Tektronix RF Scout User manual

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RF Scout Interference Hunter

ZZZ

Quick Start User Manual

www.tektronix.com

071-1901-03

Copyright © Tektronix. All rights reserved. Licensed software products are owned by Tektronix or its subsidiaries or suppliers, and are protected by national copyright laws and international treaty p rovisions.

Tektronix products are covered by U.S. and foreign patents, issued and pending. Information in this publication supersedes that in all previously published material. Speciﬁcations and price change privileges reserved.

TEKTRONIX and TEK are registered trademarks of Tektronix, Inc.

NetTek and RF Scout are registered trademarks of Tektronix, Inc.

Contacting Tektronix

Tektronix, Inc. 14200 SW Karl Braun Drive P.O . Bo x 50 0 Beaverton, OR 97077 USA

For product information, sales, service, and technical support:

In North America, call 1-800-833-9200. Worldwide, visit www.tektronix.com to ﬁnd contacts in your area.

Warranty 2

Tektronix warrants that this product will be free from defects in materials and workmanship for a period of one (1) year from the date of shipment. If any such produ ct proves defective during this warranty period, Tektronix, at its option, either will repair the defective product without charge for parts and labor, or will provide a replacement in exchange for the defective product. Parts, modules and replacement products used by Tektronix for warranty work may be new or reconditioned to like new performance. All replaced parts, modules and products become the property of Tektronix.

In order to obtain s ervice under this warranty, Customer must notify Tektronix of the defect before the expiration of the warranty period and make suitable arrangements for the performance of service. Customer shall be r esponsible for packaging and shipping the defective product to the service center designated by Tektronix, with shipping charges prepaid. Tektronix shall pay for the return of the product to Customer if the shipment is to a location within the country in which the Tektronix service center is located. Customer shall be responsible for paying all shipping charges, duties, taxes, and any other charges for products returned t o any other locations.

This warranty shall not apply to any defect, failure or damage caused by improper use or improper or inadequate maintenance and care. Tektronix shall not be obligated to furnish service under this warranty a) to repair damage resulting from attempts by personnel other than Tektronix representatives to install, repair or service the product; b) to repair damage resulting from improper use or connection to incompatible equipment; c) to repair any damage or malfunction caused by the use of non-Tektronix supplies; or d) to service a product that has been modiﬁed or integrated with other products when the effect of such modiﬁcation or integration increases the time or difﬁculty of servicing the product.

THIS WARRANTY IS GIVEN BY TEKTRONIX WITH RESPECT TO THE PRODUCT IN LIEU OF ANY OTHER WARRANTIES, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED. TEKTRONIX AND ITS VENDORS DISCLAIM ANY IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY OR FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE. TEKTRONIX’ RESPONSIBILITY TO REPAIR OR REPLACE DEFECTIVE PRODUCTS IS THE SOLE AND EXCLUSIVE REMEDY PROVIDED TO THE CUSTOMER FOR BREACH OF THIS WARRANTY. TEKTRONIX AND ITS VENDORS WILL NOT BE LIABLE FOR ANY INDIRECT, SPECIAL, INCIDENTAL, OR CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES IRRESPECTIVE OF WHETHER TEKTRONIX OR THE VENDOR HAS ADVANCE NOTICE OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH DAMAGES.

Table of Contents

General Safety Summary .. ................................................................................................................ iii

Environmental Considerations ............................................................................................................. vi

Preface..................................................................................................................................... viii

Key Features......................................................................................................................... viii

Documentation........................................................................................................................ ix

Software Upgrades .................................................................................................................... x

Conventions Used in This Manual.....................................................................................................x

Preventing Personal Injury from Lightning ...........................................................................................xi

Installation .................................................................................................................................. 1

RF Scout Standard Accessories.. .................................................................................................... 1

Operating Considerations ............................................................................................................ 2

Connecting the A C Adapter . .. ....................................................................................................... 4

Charging the Batteries................................................................................................................ 5

Powering On and Off the Instrument, and Fu nctional Veriﬁcation................................................................... 6

Touch Screen Concepts .............................................................................................................. 7

Calibrate the Touch Screen........................................................................................................... 8

Starting the RFScout Application ...................................................................................................10

Setting Display Colors ............................................................................................................... 11

Enabling Signal Standards .......................................................................................................... 12

