Raw Main Time (Trace Data)

Menu Path: Trace > Data > Channel X > Raw Main Time

Raw Main Time is the raw data read from the input hardware or playback file. Raw Main Time is similar to Main Time with the following exceptions:

• The data has not had time corrections applied, so the trace shows a "CAL?" trace indicator.
• The data has not gone through the VSA's software resampling filters, so is generally not sampled at the specified sample rate.
• The data has a wider bandwidth than the measurement span would indicate.

Raw Main Time data is useful in the following situations:

• When Channel, IF Magnitude or Magnitude trigger types are used, the input hardware detects the trigger so Raw Main Time sometimes gives a better indication of what caused the trigger.
• When a recording is played back, the Raw Main Time measurement data shows exactly the samples that are saved in the recording, with no filtering applied or settling removed.