Products > Test Equipment
R&S SML01 1.1Ghz Generator
tautech:
--- Quote from: nctnico on July 22, 2023, 12:44:40 am ---And now use the TG output to measure the amplitude flatness of an oscilloscope which is the intend of the OP. How is normalisation going to help there? Not to mention the harmonics a TG output may have that will show up on an oscilloscope.
--- End quote ---
It's late there so maybe you need some rest to think clearly about this.
You can't use Normalization on TG for use other than with the analyzer but we can measure TG unflatness with the analyzer and account for these errors/inaccuracies for other use needs.
TG can be used as a fixed (zero span) or sweeping frequency for other than analyzer needs and at levels within TG amplitude capabilities.
nctnico:
That is rather cumbersome and still doesn't deal with harmonics. For all you know the TG output looks like a square wave. That doesn't matter so much for a spectrum analyser itself as this is basically sweeping a narrow filter over the input signal to determine amplitude versus frequency, but if you want to look at the bandwidth on an oscilloscope you will want to have a signal that looks like a single tone.
Getting some form of a real RF generator is the easiest and most straightforward path.
TurboTom:
@nctnico - that's actually not true. Admitted, especially at low frequencies (sub-10MHz range), there are very strong harmonics present in most TG output signals, but same is true for many RF signal generators. This is the result of the output amplifier not really being designed for these low frequencies. Since the signal is synthesized by mixing two pretty decent sine wave signals, the difference of those shouldn't (and doesn't) contain that much harmonics, hence I'ld consider a TG signal (harmonics-wise) suitable for bandwidth testing of an oscilloscope, at least much better so than one of these ADF4351 based "el-cheapo" sources. But if it's comfortable to use a TG for such an application, is written on another page...
A hint for the OP: Once in a while, an R&S SM300 can be found inexpensively (though usually with a broken PA which is quite fixable). These generators perform much better than the initially mentioned AimTTi instrument and are very well suited for other test jobs as well. Yet, you've got to be patient and put some work into the device...
tautech:
I'll just leave these here for discussion.
rsjsouza:
For cost reasons at the lab we usually don't calibrate or rely on a signal generator amplitude accuracy - instead, we have calibrated SAs to verify and eventually normalize the output of any signal generator. Although a bit more cumbersome as it involves an additional verification step, it tends to work well. And this is true even for the SMIQs we have around.
Good luck in your decision!
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