Rohde & Schwarz VSE-K7 User Manual

R&S®VSE-K7
Analog Demodulation Application

User Manual

(;ÚçW2)

1176893902

User Manual

Version 07

This manual applies to the following software, version 1.50 and later:

●

R&S®VSE Enterprise Edition base software (1320.7500.xx / 1320.7951.xx)

●

R&S®VSE Basic Edition base software (1345.1011.06)

The following software options are described:

●

R&S VSE-K7 (1320.7539.xx)

●

R&S®CMA-K310 (1320.7945.xx)

© 2018 Rohde & Schwarz GmbH & Co. KG
Mühldorfstr. 15, 81671 München, Germany
Phone: [phone] - 0
Fax: [phone]
Email: [e-mail]
Internet: www.rohde-schwarz.com
Subject to change – Data without tolerance limits is not binding.
R&S® is a registered trademark of Rohde & Schwarz GmbH & Co. KG.
Trade names are trademarks of the owners.

1176.8939.02 | Version 07 | R&S®VSE-K7

The following abbreviations are used throughout this manual: R&S®VSE is abbreviated as R&S VSE.

R&S®VSE-K7

1.1 About this Manual......................................................................................................... 5

1.2 Typographical Conventions......................................................................................... 6

2.1 Starting the R&S VSE Analog Demodulation application......................................... 7

2.2 Understanding the Display Information......................................................................8

4.1 Demodulation Process............................................................................................... 20

4.2 Demodulation Bandwidth...........................................................................................22

Contents

Contents

1 Preface.................................................................................................... 5

2 Welcome to the R&S VSE Analog Demodulation application............7

3 Measurements and Result Displays...................................................11

4 Measurement Basics........................................................................... 20

4.3 Sample Rate and Demodulation Bandwidth.............................................................22

4.4 AF Filters......................................................................................................................23

4.5 Time Domain Zoom.....................................................................................................23

4.6 Working with Spectrograms.......................................................................................25

5 Configuration........................................................................................31

5.1 Configuration According to Digital Standards.........................................................31

5.2 Configuration Overview..............................................................................................33

5.3 Input and Frontend Settings...................................................................................... 35

5.4 Trigger Source Settings..............................................................................................50

5.5 Data Acquisition..........................................................................................................54

5.6 Demodulation.............................................................................................................. 58

5.7 Adjusting Settings Automatically..............................................................................75

6 Analysis................................................................................................ 78

6.1 Trace Settings..............................................................................................................78

6.2 Trace / Data Export Configuration.............................................................................81

6.3 Spectrogram Settings.................................................................................................84

6.4 Working with Markers in the R&S VSE Analog Demodulation application........... 87

6.5 Working with Limit Lines in the R&S VSE Analog Demodulation application.... 107

6.6 Zoom Functions........................................................................................................ 120

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9.1 Introduction............................................................................................................... 126

9.2 Common Suffixes......................................................................................................130

9.3 Activating Analog Demodulation Measurements.................................................. 131

9.4 Configuring the Measurement................................................................................. 131

9.5 Configuring the Result Display................................................................................201

9.6 Retrieving Results.....................................................................................................212

9.7 Analyzing Results..................................................................................................... 223

9.8 Programming Example............................................................................................. 276

Contents

7 How to Perform Measurements in the Analog Demodulation Appli-

cation...................................................................................................122

8 Optimizing and Troubleshooting the Measurement....................... 124

9 Remote Commands for Analog Demodulation Measurements..... 125

Annex.................................................................................................. 280

A Reference............................................................................................280

A.1 Menu Reference........................................................................................................ 280

A.2 Reference of Toolbar Functions.............................................................................. 285

A.3 Predefined Standards and Settings........................................................................ 288

A.4 Formats for Returned Values: ASCII Format and Binary Format......................... 290

A.5 Reference: ASCII File Export Format...................................................................... 291

List of Remote Commands (AnalogDemod)....................................294

Index....................................................................................................302

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1.1 About this Manual

About this Manual

1 Preface

This R&S VSE Analog Demodulation User Manual provides all the information specific
to the application. All general software functions and settings common to all applica-

tions and operating modes are described in the R&S VSE Base Software User Manual.

The main focus in this manual is on the measurement results and the tasks required to
obtain them. The following topics are included:

●

Welcome to the R&S VSE Analog Demodulation application Application

Introduction to and getting familiar with the application

●

Measurements and Result Displays

Details on supported measurements and their result types

●

Measurement Basics

Background information on basic terms and principles in the context of the mea­surement

●

Configuration + Analysis

A concise description of all functions and settings available to configure measure­ments and analyze results with their corresponding remote control command

●

How to Perform Measurements in the R&S VSE Analog Demodulation appli­cation Application

The basic procedure to perform each measurement and step-by-step instructions
for more complex tasks or alternative methods

●

Measurement Examples

Detailed measurement examples to guide you through typical measurement sce­narios and allow you to try out the application immediately

●

Optimizing and Troubleshooting the Measurement

Hints and tips on how to handle errors and optimize the measurement configura­tion

●

Remote Commands for R&S VSE Analog Demodulation application Measure­ments

Remote commands required to configure and perform R&S VSE Analog Demodu­lation application measurements in a remote environment, sorted by tasks
(Commands required to set up the environment or to perform common tasks in the
software are provided in the R&S VSE Base Software User Manual)
Programming examples demonstrate the use of many commands and can usually
be executed directly for test purposes

●

List of remote commands

Alphabetical list of all remote commands described in the manual

●

Index

Preface

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1.2 Typographical Conventions

Preface

Typographical Conventions

The following text markers are used throughout this documentation:

Convention Description

"Graphical user interface ele­ments"

[Keys] Key and knob names are enclosed by square brackets.

File names, commands,
program code

Input Input to be entered by the user is displayed in italics.

Links Links that you can click are displayed in blue font.

"References" References to other parts of the documentation are enclosed by quota-

All names of graphical user interface elements on the screen, such as
dialog boxes, menus, options, buttons, and softkeys are enclosed by
quotation marks.

File names, commands, coding samples and screen output are distin­guished by their font.

tion marks.

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Welcome to the R&S VSE Analog Demodulation application

Starting the R&S VSE Analog Demodulation application

2 Welcome to the R&S VSE Analog Demodu-

lation application

The (optional) R&S VSE Analog Demodulation application converts the R&S VSE into
an analog demodulation analyzer for amplitude-, frequency- or phase-modulated sig­nals. It measures not only characteristics of the useful modulation, but also factors
such as residual FM or synchronous modulation.

The digital signal processing in the R&S VSE is also ideally suited for demodulating
AM, FM, or PM signals. The R&S VSE Analog Demodulation application provides the
necessary measurement functions. This application is optional and requires an addi­tional license.

The R&S VSE Analog Demodulation application features:

●

AM, FM, and PM demodulation, with various result displays:
– Modulation signal versus time
– Spectrum of the modulation signal (FFT)
– RF signal power versus time
– Spectrum of the RF signal

●

Determining maximum, minimum and average or current values in parallel over a
selected number of measurements

●

Error-free AM to FM conversion and vice versa, without deviation errors, frequency
response or frequency drift at DC coupling

●

Relative demodulation, in relation to a user-defined or measured reference value

This user manual contains a description of the functionality that the application pro­vides, including remote control operation.

All functions not discussed in this manual are the same as in the base unit and are
described in the R&S VSE User Manual.

2.1 Starting the R&S VSE Analog Demodulation applica­tion

The R&S VSE Analog Demodulation application is a separate application on the
R&S VSE. It is activated by creating a new measurement channel in "Analog Demod"
mode.

To activate the R&S VSE Analog Demodulation application

1.

Select the "Add Channel" function in the Sequence tool window.
A dialog box opens that contains all operating modes and applications currently

available in your R&S VSE.

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Welcome to the R&S VSE Analog Demodulation application

Understanding the Display Information

2. Select the "Analog Demodulation" item.

The R&S VSE opens a new measurement channel for the R&S VSE Analog
Demodulation application.

2.2 Understanding the Display Information

The following figure shows a measurement diagram during an Analog Demodulation
measurement. All different information areas are labeled. They are explained in more
detail in the following sections.

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Welcome to the R&S VSE Analog Demodulation application

Understanding the Display Information

1 = Color coding for windows of same channel
2 = Channel bar with measurement settings
3 = Window title bar with diagram-specific (trace) information
4 = Diagram area
5 = Diagram footer with diagram-specific information, depending on result display

Channel bar information

In the R&S VSE Analog Demodulation application, the R&S VSE shows the following
settings:

Table 2-1: Information displayed in the channel bar in the Analog Demodulation application

Ref Level Reference level

m.+el.Att Mechanical and electronic RF attenuation

Offset Reference level offset

AQT Measurement time for data acquisition.

RBW Resolution bandwidth

DBW Demodulation bandwidth

Freq Center frequency for the RF signal

Window title bar information

For each diagram, the header provides the following information:

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Welcome to the R&S VSE Analog Demodulation application

Understanding the Display Information

Figure 2-1: Window title bar information in the Analog Demodulation application

0 = Color coding for windows of same channel
1 = Edit result display function
2 = Channel name
3 = Window number
4 = Window type
5 = Trace color, trace number, detector type, trade mode
6 = AF coupling (AC/DC), only in AF time domains, if applicable
7 = Reference value (at the defined reference position)
8 = Dock/undock window function
9 = Close window function

Diagram footer information

The diagram footer (beneath the diagram) contains the following information, depend­ing on the evaluation:

RF Spectrum

CF: Center frequency
of input signal

RF Time domain

CF: Center frequency
of input signal

AF Spectrum

AF CF: center fre­quency of demodula­ted signal

AF Time domain

CF: Center frequency
of input signal

Sweep points Span: measured span

Sweep points Time per division

Sweep points AF Span: evaluated span

Sweep points Time per division

For most modes, the number of sweep points shown in the display are indicated in the
diagram footer. In zoom mode, the (rounded) number of currently displayed points are
indicated.

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Measurements and Result Displays

3 Measurements and Result Displays

Access: "Overview" > "Display Config"

Or: [MEAS] > "Display Config"

The data that was measured by the R&S VSE can be evaluated using various different
methods. In the Analog Demodulation application, up to six evaluation methods can be
displayed simultaneously in separate windows. The results can be displayed as abso­lute deviations or relative to a reference value or level.

The abbreviation "AF" (for Audio Frequency) refers to the demodulated AM, FM or PM
signal.

Result display windows

For each measurement, a separate channel is activated. Each channel can provide
multiple result displays, which are displayed in individual windows. The measurement
windows can be rearranged and configured in the R&S VSE to meet your require­ments. All windows that belong to the same measurement (including the channel bar)
are indicated by a colored line at the top of the window title bar.

►

To add further result displays for the Analog Demodulation channel, select the
"Add Window" icon from the toolbar, or select the "Window" > "New Window" menu
item.

For details on working with channels and windows see the "Operating Basics"
chapter in the R&S VSE Base Software User Manual.

Basis for evaluation

All evaluations are based on the I/Q data set acquired during the measurement. The
spectrum of the modulated signal to be evaluated is determined by the demodulation
bandwidth. However, it can be restricted to a limited span ( "AF Span" ) if only part of
the signal is of interest. Furthermore, the time base for evaluations in the time domain
can be restricted to analyze a smaller extract in more detail, see Chapter 4.5, "Time

Domain Zoom", on page 23.

Spectrograms

Spectrograms are not configured as separate result displays, but as a subwindow of
any existing graphical result display window. They are activated and deactivated in the
"Spectrogram" tab of the "Traces" settings (see Chapter 6.3, "Spectrogram Settings",
on page 84).

AM Time Domain ..........................................................................................................12

FM Time Domain ..........................................................................................................12

PM Time Domain ..........................................................................................................13

AM Spectrum ............................................................................................................... 13

FM Spectrum ................................................................................................................14

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Measurements and Result Displays

PM Spectrum ............................................................................................................... 15

RF Time Domain ..........................................................................................................15

RF Spectrum ................................................................................................................16

Result Summary ...........................................................................................................17

Marker Table ................................................................................................................ 18

Marker Peak List .......................................................................................................... 19

AM Time Domain

Displays the modulation depth of the demodulated AM signal (in %) versus time.

Remote command:

LAY:ADD? '1',RIGH,'XTIM:AM:REL'

(See LAYout:ADD[:WINDow]? on page 206)

FM Time Domain

Displays the frequency spectrum of the demodulated FM signal versus time.

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Measurements and Result Displays

Remote command:

LAY:ADD? '1',RIGH,'XTIM:FM'

(See LAYout:ADD[:WINDow]? on page 206)

PM Time Domain

Displays the phase deviations of the demodulated PM signal (in rad or °) versus time.

Remote command:

LAY:ADD? '1',RIGH,'XTIM:PM'

(See LAYout:ADD[:WINDow]? on page 206)

AM Spectrum

Displays the modulation depth of the demodulated AM signal (in % or dB) versus AF
span. The spectrum is calculated from the demodulated AM signal in the time domain
via FFT.

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Measurements and Result Displays

Remote command:

LAY:ADD? '1',RIGH,'XTIMe:AM:REL:AFSPectrum1'

(see LAYout:ADD[:WINDow]? on page 206)

FM Spectrum

Displays the frequency deviations of the demodulated FM signal (in Hz or dB) versus
AF span. The spectrum is calculated from the demodulated AM signal in the time
domain via FFT.

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Measurements and Result Displays

Remote command:

LAY:ADD? '1',RIGH,'XTIMe:FM:AFSPectrum1'

(see LAYout:ADD[:WINDow]? on page 206)

PM Spectrum

Displays the phase deviations of the demodulated PM signal (in rad, ° or dB) versus
AF span. The spectrum is calculated from the demodulated AM signal in the time
domain via FFT.

Remote command:

LAY:ADD? '1',RIGH,'XTIMe:PM:AFSPectrum1'

(see LAYout:ADD[:WINDow]? on page 206)

RF Time Domain

Displays the RF power of the input signal versus time. The level values represent the
magnitude of the I/Q data set.

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Measurements and Result Displays

Remote command:

LAY:ADD? '1',RIGH,'XTIM:AM'

(see LAYout:ADD[:WINDow]? on page 206)

RF Spectrum

Displays the spectrum of the input signal. In contrast to the Spectrum application, the
frequency values are determined using FFT from the recorded I/Q data set.

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Measurements and Result Displays

Remote command:

LAY:ADD? '1',RIGH,'XTIM:SPECTRUM'

(see LAYout:ADD[:WINDow]? on page 206)

Result Summary

The result summary displays the results of the demodulation functions for all windows
in a table.

For each demodulation, the following information is provided:

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 















power distortion noise

power total

log20dBSINAD

 











































1

2

2

2

log20

i

i

i

i

U

U

dBTHD

Measurements and Result Displays

Table 3-1: Result summary description

Label Description

+Peak Positive peak (maximum)

-Peak Negative peak (minimum)

+/-Peak/2 Average of positive and negative peaks

RMS Root Mean Square value

Mod Freq Modulation frequency

SINAD Signal-to-noise-and-distortion

(Calculated only if AF Spectrum is displayed)
Measures the ratio of the total power to the power of noise and harmonic distortions.

The noise and harmonic power is calculated inside the AF spectrum span. The DC
offset is removed before the calculation.

THD Total harmonic distortion

The ratio of the harmonics to the fundamental and harmonics. All harmonics inside
the AF spectrum span are considered up to the tenth harmonic.

(Calculated only if AF Spectrum is displayed)

Note: Relative demodulation results. Optionally, the demodulation results in relation to
user-defined or measured reference values are determined. See Chapter 5.6.6, "Result

Table Settings", on page 72.

In addition, the following general information for the input signal is provided:

●

Carrier Power: the power of the carrier without modulation

●

Carrier Offset: the deviation of the calculated carrier frequency to the ideal carrier
frequency

●

Modulation Depth (AM or RF Time Domain only): the difference in amplitude the
carrier signal is modulated with

Remote command:
LAY:ADD? '1',RIGH,RSUM, see LAYout:ADD[:WINDow]? on page 206
Results:

CALCulate<n>:MARKer<m>:FUNCtion:ADEMod:PM[:RESult<t>]? on page 219
CALCulate<n>:MARKer<m>:FUNCtion:ADEMod:PM[:RESult<t>]:RELative?

on page 220

Marker Table

Displays a table with the current marker values for the active markers.
This table is displayed automatically if configured accordingly (see " Marker Table Dis-

play " on page 92).

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Measurements and Result Displays

Remote command:
LAY:ADD? '1',RIGH, MTAB, see LAYout:ADD[:WINDow]? on page 206
Results:

CALCulate<n>:MARKer<m>:X on page 225
CALCulate<n>:MARKer<m>:Y? on page 225

Marker Peak List

The marker peak list determines the frequencies and levels of peaks in the spectrum or
time domain. How many peaks are displayed can be defined, as well as the sort order.
In addition, the detected peaks can be indicated in the diagram. The peak list can also
be exported to a file for analysis in an external application.

