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Repairing or replacing obsolete signal generators that are used in automated test systems for aerospace and defense is a significant challenge and headache for test engineers and their managers. These systems have a long lifespan, and must be supported for that duration, even when the original equipment in that system starts to fail and cannot be replaced with the original model. Users of these systems are faced with the dilemma to either repair or to replace these instruments.
From calibrating Cellular receivers to agile Electronic Warfare transmitters, the ability to change from one frequency to another and settle within a specified amplitude and frequency is a key requirement for microwave signal generators. But what actually defines the frequency switching speed? What components in the block diagram contribute? What is the specification trade-off with respect to architecture and technology choices? To help answer all these questions, and hopefully generate a few more, let’s take our signal generator apart and see what contributes, and why.
Phase noise is the result of small random fluctuations or uncertainty in the phase of an electronic signal. We specify and measure phase noise because it is a fundamental limitation in the performance of systems, limiting dynamic range. This shows up in radar and communications as loss of sensitivity, in imaging as lack of definition and in digital systems as higher bit error rate. While this discussion will focus primarily on phase noise in the frequency domain, phase noise can also be quantified as jitter in the time domain.
In war, conflicts and other military to military skirmishes we need to detect high velocity vehicles such as supersonic jet fighters. This in the past has driven how we optimized the performance of Radars and Electronic Warfare systems and their associated test equipment. This changing requirement is observed more specifically in Doppler Radar Systems.
The following ten reasons demonstrate why the Giga-tronics 2500B series Microwave Signal Generators are the best solution for meeting your most demanding analog signal generator needs.
This paper discusses the factors that make up spectral purity specifications to help you make more informed comparisons of microwave signal generator performance for test and measurement applications.
