Calibration Wizard

How to start Calibration Wizard

Using Hardkey/SoftTab/Softkey

1. Press Cal > Other Cals > Smart Cal...

The Calibration Window / Channel

During a Guided Calibration, a 'Cal Window' is created for you to view the connection of calibration standards before standards are measured. This Cal Window uses a new Cal channel that is created and duplicates the settings in the channel being calibrated.  Correction is ALWAYS OFF for the displayed calibration channel. At the completion of the calibration, the calibration channel and window are deleted.

The measurement of calibration standards can be performed while viewing any VNA window configuration you choose.  The Cal Window is appended to your Custom Cal Window setting, and all windows are visible and sweeping below the Cal Wizard before the Measure (cal standard) button is pressed.  The windows to be viewed and channels to be swept during the cal process are specified using Remote commands.

The Cal Window settings do not work in a FCA channel.

Select Ports for Guided Calibration dialog box help

Allows you to select ports to calibrate.

Cal Type Selection  Select the number of ports to calibrate.

N Port Cal Configuration  If not calibrating all VNA ports, specify which ports to calibrate.

Calibrate source and receiver power  Check to perform a Guided Power Calibration. Learn more.

See Also: Use Multiple Power Sensors to perform a Guided Power Cal

Back  Return to Cal Wizard Begin dialog. If you did not see the 'Cal Wizard Begin' dialog but want to, click Back, then clear the Save Preferences checkbox.

For greater than 4-port cals, see External Test Set calibration - Select Cal Type.

Select DUT Connectors and Cal Kits dialog box help

Allows you to select the connector type and Cal Kit for each DUT port to be calibrated.

Connectors  To change selection, click the connector field for each DUT port.

If your DUT connectors are not listed, you can create your own connector type and calibration kit file. The VNA includes the following example cal kits  that can be used as a template. See Calibration kits for more information.

• If using a gendered (male and female) connector type, select Type A as the connector type.

• If using a connectorless device such as on-wafer probes., select Type B as the connector type.

Cal Kits  Select the Cal Kit to be used to calibrate each test port. The list for each DUT Port displays kits having the same connector type as the DUT.

Identical ECal models connected?  ECal modules can be distinguished by serial number. This can have implications on your remote SCPI programs.

Modify Cal  Check, then click Next, to Modify Cal (Standards AND Thru Method).

For greater than 4-port cals, see External Test Set calibration - Select DUT Connectors.

Error dialog box help

The current cal kit does not cover the current frequency range of the measurement. Do one of the following to correct the problem:

Cal Kit Class Category  Choose from SOLT and TRL. Not available with ECal modules. Click Edit to modify the appropriate class assignments.

Frequency  Change the frequency range of the active channel.

Edit  Modify the class assignments so that a different standard is selected.

Back  Select a different Cal Kit that covers the required frequency range.

Cancel  Exit the Cal Wizard

Modify Cal dialog box help

Thru #n

Lists the proposed Thru connections to be made during the calibration process. You can change these Thru connections to better suit your test setup.

• The proposed Thru connections are listed automatically.

• Additional Thru connections can be selected for higher accuracy. Learn more.

Add Thru

Click to add a Thru connection. Learn more

Remove Thru

Select a Thru by clicking the "Thru #N" field or the "1st Port / 2nd Port" field. Then click "Remove Thru". This selection is NOT available if the selected Thru is required for the calibration.

1st Port / 2nd Port

Click to select the two ports to be included in the Thru connection. The order of the port numbers is not critical.

Thru Cal Method

Lists the available Thru Cal methods for the specified port pairs.

Learn about the Thru Cal Method choices.

Cal Type/ Stds

Click to invoke the View / Modify Properties of Cal dialog box

Do orientation - Appears ONLY if an ECal module is selected for use.

When this box is checked (default) the VNA automatically senses the model and direction in which an ECal module port is connected to the VNA ports. If power to the ECal module is too low, it will appear as if there is no ECal module connected. If you use low power and are having this problem, clear this check box to provide the orientation manually.

Orientation occurs first at the middle of the frequency range that you are calibrating. If a signal is not detected, it tries again at the lowest frequency in the range.

Choose delta match - Available when a Delta Match Cal is required.

• Check, then click Next to invoke the Select Cal Set for Delta Match dialog box.

• Clear - The Cal Wizard uses the Global Delta Match Cal if available.

View/Detect ECal Characterizations - Appears ONLY if an ECal module is selected for use.

Click to invoke the View ECal Modules and Characterizations dialog box. Displays a list of ECal modules that are connected to the VNA.

View/Modify Properties of Cal for Ports... dialog box help

Select calibration type

Another chance to change the Thru method.

Learn about the Thru Cal Method choices.

Advanced

Select the cal method for each connector of the Thru pair.

• TRL - Available ONLY when a TRL cal kit was selected for the lowest port number of the port pair.

• QSOLT  Available ONLY when "Defined Thru" or "Flush Thru" is selected. "QSOLT 2 <= 1" refers to the receive port 2 and source port 1(where reflection standards are connected).