Remote command:
LAY:ADD? '1',RIGH, PEAK, see LAYout:ADD[:WINDow]? on page 206
Results:

CALCulate<n>:MARKer<m>:X on page 225
CALCulate<n>:MARKer<m>:Y? on page 225

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4.1 Demodulation Process

Measurement Basics

Demodulation Process

4 Measurement Basics

Some background knowledge on basic terms and principles used in Analog Demodula­tion measurements is provided here for a better understanding of the required configu­ration settings.

● Demodulation Process............................................................................................20

● Demodulation Bandwidth........................................................................................ 22

● Sample Rate and Demodulation Bandwidth........................................................... 22

● AF Filters.................................................................................................................23

● Time Domain Zoom.................................................................................................23

● Working with Spectrograms.................................................................................... 25

The demodulation process is shown in Figure 4-1. All calculations are performed simul­taneously with the same I/Q data set. Magnitude (= amplitude) and phase of the com­plex I/Q pairs are determined. The frequency result is obtained from the differential
phase.

For details on general I/Q data processing in the R&S VSE, refer to the reference part
of the I/Q Analysis remote control description in the R&S VSE User Manual.

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Measurement Basics

Demodulation Process

Figure 4-1: Block diagram of software demodulator

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Measurement Basics

Sample Rate and Demodulation Bandwidth

The AM DC, FM DC and PM DC raw data of the demodulators is fed into the "Trace
Arithmetic" block that combines consecutive data sets. Possible trace modes are:
Clear Write, Max Hold, Min Hold and Average. The output data of the "Trace Arith­metic" block can be read via remote control ([SENS:]ADEM:<evaluation>:RES?,
see [SENSe:]ADEMod<n>:AM[:ABSolute][:TDOMain]:RESult? on page 213.

The collected measured values are evaluated by the selected detector. The result is
displayed on the screen and can be read out via remote control.

In addition, important parameters are calculated:

●

A counter determines the modulation frequency for AM, FM, and PM.

●

average power = carrier power (RF power)

●

average frequency = carrier frequency offset (FM)

●

The modulation depth or the frequency or phase deviation; the deviations are
determined from the trace data

AC coupling is possible with FM and PM display.

4.2 Demodulation Bandwidth

The demodulation bandwidth determines the span of the signal that is demodulated. It
is not the 3 dB bandwidth of the filter but the useful bandwidth which is distortion-free
with regard to phase and amplitude.

Therefore the following formulas apply:

●

AM: demodulation bandwidth ≥ 2 x modulation frequency

●

FM: demodulation bandwidth ≥ 2 x (frequency deviation + modulation frequency)

●

PM: demodulation bandwidth ≥ 2 x modulation frequency x (1 + phase deviation)

If the center frequency of the analyzer is not set exactly to the signal frequency, the
demodulation bandwidth must be increased by the carrier offset, in addition to the
requirement described above. This also applies if FM or PM AC coupling has been
selected.

In general, the demodulation bandwidth should be as narrow as possible to improve
the S/N ratio. The residual FM caused by noise floor and phase noise increases dra­matically with the bandwidth, especially with FM.

For help on determining the adequate demodulation bandwidth see "Determining the

demodulation bandwidth" on page 124.

4.3 Sample Rate and Demodulation Bandwidth

The maximum demodulation bandwidths that can be obtained during the measure­ment, depending on the sample rate, are listed in the tables below for different demod-

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Measurement Basics

Time Domain Zoom

ulation filter types. The allowed value range of the measurement time and trigger offset
depends on the selected demodulation bandwidth and demodulation filter. If the AF fil­ter or the AF trigger are not active, the measurement time increases by 20 %.

A maximum of 24 million samples can be captured, assuming sufficient memory is
available; thus the maximum measurement time can be determined according to the
following formula:

Meas.time

The minimum trigger offset is (-Meas.time

Large numbers of samples

Principally, the R&S VSE can handle up to 24 million samples. However, when 480001
samples are exceeded, all traces that are not currently being displayed in a window are
deactivated to improve performance. The traces can only be activated again when the
samples are reduced.

= Sample count

max

/ sample rate

max

max

)

Effects of measurement time on the stability of measurement results

Despite amplitude and frequency modulation, the display of carrier power and carrier
frequency offset is stable.

This is achieved by a digital filter which sufficiently suppresses the modulation, provi­ded, however, that the measurement time is ≥ 3 x 1 / modulation frequency, i.e. that at
least three periods of the AF signal are recorded.

The mean carrier power for calculating the AM is also calculated with a digital filter that
returns stable results after a measurement time of ≥ 3 x 1 / modulation frequency, i.e.
at least three cycles of the AF signal must be recorded before a stable AM can be
shown.

4.4 AF Filters

Additional filters applied after demodulation help filter out unwanted signals, or correct
pre-emphasized input signals. A CCITT filter allows you to evaluate the signal by simu­lating the characteristics of human hearing.

4.5 Time Domain Zoom

For evaluations in the time domain, the demodulated data for a particular time span
can be extracted and displayed in more detail using the "Time Domain Zoom" function.
This is useful if the measurement time is very large and thus each sweep point repre­sents a large time span. The time domain zoom function distributes the available
sweep points only among the time span defined by the zoom area length. The time
span displayed per division of the diagram is decreased. Thus, the display of the
extracted time span becomes more precise.

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Measurement Basics

Time Domain Zoom

Figure 4-2: FM time domain measurement with a very long measurement time (200 ms)

Figure 4-3: FM time domain measurement with time domain zoom (2.0 ms per division)

The time domain zoom area affects not only the diagram display, but the entire evalua­tion for the current window.

In contrast to the time domain zoom, the graphical zoom is available for all diagram
evaluations. However, the graphical zoom is useful only if more measured values than
trace points are available. The (time) span represented by each measurement point
remains the same.

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Measurement Basics

Working with Spectrograms

Time domain zoom Graphical zoom

4.6 Working with Spectrograms

In addition to the standard "level versus frequency" or "level versus time" traces, the
R&S VSE Analog Demodulation application also provides a spectrogram display of the
measured data. A special feature of the R&S VSE software is that it provides spectro­grams for applications based on I/Q data, such as the I/Q Analyzer and the Analog
Demodulation application.

A spectrogram shows how the spectral density of a signal varies over time. The x-axis
shows the frequency, the y-axis shows the time. A third dimension, the power level, is
indicated by different colors. Thus you can see how the strength of the signal varies
over time for different frequencies.

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Measurement Basics

Working with Spectrograms

Example:

In this example you see the spectrogram for the calibration signal of an R&S FSW,
compared to the standard spectrum display. Since the signal does not change over
time, the color of the frequency levels does not change over time, i.e. vertically. The
legend above the spectrogram display describes the power levels the colors represent.

Spectrogram based on specific trace

The R&S VSE software allows you to define which trace of a particular result display
the Spectrogram is calculated from, if multiple traces are available. For example, if a
Spectrum is displayed with a Maxhold, a Minhold and an Average trace, you can acti­vate a Spectrogram that displays the maximum, minimum, or average power levels
over time and frequency.

Result display

The spectrogram result can consist of the following elements:

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Measurement Basics

Working with Spectrograms

2

1

7

3

6

5

Figure 4-4: Display elements for a result display with a spectrogram subwindow

1 = Main result display (in this case: Spectrum)
2 = Marker info with frame number
3 = Spectrogram subwindow title with trace information
4 = Color map
5 = Spectrogram subwindow
6 = Current frame indicators
7 = Deltamarker in Spectrogram and Spectrum displays
8 = Current frame number

4

6

7

8

For more information about spectrogram configuration see Chapter 6.3, "Spectrogram

Settings", on page 84.

Remote commands:

Activating and configuring spectrograms:

Chapter 9.4.11, "Configuring Spectrograms", on page 195

Storing results:

MMEMory:STORe<n>:SPECtrogram on page 216

● Time Frames...........................................................................................................27

● Color Maps..............................................................................................................28

4.6.1 Time Frames

The time information in the spectrogram is displayed vertically, along the y-axis. Each
line (or trace) of the y-axis represents one or more captured sweep and is called a
time frame or simply "frame". As with standard spectrum traces, several measured
values are combined in one sweep point using the selected detector.

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Measurement Basics

Working with Spectrograms

Frames are sorted in chronological order, beginning with the most recently recorded
frame at the top of the diagram (frame number 0). With the next sweep, the previous
frame is moved further down in the diagram, until the maximum number of captured
frames is reached. The display is updated continuously during the measurement, and
the measured trace data is stored. Spectrogram displays are continued even after sin­gle measurements unless they are cleared manually.

The maximum number of frames that you can capture depends on the number of
sweep points that are analyzed during the measurement.

The scaling of the time axis (y-axis) is not configurable. However, you can enlarge the
spectrogram display to the full window size using the State: "Full" .

Displaying individual frames

The spectrogram diagram contains all stored frames since it was last cleared. Arrows
on the left and right border of the spectrogram indicate the currently selected frame.
The spectrum diagram always displays the spectrum for the currently selected frame.

The current frame number is indicated in the diagram footer. The current frame, dis­played at the top of the diagram, is frame number 0. Older frames further down in the
diagram are indicated by a negative index, e.g. "-10" . You can display the spectrum
diagram of a previous frame by changing the current frame number.

4.6.2 Color Maps

The color display is highly configurable to adapt the spectrograms to your needs. You
can define:

●

Which colors to use (Color scheme)

●

Which value range to apply the color scheme to

●

How the colors are distributed within the value range, i.e where the focus of the vis­ualization lies (shape of the color curve)

The individual colors are assigned to the power levels automatically by the R&S VSE.

The Color Scheme

●

Hot

Uses a color range from blue to red. Blue colors indicate low levels, red colors indi­cate high ones.

●

Cold

Uses a color range from red to blue. Red colors indicate low levels, blue colors
indicate high ones.
The "Cold" color scheme is the inverse "Hot" color scheme.

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Measurement Basics

Working with Spectrograms

●

Radar

Uses a color range from black over green to light turquoise with shades of green in
between. Dark colors indicate low levels, light colors indicate high ones.

●

Grayscale

Shows the results in shades of gray. Dark gray indicates low levels, light gray indi­cates high ones.

The Value Range of the Color Map

If the measured values only cover a small area in the spectrogram, you can optimize
the displayed value range so it becomes easier to distinguish between values that are
close together. Display only parts of interest.

The Shape and Focus of the Color Curve

The color mapping function assigns a specified color to a specified power level in the
spectrogram display. By default, colors on the color map are distributed evenly. How­ever, to visualize a certain area of the value range in greater detail than the rest, you
can set the focus of the color mapping to that area. Changing the focus is performed
by changing the shape of the color curve.

The color curve is a tool to shift the focus of the color distribution on the color map. By
default, the color curve is linear. If you shift the curve to the left or right, the distribution
becomes non-linear. The slope of the color curve increases or decreases. One end of
the color palette then covers a large range of results, while the other end distributes
several colors over a relatively small result range.

You can use this feature to put the focus on a particular region in the diagram and to be
able to detect small variations of the signal.

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Working with Spectrograms

Example:

In the color map based on the linear color curve, the range from -100 dBm to -60 dBm
is covered by blue and a few shades of green only. The range from -60 dBm to

-20 dBm is covered by red, yellow and a few shades of green.

Figure 4-5: Spectrogram with (default) linear color curve shape = 0

The sample spectrogram is dominated by blue and green colors. After shifting the color
curve to the left (negative value), more colors cover the range from -100 dBm to

-60 dBm (blue, green and yellow). This range occurs more often in the example. The
range from -60 dBm to -20 dBm, on the other hand, is dominated by various shades of
red only.

Figure 4-6: Spectrogram with non-linear color curve (shape = -0.5)

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Configuration

Configuration According to Digital Standards

5 Configuration

Access: "Meas Setup" > "Overview"

Analog demodulation measurements require a special application on the R&S VSE.

General R&S VSE functions

The application-independent functions for general tasks on the R&S VSE are also
available for Analog Demodulation measurements and are described in the R&S VSE
Base Software User Manual. In particular, this comprises the following functionality:

●

Controlling Instruments and Capturing I/Q Data

●

Output settings

●

Data Management

●

General Software Preferences and Information

Multiple access paths to functionality

The easiest way to configure a measurement channel is via the "Overview" dialog box.
Alternatively, you can access the individual dialog boxes from the corresponding menu

items, or via tools in the toolbars, if available.
In this documentation, only the most convenient method of accessing the dialog boxes

is indicated - usually via the "Overview". For an overview of all available menu items
and toolbar icons see Chapter A, "Reference", on page 280.

Predefined settings

For commonly performed measurements, standard setup files are provided for quick
and easy configuration. Simply load an existing standard settings file and, if necessary,
adapt the measurement settings to your specific requirements.

For an overview of predefined standards and settings see Chapter A.3, "Predefined

Standards and Settings", on page 288.

● Configuration According to Digital Standards......................................................... 31

● Configuration Overview...........................................................................................33

● Input and Frontend Settings....................................................................................35

● Trigger Source Settings.......................................................................................... 50

● Data Acquisition...................................................................................................... 54

● Demodulation..........................................................................................................58

● Adjusting Settings Automatically.............................................................................75

5.1 Configuration According to Digital Standards

Access: "Meas Setup" > "Overview" > "Setup Standard"

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Configuration According to Digital Standards

Various predefined settings files for common digital standards are provided for use with
the Analog Demodulation application. In addition, you can create your own settings
files for user-specific measurements.

For details on which settings are defined and an overview of predefined standards see

Chapter A.3, "Predefined Standards and Settings", on page 288.

Setup Standard ............................................................................................................ 32

└ Selecting Storage Location - Drive/ Path/ Files.............................................. 32

└ File Name .......................................................................................................32

└ Load Standard ............................................................................................... 33

└ Save Standard ............................................................................................... 33

└ Delete Standard .............................................................................................33

└ Restore Standard Files .................................................................................. 33

Setup Standard

Opens a file selection dialog box to select a predefined setup file. The predefined set­tings are configured in the R&S VSE Analog Demodulation application. This allows for
quick and easy configuration for commonly performed measurements.

Selecting Storage Location - Drive/ Path/ Files ← Setup Standard

Select the storage location of the file on the software or an external drive.
The default storage location for the settings files is:

C:\ProgramData\Rohde-Schwarz\VSE\<version_no>\user\predefined\
AdemodPredefined.

The default storage location for the SEM settings files is:
C:\ProgramData\Rohde-Schwarz\VSE\<version>\sem_std.

File Name ← Setup Standard

Contains the name of the data file without the path or extension.
File names must be compatible with the Windows conventions for file names. In partic-

ular, they must not contain special characters such as ":", "*", "?".

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Configuration Overview

For details on the filename and location, see the R&S VSE Base Software User Man­ual.

For details on the filename and location, see the "Data Management" topic in the
R&S VSE User Manual.

Load Standard ← Setup Standard

Loads the selected measurement settings file.
Remote command:

[SENSe:]ADEMod<n>:PRESet[:STANdard] on page 132

Save Standard ← Setup Standard

Saves the current measurement settings for a specific standard as a file with the
defined name.

Remote command:

[SENSe:]ADEMod<n>:PRESet:STORe on page 133

Delete Standard ← Setup Standard

Deletes the selected standard. Standards predefined by Rohde & Schwarz can also be
deleted. A confirmation query is displayed to avoid unintentional deletion of the stan­dard.

Note: Restoring predefined standard files. The standards predefined by Rohde &
Schwarz available at the time of delivery can be restored using the "Restore Standard
Files" function (see " Restore Standard Files " on page 33).

Restore Standard Files ← Setup Standard

Restores the standards predefined by Rohde & Schwarz available at the time of deliv­ery.

Note that this function will overwrite customized standards that have the same name
as predefined standards.

Remote command:

[SENSe:]ADEMod<n>:PRESet:RESTore on page 132

5.2 Configuration Overview

Access: "Meas Setup" > "Overview"

Throughout the measurement configuration, an overview of the most important cur­rently defined settings is provided in the "Overview".

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Configuration Overview

In addition to the main measurement settings, the "Overview" provides quick access to
the main settings dialog boxes. Thus, you can easily configure an entire Analog
Demodulation measurement channel from input over processing to output and analysis
by stepping through the dialog boxes as indicated in the "Overview".

In particular, the "Overview" provides quick access to the following configuration dialog
boxes (listed in the recommended order of processing):

1. Input/Frontend

See Chapter 5.3, "Input and Frontend Settings", on page 35

2. Trigger

See Chapter 5.4, "Trigger Source Settings", on page 50

3. Data Acquisition

See Chapter 5.5, "Data Acquisition", on page 54

4. Demodulation Settings

See Chapter 5.6, "Demodulation", on page 58

5. Analysis

See Chapter 6, "Analysis", on page 78

To configure settings

► Select any button in the "Overview" or select a setting in the channel's global info

bar to open the corresponding dialog box.

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Input and Frontend Settings

Preset Channel

Select the "Preset Channel" button in the lower left-hand corner of the "Overview" to
restore all measurement settings in the current channel to their default values.

Remote command:

SYSTem:PRESet:CHANnel[:EXEC] on page 131

Setup Standard

Opens a file selection dialog box to select a predefined setup file. See " Setup Stan-

dard " on page 32.