Table of Contents

RF Scout Quick Start User Manual i

Table of Contents

Getting Acquainted with Your Instrument ................................................................................................. 15

Operating Basics .......................................................................................................................... 26

Instrument Elements................................................................................................................. 15

PowerOn/Standby and Status Panel ............................................................................................... 16

Input/Output Connectors (NetTek Y400 Platform) . ................................................................................. 17

NetTek YBT250 Module Signal Connectors. ........................................................................................ 18

Microsoft WindowsCE Elements . .. ................................................................................................. 18

The User Interface ................................................................................................................... 19

The Command Bar...................................................................................................................20

The Tuning Controls ................................................................................................................. 21

The External Signal Status Buttons ................................................................................................. 22

The Measurement Mode Buttons.................................................................................................... 23

The Parameter Entry Controls.......................................................................................................24

Getting Help.......................................................................................................................... 25

Setting Up to Take a Measurement ................................................................................................. 26

Spectrum Measurements............................................................................................................31

Channel Measurements Mode . ..................................................................................................... 49

iMap Measurement Mapping Mode ................................................................................................. 53

Signal Measurements................................................................................................................ 73

Speciﬁcations.............................................................................................................................. 75

Certiﬁcations and Compliances .................................................................................................... 102

Index

ii RF Scout Quick Start User Manual

General Safety Summary

Review the following safety precautions to avoid injury and prevent damage to this product or any products connected to it.

To avoid potential hazards, use this product only as speciﬁed.

Only qualiﬁed personnel should pe rform service procedures.

While using this product, you may need to access other parts of a larger system. Read the safety sections of the other component manuals for warnings and cautions related to operating the system.

To Avoid Fire or Personal Injury

Use Proper Power Cord. Use only the power cord speciﬁed for this product and certiﬁed for the country of use.

Observe All Terminal Ratings. To avoid ﬁre or shock hazard, observe all ratings and markings on the product. Consult the

product manual for further ratings information before making connections to the product.

The inputs are not rated for connection to mains or Category II, III, or IV circuits.

Power Disconnect. The power cord disconnects the product from the power source. Do not block the power cord; it must remain

accessible to the user at all times.

Do Not Operate Without Covers. Do not operate this product with covers or panels removed.

Do Not Operate With Suspected Failures. If you suspect that there is damage to this product, have it inspected by qualiﬁed

service personnel.

General Safety Summary

Avoid Exposed Circuitry. Do not touch exposed connections and components when power is present.

Replace Batteries Properly. Replace batteries only with the speciﬁed type and rating.

RF Scout Quick Start User Manual iii

General Safety Summary

Recharge Batteries Properly. Recharge batteries for the recommended charge cycle only.

Use Proper AC A dap ter. Use only the AC adapter speciﬁed for this product.

Do Not Operate in an Explosive Atmosphere.

TermsinthisManual

These terms may appear in this manual:

WARNING. Warning statements identify conditions or practices that could result in injury or loss of life.

CAUTION. Caution statements identify c onditions or practice s that could result in damage to this pro duct or other property.

Symbols and Terms on the Product

These terms may appear on the product:

DANGER indicates an injury hazard immediately accessible as you read the marking.

WARNING indicates an injury hazard not immediately accessible as you read the marking.

CAUTION indicates a hazard to property including the product.

iv RF Scout Quick Start User Ma nual

The following symbol(s) may appear on the product:

General Safety Summary

RF Scout Quick Start User Manual v

Environmental Considerations

This section provides information about the environmental impact of the prod uct.

Product End-of-Life Handling

Observe the following guidelines when recycling an instrument or compo nent:

Equipment Recycling. Production of this equipment required the extraction and use of natural resources. The equipment may

contain substances that could be harmful to the environment or human health if improperly handled at th e product’s end of life. In order to avoid r elease of such substances into the environment and to reduce the use of natural resources, we encourage you to recycle this product in an appropriate system that will ensure that most of the materials are reused or recycled appropriately.

This symbol indicates that this product complies with the European Union’s requirements according to Directive 2002/96/EC on waste electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE). For information about recycling options, check the Support/Service section of the Tektronix Web site (www.tektronix.com).

Battery Recycling. This product m ay contain a lithium ion (Li-ion) rechargeable battery, which must be recycled or disposed of

properly. Please properly dispose of or recycle the battery according to local government regulations.

