ESA Measurement Setup Parameters

This topic provides measurement and parameter setup information that is unique to ESA spectrum analyzers with 89600 VSA software. This information will help to properly setup the 89600 VSA software and make measurements for the various ESA with 89600 VSA measurement systems.

Table of Measurement Setup Parameters for the ESA with 89600 VSA

Alignment/Calibration	Overlap
Channels	Preset
Coupling	Range
External Reference Frequency	Recording
Frequency	Setup Save/Recall
Frequency Bands	Span
Frequency Counter	TD-SCDMA Restrictions
Front Panel ESA Control	Trigger Holdoff
Hardware	Triggering`
Custom Channel Configurations	Trig Out

Alignment/Calibration: Selecting Calibrate from the 89600 VSA Calibration dialog box (Utilities > Calibration) will initiate a ESA full alignment. The AMPT REF OUT signal must be connected to the INPUT 50 W connector before selecting Calibrate.

The software also monitors the warm-up status on the ESA. Within 30 minutes from the time the ESA is powered on, if the temperature changes by more than 3 degrees from the temperature at the last calibration, the calibration state is set to WARMUP.

Custom Input Channel Configurations: When using the Input Channel Configuration dialog to specify or modify the input channel configuration mapping, only the VSA default set of channel configuration mappings are allowed; "invalid" channel configuration mappings are disallowed and the "OK" button is disabled "greyed out".

Channels: Only a single RF Radio Frequency: A generic term for radio-based technologies, operating between the Low Frequency range (30k Hz) and the Extra High Frequency range (300 GHz). channel is available.

Coupling: For RF measurements, only AC coupling is available.

Custom Channel Configurations

The Custom Channel Configurations dialog is used to create custom channel mapping configurations, that is, you can reconfigure the hardware input channel to VSA measurement channel connections. When using the Input Channel Configuration dialog to specify or modify the input channel configuration mapping, only the VSA default set of channel configuration mappings are allowed; "invalid" channel configuration mappings are disallowed and the "OK" button is disabled "greyed out".

External Reference Frequency: The external reference frequency can be set up in two different ways with the ESA and 89600 VSA software. The setup depends on the setting specified for Opt Freq Ref (B7E) under Configure.

Frequency: The limits for frequency parameters are determined by the ESA.

Frequency Bands: The frequency bands represent the settable center frequency limits.  A single band is available, where the settable center frequency limits depend on which model ESA used.

E4402B	0 to 3.1 GHz Gigahertz: A frequency measurement which equals one billion hertz.
E4404B	0 to 6.78 GHz
E4405B	0 to 13.3 GHz
E4407B	0 to 27 GHz

Frequency Counter: The ESA uses IF subsampling when Alias Protect is set to False. This can result in aliasing effects if the signal is not band limited to the selected span.

Front Panel ESA control: The Disconnect feature can be used to pause the 89600 VSA software and release its control of the ESA. Then the ESA can be used independent from 89600 VSA software. The 89600 VSA software restores the ESA state that was set before disconnected when the measurement is resumed.

Hardware: ESA is listed as a Logical Instrument in the Analyzer Configuration.

Overlap: The ESA does not support overlap processing. However, overlap processing is available during recording playback.

Preset: When setup in the 89600 VSA software is preset, these settings are different from those listed under Preset Setup. (Any parameters not listed here are set to the same value as those listed under Preset Setup.)

Parameter	Default Setting
Range	30 dBm deciBels referenced to a milliWatt: dB relative to 1 milliwatt dissipated in the nominal input impedance of the analyzer
Frequency
Bands	ESA model dependent: E4402B: 0 to 3.1 GHz E4404B: 0 to 6.78 GHz E4405B: 0 to 13.3 GHz E4407B: 0 to 27 GHz
Center	1 GHz
Span	10 MHz
Start	995 MHz
Stop	1.005 GHz
Time Data Zoom/Baseband	Zoom
ResBW	100 kHz
Time
Main Time Length	38.203125 mSec
Max Overlap	90 %
Gate on/off	Off
Length	1.328125 mSec

 

Range: Range is selected by clicking Input > Analog in the 89600 VSA. For the RF input, the range limits are - 55 dBm min to +30 dBm max with 1 dB step size. If the ESA internal 20 dB preamp hardware (option 1DS) is detected, the limits are -75 dBm to +30 dBm with 1 dB step size. The VSA then automatically sets the preamp and attenuator for the ESA in order to satisfy the Maximum Mixer Level setting for the selected Full Scale Range.

Recording: The VSA can record time data from the ESA hardware to your PC's disk drive. The length of time waveform recording is limited to the time waveform length limit of the ESA.

Setup Save/Recall: The ESA state is not saved when an 89600 VSA application is closed. When a setup is recalled into the 89600 VSA, the ESA state is set appropriately based on the recalled VSA setup.

Span: For the RF input, the maximum span is 10 MHz. The minimum span is < 50 kHz if Alias Protect is True and < 50 Hz if AliasProtect is False. Span resolution is independent from ESA and unchanged from 89640 operation.

TD-SCDMA measurements with ESA:

TD-SCDMA measurements with ESA: The 89600 VSA software cannot perform TD-SCDMA demodulation when the ESA is in the alias protected mode (because of ESA memory limitations and demodulation algorithm latency requirements). When the ESA is in the non-alias protected mode, the result length is limited as follows:

• 5 sub-frames with Start Boundary set to Sub-frame.
• 2 sub-frames with Start Boundary set to 2 Frames. This 2 sub-frame limitation on results synchronized to 2 frame boundaries can be removed by supplying an external 2 frame trigger and setting the Start Boundary to Sub-frame . The trigger delay can then be used to adjust where the boundary is located within the Result Length.

In the alias protected mode, it is possible to make one sub-frame measurements either when the hardware is triggered or correctly or when free-run data happens to align correctly. Triggering must be set up to provide about 250 chips of data before the beginning of the sub-frame, depending on the Frequency Span setting.

Trigger holdoff: Trigger holdoff is not supported with the ESA.

Triggering: The following trigger parameters are available:

Style: Free Run, External TTL, IF Mag (Video)

• Level: available for IF Mag (Video)
• Slope: available for IF Mag (Video) (positive slope only), External TTL
• Delay (the range for trigger delay is the lesser of the maximum waveform length for the ESA or -500 ms to +500 ms): available for IF Mag (Video), External TTL

  Trigger Type	Level	Level limits	Default
  IF Mag	IF Level	noise floor to 10 V peak	0.01 V

Trig Out

Not all ESA models support the 89600 VSA Trig Out feature.

Refer to the Measurements book "Trig Out" topic's Unsupported Hardware table for more information.

See Also

89611 with Keysight ESA option H70

Input Extensions

ESA Setup as ADC

Enhancing Measurement Speed