Specifics for

The channel may contain several windows for different results. Thus, the settings indi­cated in the "Overview" and configured in the dialog boxes vary depending on the
selected window.

Select an active window from the "Specifics for" selection list that is displayed in the
"Overview" and in all window-specific configuration dialog boxes.

The "Overview" and dialog boxes are updated to indicate the settings for the selected
window.

5.3 Input and Frontend Settings

Access: "Overview" > "Input/Frontend"

or: "Input & Output"

The source and characteristics of the input signal to be demodulated are configured in
the "Input" dialog box.

● Input Source Settings..............................................................................................35

● Amplitude................................................................................................................ 45

● Frequency............................................................................................................... 49

5.3.1 Input Source Settings

Access: "Overview" > "Input/Frontend" > "Input Source"

Or: "Input & Output" > "Input Source"

The R&S VSE can control the input sources of the connected instruments.

● Radio Frequency Input............................................................................................35

● Oscilloscope Baseband Input..................................................................................41

● I/Q File Input............................................................................................................43

5.3.1.1 Radio Frequency Input

Access: "Overview" > "Input/Frontend" > "Input Source" > "Radio Frequency"

Or: "Input & Output" > "Input Source" > "Radio Frequency"

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Input and Frontend Settings

The default input source for the connected instrument is "Radio Frequency". Depend­ing on the connected instrument, different input parameters are available.

Figure 5-1: RF input source settings for an R&S FSW with B2000 option

If the Frequency Response Correction option (R&S VSE-K544) is installed, the R&S
VSE Analog Demodulation application also supports frequency response correction
using Touchstone (.snp) files or .fres files.

For details on user-defined frequency response correction, see the R&S VSE Base
Software User Manual.

Input Type (Instrument / File)........................................................................................37

Instrument..................................................................................................................... 37

Input Coupling ..............................................................................................................37

Impedance ................................................................................................................... 37

Direct Path ................................................................................................................... 37

High Pass Filter 1 to 3 GHz ..........................................................................................38

YIG-Preselector ............................................................................................................38

Capture Mode............................................................................................................... 38

B2000 State.................................................................................................................. 39

RTO Sample Rate.........................................................................................................39

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Input and Frontend Settings

RTO Splitter Mode.........................................................................................................40

RTO IP Address............................................................................................................40

Preselector State...........................................................................................................40

Preselector Mode..........................................................................................................40

10 dB Minimum Attenuation..........................................................................................41

Input Selection.............................................................................................................. 41

Input Type (Instrument / File)

Selects an instrument or a file as the type of input provided to the channel.
Remote command:

INSTrument:BLOCk:CHANnel[:SETTings]:SOURce<si> on page 139
INPut<ip>:SELect on page 138

Instrument

Specifies a configured instrument to be used for input.

Input Coupling

The RF input of the connected instrument can be coupled by alternating current (AC)
or direct current (DC).

AC coupling blocks any DC voltage from the input signal. This is the default setting to
prevent damage to the instrument. Very low frequencies in the input signal may be dis­torted.

However, some specifications require DC coupling. In this case, you must protect the
instrument from damaging DC input voltages manually. For details, refer to the data
sheet.

Remote command:

INPut<ip>:COUPling on page 134

Impedance

For some measurements, the reference impedance for the measured levels of the con­nected instrument can be set to 50 Ω or 75 Ω.

Select 75 Ω if the 50 Ω input impedance is transformed to a higher impedance using a
75 Ω adapter of the RAZ type. (That corresponds to 25Ω in series to the input impe­dance of the instrument.) The correction value in this case is 1.76 dB = 10 log (75Ω/
50Ω).

Remote command:

INPut<ip>:IMPedance on page 136

Direct Path

Enables or disables the use of the direct path for small frequencies.
In spectrum analyzers, passive analog mixers are used for the first conversion of the

input signal. In such mixers, the LO signal is coupled into the IF path due to its limited
isolation. The coupled LO signal becomes visible at the RF frequency 0 Hz. This effect
is referred to as LO feedthrough.

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Configuration

Input and Frontend Settings

To avoid the LO feedthrough the spectrum analyzer provides an alternative signal path
to the A/D converter, referred to as the direct path. By default, the direct path is
selected automatically for RF frequencies close to zero. However, this behavior can be
deactivated. If "Direct Path" is set to "Off" , the spectrum analyzer always uses the ana­log mixer path.

"Auto"

"Off"
Remote command:

INPut<ip>:DPATh on page 134

High Pass Filter 1 to 3 GHz

Activates an additional internal high-pass filter for RF input signals from 1 GHz to
3 GHz. This filter is used to remove the harmonics of the analyzer to measure the har­monics for a DUT, for example.

This function may require an additional hardware option on the connected instrument.
Remote command:

INPut<ip>:FILTer:HPASs[:STATe] on page 135

(Default) The direct path is used automatically for frequencies close
to zero.

The analog mixer path is always used.

YIG-Preselector

Activates or deactivates the YIG-preselector, if available on the connected instrument.
An internal YIG-preselector at the input of the connected instrument ensures that

image frequencies are rejected. However, this is only possible for a restricted band­width. To use the maximum bandwidth for signal analysis you can deactivate the YIG­preselector at the input of the connected instrument, which can lead to image-fre­quency display.

Remote command:

INPut<ip>:FILTer:YIG[:STATe] on page 136

Capture Mode

Determines how data from an oscilloscope is input to the R&S VSE software.
This function is only available for a connected R&S RTO with a firmware version

3.0.1.1 or higher (for other versions and instruments the input is always I/Q data).
"I/Q"

The measured waveform is converted to I/Q data directly on the R&S
RTO (requires option R&S RTO-K11), and input to the R&S VSE soft­ware as I/Q data.
For data imports with small bandwidths, importing data in this format
is quicker. However, the maximum record length is restricted by the
R&S RTO. (Memory options on the R&S RTO are not available for I/Q
data.)
This mode is not available for Oscilloscope Baseband Input.

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Configuration

Input and Frontend Settings

"Waveform"

"Auto"

Remote command:

INPut<ip>:RF:CAPMode on page 137

B2000 State

Activates the optional 2 GHz bandwidth extension (R&S FSW-B2000).
Note: The R&S VSE software supports input from a connected R&S FSW with a

B2000 option installed. However, the R&S FSW interface to the oscilloscope must be
set up and aligned directly on the instrument before the R&S VSE software can start
analyzing the input.
The analysis bandwidth is defined in the data acquisition settings of the application as
usual. Note that the maximum bandwidth cannot be restricted manually as for other
bandwidth extension options.

Manual operation on the connected oscilloscope, or remote operation other than by the
R&S VSE, is not possible while the B2000 option is active.

The data is input in its original waveform format and converted to I/Q
data in the R&S VSE software. No additional options are required on
the R&S RTO.
For Oscilloscope Baseband Input, the capture mode is automatically
set to "Waveform". I and Q data is sampled in separate channels in
its original waveform format. The separately captured I and Q wave­form samples are converted to complex I/Q data in the R&S VSE.
For data imports with large bandwidths, this format is more conven­ient as it allows for longer record lengths if appropriate memory
options are available on the R&S RTO.

Uses "I/Q" mode when possible, and "Waveform" only when required
by the application (e.g. Pulse measurement, Oscilloscope Baseband
Input).

Remote command:

SYSTem:COMMunicate:RDEVice:OSCilloscope[:STATe] on page 140

RTO Sample Rate

Determines whether the 10 GHz mode (default) or 20 GHz mode of the connected
oscilloscope is used. The 20 GHz mode achieves a higher decimation gain, but
reduces the record length by half.

This setting is only available if an R&S RTO is used to obtain the input data, either
directly or via the R&S FSW.

When using an oscilloscope as the input source, the following restrictions apply for this
setting:

●

Only available for R&S RTO models that support a sample rate of 20 GHz (see
data sheet)

●

For R&S RTO-2064 with an analysis bandwidth of 4 GHz or larger, a sample rate of
20 GHZ is always used

Remote command:
Input source R&S FSW via R&S RTO:

SYSTem:COMMunicate:RDEVice:OSCilloscope:SRATe on page 141

Input source R&S RTO:

INPut<ip>:RF:CAPMode:WAVeform:SRATe on page 138

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Configuration

Input and Frontend Settings

RTO Splitter Mode

Activates the use of the power splitter inserted between the [IF 2 GHZ OUT] connector
of the R&S FSW and the [CH1] and [CH3] input connectors of the oscilloscope. Note
that this mode requires an additional alignment with the power splitter.

For details see the R&S FSW I/Q Analyzer and I/Q Input User Manual.
Remote command:

SYSTem:COMMunicate:RDEVice:OSCilloscope:PSMode[:STATe] on page 141

RTO IP Address

When using the optional 2 GHz bandwidth extension (R&S FSW-B2000) with an R&S
FSW as the connected instrument, the entire measurement, as well as both instru­ments, are controlled by the R&S VSE software. Thus, the instruments must be con­nected via LAN, and the TCPIP address of the oscilloscope must be defined in the
R&S VSE software.

For tips on how to determine the computer name or TCPIP address, see the oscillo­scope's user documentation.

Remote command:

SYSTem:COMMunicate:RDEVice:OSCilloscope:TCPip on page 140

Preselector State

Turns the preselector on and off.
When you turn on the preselector, you can configure the characteristics of the prese-

lector and add the preamplifier into the signal path.
When you turn off the preselector, the signal bypasses the preselector and the pream-

plifier, and is fed into the input mixer directly.
Remote command:

INPut<ip>:PRESelection[:STATe] on page 137

Preselector Mode

Selects the preselection filters to be applied to the measurement.
"Auto"

"Auto Wide"

"Auto Narrow"

"Manual"

Automatically applies all available bandpass filters in a measurement.
Available with the optional preamplifier.

Automatically applies the wideband filters consecutively:

●

Lowpass 40 MHz

●

Bandpass 30 MHz to 2250 MHz

●

Bandpass 2 GHz to 8 GHz

●

Bandpass 8 GHz to 26.5 GHz
Available with the optional preselector.
Automatically applies the most suitable narrowband preselection fil-

ters in a measurement, depending on the bandwidth you have
selected.
For measurement frequencies up to 30 MHz, the connected instru­ment uses combinations of lowpass and highpass filters. For higher
frequencies, the connected instrument uses bandpass filters.
Available with the optional preselector.

Applies the filter settings you have defined manually.

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Configuration

Input and Frontend Settings

Remote command:

INPut<ip>:PRESelection:SET on page 136

10 dB Minimum Attenuation

Turns the availability of attenuation levels of less than 10 dB on and off.
When you turn on this feature, the attenuation is always at least 10 dB. This minimum

attenuation protects the input mixer and avoids accidental setting of 0 dB, especially if
you measure DUTs with high RFI voltage.

When you turn it off, you can also select attenuation levels of less than 10 dB.
The setting applies to a manual selection of the attenuation as well as the automatic

selection of the attenuation.
Remote command:

INPut<ip>:ATTenuation:PROTection[:STATe] on page 134

Input Selection

Selects the RF input connector you would like to use for a measurement.
Note that you cannot use both RF inputs simultaneously.
Remote command:

Global: INPut<ip>:TYPE on page 138

5.3.1.2 Oscilloscope Baseband Input

Access: "Overview" > "Input" > "Input Source" > "Oscilloscope Baseband"

If the Frequency Response Correction option (R&S VSE-K544) is installed, the R&S
VSE Analog Demodulation application also supports frequency response correction
using Touchstone (.snp) files or .fres files.

For details on user-defined frequency response correction, see the R&S VSE Base
Software User Manual.

Input Type (Instrument / File)........................................................................................42

Instrument..................................................................................................................... 42

Input Source..................................................................................................................42

I/Q Mode ...................................................................................................................... 42

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Input and Frontend Settings

I/Q Skew........................................................................................................................43

Impedance ................................................................................................................... 43

Center Frequency ........................................................................................................ 43

Signal Path....................................................................................................................43

Input Type (Instrument / File)

Selects an instrument or a file as the type of input provided to the channel.
Remote command:

INSTrument:BLOCk:CHANnel[:SETTings]:SOURce<si> on page 139
INPut<ip>:SELect on page 138

Instrument

Specifies a configured instrument to be used for input.

Input Source

Configures the source of input (and channel) on the selected instrument to be used.
"RF"
"Channel 1 | Channel 2 | Channel 3 | Channel 4 "

"Channel 1,2 (I+Q)"

"Channel 1,3 (I+Q) | Channel 2,4 (I+Q)"

"Channels 1-4 (diff. I+Q)"

Radio Frequency ("RF INPUT" connector)

Oscilloscope input channel 1, 2, 3, or 4

I/Q data provided by oscilloscope input channels 1 and 2 (for oscillo­scopes with 2 channels only)

I/Q data provided by oscilloscope input channels 1 and 3, or 2 and 4
(for oscilloscopes with 4 channels only)

Differential I/Q data provided by oscilloscope input channels (for oscil­loscopes with 4 channels only):
Channel 1: I (pos.)
Channel 2: Ī (neg.)
Channel 3: Q (pos.)
Channel 4: Ǭ (neg.)

Remote command:

INSTrument:BLOCk:CHANnel[:SETTings]:SOURce<si>:TYPE on page 139

I/Q Mode

Defines the format of the input signal.
For more information on I/Q data processing modes, see the R&S VSE I/Q Analyzer

and I/Q Input User Manual.
"I/Q"

"I Only / Low IF I"

Both components of the complex input signal (in-phase component,
quadrature component) are filtered and resampled to the sample rate
of the application.

The input signal at the channel providing I data is filtered and resam­pled to the sample rate of the application.
The input signal is down-converted with the center frequency (Low IF

I).

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Configuration

Input and Frontend Settings

Remote command:

INPut<ip>:IQ:OSC:TYPE on page 144

I/Q Skew

Compensates for skewed I/Q values, e.g. due to different input cables

Define the delay values individually for the I and Q channels. For differential input,
changing the positive skew automatically also changes the negative skew (but not vice
versa).

Depending on the connected oscilloscope, values between ±100 ns are allowed.
Remote command:

INPut<ip>:IQ:OSC:SKEW:I on page 143
INPut<ip>:IQ:OSC:SKEW:I:INVerted on page 144
INPut<ip>:IQ:OSC:SKEW:Q on page 144
INPut<ip>:IQ:OSC:SKEW:Q:INVerted on page 144

Impedance

For some measurements, the reference impedance for the measured levels of the con­nected instrument can be set to 50 Ω or 75 Ω.

Select 75 Ω if the 50 Ω input impedance is transformed to a higher impedance using a
75 Ω adapter of the RAZ type. (That corresponds to 25Ω in series to the input impe­dance of the instrument.) The correction value in this case is 1.76 dB = 10 log (75Ω/
50Ω).

Remote command:

INPut<ip>:IMPedance on page 136

Center Frequency

Defines the center frequency for Oscilloscope Baseband Input.
Note: If the analysis bandwidth to either side of the defined center frequency exceeds

the allowed range, an error is displayed. In this case, adjust the center frequency or the
analysis bandwidth.

Remote command:

[SENSe:]FREQuency:CENTer on page 146

Signal Path

Illustrates the signal path used for the currrent baseband input settings.

5.3.1.3 I/Q File Input

Access: "Overview" > "Input/Frontend" > "Input Source" > "I/Q File"

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Configuration

Input and Frontend Settings

Or: "Input & Output" > "Input Source" > "I/Q File"

Alternatively to "live" data input from a connected instrument, measurement data to be
analyzed by the R&S VSE software can also be provided "offline" by a stored data file.
This allows you to perform a measurement on any instrument, store the results to a
file, and analyze the stored data partially or as a whole at any time using the R&S VSE
software.

Loading a file via drag&drop

As of R&S VSE software version 1.30, you can load a file simply by selecting it in a file
explorer and dragging it to the R&S VSE software. Drop it into the "Measurement
Group Setup" window or the channel bar for any channel. The channel is automatically
configured for file input, if necessary. If the file contains all essential information, the file
input is immediately displayed in the channel. Otherwise, the "Recall I/Q Recording"
dialog box is opened for the selected file so you can enter the missing information.

If the file contains data from multiple channels (e.g. from LTE measurements), it can be
loaded to individual input sources, if the application supports them.

For details see the R&S VSE Base Software User Manual.

The "Input Source" settings defined in the "Input" dialog box are identical to those con­figured for a specific channel in the "Measurement Group Setup" window.

(See "Controlling Instruments and Capturing Data" in the R&S VSE User Manual).

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Configuration

Input and Frontend Settings

If the Frequency Response Correction option (R&S VSE-K544) is installed, the R&S
VSE Analog Demodulation application also supports frequency response correction
using Touchstone (.snp) files or .fres files.

For details on user-defined frequency response correction, see the R&S VSE Base
Software User Manual.

Input Type (Instrument / File)........................................................................................45

Input File....................................................................................................................... 45

Zero Padding.................................................................................................................45

Input Type (Instrument / File)

Selects an instrument or a file as the type of input provided to the channel.
Remote command:

INSTrument:BLOCk:CHANnel[:SETTings]:SOURce<si> on page 139
INPut<ip>:SELect on page 138

Input File

Specifies the I/Q data file to be used for input.
Select "Select File" to open the "Load I/Q File" dialog box.
(See "Data Management - Loading the I/Q Data File" in the R&S VSE User Manual).