Mercury Notiﬁcation. This product uses an LCD backlight lamp that contains mercury. Disposal may be regulated due

to environmental considerations. Please contact your local authorities or, within the United States, the Electronics Industries Alliance (www.eiae.org) for disposal or recycling information.

vi RF Scout Quick Start User Manual

Environmental Considerations

Perchlorate Materials. This product contains one or more type CR lithium coin cell ba tteries. According to the

state of California, CR lithium coin cells are classiﬁed as perchlorate materials and require special handling. See www.dtsc.ca.gov/hazardouswaste/perchlorate for additional information.

Transporting Batteries

The lithium ion rechargeable battery pack in this product contains less than 8 grams of equivalent lithium content, with individual cells containing less than 1.5 grams of equivalent lithium, a s measured by International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) standards. Consult your air carrier for applicability and determination of any special lithium ion battery transportation requirements.

Restriction of Hazardous Substances

This product has been classiﬁed as Monitoring and Control equipment, and is outside the scope of the 2002/95/EC RoHS Directive.

RF Scout Quick Start User Manual vii

Preface

This manual describes the installation and basic operation of the RF Scout Interference Hunter. For more detailed information on individual measurements, ta p the underlined link text on measurement screens to open the Online help for those topics.

Key Features

The RF Scout Interference Hunter is a rugged, multi-standard spectrum analyzer and interference mapping tool optimized for ﬁeld use. Key features include:

Interference hunting functions that help ﬁnd interference quickly

Spectrogram display for detection and logging of intermittent signals

Signal strength, AM/FM demodulation, and noise ﬂoor measurements

Scanners for GSM/GMSK/EDGE, UMTS/W-CDMA/HSDPA, cdmaOne, cdma2000, 1xEV-DO, TD-SCDMA, and iDEN signals

User-deﬁned channels for taking general measurements and channe l scans

iMap Integrated measurement mapping for on-site analysis of interference and coverage problems

Macro editor for creating collections of measurements to take in the iMap window

PN Sync function for displaying 1xEV-DO and cdma2000 PN offsets in areas that do not have GPS signal availability

viii RF Scout Quick Start User Manual

Documentation

To read about Use these documents

Installation and operation (overviews) RF Scout Interfe rence Hunter Quick Start User Manual. The quick start user manual

Help using the application

Preface

contains general information about how to put your instrument into service, guides to user interface controls, and application examples.

Online Help. The online help is context sensitive, displaying information appropriate for the active screen or the selected help text. (See page 25, Getting Help.)

RF Scout Quick Start User Manual ix

Preface

Software Upgrades

Periodic software upgrades may become available. The software is only operational if you have a valid option key for the speciﬁc application module and serial number.

To check for upgrades:

1. Go to the Tektronix Web site (www.tektronix.com).

2. Click Software Downlo ads on left side of the screen to link to the Software Downloads Web page.

3. Enter the product name or model number in the Search by keyword ﬁeld and click Go.

4. Scroll through the list and select the appropriate link for your instrument to show more information or to download the software.

The instructions to perform the software upgrade are in t he readme.txt ﬁle that is part of the software download.

Conventions Used in This Manual

The following icons are used in this manual:

Sequence Step

x RF Scout Quick Start User Ma nual

Front panel power

Connect power

Preventing Personal Injury from Lightning

WARNING. To prevent personal injury from the effects of lightning, exercise the following precautions when using this product:

Before connecting this product to any source

Check your local weather forecast for the possibility of thunderstorms or lightning.

If weather conditions could allow thunderstorms or lightning to develop, be sure to visually check the sky and wea ther conditions in your area frequently.

If you can hear thunder or if you see lightning, do not connect this product to any source which may be exposed to the effects of lightning.

Use your own go od judgement and common sense. You m ust protect yourself from the effects of lightning.

You must assume that hazardous voltages will be present on exposed surfaces of this product if it is connected to a source exposed to lightning. The insulation of this product will not protect you from these hazardous voltages.

Preface

RF Scout Quick Start User Manual xi

Preface

Do not connect this product to any source which might be subject to the effects of lightning

If thunderstorms or lightning are in your vicinity:

When weather conditions that could lead to lightning activity exist in your area, you could be at risk of a lightning strike before the cloud is close enough for you to hear th under or see lightning.

