I do quite a few Ethernet power injection designs. So far, I've validated my designs with a cable validation tool, but I'd like to do better validation as time goes on.
I'm looking seriously at buying a spectrum analyzer with tracking generator (or similar instrument such as a network analyzer) which I can use for more detailed testing such as forward and return loss, along with NEXT. One of the challenges I'm running into is not the test instrument itself - but instead understanding and finding the right cables/adapters to convert the 50 ohm unbalanced coax output to the 100 ohm balanced line which is used in Ethernet and CAT5. I realize I could just electrically hook it up, but that seems wrong for some reason.
Anyone done this before and can point me in the right direction? Even knowing what to search for in google would be helpful.