Zero Padding

Enables or disables zero padding for input from an I/Q data file that requires resam­pling. For resampling, a number of samples are required due to filter settling. These
samples can either be taken from the provided I/Q data, or the R&S VSE software can
add the required number of samples (zeros) at the beginning and end of the file.

If enabled, the required number of samples are inserted as zeros at the beginning and
end of the file. The entire input data is analyzed. However, the additional zeros can
effect the determined spectrum of the I/Q data. If zero padding is enabled, a status
message is displayed.

If disabled (default), no zeros are added. The required samples for filter settling are
taken from the provided I/Q data in the file. The start time in the R&S VSE Player is
adapted to the actual start (after filter settling).

Note: You can activate zero padding directly when you load the file, or afterwards in
the "Input Source" settings.

Remote command:

INPut<ip>:FILE:ZPADing on page 135

5.3.2 Amplitude

Access: "Overview" > "Input" > "Amplitude"

or: "Input & Output" > "Amplitude"

Amplitude settings are identical to the base unit.

For background information on amplitude settings see the R&S VSE User Manual.

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Configuration

Input and Frontend Settings

Reference Level ...........................................................................................................46

└ Shifting the Display ( Offset ).......................................................................... 46

└ Unit .................................................................................................................47

└

Setting the Reference Level Automatically ( Auto Level )...........................47

Mechanical Attenuation.................................................................................................47

└ Attenuation Mode / Value ...............................................................................47

Using Electronic Attenuation ........................................................................................48

Input Settings................................................................................................................ 48

└ Input Coupling ................................................................................................48

└ Impedance ..................................................................................................... 49

Reference Level

Defines the expected maximum reference level. Signal levels above this value may not
be measured correctly. This is indicated by an "IF Overload" status display.

The reference level can also be used to scale power diagrams; the reference level is
then used as the maximum on the y-axis.

Since the hardware of the connected instrument is adapted according to this value, it is
recommended that you set the reference level close above the expected maximum sig­nal level. Thus you ensure an optimum measurement (no compression, good signal-to­noise ratio).

Remote command:

DISPlay[:WINDow<n>]:TRACe<t>:Y[:SCALe]:RLEVel on page 148

Shifting the Display ( Offset ) ← Reference Level

Defines an arithmetic level offset. This offset is added to the measured level. In some
result displays, the scaling of the y-axis is changed accordingly.

Define an offset if the signal is attenuated or amplified before it is fed into the R&S VSE
so the application shows correct power results. All displayed power level results are
shifted by this value.

The setting range is ±200 dB in 0.01 dB steps.

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Configuration

Input and Frontend Settings

Note, however, that the internal reference level (used to adjust the hardware settings to
the expected signal) ignores any "Reference Level Offset" . Thus, it is important to
keep in mind the actual power level the R&S VSE must handle. Do not rely on the dis­played reference level (internal reference level = displayed reference level - offset).

Remote command:

DISPlay[:WINDow<n>]:TRACe<t>:Y[:SCALe]:RLEVel:OFFSet on page 149

Unit ← Reference Level

The connected instrument measures the signal voltage at the RF input.
In the default state, the level is displayed at a power level of 1 mW (= dBm). Via the

known input impedance (50 Ω or 75 Ω, see " Impedance " on page 37), conversion to
other units is possible.

The following units are available and directly convertible:

●

dBm

●

dBmV

●

dBμV

●

dBμA

●

dBpW

●

Volt

●

Ampere

●

Watt

Remote command:

INPut<ip>:IMPedance on page 136
CALCulate<n>:UNIT:POWer on page 148

Setting the Reference Level Automatically ( Auto Level ) ← Reference Level

The connected instrument automatically determines the optimal reference level for the
current input data. At the same time, the internal attenuators and the preamplifier are
adjusted so the signal-to-noise ratio is optimized, while signal compression, clipping
and overload conditions are minimized. This function is not available on all supported
instruments.

You can change the measurement time for the level measurement if necessary (see

"Automatic Measurement Time Mode and Value" on page 76).

Remote command:

[SENSe:]ADJust:LEVel on page 149

Mechanical Attenuation

Defines the mechanical attenuation for RF input.

Attenuation Mode / Value ← Mechanical Attenuation

The RF attenuation can be set automatically as a function of the selected reference
level (Auto mode). This ensures that no overload occurs at the "RF Input" connector for
the current reference level. It is the default setting.

In "Manual" mode, you can set the RF attenuation in 1 dB steps (down to 0 dB). Other
entries are rounded to the next integer value. The range is specified in the data sheet.
If the defined reference level cannot be set for the defined RF attenuation, the refer­ence level is adjusted accordingly and the warning "limit reached" is displayed.

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Configuration

Input and Frontend Settings

NOTICE! Risk of hardware damage due to high power levels. When decreasing the
attenuation manually, ensure that the power level does not exceed the maximum level
allowed at the RF input, as an overload may lead to hardware damage.

Remote command:

INPut<ip>:ATTenuation on page 150
INPut<ip>:ATTenuation:AUTO on page 150

Using Electronic Attenuation

If the (optional) Electronic Attenuation hardware is installed on the connected instru­ment, you can also activate an electronic attenuator.

In "Auto" mode, the settings are defined automatically; in "Manual" mode, you can
define the mechanical and electronic attenuation separately.

Note: Note that restrictions may apply concerning which frequencies electronic attenu­ation is available for, depending on which instrument is connected to the R&S VSE
software. Check your instrument documentation for details.
In "Auto" mode, RF attenuation is provided by the electronic attenuator as much as
possible to reduce the amount of mechanical switching required. Mechanical attenua­tion may provide a better signal-to-noise ratio, however.

When you switch off electronic attenuation, the RF attenuation is automatically set to
the same mode (auto/manual) as the electronic attenuation was set to. Thus, the RF
attenuation can be set to automatic mode, and the full attenuation is provided by the
mechanical attenuator, if possible.

If the defined reference level cannot be set for the given attenuation, the reference
level is adjusted accordingly and the warning "limit reached" is displayed in the status
bar.

Remote command:

INPut<ip>:EATT:STATe on page 152
INPut<ip>:EATT:AUTO on page 151
INPut<ip>:EATT on page 151

Input Settings

Some input settings affect the measured amplitude of the signal, as well.
For details see Chapter 5.3.1, "Input Source Settings", on page 35.

Input Coupling ← Input Settings

The RF input of the connected instrument can be coupled by alternating current (AC)
or direct current (DC).

AC coupling blocks any DC voltage from the input signal. This is the default setting to
prevent damage to the instrument. Very low frequencies in the input signal may be dis­torted.

However, some specifications require DC coupling. In this case, you must protect the
instrument from damaging DC input voltages manually. For details, refer to the data
sheet.

Remote command:

INPut<ip>:COUPling on page 134

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5.3.3 Frequency

Configuration

Input and Frontend Settings

Impedance ← Input Settings

For some measurements, the reference impedance for the measured levels of the con­nected instrument can be set to 50 Ω or 75 Ω.

Select 75 Ω if the 50 Ω input impedance is transformed to a higher impedance using a
75 Ω adapter of the RAZ type. (That corresponds to 25Ω in series to the input impe­dance of the instrument.) The correction value in this case is 1.76 dB = 10 log (75Ω/
50Ω).

Remote command:

INPut<ip>:IMPedance on page 136

Access: "Overview" > "Input" > "Frequency"

or: "Input & Output" > "Frequency"

Configure the center frequency of the input signal.

Center Frequency ........................................................................................................ 49

Center Frequency Stepsize ..........................................................................................50

Center Frequency

Defines the center frequency of the signal in Hertz.
0 Hz ≤ f

f

and span

max

center

≤ f

max

depend on the instrument and are specified in the data sheet.

min

Note: For file input, you can shift the center frequency of the current measurement
compared to the stored measurement data. The maximum shift depends on the sam­ple rate of the file data.

If the file does not provide the center frequency, it is assumed to be 0 Hz.
In order to ensure that the input data remains within the valid analysis bandwidth,

define the center frequency and the analysis bandwidth for the measurement such that
the following applies:

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Configuration

Trigger Source Settings

Remote command:

[SENSe:]FREQuency:CENTer on page 146

Center Frequency Stepsize

Defines the step size of the center frequency. The step size can be coupled to the
demodulation bandwidth, or it can be manually set to a fixed value.

"0.1 * Demod
BW"

"0.5 * Demod
BW"

"X * Demod
BW"

"= Center"

"Manual"

Remote command:

[SENSe:]FREQuency:CENTer:STEP:LINK on page 146
[SENSe:]FREQuency:CENTer:STEP:LINK:FACTor on page 147
[SENSe:]FREQuency:CENTer:STEP on page 146

Sets the step size for the center frequency to 10 % of the demodula­tion bandwidth.
This is the default setting.

Sets the step size for the center frequency to 50 % of the demodula­tion bandwidth.

Sets the step size for the center frequency to a manually defined fac­tor of the demodulation bandwidth. The "X-Factor" defines the per­centage of the demodulation bandwidth.
Values between 1 and 100 % in steps of 1 % are allowed. The default
setting is 10 %.

Sets the step size to the value of the center frequency and removes
the coupling of the step size to the demodulation bandwidth. The
used value is indicated in the "Value" field.

Defines a fixed step size for the center frequency. Enter the step size
in the "Value" field.

5.4 Trigger Source Settings

Access: "Overview" > "Trigger" > "Trigger Source"

or: "Input & Output" > "Trigger"

Triggering means to capture the interesting part of the signal. Choosing the right trigger
type and configuring all trigger settings correctly allows you to detect various incidents
in your demodulated signals.

Optionally, the trigger signal used by the R&S VSE can be output to a connected
device, and an external trigger signal from a connected device can be used by the
R&S VSE.

The trigger input and output settings are described in the R&S VSE Base Software
User Manual.

Trigger settings are identical to the base unit, except for the available trigger sources.

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Configuration

Trigger Source Settings

For background information on trigger settings, trigger output and working with external
triggers, see the R&S VSE User Manual.

Trigger Source...............................................................................................................51

└ Free Run ........................................................................................................51

└ External Trigger / Trigger Channel X.............................................................. 51

└ I/Q Power .......................................................................................................52

└ IF Power .........................................................................................................52

└ Magnitude (Offline) ........................................................................................ 52

└ Time ...............................................................................................................52

└ RF Power .......................................................................................................53

Trigger Level ................................................................................................................ 53

Trigger Offset ............................................................................................................... 53

Hysteresis .................................................................................................................... 54

Drop-Out Time ..............................................................................................................54

Slope ............................................................................................................................54

Trigger Holdoff ..............................................................................................................54

Trigger Source

In the Analog Demodulation application, the next measurement can be triggered if the
selected input signal exceeds the threshold specified using the "Trigger Level" setting
(see " Trigger Level " on page 53). Thus, a periodic signal modulated onto the carrier
frequency can be displayed. It is recommended that the measurement time covers at
least five periods of the audio signal.

Note that which trigger sources are available depends on the connected instrument.
Remote command:

TRIGger[:SEQuence]:SOURce on page 166

Free Run ← Trigger Source

No trigger source is considered. Data acquisition is started manually or automatically
and continues until stopped explicitly.

Remote command:
TRIG:SOUR IMM, see TRIGger[:SEQuence]:SOURce on page 166

External Trigger / Trigger Channel X ← Trigger Source

Data acquisition starts when the signal fed into the specified input connector or input
channel of the connected instrument meets or exceeds the specified trigger level.

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Configuration

Trigger Source Settings

Note: Which input and output connectors are available depends on the connected
instrument. For details, see the instrument's documentation.
For a connected R&S RTO, the following signals are used as trigger input:

●

"External Trigger": "EXT TRIGGER INPUT" connector on rear panel of instrument

●

"Trigger Channel 2"/"Trigger Channel 3"/"Trigger Channel 4": Input at channel con­nectors "CH 2/3/4" on front panel of instrument - if not used as an input source

Remote command:
TRIG:SOUR EXT, TRIG:SOUR EXT2, TRIG:SOUR EXT3, TRIG:SOUR EXT4
See TRIGger[:SEQuence]:SOURce on page 166

I/Q Power ← Trigger Source

Triggers the measurement when the magnitude of the sampled I/Q data exceeds the
trigger threshold.

The trigger bandwidth corresponds to the resolution bandwidth setting for data acquisi­tion (see " Resolution Bandwidth " on page 55).

Remote command:
TRIG:SOUR IQP, see TRIGger[:SEQuence]:SOURce on page 166

IF Power ← Trigger Source

The R&S VSE starts capturing data as soon as the trigger level is exceeded around
the third intermediate frequency.

(The third IF represents the center frequency.)
This trigger source is only available for RF input.
The available trigger levels depend on the RF attenuation and preamplification. A refer-

ence level offset, if defined, is also considered.
When using the optional 2 GHz bandwidth extension (R&S FSW-B2000) with an IF

power trigger, the IF power trigger corresponds to a "width" trigger on the oscilloscope,
with a negative polarity and the range "longer". Thus, data acquisition starts when both
of the following conditions apply to the signal fed into the CH1 input connector on the
oscilloscope:

●

The power level has remained below the specified trigger level for a duration lon­ger than the drop-out time.

●

The power level then rises above the specified trigger level.
For details on available trigger levels and trigger bandwidths, see the data sheet.
Remote command:

TRIG:SOUR IFP, see TRIGger[:SEQuence]:SOURce on page 166

Magnitude (Offline) ← Trigger Source

For (offline) input from a file, rather than an instrument. Triggers on a specified signal
level.

Remote command:
TRIG:SOUR MAGN, see TRIGger[:SEQuence]:SOURce on page 166

Time ← Trigger Source

Triggers in a specified repetition interval.

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Configuration

Trigger Source Settings

For file input, data is taken from the file in the specified time interval. Overlap settings
for the R&S VSE Player are ignored.

Remote command:
TRIG:SOUR TIME, see TRIGger[:SEQuence]:SOURce on page 166

RF Power ← Trigger Source

Defines triggering of the measurement via signals which are outside the displayed
measurement range.

For this purpose, the software uses a level detector at the first intermediate frequency.
The resulting trigger level at the RF input depends on the RF attenuation and preampli-

fication. For details on available trigger levels, see the instrument's data sheet.
Note: If the input signal contains frequencies outside of this range (e.g. for fullspan

measurements), the sweep may be aborted. A message indicating the allowed input
frequencies is displayed in the status bar.

A "Trigger Offset" , "Trigger Polarity" and "Trigger Holdoff" (to improve the trigger stabil­ity) can be defined for the RF trigger, but no "Hysteresis" .

Remote command:
TRIG:SOUR RFP, see TRIGger[:SEQuence]:SOURce on page 166

Trigger Level

Defines the trigger level for the specified trigger source.
For details on supported trigger levels, see the data sheet.
Remote command:

TRIGger[:SEQuence]:LEVel:IFPower on page 163
TRIGger[:SEQuence]:LEVel:IQPower on page 163
TRIGger[:SEQuence]:LEVel[:EXTernal<port>] on page 162
TRIGger[:SEQuence]:LEVel:RFPower on page 164
TRIGger[:SEQuence]:LEVel:AM:RELative on page 164
TRIGger[:SEQuence]:LEVel:AM[:ABSolute] on page 164
TRIGger[:SEQuence]:LEVel:FM on page 165
TRIGger[:SEQuence]:LEVel:PM on page 165
TRIGger[:SEQuence]:LEVel:MAPower on page 163

Trigger Offset

Defines the time offset between the trigger event and the start of the sweep.

Offset > 0: Start of the sweep is delayed

Offset < 0: Sweep starts earlier (pretrigger)

(If supported by the connected instrument.)
Remote command:

TRIGger[:SEQuence]:HOLDoff[:TIME] on page 161

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Configuration

Data Acquisition

Hysteresis

Defines the distance in dB to the trigger level that the trigger source must exceed
before a trigger event occurs. Setting a hysteresis avoids unwanted trigger events
caused by noise oscillation around the trigger level.

When using the optional 2 GHz bandwidth extension (R&S FSW-B2000) with an IF
power trigger, the hysteresis refers to the robust width trigger.

This setting is only available for "IF Power" or "Magnitude (Offline)" trigger sources.
The range of the value depends on the connected instrument.

Remote command:

TRIGger[:SEQuence]:IFPower:HYSTeresis on page 162
TRIGger[:SEQuence]:MAPower:HYSTeresis on page 166

Drop-Out Time

Defines the time the input signal must stay below the trigger level before triggering
again.

When using the optional 2 GHz bandwidth extension (R&S FSW-B2000) with an IF
power trigger, the drop-out time defines the width of the robust width trigger. By default
it is set to 1 μs. For external triggers, no drop-out time is available when using the
B2000 option.

Remote command:

TRIGger[:SEQuence]:DTIMe on page 161

Slope

For all trigger sources except time, you can define whether triggering occurs when the
signal rises to the trigger level or falls down to it.

