Upload and Download a Segment List

This program creates two segments, then uploads the segment data to the VNA.

The second part downloads the segment list from the VNA.

See all Segment SCPI commands.

Create and Upload a Segment List

Example in Excel VBA with VISA-COM

Sub SampleSegmentSetup()
   '*** The variables of the resource manager and the instrument I/O are declared.
   Dim ioMgr As VisaComLib.ResourceManager
   Dim GPIB As VisaComLib.FormattedIO488
   '
   '    *** The memory area of the resource manager and the instrument I/O are acquired.
   Set ioMgr = New VisaComLib.ResourceManager
   Set GPIB = New VisaComLib.FormattedIO488
   '*** Open the instrument.
   Set GPIB.IO = ioMgr.Open("GPIB0::16::INSTR")
   GPIB.IO.timeout = 10000

   Dim Buf As String * 100
   Dim srcPortNames As Variant
   Dim numberOfSrcPorts As Integer
   Dim segData As Variant
   Const numSegs = 2
   Const Chan = 1
   Const addIFBW_PWR = 0
   ' In case of a measurement receiver VNA like N5264A
   ' which has no source ports, "SOURce:CATalog?" will
   ' return an empty list (just a pair of quotation marks)
   GPIB.WriteString "SOURce:CATalog?", True
   Buf = GPIB.ReadString
   srcPortNames = Split(Buf, ",")
   If Left(srcPortNames(0), 2) = Chr(34) & Chr(34) Then
       numberOfSrcPorts = 0
   Else
      numberOfSrcPorts = UBound(srcPortNames) + 1
   End If
   ' Building up a string consisting of the sweep segment data
   ' we want to set up.  This example will create two segments.
   ' Set state of first segment to be ON (1 = ON, 0 = OFF),
   ' 101 points, start freq of 10 MHz, stop freq of 1 GHz
   segData = "1,101,10E6,1E9"
   ' If you want to include one or more of: IFbandwidth, Dwell Time
   ' or Port Power, set Const addIFBW_PWR = 1
   
   If addIFBW_PWR = 1 Then
       GPIB.WriteString "SENSe" & Chan & ":SEGMent:BWIDth:CONTrol ON"
       GPIB.WriteString "SENSe" & Chan & ":SEGMent:SWEep:TIME:CONTrol ON"
       GPIB.WriteString "SENSe" & Chan & ":SEGMent:POWer:CONTrol ON"
       ' Turning off coupling allows power to vary per each port
       GPIB.WriteString "SOURce" & Chan & ":POWer:COUPle OFF"
       segData = AddOptionalSettings(segData, numberOfSrcPorts)
   End If
   
   ' Set state of second segment to be ON, 201 points,
   ' start freq of 1 GHz, stop freq of 3 GHz
   
   segData = segData & ",1,201,1E9,3E9"
   
   ' Uncomment this line below only if you uncommented the
   ' AddOptionalSettings line above for the first segment.
   'segData = AddOptionalSettings(segData, numberOfSrcPorts)
   ' Upload our segment list to the channel
   GPIB.WriteString "SENSe1:SEGMent:LIST SSTOP," & numSegs & "," & segData
   ' Set segment sweep type on Channel 1
   GPIB.WriteString "SENSe1:SWEep:TYPE SEGment"
   ' Having the PNA display the segment sweep table for the channel
   GPIB.WriteString "DISPlay:WINDow1:TABLe SEGMent"
   
   '*** End procedure
   GPIB.IO.Close
End Sub
Function AddOptionalSettings(ByVal pStr As String, ByVal numSrcPorts As Integer) As String
  Dim i
  
  ' Specifying 1 kHz IF bandwidth and Dwell Time of 0
  pStr = pStr & ", 1E3, 0"
  ' -10 dBm power for each of the source ports
  For i = 0 To numSrcPorts - 1
     pStr = pStr & ",-10"
  Next
  AddOptionalSettings = pStr
End Function

Example in VBScript

The SCPI commands in this example are sent over a COM interface using the SCPIStringParser object. You do NOT need a GPIB connection to run this example.

This VBScript (*.vbs) program can be run as a macro in the VNA. To do this, copy the following code into a text editor file such as Notepad and save it on the VNA hard drive as Unguided.vbs. Learn how to setup and run the macro.

Option Explicit

Dim app

Set app = CreateObject("AgilentPNA835x.Application")

' Preset the VNA

app.Preset

Dim scpi

Set scpi = app.ScpiStringParser

' In case of a measurement receiver VNA like N5264A

' which has no source ports, "SOURce:CATalog?" will

' return an empty list (just a pair of quotation marks)

Dim srcPortNames

srcPortNames = Split( scpi.Execute("SOURce:CATalog?"), ",")

Dim numberOfSrcPorts

If Left( srcPortNames(0), 2 ) = Chr(34) & Chr(34) Then

   numberOfSrcPorts = 0

Else

   numberOfSrcPorts = UBound(srcPortNames) + 1

End If

' Building up a string consisting of the sweep segment data

' we want to set up.  This example will create two segments.