When lightning strikes a structure or facility, current travels through rebar, concrete, pipes, cables, vent stacks, and electrical system.

Lightning can induce electric and magnetic ﬁelds into structures and portions of wiring. The length of a conductor affected by the magnetic ﬁeldofalightningstrikemayexceedtwomiles.

Be alert and aware of the effects of lightning

When lightning strikes a conductor, which in turn introduces the current into an area some distance from the ground strike point, equipment can be damaged and personnel injured if they become a n indirect path in the completion of the ground circuit.

Conductors such as the braided shields of cables or unshielded wires will have signi ﬁcant transient currents ﬂowing in them in regions exposed to the electric ﬁeld effect of lightning.

Induced voltages may cause breakdown of insulation in wiring at connectors and in electrical components o r breakdown of air.

xii RF Scout Quick Start User Manual

Installation

Carefully unpack your instrument and verify that it includes the standard accessories.

RF Scout Standard Accessories

Accessory Tektronix part number

NetTek Y400 Analyzer Platform

NetTek YBT250 Field Transmitter & Interference Tester Application Module

AC Power Adapter

Lithium-Ion Battery 146-0151-xx

NetTek Y400 Analyzer Setup Reference

RF Scout Interference Hunter Quick Start User Manual

NetTe k YBT250 Field Transmitter Tester/RF Scout Interference Hunter installation software

CD-ROM

Your instrument may also include optional accessories. Verify that the optional accessories you ordered are included with your instrument. For a current list of accessories, upgrades, and options, including service options, available for your instrume nt, visit the Tektronix Web site, www.tektronix.com.

Installation

Y400

YBT250

119-6984-xx

071-1430-xx

071-1901-xx

063-3476-xx

RF Scout Quick Start User Manual 1

Installation

Operating Considerations

AC Adapter Input voltage and current: 100 V - 240 V AC, 1.8 A

Input frequency: 47 Hz to 63 Hz

Output voltage and current: 24 V DC, 3 A

Dimensions

Weight

Temperature Range

Humidity

Altitude

RF Signal Input Input frequency range: 30 MHz to 2500 MHz

Height: 25 cm. (9.75 in) Width: 33 cm. (13 in) Depth: 9 cm. (3.5 in)

5.52 kg (12.125 lbs) (with one battery)

Operating: 0 °C to +50 °C speciﬁed performance, –10 °C to +50 °C typical

Nonoperating: –40 °C to +60 °C

Operating: 5% to 95% Relative Humidity (RH), noncondensing: up to +30 °C

Nonoperating: 5% to 45% Relative Humidity (RH), noncondensing: +30 °C up to +50 °C

Operating: Up to 4,600 m (1 5,092 ft.)

Nonoperating: Up to 15,240 m (50,000 ft.)

Coupling: AC

Input impedance: 50 Ω (nominal)

Maximum input power w ithout damaging instrument: 50 W CW or peak envelope power

2 RF Scout Quick Start User Manual

Installation

Cleaning

Clean the exterior surfaces of the instrument with a dry lint-free cloth or a soft-bristle brush.

Use a cloth or swab moistened with deionized or distilled w ater, or a 75% isopropyl alcohol solution fo r more stubborn stains, to clean the instrument or touch screen; use just enough moisture to dampen the cloth or swab.

Use a gentle amount of force when cleaning the touch screen.

CAUTION. Do not get moisture inside the instrument during exterior cleaning.

Do not wash the front-panel On/Standby switch. Cover the switch while washing the instrument.

Do not spray liquids directly on the instrument or touch screen.

Do not use abrasive cleaners, or chemical cleaning agent s that contain benzene, toluene, xylene, acetone, or similar solvents; they can damage the instrument or touch screen. Do not use commercial glass cleaners to clean the touch screen.

Do not scrub the touch screen with excessive force while cleaning.

RF Scout Quick Start User Manual 3

Installation

Connecting the AC Adapter

1. Lift the instrument strap to expose the

power adapter connector.

2. Connect the AC power adapter to the

instrument.

3. Connect the AC adapter to a

properly-grounded AC power source using the provided power cord.

4. Charge the batteries before using the

instrument on battery power for the ﬁrst time. (See page 5, Charging the Batteries.)