When using the optional 2 GHz bandwidth extension (R&S FSW-B2000) with an IF
power trigger, only rising slopes can be detected.

Remote command:

TRIGger[:SEQuence]:SLOPe on page 166

Trigger Holdoff

Defines the minimum time (in seconds) that must pass between two trigger events.
Trigger events that occur during the holdoff time are ignored.

Remote command:

TRIGger[:SEQuence]:IFPower:HOLDoff on page 161
TRIGger[:SEQuence]:MAPower:HOLDoff on page 165

5.5 Data Acquisition

Configure how data is to be acquired and then demodulated in the "Data Acquisition"
dialog box.

● Bandwidth Settings................................................................................................. 55

● Capture Settings..................................................................................................... 56

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5.5.1 Bandwidth Settings

Configuration

Data Acquisition

Access: "Overview" > "Data Acquisition" > "Bandwidth"

or: "Meas Setup" > "Capture" > "Bandwidth"

Demodulation Bandwidth ............................................................................................. 55

Demodulation Filter ......................................................................................................55

Measurement Time (AQT).............................................................................................55

Resolution Bandwidth .................................................................................................. 55

Demodulation Bandwidth

Defines the demodulation bandwidth of the measurement. The demodulation band­width determines the sample rate with which the input signal is captured and analyzed.

For recommendations on finding the correct demodulation bandwidth see Chapter 4.2,

"Demodulation Bandwidth", on page 22.

Remote command:

[SENSe:]BWIDth:DEMod on page 159

Demodulation Filter

Defines the filter to be used for demodulation.
For details on sample rates, measurement times and trigger offsets for various demod-

ulation bandwidths when using a Gaussian filter, see Chapter 4.3, "Sample Rate and

Demodulation Bandwidth", on page 22.

"Flat"
"Gauss"
Remote command:

[SENSe:]BWIDth:DEMod:TYPE on page 159

Measurement Time (AQT)

Defines how long data is acquired for demodulation.
Remote command:

[SENSe:]ADEMod<n>:MTIMe on page 156

Default
Optimizes the settling behavior of the filter

Resolution Bandwidth

Defines the resolution bandwidth for data acquisition. The available range is specified
in the data sheet.

Remote command:

[SENSe:]BANDwidth[:RESolution] on page 159

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5.5.2 Capture Settings

Configuration

Data Acquisition

Access: "Overview" > "Data Acquisition" > "Capture"

or: "Meas Setup" > "Capture"

The capture settings define how much data from the input signal is acquired and then
demodulated.

Figure 5-2: Capture settings with active spectrogram

Measurement Time (AQT)

Points............................................................................................................................ 56

Capture Count...............................................................................................................57

Select Frame.................................................................................................................57

Continue Frame ........................................................................................................... 57

Frame Count ................................................................................................................ 57

Clear Spectrogram .......................................................................................................58

Measurement Time (AQT)

Defines how long data is acquired for demodulation.
Remote command:

[SENSe:]ADEMod<n>:MTIMe on page 156

Points

This value defines the number of trace points that are evaluated and displayed in the
result diagrams.

Note: The capture settings are window-specific. For some result displays, the points
may not be editable as they are determined automatically, or restrictions may apply.

Remote command:

[SENSe:]SWEep:POINts on page 160

.............................................................................................56

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Configuration

Data Acquisition

Capture Count

Defines the number of times data is captured in single sweep mode. Values from 0 to
200000 are allowed. If the values 0 or 1 are set, one sweep is performed.

The capture count is applied to all the traces in all diagrams.
If the trace modes "Average", "Max Hold" or "Min Hold" are set, this value also deter-

mines the number of averaging or maximum search procedures.
In continuous sweep mode, if capture count = 0 (default), averaging is performed over

10 sweep. For capture count =1, no averaging, maxhold or minhold operations are per­formed.

For spectrogram displays, the capture count determines how many captures are com­bined in one frame in the spectrogram, i.e. how many captures the R&S VSE performs
to plot one trace in the spectrogram result display. For more details see Chapter 4.6.1,

"Time Frames", on page 27.

Remote command:

[SENSe:]AVERage<n>:COUNt on page 193

Select Frame

Selects a specific frame, loads the corresponding trace from the memory, and displays
it in the Spectrum window.

Note that activating a marker or changing the position of the active marker automati­cally selects the frame that belongs to that marker.

This function is only available in single sweep mode or if the sweep is stopped, and
only if a spectrogram is selected.

The most recent frame is number 0, all previous frames have a negative number.
For more details see the R&S VSE base software user manual.
Remote command:

CALCulate<n>:SPECtrogram:FRAMe:SELect on page 197
CALCulate<n>:SPECtrogram:FRAMe:SELect on page 197

Continue Frame

Determines whether the results of the previous sweeps are included in the analysis of
the next sweeps for trace modes "Max Hold" , "Min Hold" , and "Average" .

This function is available in single sweep mode only.

●

On

When the average or peak values are determined for the new sweep, the results of

the previous sweeps in the spectrogram are also taken into account.

●

Off

The average or peak values are determined from the results of the newly swept

frames only.
Remote command:

CALCulate<n>:SPECtrogram:CONTinuous on page 196

Frame Count

Determines how many frames are plotted during a single capture (as opposed to a
continuous capture). The maximum number of possible frames depends on the history
depth (see " History Depth " on page 85).

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5.6 Demodulation

Configuration

Demodulation

For more details see Chapter 4.6.1, "Time Frames", on page 27.
Remote command:

CALCulate<n>:SPECtrogram:FRAMe:COUNt on page 197

Clear Spectrogram

Resets the spectrogram result display and clears the history buffer.
This function is only available if a spectrogram is selected.
Remote command:

CALCulate<n>:SPECtrogram:CLEar[:IMMediate] on page 196

Access: "Overview" > "Demod Settings"

Or: "Meas Setup" > "Demod"

● Basic Demodulation Measurement Parameters (Demod).......................................58

● Demodulation Spectrum..........................................................................................61

● AF Filter...................................................................................................................64

● Scaling.................................................................................................................... 67

● Units........................................................................................................................71

● Result Table Settings.............................................................................................. 72

5.6.1 Basic Demodulation Measurement Parameters (Demod)

Access: "Overview" > "Demod Settings" > "Demod"

Or: "Meas Setup" > "Demod" > "Demod" tab

The basic demodulation measurement parameters define how the measurement is
performed.

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Configuration

Demodulation

Squelch State ...............................................................................................................59

Squelch Level ...............................................................................................................59

AF Coupling ................................................................................................................. 59

Selected Trace .............................................................................................................60

Time Domain Zoom ......................................................................................................60

└ State ...............................................................................................................60

└ Start ............................................................................................................... 60

└ Length ............................................................................................................61

Zero Phase Reference Position (PM Time Domain only)..............................................61

Phase Wrap On/Off (PM Time Domain only)................................................................ 61

Squelch State

Activates the squelch function, that is: if the signal falls below a defined threshold, the
demodulated data is automatically set to 0. This is useful, for example, to avoid
demodulation noise during transmission breaks.

This function is only available for FM demodulation.
Remote command:

[SENSe:]ADEMod<n>:SQUelch[:STATe] on page 171

Squelch Level

Defines the level threshold below which the demodulated data is set to 0 if squelching
is enabled. The squelch level is an absolute value.

Remote command:

[SENSe:]ADEMod<n>:SQUelch:LEVel on page 171

AF Coupling

Controls the automatic correction of the frequency offset and phase offset of the input
signal:

This function is only available for FM or PM time domain evaluations.

●

FM time evaluation

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Configuration

Demodulation

If DC is selected, the absolute frequency is displayed, i.e. an input signal with an
offset relative to the center frequency is not displayed symmetrically with respect to
the zero line.
If AC is selected, the frequency offset is automatically corrected, i.e. the trace is
always symmetric with respect to the zero line.

●

PM time evaluation
If DC is selected, the phase runs according to the existing frequency offset. In addi­tion, the DC signal contains a phase offset of ± π.
If AC is selected, the frequency offset and phase offset are automatically corrected,
i.e. the trace is always symmetric with respect to the zero line.

Remote command:

[SENSe:]ADEMod<n>:AF:COUPling on page 170

Selected Trace

Defines the trace used to determine the results in the Result Summary.

Time Domain Zoom

Using the time domain zoom, the demodulated data for a particular time span is extrac­ted and displayed in more detail. This is useful if the measurement time is very large
and thus each sweep point represents a large time span. The time domain zoom func­tion distributes the available sweep points only among the time span defined by the
zoom area length. The time span displayed per division of the diagram is decreased.
Thus, the display of the extracted time span becomes more precise. Note that the time
domain zoom area affects not only the diagram display, but the entire evaluation for the
current window.

This function is only available for evaluations in the time domain.
Tip: In addition to the Time Domain Zoom, a graphical zoom is available for all diagram

evaluations. However, the graphical zoom is useful only if more measured values than
trace points are available. The (time) span represented by each measurement point
remains the same.

For details see the R&S VSE User Manual.

State ← Time Domain Zoom

Activates or deactivates the time domain zoom mode.
"On"
"Off"

Remote command:

[SENSe:]ADEMod<n>:ZOOM[:STATe] on page 173

Start ← Time Domain Zoom

Defines the start time for the time domain zoom area. For spectrum evaluations the
start time is always 0.

Remote command:

[SENSe:]ADEMod<n>:ZOOM:STARt on page 173

Activates the time domain zoom.
Deactivates the time domain zoom and restores the original display. If

more measured values than measurement points are available, sev­eral measured values are combined in one measurement point
according to the method of the selected trace detector.

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Configuration

Demodulation

Length ← Time Domain Zoom

Defines the length of the time domain zoom area. Enter the length as a time value
manually, or use the "Auto" setting to set the length to the current number of sweep
points automatically.

Remote command:

[SENSe:]ADEMod<n>:ZOOM:LENGth on page 172
[SENSe:]ADEMod<n>:ZOOM:LENGth:MODE on page 172

Zero Phase Reference Position (PM Time Domain only)

Defines the position at which the phase of the PM-demodulated signal is set to 0 rad.
The entry is made with respect to time. In the default setting, the first measured value
is set to 0 rad.

This setting is only available for PM time domain displays with DC coupling.
Remote command:

[SENSe:]ADEMod<n>:PM:RPOint[:X] on page 171

Phase Wrap On/Off (PM Time Domain only)

Activates/deactivates the phase wrap.

On The phase is displayed in the range ±180° (± Π). For example, if the phase exceeds +180°,

360° is subtracted from the phase value, with the display thus showing >-180°.

Off The phase is not wrapped.

This setting is only available for PM time domain displays with DC coupling.

5.6.2 Demodulation Spectrum

Access: "Overview" > "Demod Settings" > "Spectrum"

Or: "Meas Setup" > "Demod" > "Spectrum" tab

The demodulation spectrum defines which span of the demodulated data is evaluated.

Depending on the evaluation (AF or RF display), the settings vary.

● AF Evaluation..........................................................................................................61

● RF Evaluation..........................................................................................................63

5.6.2.1 AF Evaluation

Access: "Overview" > "Demod Settings" > "Spectrum"

Or: "Meas Setup" > "Demod" > "Spectrum" tab

These settings are only available for AF Spectrum evaluations, not in the time domain.

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Configuration

Demodulation

AF Center .....................................................................................................................62

AF Start ........................................................................................................................62

AF Stop ........................................................................................................................ 62

AF Span ....................................................................................................................... 62

AF Full Span ................................................................................................................ 63

AF Center

Defines the center frequency of the demodulated data to evaluate.
Remote command:

[SENSe:]ADEMod<n>:AF:CENTer on page 174

AF Start

Defines the start frequency of the demodulated data to evaluate.
Remote command:

[SENSe:]ADEMod<n>:AF:STARt on page 175

AF Stop

Defines the stop frequency of the demodulated data to evaluate.
The maximum AF stop frequency corresponds to half the demodulation bandwidth.
Remote command:

[SENSe:]ADEMod<n>:AF:STOP on page 175

AF Span

Defines the span (around the center frequency) of the demodulated data to evaluate.
The maximum span is DBW/2.

Remote command:

[SENSe:]ADEMod<n>:AF:SPAN on page 174

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5.6.2.2 RF Evaluation

Configuration

Demodulation

AF Full Span

Sets the span (around the center frequency) of the demodulated data to the maximum
of DBW/2.

Remote command:

[SENSe:]ADEMod<n>:AF:SPAN:FULL on page 175

Access: "Overview" > "Demod Settings" > "Spectrum"

Or: "Meas Setup" > "Demod" > "Spectrum" tab

These settings are only available for RF evaluation, both in time and frequency
domain. Note that for RF data the center frequency and demodulation bandwidth corre­spond to the settings defined in the "Input" and "Data Acquisition" configuration.

Center Frequency ........................................................................................................ 63

Span .............................................................................................................................64

Demodulation Bandwidth ............................................................................................. 64

RF Full Span................................................................................................................. 64

Center Frequency

Defines the center frequency of the signal in Hertz.
0 Hz ≤ f

f

and span

max

center

≤ f

max

depend on the instrument and are specified in the data sheet.

min

Note: For file input, you can shift the center frequency of the current measurement
compared to the stored measurement data. The maximum shift depends on the sam­ple rate of the file data.

If the file does not provide the center frequency, it is assumed to be 0 Hz.

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Configuration

Demodulation

In order to ensure that the input data remains within the valid analysis bandwidth,
define the center frequency and the analysis bandwidth for the measurement such that
the following applies:

Remote command:

[SENSe:]FREQuency:CENTer on page 146

Span

Defines the frequency span. The center frequency is kept constant. The following
range is allowed:

span = 0: 0 Hz
span >0:
span

and f
f

min

max

and span

max

≤ f

span

=DBW/2

min

≤ f

max

are specified in the data sheet.

Remote command:

[SENSe:]ADEMod<n>:SPECtrum:SPAN[:MAXimum] on page 176
[SENSe:]ADEMod<n>:SPECtrum:SPAN:ZOOM on page 176

Demodulation Bandwidth

Defines the demodulation bandwidth of the measurement. The demodulation band­width determines the sample rate with which the input signal is captured and analyzed.

For recommendations on finding the correct demodulation bandwidth see Chapter 4.2,

"Demodulation Bandwidth", on page 22.

Remote command:

[SENSe:]BWIDth:DEMod on page 159

RF Full Span

Sets the span (around the center frequency) of the RF data to be evaluated to the
demodulation bandwidth.

Remote command:

[SENSe:]ADEMod<n>:SPECtrum:SPAN[:MAXimum] on page 176

5.6.3 AF Filter

Access: "Overview" > "Demod Settings" > "AF Filter"

Or: "Meas Setup" > "Demod" > "AF Filter" tab

The AF filter reduces the evaluated bandwidth of the demodulated signal and can
define a weighting function.

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Configuration

Demodulation

AF filters are only available for AF evaluations, not for RF evaluation.

High Pass .....................................................................................................................65

Low Pass ......................................................................................................................65

Weighting ..................................................................................................................... 66

Deemphasis ................................................................................................................. 67

Deactivating all AF Filters............................................................................................. 67

High Pass

Defines a high pass filter with the given limit to separate the DC component. The filters
are indicated by the 3 dB cutoff frequency. The 50 Hz and 300 Hz filters are designed
as 2nd-order Butterworth filter (12 dB/octave). The 20 Hz filter is designed as 3rd-order
Butterworth filter (18 dB/octave).

The high pass filters are active in the following demodulation bandwidth range:

None No AF Filter used (default)

20 Hz 100 Hz ≤ demodulation bandwidth ≤ 1.6 MHz

50 Hz: 200 Hz ≤ demodulation bandwidth ≤ 3 MHz

300 Hz: 800 Hz ≤ demodulation bandwidth ≤ 8 MHz

Manual: A high pass filter with the manually defined frequency is used.

Remote command:

[SENSe:]FILTer<n>:HPASs[:STATe] on page 180
[SENSe:]FILTer<n>:HPASs:FREQuency[:ABSolute] on page 179
[SENSe:]FILTer<n>:HPASs:FREQuency:MANual on page 179

Low Pass

Defines a low pass filter type. Relative and absolute low pass filter are available.

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Configuration

Demodulation

●

Absolute low pass filters:
Absolute filters are indicated by the 3 dB cutoff frequency. The 3 kHz, 15 kHz and
23 kHz filters are designed as 5th-order Butterworth filters (30 dB/octave). The 150
kHz filter is designed as 8th-order Butterworth filter (48 dB/octave).
The absolute low pass filters are active in the following demodulation bandwidth
range:

Filter type Demodulation bandwidth

3 kHz: 6.4 kHz ≤ demodulation bandwidth ≤ 3 MHz

15 kHz: 50 kHz ≤ demodulation bandwidth ≤ 8 MHz

23 kHz 50 kHz ≤ demodulation bandwidth ≤ 18 MHz

150 kHz: 400 kHz ≤ demodulation bandwidth ≤ 8 MHz

Manual: A low pass filter with the manually defined frequency is used.

●

Relative low pass filters:
Relative filters (3 dB) can be selected in % of the demodulation bandwidth. The fil­ters are designed as 5th-order Butterworth filter (30 dB/octave) and active for all
demodulation bandwidths.