• Enhanced Response  Available ONLY when "Defined Thru" or "Flush Thru" is selected."EnhResp 2 <= 1" refers to the receive port 2 and source port 1.

• Transmission Response  Available ONLY when "Defined Thru" or "Flush Thru" is selected, when Mechanical Cal is selected, and when 2 ports are being calibrated. "TransResp 2 <= 1" refers to the receive port 2 and source port 1.

View Modify  Click to invoke the Preview and Modify Calibration Selections dialog box.

Note: Changes made to the Cal Kit through this dialog are temporary that last only for this calibration. To make permanent changes to the Cal Kit, perform Advanced Modify Cal Kits.

Select Cal Set for Delta Match dialog box help

This dialog box appears when a Delta Match Cal is required and Choose delta match was selected. Learn more.

Displays the Cal Sets that meet the requirements of the Delta Match Cal.

Select either a User Cal Set or Global Delta Match Cal.

If there is no suitable choice for a Delta Match Cal:

1. Click Cancel, then Cancel again to quit the Cal Wizard.

2. Perform either a Global Delta Match Cal or a SOLT cal and save the result in a User Cal Set.

3. Start the Cal Wizard to re-initiate this calibration.

4. Select the Global Delta Match Cal or User Cal Set.

Calibration Steps dialog box help

Note: Beginning in VNA Rev. 6.0, calibration can be performed with External triggers. Learn more.

As each new cal step prompt appears, the traces are setup for the next standard measurement. Also, sweeps are triggered continuously until the Measure button is pressed. This way you can view the integrity of the standard connection.

Prompts for standards to be measured.

Measure  Click to measure the standard.

Done  Click after a standard is re-measured and all measurements for the calibration are complete.

Next  Click to continue to the next calibration step. Does NOT measure the standard.

If a standard is NOT measured, a warning appears and Done will not be available after the last Cal step.

Note: Smart (Guided) Cal allows you to measure calibration standards in any order. However, you must click Next and Back without measuring standards until you get to the standard you want to measure.

Sliding Load Measurement dialog box help

Allows you to measure the sliding load standard.

To ensure an accurate calibration, carefully follow the instructions that were provided with your siding load.

To Measure a Sliding Load:

1. Connect the sliding load to the measurement port.

2. Position the sliding element, then click Measure. Do not move the sliding element until measurement is complete.

3. Measure the sliding load for at least five and up to seven positions for best accuracy.

Note: The positions of the sliding element should cover the full length of the slide, but be unequally spaced to reduce the possibility of overlapping data points. Most sliding loads have marks for each slide position.

4. Click Done after the final measurement.

5. Remove sliding load from the measurement port.

6. Measure the remaining standards.

Specify delay dialog box help

This dialog appears ONLY when Adapter Removal or Unknown Thru calibrations are performed.

The following values were estimated from the measurement. Most of the time, they are adequate. However, for CW sweep or frequency sweep with large step sizes, the accuracy of the values may be improved.

Adapter delay  To improve this value, measure and record the delay of the adapter with a dense step size. Enter that value here. The required precision value is the accuracy that is required to characterize the delay value.

Nominal phase offset  (Waveguide ONLY). To improve this value, measure and record the phase offset of the Waveguide adapter with dense step size. Enter that value here.

When one connector is coax and the other connector is waveguide, the phase offset has an ambiguity of 180 degrees. For consistency, the estimate provided here is always between 0 and 180 degrees. You can change this estimate to any value between -180 degrees and +180 degrees.

Basic Calibration

Using Hardkey/SoftTab/Softkey

1. Press Cal > Main > Basic Cal...

Basic Cal dialog box help

Note: In M9485A, Only ports 1 to 4 can be set even if your unit has more than 4-port configuration.

Connector Type Allows user to select single connector type.

Cal Kit Allows users to select single Cal Kit. The displayed selection options are according to the selected connector type.

Port  Allows users to select the port gender. No Connect indicates that no port is connected to the VNA.

Cal Type Allows users to select calibration type. The displayed selection options are according to the selected cal kit, connector type and gender.

Save As Calset... Its grayed out when calibration is incomplete. Once the calibration is completed, press this button to save the calibration.

Calibration Completed dialog box help

Finish  Save to the channel's calibration register.

Save As User Cal Set  Invokes the Save as User Cal Set dialog box AND save to the channel's calibration register.

Cancel  Calibration is NOT applied or saved.

Learn about Calibration Registers.

Learn about User Cal Sets

Save as User Cal Set dialog box help

Existing Cal Sets  - Lists the Cal Set names saved on the VNA.

Select Cal Set from list or type new name below  Specify a name for the new Cal Set. Either accept the suggested new name, type a new name, or select a name from the list to overwrite an existing name.

Edit Name  If there is no keyboard, click to start the VNA typing tool that can be used from the VNA front panel.

Save  Saves the Cal Set to the new Cal Set name.

Learn about User Cal Sets

14-Aug-2014

First Release