4 RF Scout Quick Start User Manual

Charging the Batteries

Charge the batteries before using the instrument on battery power for the ﬁrst time. Batteries are partially charged and calibrated at the factory. A calibrated battery allows the instrument to more accurately estimate how long the applica tion modules can operate before the instrument automatically powers off. The front-panel BATTERIES charge status indicator turns off when charging is complete.

Approximate charge time

Number of batteries Instrument powered on Instrument powered off

1 8 hours 3 hours

2 16 hours 6 hours

NOTE. These are typical numbers for batteries that are low but not completely discharged. Newer-model instruments can contain

higher-capacity batteries, resulting in increased run time and longer charge time.

For more inf ormation on battery charging, battery calibration, and instrument power management, see the instrument Online help: Start > Help > Tektronix Basics > Power Management.

Installation

RF Scout Quick Start User Manual 5

Installation

Powering On and Off the Instrument, and Functional Veriﬁcation

1. Ta p the On/Standby button to power on

the instrument.

The instrument WindowsCE Status bar shows the Battery icon when the instrument is operating on battery power and the External Power Connected icon when the instrument is operating with an external adapter.

To power off the instrument, tap the On/Standby button again.

For information on the instrument on/standby power modes, see the Online help: Start > Help > Tektronix Basics >

Shutting Down the Instrument.

2. For functional veriﬁcation, watch the

screen. Verify that the instrument does not display any power-on diagnostic error messages.

6 RF Scout Quick Start User Manual

Touch Screen Concepts

The instrument user interface is based on touch-screen technology. Instead of using physical button and knob controls to select functions, set values, and take measurements, you tap (touch) virtual controls on the instrument screen. Virtual contro ls behave the same way as physical controls.

The following are touch screen terms used in this manual:

Term Description Equivalent mouse operation

Stylus

Tap

Drag Press gently on the screen with the stylus, drag the stylus to a

The physical object yo u use to touch the screen. A stylus is either your ﬁnger or an appropriate plastic-tipped stylus. Do not use any metal-tipped objects or pens for a stylus, as they can damage the touch screen.

Touch the screen brieﬂy with the stylus. Selects the item on the screen.

new position, and then raise the stylus from the screen. Moves an item or selects an area.

Installation

The mouse pointer.

The left mouse button.

Drag (hold down the left mouse button, move the mouse, and then release the button).

RF Scout Quick Start User Manual 7

Installation

Calibrate the Touch Screen

Before using the instrument for the ﬁrst time, calibrate the touch screen display to respond correctly to your taps.

1. Ta p Start > Settings > Control Panel to

open the Control Panel screen.

2. Double-tap the Stylus icon on the Control

Panel screen.

3. In the Double-Tap tab, double-t ap the

checkerboard grid at a comfortable speed with your stylus or ﬁnger to set the tap rate.

4. Double-tap the test icon to verify your

settings.

8 RF Scout Quick Start User Manual

5. Ta p t h e Calibration tab and read the

instructions.

6. Ta p th e Recalibrate button to open the

Cursor Position target screen.

7. Follow the target screen instructions.

When the position target disappears, touch anywhere on the scree n to return to the Calibration tab.

8. Ta p OK to save calibration settings.

Installation

RF Scout Quick Start User Manual 9

Installation

Starting the RF Scout Application

If purchased with preloaded software, RF Scout starts automatically when you power on th e instrument. If RF Scout does not start automatically, or you have stopped the application, use either of t he following methods to start the application:

Double-tap the RF Scout icon on the

instrument screen

Select Start > Programs > NetTek >

RF Scout

The instrument opens the RF Scout application. The Microsoft WindowsCE taskbar displays a button for each running application. To bring the RF Scout to the front of the screen, tap the RF Scout button in the taskbar.

NOTE. You cannot run RF Scout application at the same time as the YBT250 application. However, you can run RF Scout and the

YBA250 application module measurements at the same time as long as you are not measuring Insertion Gain/Loss.

10 RF Scout Quick Start User Manual

Setting Display Colors

You can change the color scheme used in the instrument display. The co lor schemes optimize the display colors for use in different environments (outdoors or indoors) and for better printing quality on black and white (monochrome) printers.

1. Select Tools > Options.

2. Ta p the Preferen ces tab.

3. Ta p t he Color Scheme list ﬁeld and select

a display color scheme.