●

"NONE" deactivates the AF low pass filter (default).

Remote command:

[SENSe:]FILTer<n>:LPASs[:STATe] on page 181
[SENSe:]FILTer<n>:LPASs:FREQuency[:ABSolute] on page 180
[SENSe:]FILTer<n>:LPASs:FREQuency:RELative on page 181
[SENSe:]FILTer<n>:LPASs:FREQuency:MANual on page 180

Weighting

Selects a weighting AF filter. By default, no weighting filter is active.
"A weighted"

Switches on the A weighted filter. The weighting filter is active in the
following demodulation bandwidth range:
100 kHz ≤ demodulation bandwidth ≤ 800 kHz

"CCITT"

Switches on a CCITT P.53 weighting filter. The weighting filter is
active in the following demodulation bandwidth range:
20 kHz ≤ demodulation bandwidth ≤ 3 MHz

"CCIR weigh­ted"

Switches on the CCIR weighted filter. The weighting filter is active in
the following demodulation bandwidth range:
100 kHz ≤ demodulation bandwidth ≤ 3.0 MHz

"CCIR
unweighted"

Switches on the CCIR unweighted filter, which is the combination of
the 20 Hz highpass and 23 kHz low pass filter. The weighting filter is
active in the following demodulation bandwidth range:
50 kHz ≤ demodulation bandwidth ≤ 1.6 MHz

Remote command:

[SENSe:]FILTer<n>:CCITt on page 178
[SENSe:]FILTer<n>:CCIR[:UNWeighted][:STATe] on page 178
[SENSe:]FILTer<n>:CCIR:WEIGhted[:STATe] on page 177
[SENSe:]FILTer<n>:AWEighted[:STATe] on page 177

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Configuration

Demodulation

Deemphasis

Activates a deemphasis filter with the given time constant.
Sometimes a modulated signal is extorted by a pre-emphasis filter before transmission,

for example to eliminate frequencies that are more prone to interferences. In this case,
the emphasis function must be reversed after demodulation. This is done by the deem­phasis filter.

The deemphasis filter is active in the following demodulation bandwidth range:

25 µs: 25 kHz ≤ demodulation bandwidth ≤ 40 MHz

50 µs: 6.4 kHz ≤ demodulation bandwidth ≤ 18 MHz

75 µs: 6.4 kHz ≤ demodulation bandwidth ≤ 18 MHz

750 µs: 800 Hz ≤ demodulation bandwidth ≤ 3 MHz

Depending on the deemphasis filter, a minimum demodulation bandwidth is required
for an error less than 0.5 dB, up to a maximum AF frequency. The following table
shows the dependencies.

Deemphasis [us] 25 µs 50 µs 75 µs 750 µs

Max. AF frequency 25 kHz 12 kHz 8 kHz 800 Hz

Required demodulation bandwidth ≥ 200 kHz ≥ 100 kHz ≥ 50 kHz ≥ 6.4 kHz

For higher AF frequencies the demodulation bandwidth must be increased.
Remote command:

[SENSe:]FILTer<n>:DEMPhasis[:STATe] on page 179
[SENSe:]FILTer<n>:DEMPhasis:TCONstant on page 178

Deactivating all AF Filters

The "All Filter Off" button deactivates all AF filters for the selected evaluation.
Remote command:

[SENSe:]FILTer<n>:AOFF on page 177

5.6.4 Scaling

Access: "Overview" > "Demod Settings" > "Scaling"

Or: "Meas Setup" > "Demod" > "Scaling" tab

The scaling parameters define the range of the demodulated data to be displayed.

● AF Evaluation..........................................................................................................67

● RF Evaluation..........................................................................................................70

5.6.4.1 AF Evaluation

Access: "Overview" > "Demod Settings" > "Scaling"

Or: "Meas Setup" > "Demod" > "Scaling" tab

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Configuration

Demodulation

These settings are only available for AF evaluations.

Dev per Division / dB per Division ................................................................................68

Reference Value Position..............................................................................................68

Reference Value ...........................................................................................................69

AF Coupling ................................................................................................................. 69

Deviation ...................................................................................................................... 70

AF Auto Scale .............................................................................................................. 70

Dev per Division / dB per Division

Defines the modulation depth or the phase deviation or frequency deviation per divi­sion (logarithmic: 0.1 to 20 dB):

AM display: 0.0001 % to 1000 %

FM display: 1 Hz/div to 100 MHz/div

PM display: 0.0001 rad/div to 1000 rad/div

Note: The value defined per division refers to the default display of 10 divisions on the
y-axis. If fewer divisions are displayed (e.g. because the window is reduced in height),
the range per division is increased in order to display the same result range in the
smaller window. In this case, the per division value does not correspond to the actual
display.

Remote command:

DISPlay[:WINDow<n>]:TRACe<t>:Y[:SCALe]:PDIVision on page 154

Reference Value Position

Determines the position of the reference value for the modulation depth or the phase
deviation or frequency deviation on the y-axis of the diagram.

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Configuration

Demodulation

The position is entered as a percentage of the diagram height with 100 % correspond­ing to the upper diagram border. The default setting is 50 % (diagram center) for the
AF time evaluations and 100 % (upper diagram border) for the AF spectrum evalua­tions.

Remote command:

DISPlay[:WINDow<n>]:TRACe<t>:Y[:SCALe]:RPOSition on page 155

Reference Value

Determines the modulation depth or the phase deviation or the frequency deviation at
the reference line of the y-axis. The reference value can be set specifically for each
evaluation.

●

AF time display
The trace display takes individual frequency/phase offsets into account (in contrast,
the AF Coupling setting permits automatic correction by the average frequency/
phase offset of the signal, and therefore cannot be activated simultaneously).

●

AF spectrum display
In the default setting, the reference value defines the modulation depth or the
FM/PM deviation at the upper diagram border.

Possible values:

●

AM: 0 and ± 10000 %

●

FM: 0 and ± 10 MHz

●

PM: 0 and ± 10000 rad

Note: The reference value for the AF range in the window title bar is displayed with
respect to the defined reference position. The position may vary for different windows.
For time domain and frequency domain windows, for example, a different reference
value may be displayed, although the same reference is actually used (but the posi­tions vary).

Remote command:

DISPlay[:WINDow<n>]:TRACe<t>:Y[:SCALe]:RVALue on page 182

AF Coupling

Controls the automatic correction of the frequency offset and phase offset of the input
signal:

This function is only available for FM or PM time domain evaluations.

●

FM time evaluation
If DC is selected, the absolute frequency is displayed, i.e. an input signal with an
offset relative to the center frequency is not displayed symmetrically with respect to
the zero line.
If AC is selected, the frequency offset is automatically corrected, i.e. the trace is
always symmetric with respect to the zero line.

●

PM time evaluation
If DC is selected, the phase runs according to the existing frequency offset. In addi­tion, the DC signal contains a phase offset of ± π.
If AC is selected, the frequency offset and phase offset are automatically corrected,
i.e. the trace is always symmetric with respect to the zero line.

Remote command:

[SENSe:]ADEMod<n>:AF:COUPling on page 170

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5.6.4.2 RF Evaluation

Configuration

Demodulation

Deviation

Switches between logarithmic and linear display of the modulation depth or the phase
deviation or the frequency deviation.

Remote command:

DISPlay[:WINDow<n>]:TRACe<t>:Y:SPACing on page 155

AF Auto Scale

Activates automatic scaling of the y-axis for AF measurements. RF power and RF
spectrum measurements are not affected by the auto-scaling.

Remote command:

[SENSe:]ADJust:SCALe[:Y]:AUTO[:CONTinuous] on page 189

Access: "Overview" > "Demod Settings" > "Scaling"

Or: "Meas Setup" > "Demod" > "Scaling" tab

These settings are only available for RF evaluations and the result summary.

Range ...........................................................................................................................70

Ref Level Position ........................................................................................................ 71

Auto Scale Once .......................................................................................................... 71

Scaling ......................................................................................................................... 71

Range

Defines the displayed y-axis range in dB.
The default value is 100 dB.
For Analog Demodulation measurements, time domain scaling is defined in Hz

(default: 500 kHz).
Remote command:

DISPlay[:WINDow<n>]:TRACe<t>:Y[:SCALe] on page 153

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Configuration

Demodulation

Ref Level Position

Defines the reference level position, i.e. the position of the maximum AD converter
value on the level axis in %, where 0 % corresponds to the lower and 100 % to the
upper limit of the diagram.

Only available for RF measurements.
Remote command:

DISPlay[:WINDow<n>]:TRACe<t>:Y[:SCALe]:RPOSition on page 155

Auto Scale Once

Automatically determines the optimal range and reference level position to be dis­played for the current measurement settings.

The display is only set once; it is not adapted further if the measurement settings are
changed again.

This function is only available for RF measurements.
Remote command:

DISPlay[:WINDow<n>]:TRACe<t>:Y[:SCALe]:AUTO ONCE on page 154

Scaling

Defines the scaling method for the y-axis.
"Logarithmic"

"Linear with
Unit"

"Linear Per­cent"

"Absolute"

"Relative"

Remote command:

DISPlay[:WINDow<n>]:TRACe<t>:Y:SPACing on page 155
DISPlay[:WINDow<n>]:TRACe<t>:Y[:SCALe]:MODE on page 154

5.6.5 Units

Access: "Overview" > "Demod Settings" > "Unit"

Logarithmic scaling (only available for logarithmic units - dB..., and A,
V, Watt)

Linear scaling in the unit of the measured signal

Linear scaling in percentages from 0 to 100

The labeling of the level lines refers to the absolute value of the refer­ence level (not available for "Linear Percent" )

The scaling is in dB, relative to the reference level (only available for
logarithmic units - dB...). The upper line of the grid (reference level) is
always at 0 dB.

Or: "Meas Setup" > "Demod" > "Unit" tab

The units define how the demodulated data is displayed.

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Configuration

Demodulation

Phase Unit (Rad/Deg)...................................................................................................72

THD Unit (%/ DB)..........................................................................................................72

Relative Unit .................................................................................................................72

Phase Unit (Rad/Deg)

Sets the phase unit to rad or deg for displaying PM signals.
Remote command:

UNIT<n>:ANGLe on page 182

THD Unit (%/ DB)

Sets the unit to percent or DB for the calculation of the THD (in the Result Summary).
Remote command:

UNIT<n>:THD on page 183

Relative Unit

Defines the unit for relative demodulation results (see Chapter 5.6.6, "Result Table Set-

tings", on page 72).

Remote command:

CONFigure:ADEMod:RESults:UNIT on page 185

5.6.6 Result Table Settings

Access: "Overview" > "Demod Settings" > "Result Table"

Or: "Meas Setup" > "Demod" > "Result Table" tab

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Configuration

Demodulation

The demodulation results are displayed in the Result Summary table (see also " Result

Summary " on page 17). The detectors used to determine the results can be config-

ured.

In addition to common absolute demodulation, the R&S VSE Analog Demodulation
application also provides demodulation results relative to user-defined or measured
reference values in the Result Summary.

The settings for the Result Summary can be defined individually for the different modu­lation types (FM, AM, PM). For each modulation, a separate tab is provided in the dia­log box.

Detector ........................................................................................................................73

Mode ............................................................................................................................ 73

State .............................................................................................................................74

Reference Value ...........................................................................................................74

Meas -> Reference .......................................................................................................74

Detector

Detector type for demodulation results
"+ Peak"
"- Peak"
"+/- Peak"
"RMS"
Remote command:

The detector is specified by the DETector<det> suffix in
CONFigure:RELative:AM|FM|PM:DETector<det>... commands.

Positive peak
Negative peak
Autopeak
Root mean square

Mode

Defines the mode with which the demodulation result is determined.
The modes are similar to those for the entire trace (see " Trace Mode " on page 79).

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Configuration

Demodulation

"Clear Write"

"Max Hold"

"Average"
Remote command:

CONFigure:ADEMod:RESults:AM:DETector<det>:MODE on page 185
CONFigure:ADEMod:RESults:FM:DETector<det>:MODE on page 185
CONFigure:ADEMod:RESults:PM:DETector<det>:MODE on page 185

State

Activates relative demodulation for the selected detector. If activated, the demodulated
result is set in relation to the Reference Value .

Remote command:

CONFigure:ADEMod:RESults:AM:DETector<det>:STATe on page 184
CONFigure:ADEMod:RESults:FM:DETector<det>:STATe on page 184
CONFigure:ADEMod:RESults:PM:DETector<det>:STATe on page 184

Reference Value

Defines the reference value to be used for relative demodulation results and recalcu­lates the results. If necessary, the detector is activated.

Note: A reference value 0 would provide infinite results and is thus automatically cor-
rected to 0.1.

Remote command:

CONFigure:ADEMod:RESults:AM:DETector<det>:REFerence on page 183
CONFigure:ADEMod:RESults:FM:DETector<det>:REFerence on page 183
CONFigure:ADEMod:RESults:PM:DETector<det>:REFerence on page 183

Overwrite mode: the detector value is overwritten by each sweep.
This is the default setting.

The maximum value is determined over several sweeps and dis­played. The R&S VSE saves each result only if the new value is
greater than the previous one.

The average result is determined over all sweeps.

Meas -> Reference

Sets the Reference Value to be used for relative demodulation results to the currently
measured value for all relative detectors.

Note: A reference value 0 would provide infinite results and is thus automatically cor-
rected to 0.1.

If necessary, the detectors are activated.
Remote command:

CONFigure:ADEMod:RESults:AM:DETector<det>:REFerence:MEAStoref

on page 185

CONFigure:ADEMod:RESults:FM:DETector<det>:REFerence:MEAStoref

on page 185

CONFigure:ADEMod:RESults:PM:DETector<det>:REFerence:MEAStoref

on page 185

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5.7 Adjusting Settings Automatically

Configuration

Adjusting Settings Automatically

Access: "Auto Set" toolbar

Depending on the connected instrument, some settings can be adjusted by the instru­ment automatically according to the current measurement settings. In order to do so, a
measurement is performed. The duration of this measurement can be defined automat­ically or manually.

To activate the automatic adjustment of a setting from the R&S VSE, select the corre­sponding function in the "Auto Set" toolbar or in the configuration dialog box for the set­ting, where available.

Adjusting settings automatically during triggered measurements

When you select an auto adjust function a measurement is performed to determine the
optimal settings. If you select an auto adjust function for a triggered measurement, you
are asked how the connected instrument should behave:

●

(default:) The measurement for adjustment waits for the next trigger

●

The measurement for adjustment is performed without waiting for a trigger.
The trigger source is temporarily set to "Free Run". After the measurement is com­pleted, the original trigger source is restored. The trigger level is adjusted as fol­lows for IF Power and RF Power triggers:
Trigger Level = Reference Level - 15 dB

Remote command:

[SENSe:]ADJust:CONFigure:TRIGger on page 188

Adjusting all Determinable Settings Automatically ( Auto All )...................................... 75

Adjusting the Center Frequency Automatically ( Auto Frequency ).............................. 75

Setting the Reference Level Automatically ( Auto Level ).........................................76

Auto Settings Configuration.......................................................................................... 76

└ Automatic Measurement Time Mode and Value.............................................76

└ Upper Level Hysteresis ..................................................................................76

└ Lower Level Hysteresis ..................................................................................77

Adjusting all Determinable Settings Automatically ( Auto All )

Activates all automatic adjustment functions for the current measurement settings.
This includes:

●

Auto Frequency

●

" Setting the Reference Level Automatically ( Auto Level )" on page 47

●

" AF Auto Scale " on page 70

Remote command:

[SENSe:]ADJust:ALL on page 186

Adjusting the Center Frequency Automatically ( Auto Frequency )

The connected instrument adjusts the center frequency automatically.

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Configuration

Adjusting Settings Automatically

The optimum center frequency is the frequency with the highest S/N ratio in the fre­quency span. As this function uses the signal counter, it is intended for use with sinus­oidal signals.

Remote command:

[SENSe:]ADJust:FREQuency on page 188

Setting the Reference Level Automatically ( Auto Level )

The connected instrument automatically determines the optimal reference level for the
current input data. At the same time, the internal attenuators and the preamplifier are
adjusted so the signal-to-noise ratio is optimized, while signal compression, clipping
and overload conditions are minimized. This function is not available on all supported
instruments.

You can change the measurement time for the level measurement if necessary (see

"Automatic Measurement Time Mode and Value" on page 76).

Remote command:

[SENSe:]ADJust:LEVel on page 149

Auto Settings Configuration

For some automatic settings, additional parameters can be configured. The "Auto Set
Config" dialog box is available when you select the icon from the "Auto Set" toolbar.

Automatic Measurement Time Mode and Value ← Auto Settings Configuration

To determine the optimal reference level automatically, a level measurement is per­formed on the connected instrument. You can define whether the duration of this mea­surement is determined automatically or manually.

