Real (I) and Imag (Q) (Trace Format)

Menu Path: Trace > Format > Format:

Selecting the Real (I) or Imag (Q) trace format configures the active trace to show the real or imaginary part of the trace data, respectively.

For IQ trace data, Real (I) displays the I component of the trace data; Imag (Q) displays the Q component.

Overview

A trace may comprise real data or both real and imaginary data. Real(I) and Imag(Q) let you look only at the real part or only at the imaginary part. The real part or the imaginary value is displayed on the y-axis, with time or frequency on the x-axis.

Here is some additional information that may be helpful:

• Some trace data is purely real, in which case the imaginary part will be a flat line, showing zero amplitude.
• When viewing Time trace data for data from an I + j*Q input, real = I-Channel data; imaginary = Q-Channel data.