Author Topic: "Labs" for learning how to use Spectrum Analyzer  (Read 960 times)

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Offline zittTopic starter

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"Labs" for learning how to use Spectrum Analyzer
« on: July 23, 2019, 10:26:32 pm »
I'm getting old.
Back in the late nineties when I was in college... Oscilloscopes and volt meters were common place. I know how to use both these instruments.
I didn't major in RF design; so I didn't have any real exposure to Spectrum Analyzers.

There have been more than a couple of cases in the recent year or two where a SSA would have been useful.
Example: Detecting that a crystal clock is actually operating. IE no frequency shift with scope probes attached.
Example: Detecting that my BlueTooth radios are actually transmitting where I think they are.
Example: DC 2 DC power supply work

But I didn't have a SSA. I solved that problem and now have a CMU200 on my bench - but I've done nothing more than stick an antenna on it and verify some of the radio spectrum had a peak where my Wifi is transmitting.

Is there any high school / college level "lab experiments" documented anywhere that people would recommend?
I want to get more comfortable using this instrument and maybe learn what not to do. I'd even like to learn a little bit about antenna design if the advanced portions of the "lab" cover it. I'm not really interested in Youtube videos as primary source of information. I'm more interested in hands on usage of my instrument. That said; if there is "lecture" on youtube with hands on lab work "offline" that would work.
 

Offline mindcrime

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Re: "Labs" for learning how to use Spectrum Analyzer
« Reply #1 on: July 24, 2019, 01:57:55 am »
No hands-on "labs" per-se, but this book looks like it might be useful. It's from Keysight, but at first blush, it doesn't appear that it's specific to their instruments:

http://literature.cdn.keysight.com/litweb/pdf/5952-0292.pdf

Something similar from Anritsu:

https://www.naic.edu/~phil/hardware/Misc/anritsu/SpectrumAnalyzer_basis_of.pdf

And Rohde and Schwarz have their version:

https://rotorlab.tamu.edu/me459/NOTES%206%20Measuring%20with%20modern%20spectrum%20analyzers_Educational%20Note.pdf

As do Tektronix:

http://engineering.case.edu/lab/circuitslab/sites/engineering.case.edu.lab.circuitslab/files/docs/Real_time_Spectrum_Analyzer_Fundamentals_-_Tektronix.pdf

This looks like it may be closer to what you're looking for:

http://propagation.ece.gatech.edu/ECE4370/labs/LabSpectrumAnalzyer.pdf


Maybe between all that you can piece together something useful?

Outside of that, there are one of two Youtube videos that might be helpful:










« Last Edit: July 24, 2019, 02:01:12 am by mindcrime »
 
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