To define the duration manually, enter a value in seconds.
Remote command:

[SENSe:]ADJust:CONFigure[:LEVel]:DURation:MODE on page 187
[SENSe:]ADJust:CONFigure[:LEVel]:DURation on page 187

Upper Level Hysteresis ← Auto Settings Configuration

When the reference level is adjusted automatically using the Auto Level function, the
internal attenuators and the preamplifier (if available) of the connected instrument are
also adjusted. To avoid frequent adaptation due to small changes in the input signal,
you can define a hysteresis. This setting defines an upper threshold the signal must
exceed (compared to the last measurement) before the reference level is adapted
automatically.

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Configuration

Adjusting Settings Automatically

Remote command:

[SENSe:]ADJust:CONFigure:HYSTeresis:UPPer on page 188

Lower Level Hysteresis ← Auto Settings Configuration

When the reference level is adjusted automatically using the Auto Level function, the
internal attenuators and the preamplifier (if available) of the connected instrument are
also adjusted. To avoid frequent adaptation due to small changes in the input signal,
you can define a hysteresis. This setting defines a lower threshold the signal must fall
below (compared to the last measurement) before the reference level is adapted auto­matically.

Remote command:

[SENSe:]ADJust:CONFigure:HYSTeresis:LOWer on page 187

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Analysis

Trace Settings

6 Analysis

Access: "Overview" > "Analysis"

General result analysis settings concerning the trace, markers, lines etc. can be config­ured. They are identical to the analysis functions in the base unit except for the special
marker functions.

The remote commands required to perform these tasks are described in Chapter 9,

"Remote Commands for Analog Demodulation Measurements", on page 125.

● Trace Settings.........................................................................................................78

● Trace / Data Export Configuration...........................................................................81

● Spectrogram Settings..............................................................................................84

● Working with Markers in the R&S VSE Analog Demodulation application..............87

● Working with Limit Lines in the R&S VSE Analog Demodulation application....... 107

● Zoom Functions.................................................................................................... 120

6.1 Trace Settings

Access: "Overview" > "Analysis" > "Traces"

Or: "Trace" > "Trace"

You can configure the settings for up to 6 individual traces.

In the Analog Demodulation application when you configure the traces for a window
with a specific evaluation (e.g. AM time domain), the traces in all windows with the
same evaluation are configured identically.

Trace data can also be exported to an ASCII file for further analysis. For details see

Chapter 6.2, "Trace / Data Export Configuration", on page 81.

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Trace Settings

Trace 1 / Trace 2 / Trace 3 / Trace 4 / Trace 5 / Trace 6 ..............................................79

Trace Mode ..................................................................................................................79

Detector ........................................................................................................................80

Hold ..............................................................................................................................80

Average Mode ..............................................................................................................80

Average Count ............................................................................................................. 81

Predefined Trace Settings - Quick Config ....................................................................81

Trace 1 / Trace 2 / Trace 3 / Trace 4 / Trace 5 / Trace 6

Selects the corresponding trace for configuration. The currently selected trace is high­lighted.

Remote command:
Selected via numeric suffix of:TRACe<1...6> commands

DISPlay[:WINDow<n>]:TRACe<t>[:STATe] on page 191

Trace Mode

Defines the update mode for subsequent traces.
"Clear/ Write"
"Max Hold"

"Min Hold"

"Average"

"View"

Overwrite mode (default): the trace is overwritten by each sweep.
The maximum value is determined over several sweeps and dis-

played. The R&S VSE saves each trace point in the trace memory
only if the new value is greater than the previous one.

The minimum value is determined from several measurements and
displayed. The R&S VSE saves each trace point in the trace memory
only if the new value is lower than the previous one.

The average is formed over several sweeps.
The Capture Count determines the number of averaging procedures.

The current contents of the trace memory are frozen and displayed.

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Trace Settings

"Blank"
Remote command:

DISPlay[:WINDow<n>]:TRACe<t>:MODE on page 189

Detector

Defines the trace detector to be used for trace analysis.
"Auto"

"Type"
Remote command:

[SENSe:][WINDow<n>:]DETector<t>[:FUNCtion] on page 194
[SENSe:][WINDow<n>:]DETector<t>[:FUNCtion]:AUTO on page 195

Hold

If activated, traces in "Min Hold" , "Max Hold" and "Average" mode are not reset after
specific parameter changes have been made.

Normally, the measurement is started again after parameter changes, before the mea­surement results are analyzed (e.g. using a marker). In all cases that require a new
measurement after parameter changes, the trace is reset automatically to avoid false
results (e.g. with span changes). For applications that require no reset after parameter
changes, the automatic reset can be switched off.

The default setting is off.
Remote command:

DISPlay[:WINDow<n>]:TRACe<t>:MODE:HCONtinuous on page 190

Removes the selected trace from the display.

Selects the optimum detector for the selected trace and filter mode.
This is the default setting.

Defines the selected detector type.

Average Mode

Defines the mode with which the trace is averaged over several sweeps.
This setting is generally applicable if trace mode "Average" is selected. For FFT

sweeps, the setting also affects the VBW (regardless of whether or not the trace is
averaged).

(See the chapter on ACLR power measurements in the R&S VSE User Manual.)
The Capture Count determines the number of averaging procedures.
"Linear"

"Logarithmic"

"Power"

The power level values are converted into linear units prior to averag­ing. After the averaging, the data is converted back into its original
unit.

For logarithmic scaling, the values are averaged in dBm. For linear
scaling, the behavior is the same as with linear averaging.

Activates linear power averaging.
The power level values are converted into unit Watt prior to averag­ing. After the averaging, the data is converted back into its original
unit.
Use this mode to average power values in Volts or Amperes correctly.
In particular, for small VBW values (smaller than the RBW), use
power averaging mode for correct power measurements in FFT
sweep mode.

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Analysis

Trace / Data Export Configuration

Remote command:

[SENSe:]AVERage<n>:TYPE on page 194

Average Count

Determines the number of averaging or maximum search procedures If the trace
modes "Average" , "Max Hold" or "Min Hold" are set.

In continuous sweep mode, if capture count = 0 (default), averaging is performed over
10 sweeps. For capture count =1, no averaging, Max Hold or Min Hold operations are
performed.

Remote command:

[SENSe:]AVERage<n>:COUNt on page 193

Predefined Trace Settings - Quick Config

Commonly required trace settings have been predefined and can be applied very
quickly by selecting the appropriate button.

Function Trace Settings

Preset All Traces Trace 1: Clear Write

Traces 2-6: Blank

Set Trace Mode
Max | Avg | Min

Set Trace Mode
Max | ClrWrite | Min

Trace 1: Max Hold

Trace 2: Average

Trace 3: Min Hold

Traces 4-6: Blank

Trace 1: Max Hold

Trace 2: Clear Write

Trace 3: Min Hold

Traces 4-6: Blank

6.2 Trace / Data Export Configuration

Access: "Overview" > "Analysis" > "Traces" > "Trace / Data Export"

The standard data management functions (e.g. saving or loading instrument settings,
or exporting the I/Q data in other formats) that are available for all R&S VSE applica­tions are not described here.

See the R&S VSE User Manual for a description of the standard functions.

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Trace / Data Export Configuration

Export all Traces and all Table Results ........................................................................ 82

Include Instrument & Measurement Settings ............................................................... 82

Trace to Export .............................................................................................................82

Decimal Separator ....................................................................................................... 82

Export Trace to ASCII File ............................................................................................83

└ File Type ........................................................................................................ 83

└ Decimal Separator ......................................................................................... 83

Export all Traces and all Table Results

Selects all displayed traces and result tables (e.g. Result Summary, marker table etc.)
in the current application for export to an ASCII file.

Alternatively, you can select one specific trace only for export (see Trace to Export ).
The results are output in the same order as they are displayed on the screen: window

by window, trace by trace, and table row by table row.
Remote command:

FORMat:DEXPort:TRACes on page 218

Include Instrument & Measurement Settings

Includes additional instrument and measurement settings in the header of the export
file for result data.

See the R&S VSE User Manual for details.
Remote command:

FORMat:DEXPort:HEADer on page 217

Trace to Export

Defines an individual trace that will be exported to a file.
This setting is not available if Export all Traces and all Table Results is selected.

Decimal Separator

Defines the decimal separator for floating-point numerals for the data export/import
files. Evaluation programs require different separators in different languages.

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Trace / Data Export Configuration

Remote command:

FORMat:DEXPort:DSEParator on page 217

Export Trace to ASCII File

Saves the selected trace or all traces in the currently active result display to the speci­fied file and directory in the selected ASCII format.

Note: Secure user mode.
In secure user mode, settings that are stored on the instrument are stored to volatile
memory, which is restricted to 256 MB. Thus, a "memory limit reached" error can occur
although the hard disk indicates that storage space is still available.

To store data permanently, select an external storage location such as a USB memory
device.

For details, see "Protecting Data Using the Secure User Mode" in the "Data Manage­ment" section of the R&S VSE User Manual.

Remote command:

MMEMory:STORe<n>:TRACe on page 217

File Type ← Export Trace to ASCII File

Determines the format of the ASCII file to be imported or exported.
Depending on the external program in which the data file was created or will be evalu-

ated, a comma-separated list (CSV) or a plain data format (DAT) file may be required.
Remote command:

FORMat:DEXPort:FORMat on page 215

Decimal Separator ← Export Trace to ASCII File

Defines the decimal separator for floating-point numerals for the data export/import
files. Evaluation programs require different separators in different languages.

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6.3 Spectrogram Settings

Analysis

Spectrogram Settings

Remote command:

FORMat:DEXPort:DSEParator on page 217

Access: "Overview" > "Analysis" > "Traces" > "Spectrogram"

or: "Trace" > Spectrogram

The individual settings available for spectrogram display are described here. For set­tings on color mapping, see Chapter 6.3.2, "Color Map Settings", on page 86.

Settings concerning the frames and how they are handled during a sweep are provided
as additional capture settings for spectrogram display, see Chapter 5.5.2, "Capture

Settings", on page 56.

For background information see also Chapter 4.6, "Working with Spectrograms",
on page 25.

● General Spectrogram Settings................................................................................84

● Color Map Settings..................................................................................................86

6.3.1 General Spectrogram Settings

Access: "Overview" > "Analysis" > "Traces" > "Spectrogram"

or: "Trace" > "Spectrogram"

This section describes general settings for spectrogram display.

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Spectrogram Settings

State..............................................................................................................................85

Select Frame.................................................................................................................85

History Depth ............................................................................................................... 85

Color Mapping ..............................................................................................................85

Clear Spectrogram .......................................................................................................85

State

Activates and deactivates a Spectrogram subwindow.
"Split"

"Full"

"Off"
Remote command:

CALCulate<n>:SPECtrogram:LAYout on page 198

Select Frame

Selects a specific frame, loads the corresponding trace from the memory, and displays
it in the Spectrum window.

Note that activating a marker or changing the position of the active marker automati­cally selects the frame that belongs to that marker.

This function is only available in single sweep mode or if the sweep is stopped, and
only if a spectrogram is selected.

The most recent frame is number 0, all previous frames have a negative number.
For more details see the R&S VSE base software user manual.

Displays the Spectrogram as a subwindow in the original result dis­play.

Displays the Spectrogram in a subwindow in the full size of the origi­nal result display.

Closes the Spectrogram subwindow.

Remote command:

CALCulate<n>:SPECtrogram:FRAMe:SELect on page 197
CALCulate<n>:SPECtrogram:FRAMe:SELect on page 197

History Depth

Sets the number of frames that the R&S VSE stores in its memory.
The maximum number of frames depends on the Points.
For an overview of the maximum number of frames depending on the number of

sweep points, see the R&S VSE User Manual.
If the memory is full, the R&S VSE deletes the oldest frames stored in the memory and

replaces them with the new data.
Remote command:

CALCulate<n>:SPECtrogram:HDEPth on page 198

Color Mapping

Opens the "Color Mapping" dialog.

Clear Spectrogram

Resets the spectrogram result display and clears the history buffer.
This function is only available if a spectrogram is selected.

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6.3.2 Color Map Settings

Analysis

Spectrogram Settings

Remote command:

CALCulate<n>:SPECtrogram:CLEar[:IMMediate] on page 196

Access: "Overview" > "Analysis" > "Traces" > "Color Mapping"

or: "Trace" > "Spectrogram" > "Color Mapping"

In addition to the available color settings, the dialog box displays the current color map
and provides a preview of the display with the current settings.

1

2

3

6

4

8

Figure 6-1: Color Mapping dialog box

1 = Color map: shows the current color distribution
2 = Preview pane: shows a preview of the spectrogram with any changes that you make to the color

scheme
3 = Color curve pane: graphical representation of all settings available to customize the color scheme
4/5 = Color range start and stop sliders: define the range of the color map or amplitudes for the spectrogram
6 = Color curve slider: adjusts the focus of the color curve
7 = Histogram: shows the distribution of measured values
8 = Scale of the horizontal axis (value range)

7

5

Start / Stop ................................................................................................................... 87

Shape ...........................................................................................................................87

Hot / Cold / Radar / Grayscale ..................................................................................... 87

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Working with Markers in the R&S VSE Analog Demodulation application

Auto ..............................................................................................................................87

Set to Default ............................................................................................................... 87

Close.............................................................................................................................87

Start / Stop

Defines the lower and upper boundaries of the value range of the spectrogram.
Remote command:

DISPlay[:WINDow<n>]:SPECtrogram:COLor:LOWer on page 200
DISPlay[:WINDow<n>]:SPECtrogram:COLor:UPPer on page 201

Shape

Defines the shape and focus of the color curve for the spectrogram result display.
"-1 to <0"
"0"
">0 to 1"
Remote command:

DISPlay[:WINDow<n>]:SPECtrogram:COLor:SHAPe on page 200

More colors are distributed among the lower values
Colors are distributed linearly among the values
More colors are distributed among the higher values

Hot / Cold / Radar / Grayscale

Sets the color scheme for the spectrogram.
Remote command:

DISPlay[:WINDow<n>]:SPECtrogram:COLor[:STYLe] on page 201

Auto

Defines the color range automatically according to the existing measured values for
optimized display.

Set to Default

Sets the color mapping to the default settings.
Remote command:

DISPlay[:WINDow<n>]:SPECtrogram:COLor:DEFault on page 200

Close

Saves the changes and closes the dialog box.

6.4 Working with Markers in the R&S VSE Analog Demod­ulation application

Access: "Overview" > "Analysis" > "Markers"

or: "Marker"

Basically, markers in the R&S VSE Analog Demodulation application are very similar to
those in the I/Q Analyzer. However, some additional functions are available.

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6.4.1 Marker Settings

Analysis

Working with Markers in the R&S VSE Analog Demodulation application

Markers in Spectrogram Displays

In Spectrograms, you can activate up to 16 markers or delta markers at the same time.
Each marker can be assigned to a different frame. Therefore, in addition to the x-value
you also define the frame number when activating a new marker. If no frame number is
specified, the marker is positioned on the currently selected frame. All markers are visi­ble that are positioned on a visible frame.

● Marker Settings.......................................................................................................88

● Marker Search Settings and Positioning Functions................................................ 94

● Special Marker Functions........................................................................................97

Access: "Overview" > "Analysis" > "Marker" > "Markers"

Or: "Marker" > "Markers"

● Individual Marker Setup.......................................................................................... 88

● General Marker Settings......................................................................................... 92

6.4.1.1 Individual Marker Setup

Access: "Overview" > "Analysis" > "Marker" > "Markers"

Or: "Marker" > "Markers" tab

In the Analog Demodulation application, up to 17 markers or delta markers can be acti­vated for each window simultaneously.

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The markers are distributed among 3 tabs for a better overview. By default, the first
marker is defined as a normal marker, whereas all others are defined as delta markers
with reference to the first marker. All markers are assigned to trace 1, but only the first
marker is active.

Place New Marker ....................................................................................................89

Marker 1 / Delta Marker 1 / Delta Marker 2 / Delta Marker 16 .............................. 89

Selected Marker ...........................................................................................................90

Marker State .................................................................................................................90

Marker Position X-value ...............................................................................................90

Marker Type .................................................................................................................90

Reference Marker ........................................................................................................ 91

Linking to Another Marker ............................................................................................91

Assigning the Marker to a Trace .................................................................................. 91

All Marker Off ............................................................................................................... 91

Place New Marker

Activates the next currently unused marker and sets it to the peak value of the current
trace in the current window.

If a spectrogram is active, an edit field is displayed for the frame number (≤ 0) in which
the marker is to be placed.

Marker 1 / Delta Marker 1 / Delta Marker 2 / Delta Marker 16

To activate a marker, select the arrow on the marker selection list in the toolbar, or
select a marker from the "Marker" > "Select Marker" menu. Enter the marker position
( "X-value" ) in the edit dialog box.

If a spectrogram is active, the frame number (≤ 0) in which the marker is to be placed
can also be defined.

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To deactivate a marker, select the marker name in the marker selection list in the tool­bar (not the arrow) to display the "Select Marker" dialog box. Change the "State" to
"Off" .

Marker 1 is always the default reference marker for relative measurements. If activa­ted, markers 2 to 16 are delta markers that refer to marker 1. These markers can be
converted into markers with absolute value display using the "Marker Type" function.

Several markers can be configured very easily using the "Marker" dialog box, see

Chapter 6.4.1.1, "Individual Marker Setup", on page 88.

