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The RF Design Handbook: Theory, Components, and Applications

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59 | industry includes network analyzers, spectrum analyzers, signal analyzers, power sensors, power meters, and signal generators. More specialized RF test equipment is also geared toward serving a given application. These are generally specialized variations of the general-purpose RF test equipment, including cable analyzers, antenna analyzers, and field test equipment. Older test equipment used analog signal capture, signal generation, and measurement displays. Modern RF test equipment uses microprocessor units (MPUs), application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs), or fully functioning computer systems with advanced software capability. The past decade has seen a rise in modular test equipment that pairs a compact hardware test system with digital communication compatible with a PC and software for interfacing with the test unit. More complex test systems incorporate multiple modular, benchtop, or rack- mount RF test equipment in sophisticated automated systems with custom processing and control software for manufacturing or automated certification testing. Power Sensors & Power Meters Power sensors and power meters are relatively simple RF instruments that convert captured RF signal energy within the device's bandwidth into a power reading. Some RF power sensors use calibrated antennas to capture ambient signals, while others are connectorized instruments designed to test DUTs or calibrate test setups based on signal generators. Network Analyzers and Vector Network Analyzers A network analyzer is a tool designed to send a precisely controlled signal into an RF network while simultaneously capturing the reflections from the RF network. By comparing the timing and phase over frequency of the incident signal and reflected signal, engineers can determine the impedance, attenuation, and small signal gain, and derive network parameters, such as scattering parameters (S-parameters) and impedance parameters (Z-parameters). A network analyzer that can determine the phase variations in the incident and reflected signals is called a vector network analyzer (VNA). A VNA with more than one port, known as a multiport VNA, can analyze the behavior of more complex multiport RF networks with fewer errors than the iterative approach necessary for single- port network analyzers. While single-, double-, and quad-port VNAs are the most common, some manufacturers offer up to 24 ports. Engineers can extend a VNA's port count using switch matrices or VNA port extenders, but these modular methods tend to result in reduced testing performance compared to true multiport VNAs. They may also require more complex calibration to reduce interconnect and environmental uncertainties. Spectrum and Signal Analyzers A spectrum analyzer captures the amplitude of RF signal energy over a range of frequencies. It does STM32WB09 BLUETOOTH® Low Energy 5.4 32-Bit MCUs mouser.com/stmicro-stm32wb09-ble-mcus

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