4. Ta p OK.

5. Select File > Exit to close the application.

6. Restart the a pplication to enable th e

changed color scheme.

Installation

RF Scout Quick Start User Manual 11

Installation

Enabling Signal Standards

Before you begin using the instrument, you must enable (select) the signal standards that you want to measure. You can only take measurements on enabled standards.

1. Select Tools > Options.

2. Ta p the Signal Standards tab.

3. Tap the name of the standard in the Signal Standards supported list that you want

to enable. Drag the stylus to select two or more contiguous standards.

12 RF Scout Quick Start User Manual

4. Ta p t he Add >> button to add the selected

standard(s) to the Signal Standards

selected list.

5. Ta p OK. The enabled standards are now

selectable from the main window Signal Standards drop-down list.

NOTE. Limiting the number of enabled standards to just those that you regularly test makes it easier and faster to select a

standard from the Signal Standard drop-down list.

Installation

RF Scout Quick Start User Manual 13

Installation

14 RF Scout Quick Start User Manual

Getting Acquainted with Your Instrument

Instrument Elements

1. NetTek Y400 Analyzer Platform.

2. Battery compartment.

3. NetTek YBT250 Application Module.

4. Input/Output ports. (See pa ge 17,

Input/Output Connectors (NetTek Y 400 Platform).)

5. PCMCIA card ports.

6. Power and Status panel. (See page 16,

Power On/Standby and Status Panel.)

7. External adap ter power connector. (See

page 4, Connecting the AC Adapter.)

8. Touch screen.

GettingAcquaintedwithYourInstrument

RF Scout Quick Start User Manual 15

Getting Acquainted with Your Instrument

Power On/Standby and Status Panel

1. Power On/Standby button. Push to

power on or off the instrument. For more information, access the online help: Start

> Help > Tektronix Basics > Shutting Down the Instrument.

2. Reset button. Performs a hardware reset;

all programs and data loaded into volatile memory are erased. Generally only used to recover from a system lock-up. Use a thin probe to push the reset button.

3. Power/Display status. Green indicates that the instrument is powered on. Amber indicates that the instrument is powered on but the display is turned off (to conserve power).

4. Battery status. Green indicates that the instrument is connected to an external power source and is charging installed batteries. Red indicates a low battery. No color indicates that the batteries are charged.

16 RF Scout Quick Start User Manual

Input/Output Connectors (NetTek Y400 Platform)

1. Microphone input

2. Headphone jack

3. Ethernet connector (RJ-45)

4. Serial RS-232 con nector

5. PS/2 keyboard connecto r

6. USB Host connector

7. USB Slave conn ector

See the Y400 NetTek Analyzer Setup Reference document (Tektronix part number 071-1430-XX) for more information on the NetTek Y400 Analyzer Platform.

GettingAcquaintedwithYourInstrument

RF Scout Quick Start User Manual 17

Getting Acquainted with Your Instrument

NetTek YBT250 Module Signal Connectors

1. Timing Input. Connects to an external

timing reference sig nal, such as a BTS Even Second Clock signal, or the timing signal from a Tektronix YBGPS1 GPS Timing Reference.

2. Frequency Reference Input. Use an external frequency reference signal to improve measurement accuracy.

3. RF Input. The RF Input connects the RF input signal source or measurement antenna to the instrument.

Microsoft WindowsCE Elements

The Microsoft WindowsCE user interface is similar to other Microsoft Windows operating systems. You use standard Microsoft Windows operations to start (run) applications, select and move objects, and open folders or ﬁles. For more Microsoft WindowsCE information, access the online help: Start > Help > WindowsCE Basics.

The Status area, located at the bottom right of the screen, contains icons that display important information about the instrument power status. For an explan ation of all status area icons, access the online help: Start > Help > WindowsCE Basics > Understanding Taskbar Icons.

18 RF Scout Quick Start User Manual

The User Interface

1. Comman d bar. (See page 20, The

Command Bar.)

2. Tuning controls. (See page 21, The

Tuning Controls.)

3. Measurement results. Shows the

waveform displays and measurement results. The appearance of this area changes depending on the selected measurement mode and measurement type.

4. Ex ternal signal sta tus buttons.(See

page 22, The External Signal Status Buttons.)

