Instr. Gain

In an analyzer sequence, the Instr. Gain parameter specifies one of three possible values for the input gain of the test set (LOW, ZERO, or HIGH). An additional sequence parameter (Instrument Gain LOW Value, which immediately follows the Output Trigger parameter) is used to specify the Electronic Attenuation value when Instr. Gain is set to LOW.

In Sequence Studio,both of those parameters are captured within the Instr. Gain column; the "LOW" value is replaced here by one of a series of possible values for Electronic Attenuation, in the format "ATTEN_xdB". A selection in that format becomes two separate sequence parameters, with Instr. Gain specified as LOW, and Instrument Gain LOW Value specified in dB, when Sequence Studio exports the finished sequence.)

Double-click in the Instr. Gain field to open a dropdown list of the choices, and select the desired gain value from it: 

Select the gain value according to the signal input path and the expected power level. In the following table, the first two columns show ranges of expected input power for different ports; the third column shows the appropriate Instrument Gain setting for each case. Finally, the fourth and fifth columns show how the preamplifier and electronic attenuator are set for a given Instrument Gain setting. The electronic attenuator provides a fixed attenuation of 0 dB or 20 dB. The pre-amp provides a fixed 20 dB of gain (up to 3.6 GHz) when it is on. For RF path loss information, refer to the test set specifications.

Note

The Instrument Gain parameter is ignored if the Auto Set RF Levels parameter (on the Meas Setup menu of the test set) is ON. In that case, the test set automatically selects the gain setting for the acquisition.

The following table provides information for the mechanical and electronic attenuation and preamp settings, when the test set is in Sequence Analyzer mode.