Dim segData

' Set state of first segment to be ON (1 = ON, 0 = OFF),

' 101 points, start freq of 10 MHz, stop freq of 1 GHz

segData = "1,101,10E6,1E9"

' If you want to include one or more of: IFbandwidth, Dwell Time

' or Port Power, remove the comments from these next two lines

'TurnOnOptions 1  'Call the subroutine

'segData = AddOptionalSettings(segData, numberOfSrcPorts)

' Set state of second segment to be ON, 201 points,

' start freq of 1 GHz, stop freq of 3 GHz

segData = segData & ",1,201,1E9,3E9"

' Uncomment this line below only if you uncommented the

' AddOptionalSettings line above for the first segment.

'segData = AddOptionalSettings(segData, numberOfSrcPorts)

Const numSegs = 2

' Upload our segment list to the channel

scpi.Execute "SENSe1:SEGMent:LIST SSTOP," & numSegs & "," & segData

' Set segment sweep type on Channel 1

scpi.Execute "SENSe1:SWEep:TYPE SEGment"

' Having the VNA display the segment sweep table for the channel

scpi.Execute "DISPlay:WINDow1:TABLe SEGMent"

Sub TurnOnOptions(ByVal chan)

   scpi.Execute "SENSe"&chan&":SEGMent:BWIDth:CONTrol ON"

   scpi.Execute "SENSe"&chan&":SEGMent:SWEep:TIME:CONTrol ON"

   scpi.Execute "SENSe"&chan&":SEGMent:POWer:CONTrol ON"

   ' Turning off coupling allows power to vary per each port

   scpi.Execute "SOURce"&chan&":POWer:COUPle OFF"

End Sub

Function AddOptionalSettings(ByVal inStr, ByVal numSrcPorts)

   ' Specifying 1 kHz IF bandwidth and Dwell Time of 0

   inStr = inStr & ",1E3,0"

   ' -10 dBm power for each of the source ports

   Dim i

   For i = 0 To numSrcPorts - 1

      inStr = inStr & ",-10"

   Next

   AddOptionalSettings = inStr

End Function

Download a Segment List

This example assumes that the active trace is in Window 1

Option Explicit

Dim app

Set app = CreateObject("AgilentPNA835x.Application")

Dim scpi

Set scpi = app.ScpiStringParser

' Set the display-active channel's sweep type to segment sweep

' (if the VNA's currently active measurement window doesn't

'  contain any traces, this querying for active channel will

'  result in a SCPI error which scpi.Parse will trap and throw)

Dim chan

chan = CLng( scpi.Parse("SYSTem:ACTive:CHANnel?") )

scpi.Execute "SENSe"&chan&":SWEep:TYPE SEGment"

' Having the VNA display the segment sweep table for the channel

scpi.Execute "DISPlay:WINDow1:TABLe SEGMent"

' Get the total number of segments

Dim numSegs

numSegs = CLng( scpi.Execute("SENSe"&chan&":SEGMent:COUNt?") )

' Read the segment listing

Dim segDataStr

segDataStr = scpi.Execute("SENSe"&chan&":SEGMent:LIST?")

Dim segData

segData = Split(segDataStr, ",")

' Get upper bound of the array of data values

' (lower bound of array resulting from VB 'Split' function is 0)

Dim segArrayUB

segArrayUB = UBound(segData)

Dim numDataElementsPerSeg

numDataElementsPerSeg = (segArrayUB + 1) / numSegs

WScript.Echo "Number of segments = " & numSegs

WScript.Echo "Number of data values per segment = " & numDataElementsPerSeg

Dim segInfStr

segInfStr = "Segment 1: state = " & CBool(segData(0))

segInfStr = segInfStr & ", num points = " & CLng(segData(1))

segInfStr = segInfStr & ", start freq = " & CDbl(segData(2))

segInfStr = segInfStr & ", stop freq = " & CDbl(segData(3))

segInfStr = segInfStr & ", IFBW = " & CDbl(segData(4))

segInfStr = segInfStr & ", dwell time = " & CDbl(segData(5))

' In case of a measurement receiver VNA like N5264A

' which has no source ports, "SOURce:CATalog?" will

' return an empty list

Dim srcPortNames

srcPortNames = Split( scpi.Execute("SOURce"&chan&":CATalog?"), ",")

Dim srcPortNamesUB

srcPortNamesUB = UBound(srcPortNames)

' First source port name will be preceded by a quotation mark

' and the last name will be followed by one of those, so stripping

' those off now.

srcPortNames(0) = Right( srcPortNames(0), Len(srcPortNames(0)) - 1 )

srcPortNames(srcPortNamesUB) = Left( srcPortNames(srcPortNamesUB), InStrRev(srcPortNames(srcPortNamesUB), Chr(34)) - 1 )

Dim firstPortIndex

firstPortIndex = 6

Dim lastPortIndex

lastPortIndex = numDataElementsPerSeg - 1

Dim j

For j = firstPortIndex To lastPortIndex

   segInfStr = segInfStr & ", " & srcPortNames(j - firstPortIndex) & " power = " & CDbl(segData(j))

Next

WScript.Echo segInfStr