Remote command:

CALCulate<n>:MARKer<m>[:STATe] on page 224
CALCulate<n>:MARKer<m>:X on page 225
CALCulate<n>:MARKer<m>:Y? on page 225
CALCulate<n>:DELTamarker<m>[:STATe] on page 228
CALCulate<n>:DELTamarker<m>:X on page 229
CALCulate<n>:DELTamarker<m>:X:RELative? on page 229
CALCulate<n>:DELTamarker<m>:Y? on page 230

For spectrogram display:

CALCulate<n>:DELTamarker<m>:SPECtrogram:FRAMe on page 238
CALCulate<n>:MARKer<m>:SPECtrogram:FRAMe on page 234

Selected Marker

Marker name. The marker which is currently selected for editing is highlighted orange.
Remote command:

Marker selected via suffix <m> in remote commands.

Marker State

Activates or deactivates the marker in the diagram.
Remote command:

CALCulate<n>:MARKer<m>[:STATe] on page 224
CALCulate<n>:DELTamarker<m>[:STATe] on page 228

Marker Position X-value

Defines the position (x-value) of the marker in the diagram. For normal markers, the
absolute position is indicated. For delta markers, the position relative to the reference
marker is provided.

Remote command:

CALCulate<n>:MARKer<m>:X on page 225
CALCulate<n>:DELTamarker<m>:X on page 229

Marker Type

Toggles the marker type.
The type for marker 1 is always "Normal" , the type for delta marker 1 is always

"Delta" . These types cannot be changed.

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Working with Markers in the R&S VSE Analog Demodulation application

Note: If normal marker 1 is the active marker, switching the "Mkr Type" activates an
additional delta marker 1. For any other marker, switching the marker type does not
activate an additional marker, it only switches the type of the selected marker.

"Normal"

"Delta"

Remote command:

CALCulate<n>:MARKer<m>[:STATe] on page 224
CALCulate<n>:DELTamarker<m>[:STATe] on page 228

Reference Marker

Defines a marker as the reference marker which is used to determine relative analysis
results (delta marker values).

If the reference marker is deactivated, the delta marker referring to it is also deactiva­ted.

Remote command:

CALCulate<n>:DELTamarker<m>:MREF on page 228

A normal marker indicates the absolute value at the defined position
in the diagram.

A delta marker defines the value of the marker relative to the speci­fied reference marker (marker 1 by default).

Linking to Another Marker

Links the current marker to the marker selected from the list of active markers. If the x­axis value of the initial marker is changed, the linked marker follows to the same posi­tion on the x-axis. Linking is off by default.

Using this function you can set two markers on different traces to measure the differ­ence (e.g. between a max hold trace and a min hold trace or between a measurement
and a reference trace).

Remote command:

CALCulate<n>:MARKer<m>:LINK:TO:MARKer<m> on page 224
CALCulate<n>:DELTamarker<m>:LINK:TO:MARKer<m> on page 227
CALCulate<n>:DELTamarker<m>:LINK on page 227

Assigning the Marker to a Trace

The "Trace" setting assigns the selected marker to an active trace. The trace deter­mines which value the marker shows at the marker position. If the marker was previ­ously assigned to a different trace, the marker remains on the previous frequency or
time, but indicates the value of the new trace.

The marker can also be assigned to the currently active trace using the "Marker" >
"Marker To Trace" menu item.

If a trace is turned off, the assigned markers and marker functions are also deactiva­ted.

Remote command:

CALCulate<n>:MARKer<m>:TRACe on page 225

All Marker Off

Deactivates all markers in one step.

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6.4.1.2 General Marker Settings

Analysis

Working with Markers in the R&S VSE Analog Demodulation application

Remote command:

CALCulate<n>:MARKer<m>:AOFF on page 223

Access: "Overview" > "Analysis" > "Marker" > "Marker Settings"

Or: "Marker" > "Marker Settings" tab

Some general marker settings allow you to influence the marker behavior for all mark­ers.

Marker Table Display ....................................................................................................92

Marker Info ...................................................................................................................93

Marker Stepsize ........................................................................................................... 93

Defining a Fixed Reference...........................................................................................93

Link Time Marker...........................................................................................................94

Link AF Spectrum Marker............................................................................................. 94

Marker Table Display

Defines how the marker information is displayed.
"On"

"Off"

"Auto"

Displays the marker information in a table in a separate area beneath
the diagram.

No separate marker table is displayed.
If Marker Info is active, the marker information is displayed within the
diagram area.

(Default) If more than two markers are active, the marker table is dis­played automatically.
If Marker Info is active, the marker information for up to two markers
is displayed in the diagram area.

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Remote command:

DISPlay[:WINDow<n>]:MTABle on page 232

Marker Info

Turns the marker information displayed in the diagram on and off.

Remote command:

DISPlay:MINFo[:STATe] on page 232

Marker Stepsize

Defines the size of the steps that the marker position is moved using the mouse wheel.
"Standard"

"Points"

Remote command:

CALCulate<n>:MARKer<m>:X:SSIZe on page 231

The marker position is moved in steps of (Span/1000), which corre­sponds approximately to the number of pixels for the default display
of 1001 sweep points. This setting is most suitable to move the
marker over a larger distance.

The marker position is moved from one sweep point to the next. This
setting is required for a very precise positioning if more sweep points
are collected than the number of pixels that can be displayed on the
screen. It is the default mode.

Defining a Fixed Reference

Instead of using a reference marker that may vary its position depending on the mea­surement results, a fixed reference marker can be defined for trace analysis.

Note that this function may not be available in all result displays.
For "State" = "On" , a vertical and a horizontal red display line are displayed, marked

as "FXD" . The normal marker 1 is activated and set to the peak value of the trace
assigned to marker 1, and a delta marker to the next peak. The fixed reference marker
is set to the position of marker 1 at the peak value. The delta marker refers to the fixed
reference marker.

The "Level" and "Frequency" or "Time" settings define the position and value of the ref­erence marker. To move the fixed reference, move the red display lines marked "FXD"
in the diagram, or change the position settings in the "Marker Settings" tab of the
"Marker" dialog box.

Peak Search sets the fixed reference marker to the current maximum value of the
trace assigned to marker 1.

If activated, the fixed reference marker ( "FXD" ) can also be selected as a Reference

Marker instead of another marker.

Remote command:

CALCulate<n>:DELTamarker<m>:FUNCtion:FIXed[:STATe] on page 250
CALCulate<n>:DELTamarker<m>:FUNCtion:FIXed:RPOint:Y on page 250

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6.4.2 Marker Search Settings and Positioning Functions

Analysis

Working with Markers in the R&S VSE Analog Demodulation application

CALCulate<n>:DELTamarker<m>:FUNCtion:FIXed:RPOint:X on page 249
CALCulate<n>:DELTamarker<m>:FUNCtion:FIXed:RPOint:MAXimum[:PEAK]

on page 249

Link Time Marker

Links the markers in all time domain diagrams.
Remote command:

CALCulate<n>:MARKer<m>:LINK on page 231

Link AF Spectrum Marker

Links the markers in all AF spectrum displays.
Remote command:

CALCulate<n>:MARKer<m>:LINK on page 231

Access: "Overview" > "Analysis" > "Marker" > "Search"

or: "Marker" > "Search"

Several functions are available to set the marker to a specific position very quickly and
easily, or to use the current marker position to define another characteristic value. In
order to determine the required marker position, searches may be performed. The
search results can be influenced by special settings.

The remote commands required to define these settings are described in Chap-

ter 9.7.1, "Working with Markers Remotely", on page 223.

● Marker Search Settings...........................................................................................94

● Positioning Functions..............................................................................................95

6.4.2.1 Marker Search Settings

Access: "Overview" > "Analysis" > "Marker" > "Search"

or: "Marker" > "Search"

Markers are commonly used to determine peak values, i.e. maximum or minimum val­ues, in the measured signal. Configuration settings allow you to influence the peak
search results.

Marker Search Type .....................................................................................................94

Marker Search Area .....................................................................................................95

Peak Excursion ............................................................................................................ 95

Marker Search Type

Defines the type of search to be performed in the spectrogram.
"X-Search"
"Y-Search"
"XY-Search"

Searches only within the currently selected frame.
Searches within all frames but only at the current frequency position.
Searches in all frames at all positions.

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Remote command:
Defined by the search function, see Chapter 9.7.1.3, "Marker Search (Spectrograms)",
on page 233

Marker Search Area

Defines which frames the search is performed in.
"Visible"
"Memory"
Remote command:

CALCulate<n>:MARKer<m>:SPECtrogram:SARea on page 234
CALCulate<n>:DELTamarker<m>:SPECtrogram:SARea on page 239

Peak Excursion

Defines the minimum level value by which a signal must rise or fall so that it is identi­fied as a maximum or a minimum by the search functions.

Entries from 0 dB to 80 dB are allowed; the resolution is 0.1 dB. The default setting for
the peak excursion is 6 dB.

Only the visible frames are searched.
All frames stored in the memory are searched.

For analog demodulation, the unit and value range depends on the selected result dis­play type.

Remote command:

CALCulate<n>:MARKer<m>:PEXCursion on page 242

6.4.2.2 Positioning Functions

Access: "Marker" toolbar

The following functions set the currently selected marker to the result of a peak search
or set other characteristic values to the current marker value.

Select Marker ...............................................................................................................95

Peak Search .................................................................................................................96

Search Next Peak ........................................................................................................ 96

Search Minimum .......................................................................................................... 97

Search Next Minimum ..................................................................................................97

Select Marker

The "Select Marker" function opens a dialog box to select and activate or deactivate
one or more markers quickly.

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Remote command:

CALCulate<n>:MARKer<m>[:STATe] on page 224
CALCulate<n>:DELTamarker<m>[:STATe] on page 228

Peak Search

Sets the selected marker/delta marker to the maximum of the trace. If no marker is
active, marker 1 is activated.

Remote command:

CALCulate<n>:MARKer<m>:MAXimum[:PEAK] on page 244
CALCulate<n>:DELTamarker<m>:MAXimum[:PEAK] on page 247

Search Next Peak

Sets the selected marker/delta marker to the next (lower) maximum of the assigned
trace. If no marker is active, marker 1 is activated.

,
For spectrogram displays, define which frame the next peak is to be searched in.
For the Next Peak Up/Down functions, the search is automatically performed in all

frames above or below the currently selected frame, respectively.
Remote command:

CALCulate<n>:MARKer<m>:MAXimum:NEXT on page 244
CALCulate<n>:MARKer<m>:MAXimum:RIGHt on page 244
CALCulate<n>:MARKer<m>:MAXimum:LEFT on page 243
CALCulate<n>:DELTamarker<m>:MAXimum:NEXT on page 246
CALCulate<n>:DELTamarker<m>:MAXimum:RIGHt on page 247
CALCulate<n>:DELTamarker<m>:MAXimum:LEFT on page 246

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Search Minimum

Sets the selected marker/delta marker to the minimum of the trace. If no marker is
active, marker 1 is activated.

Remote command:

CALCulate<n>:MARKer<m>:MINimum[:PEAK] on page 245
CALCulate<n>:DELTamarker<m>:MINimum[:PEAK] on page 248

Search Next Minimum

Sets the selected marker/delta marker to the next (higher) minimum of the selected
trace. If no marker is active, marker 1 is activated.

,
For spectrogram displays, define which frame the next minimum is to be searched in.
For the Next Min Up/Down functions, the search is automatically performed in all

frames above or below the currently selected frame, respectively.
Remote command:

CALCulate<n>:MARKer<m>:MINimum:NEXT on page 245
CALCulate<n>:MARKer<m>:MINimum:LEFT on page 244
CALCulate<n>:MARKer<m>:MINimum:RIGHt on page 245
CALCulate<n>:DELTamarker<m>:MINimum:NEXT on page 248
CALCulate<n>:DELTamarker<m>:MINimum:LEFT on page 247
CALCulate<n>:DELTamarker<m>:MINimum:RIGHt on page 248

6.4.3 Special Marker Functions

Access: "Overview" > "Analysis" > "Marker" > "Marker Functions"

or: "Marker" > "Marker Function"

In addition to basic markers, sophisticated marker functions are provided for special
results

● Defining a Fixed Reference Marker........................................................................ 97

● Measuring Characteristic Bandwidths (n dB Down Marker)....................................98

● Measuring Phase Noise..........................................................................................99

● Marker Function Configuration................................................................................99

6.4.3.1 Defining a Fixed Reference Marker

Access: "Overview" > "Analysis" > "Marker Functions" > "Reference Fixed"

Or: "Marker" > "Marker Function" > "Reference Fixed"

Instead of using a reference marker that can vary its position depending on the mea­surement results, a fixed reference marker can be defined for trace analysis. Once
positioned, the reference marker does not move during subsequent sweeps unless you
explicitly move it manually.

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6.4.3.2 Measuring Characteristic Bandwidths (n dB Down Marker)

Analysis

Working with Markers in the R&S VSE Analog Demodulation application

Remote commands:

CALCulate<n>:DELTamarker<m>:FUNCtion:FIXed[:STATe] on page 250

CALCulate<n>:DELTamarker<m>:FUNCtion:FIXed:RPOint:X on page 249

CALCulate<n>:DELTamarker<m>:FUNCtion:FIXed:RPOint:Y on page 250

Access: "Overview" > "Analysis" > "Marker Functions" > "n dB Down"

Or: "Marker" > "Marker Function" > "n dB Down"

When characterizing the shape of a signal, the bandwidth at a specified offset from its
peak level is often of interest. The offset is specified as a relative decrease in ampli­tude of n dB. To measure this bandwidth, you could use several markers and delta
markers and determine the bandwidth manually. However, using the n dB down marker
function makes the task very simple and quick.

The n dB down marker function uses the current value of marker 1 as the reference
point. It activates two temporary markers T1 and T2 located on the signal, whose level
is n dB below the level of the reference point. Marker T1 is placed to the left and
marker T2 to the right of the reference marker. The default setting for n is 3 dB, but it
can be changed.

If a positive offset is entered, the markers T1 and T2 are placed below the active refer­ence point. If a negative value is entered (for example for notch filter measurements),
the markers T1 and T2 are placed above the active reference point.

Figure 6-2: n dB down marker function

The following marker function results are displayed:

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Table 6-1: n dB down marker function results

Label Description

M1 Current position and level of marker 1

ndB Offset value (n dB down)

ndB down Bw /
PWid

Q-factor Quality factor of the determined bandwidth (characteristic of damping or resonance)

T1, T2 Current position and level of the temporary markers

Determined bandwidth or pulse width (zero span) at the offset

If the required position for the temporary markers cannot be determined uniquely, for
example due to noise, dashes are displayed as a result.

Remote commands:

CALCulate<n>:MARKer<m>:FUNCtion:NDBDown:STATe on page 257

CALCulate<n>:MARKer<m>:FUNCtion:NDBDown:RESult? on page 256

6.4.3.3 Measuring Phase Noise

Access: "Overview" > "Analysis" > "Marker Functions" > "Phase Noise"

or: "Marker" > "Marker Function" > "Phase Noise"

Phase noise is unintentional modulation of a carrier; it creates frequencies next to the
carrier frequency. A phase noise measurement consists of noise density measure­ments at defined offsets from the carrier; the results are given in relation to the carrier
level (dBc).

In the Analog Demodulation application, phase noise measurement markers are avail­able for the AF Spectrum result displays. For the FM Spectrum and PM Spectrum
result displays, the phase deviation in rad equals the phase noise at the marker posi­tion. For AM Spectrum displays the marker result equals the amplitude noise at the
marker position.

The noise power density is measured at each marker for which the phase noise func­tion is activated, and set in relation to the measured carrier power. A reference marker
is not required. In the marker table display, the phase noise is indicated as the marker
function result.

6.4.3.4 Marker Function Configuration

Access: "Overview" > "Analysis" > "Marker Functions" > "Phase Noise"

Or: "Marker" > "Marker Function"

Special marker functions can be selected via the "Marker Function" dialog box.

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The fixed reference marker is described under "Defining a Fixed Reference"
on page 93.

Not all marker functions are available for all evaluations. The following table indicates
which functions are available for which evaluations.

Evaluation n dB

down

AM/FM/PM time - - X X

AF/FM/PM spectrum X X X X

RF time X - X X

RF spectrum X X X X

Phase
Noise

Refer­ence
Fixed

Marker
Peak
List

For details on special marker functions see Chapter 6.4.3, "Special Marker Functions",
on page 97.

The remote commands required to define these settings are described in Chap-

ter 9.7.1.6, "Configuring Special Marker Functions", on page 248.

The Fixed Reference Marker settings are described in "Defining a Fixed Reference"
on page 93.

● Measuring Characteristic Bandwidths (n dB Down Marker)..................................100

● Phase Noise Measurement Marker.......................................................................102

● Marker Peak List................................................................................................... 104

● Deactivating All Marker Functions.........................................................................107

Measuring Characteristic Bandwidths (n dB Down Marker)

Access: "Overview" > "Analysis" > "Marker Functions" > "n dB down" > "n dB Down

Config"

Or: "Marker" > "Marker Function" > "n dB down"

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