5. Measurement mode buttons.(See

page 23, The Measurement Mode Buttons.)

6. Parameter entry controls. (See page 24,

The Parameter Entry Controls.)

GettingAcquaintedwithYourInstrument

RF Scout Quick Start User Manual 19

Getting Acquainted with Your Instrument

The Command Bar

Contains the application menus, as well as buttons for saving m easurement results, opening the application setup dialog box, and running/pausing the application.

Element Description

Menus. See the Online help topic Menus for information about the menu functions.

Save Results button. Saves the current measu remen t acquisition to a ﬁle. See the O nline help topic The Save & Export Tab for how to set ﬁle save parameters.

Log Measurements button. Enables automatically taking and saving a measurement at speciﬁed time intervals. See the Online help topic The Logging Dialog Box for how to set the time interval between measurement acquisitions.

Edit button. Opens the Setup dialog box that contains instrument settings tabs. See the Online help topic Setup Tabs for information on the setup dialog tabs.

Open button. Shows the Open dialog box that lists saved instrument setup ﬁles to load and conﬁgure instrument settings. See the Online help topic The Setup Menu Tab for directions on how to switch the button between the Edit and Open modes.

Run/Pause button. Runs or Pauses the current measurement acquisition.

Help button. Opens the online help. Online help is context-sensitive and normally displays a help topic related to the current measurement mode or screen. If the current screen is not context-sensitive, the instrument opens the Online help at the main help menu. Use the index, or do a word search, to locate speciﬁc information.

20 RF Scout Quick Start User Manual

The Tuning Controls

Selects the signal standard, signal direction (uplink or downlink), measurement channel, and measurement frequency.

Element Description

GettingAcquaintedwithYourInstrument

The Signal Standard drop-down list displays the enabled signal standards from which you select a standard to measure. (See page 12, Enabling Signal Standards.)

The Downlink and Uplink buttons change the Freq (MHz) setting to the forward link (downlink) or reverse link (uplink) frequency of the current signal standard and channel. For W-CDMA signals, these buttons set the corresponding forward or reverse channel number.

The Channel button sets the channel number. The ﬁeld next to the button shows the current channel number. Tapping the button opens the numeric keypad, with which you enter a channel number.

The current signal standard deﬁnes the available channel numbers. Setting the channel number sets the instrument measurement frequency to the appropriate value for the selected signal standard and up or downlink mode setting.

The Freq (MHz) button sets the Measurement Frequency. The ﬁeld next to the button shows the frequency. Tapping the button opens the numeric keypad, with which you enter a frequency value.

RF Scout Quick Start User Manual 21

Getting Acquainted with Your Instrument

The External Signal Status Buttons

Indicates status and sets GPS, measurement reference frequency source, input signal attenuation or ampliﬁcation values, and PN Sync parameters.

Element Description

The GPS status button indicates the GPS signal lock status of an attached GPS receiver. The color indicates the GPS receiver signal lock status. Tap this button to open the GPS setup tab. See the Online topic The GPS Tab for more information.

The Measurement Reference Frequency status button indicates the measurement frequency reference source. Tap this button to open the Inputs tab. Use this button if you connect an external measurement reference frequency source to the instrument.

The available measurement reference frequency sources are th e internal instrument frequency reference (F INT), an external reference (F EXT), or a GPS-derived timing reference from the Tektronix YBGPS1 GPS Timing Reference (F GPS). See the Online topic The Inputs Tab for more information.

The RF Input Signal Gain/Loss status button shows the external attenuator or ampliﬁer status. Tap this button to open the Inputs tab where you can set the input signal ampliﬁcation or attenuation values. Use this button if you connect an attenuator or ampliﬁer to the input signal. See the Online topic The Inputs Tab for more information.

When PN Sync is enabled, the RF Input Signal Gain/Loss status button is replaced with the PN Sync status button. The color indicates the PN Sync availability status. Tap this button to open the PN Sync Settings dialog box. See the Online topic PN Sync for more information.

22 RF Scout Quick Start User Manual

The Measurement Mode Buttons

The Measurement Mode buttons select the type of measurement or operation to perform.

Element Description

Select the Spectrum Measurements button to take spectrum, spectrogram, signal strength, audio demodulation, and noise ﬂoor signal measurements.

