzer DC Offset without the MMS display would be and the 71910A surveillance receiver Residual DC limits the dynamic ordered as a 71910A with Option 004, are both capable of self calibration. range of the measurement by intro- Option 011, and Option 012. In this To obtain the best system perform- ducing a spurious term in the center configuration, the display is deleted, ance, the instruments must be cali- of the spectrum (zero hertz). The but the Agilent 70310A reference sec- brated together. The system calibra- DC offset calibration measures the tion is added (see Table 1). tion compensates for system-induced amount of residual DC in both the errors, such as unequal cable lengths I and Q channels and determines the An existing 71209A Option 001 for the I and Q signals.