Displayed Average Noise Level Performance Test

If an error message occurs on the PNA during this test, it may be necessary to run the IF Response Adjustment.

Refer to the Displayed Average Noise Level Troubleshooting topic for more information.

This test applies to the following models:

N5221A/AS, N5222A/AS, N5224A/AS, N5225A/AS, N5227A/AS with Option 090
N5221B, N5222B, N5224B, N5225B, N5227B with Option 090 plus one of the spectrum analyzer frequency options (shown below) and <RSA> (see below for <RSA> explanation)
N5231A/AS, N5232A/AS, N5234A/AS, N5235A/AS, N5239A/AS with Option 090
N5231B, N5232B, N5234B, N5235B, N5239B with Option 090 plus one of the spectrum analyzer frequency options (shown below) and <RSA> (see below for <RSA> explanation)
N5241A/AS, N5242A/AS, N5242AH85, N5244A/AS, N5245A/AS with Options 090 and <RSA> (see below for <RSA> explanation)
N5247A/AS, N5249A/AS with Option 090
N5241B/BC, N5242B, N5244B, N5245B/BC, N5247B/BC, N5249B with Option 090 plus one of the spectrum analyzer frequency options (shown below) and <RSA> (see below for <RSA> explanation)
N5290A, N5291A mm-Wave systems with Option 090 plus one of the spectrum analyzer frequency options (shown below) and <RSA> (see below for <RSA> explanation)

Test Description

The Displayed Average Noise Level (DANL) test measures the sensitivity of the receivers. It provides an indication of the minimum detectable signal when no signal is applied and the input is terminated by a 50 Ω load.

The actual DANL value is highly dependent on the instrument’s settings, and while the main dependency is on Resolution Bandwidth (RBW), other factors such as detector type, averaging type, Video Bandwidth (VBW), and number of sweep points can and will impact the DANL value as well.

The simplest way to understand the impact of RBW on DANL is to compare it with the impact of the IF Bandwidth on Noise Floor. That is, increasing/decreasing the RBW allows more/less noise power to be detected by the DUT. Although DANL is specified at an RBW of 1.2 Hz (lowest possible setting), it is measured with RBW set to 10 KHz, and to assure that the measured data complies with the specified RBW, a bandwidth correction is applied to the data.

For troubleshooting help, see Displayed Average Noise Level Troubleshooting.

Option 090 Frequency Options

N52xxB, N5290A, and N5291A models with Option 090 (spectrum analysis application) also require one of the following spectrum analyzer frequency options. TME will test to the maximum frequency of the DUT OR the spectrum analyzer frequency option range, whichever is lowest.

900 — up to 8.5 GHz

901 — up to 13.5 GHz

902 — up to 26.5 GHz

904 — up to 43.5 GHz

905 — up to 50 GHz

907 — up to 67 GHz

909 — up to 90 GHz

093 — extend to 110 GHz

094 — extends beyond 110 GHz

Option <RSA>

This section will explain how to determine if your model requires Option <RSA> for this test.

Some models require Option <RSA> for this test. Options in angle brackets (such as <RSA>) are assigned by TME to facilitate testing and do not reflect product options. For this reason, Option <RSA> will not appear on reports or other places of the TME User Interface.

Models that require Option <RSA>

The following models require Option <RSA> to run this test:

N5221B, N5222B, N5224B, N5225B, N5227B

N5231B, N5232B, N5234B, N5235B, N5239B

N5241B/BC, N5242B, N5244B, N5245B/BC, N5247B/BC, N5249B

N5290A, N5291A

N524xA/AS PNA-X models that require Option <RSA>

The following N524xA/AS models are assigned Option <RSA> by their serial number prefix break. Use the table below to determine if your N524xA/AS PNA-X model is assigned Option <RSA>.

Model Number	Serial Number Prefix
N5241A N5241AS	MY5201 and above SG5201 and above US5201 and above	Requires Option <RSA>
N5242A N5242AS N5242AH85	MY5202 and above SG5202 and above US5202 and above	Requires Option <RSA>
N5244A N5244AS	MY5204 and above SG5204 and above US5204 and above	Requires Option <RSA>
N5245A N5245AS	MY5205 and above SG5205 and above US5205 and above	Requires Option <RSA>

Required Test Equipment

Test Equipment	Recommended Model	Alternate Model
Load 3.5 mm (CalKitTwoPort1) 3.5 mm models 2 required	85052B (only the loads are used)	85052D
Load 2.4 mm (CalKitTwoPort1) For 2.4 mm models 2 required	85056A (only the loads are used)	none
Load 1.85 mm (CalKitTwoPort1) For 1.85 mm models 2 required	85058B (only the loads are used)	none
Load 1 mm (CalKitTwoPort2) For 1 mm models 2 required	85059B	none
Adapter, 1 mm (f) to 1 mm (f) (Adapter1 1mm F to 1mm F) For 1 mm models. Part of the 85059B cal kit.	85059-60045	none

Connection Setups

Due to the complexity of the PNA family of analyzers, the following notes apply to illustrations in the PNA Help:

Only a single representative PNA model will be shown. Therefore, port locations may differ in older PNA models than what is shown in the illustration. Refer to the port labels on the UUT.
Some illustrations may differ than those in TME.
If the test procedure applies to multiple ports, illustrations may show the setup on only one test port.
Setups for some option configurations may not appear in the Help.