Select the Channel Measurements b utton to take code power, codogram, EMF, and channel scanner/analyzer measurements.

Select the iMap Mapping button to open the Map tool and link instrument measurements to a location on a map. Use for gra phically recording measurements to help analyze signal characteristics, locate interference, and save measu remen t/location information.

Select the Signal Measurements button to take signal measurements including RF power, signal quality, occupied bandwidth, carrier frequency, power vs. time, and others.

GettingAcquaintedwithYourInstrument

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Getting Acquainted with Your Instrument

The Parameter Entry Controls

The Parameter Entry controls (keypad and knob) let you enter or change numeric values in selected ﬁelds. You can use either tool to enter or change a value.

Element Description

The input control ﬁeld shows the label for the ﬁeld and the current value of the selected ﬁeld or object.

Tapthekeypadbuttontodisplayakeypadinwhichtoenteravalueintheselectedﬁeld. The keypad content changes to show th e available entry functions for the selected item.

The knob control lets you scroll through and select from all available values.

1. Drag the knob circle left or right to quickly scroll through all available values and select a value.

2. Tap the arrows on the top half of the knob icon to step the value in large increments. The

increment value depends on the value type (channel or frequency).

3. Tap the arrows on the bottom h alf of the knob icon to step the value in single unit increments.

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Getting Help

The application includes a comprehensive Online help system. You access Online help using the following methods:

Online help element Description

Contents Index Online help Content and Index links. Every Online help topic includes a Contents and Index link.

GettingAcquaintedwithYourInstrument

Help button. Located at the top right of the screen, this button is available all the time. Tap this button to display a help to pic that is relevant to the current measurement screen.

If the curren t screen is not context-sensitive, the application opens the Online help at the main he lp menu. Use the index link, or do a word search, to locate speciﬁc information.

Help link text. On measurement screens, underlined blue text is help link text. Bold help link text at the top of a measurement screen opens a topic describing how to take that measurement. Help link text that is located next to a measurement or setting opens a topic relevant to that particular measurement or setting.

If the topic does not contain the information you were seeking, use these links to locate speciﬁc information.

Tab or dialog box help button. This button is displayed at the bottom of many setup tabs or dialog boxes, and opens an Online help topic relevant to that tab or dialog box.

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Operating Basics

Setting Up to Take a Measurement

Perform the following steps to set up the instrument to take a measurement. These steps apply for most types of measurements.

1. Connect a signal to the instrument.

2. Ta p t h e Signal Standard List arrow button

to open the signal standard list.

3. Tap a signal standard to select it. This signal standard is used for measurements until you change to a different signal standard. (See page 12, Enabling Signal Standards.)

4. Tap the appropriate signal Uplink or Downlink button for the measurement that

you are taking.

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Entering a Channel:

NOTE. You only need to enter a channel or a frequency; you do not need to enter both values.

5. Ta p t h e Channel button to open the

keypad.

6. Enter a chann el number.

7. YoucanalsotaptheList button to display

a list of available channels from which to select a value. Channel n umbers are deﬁned by th e current signal standard.

If there is a corresponding frequency for the entered channel number, the instrument displays that frequency in the Freq (MHz) ﬁeld.

If you enter a channel number outside the valid range, the instrument sets the channel number to the closest valid number.

Operating Basics

8. Ta p OK to close the keypad or channel list

and set the channel value.

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Operating Basics

Entering a Frequency:

NOTE. You only need to enter a channel or a frequency; you do not need to enter both values.

9. Ta p the Freq (MHz) button to open the keypad.

10. Use the keypad to enter a frequency value. This sets the center frequency of the measurement.

If there is a corresponding channel number for the entered frequency, the instrument displays that channel number in the Channel ﬁeld.

11. Tap a frequency unit button (such as GHz or MHz) to close the keypad and set the frequency value.

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Selecting a Measurement Mode:

12. Tap a measurement mode button. (See

page 23, The Measurement Mode Buttons.)

13. For Spectrum and Channel measurements,

select the tab of the measurement that you want to take.

14. For Signal measurements, tap the Select

Measurement button, then tap the

measurement that you want to take.

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Setting Additional Measurement Parameters:

15. Ta p th e Edit button to open the Setup

dialog box.

16. Tap the tab of the measurement pa ramete rs that you want to set.

17. Select or enter the measurement parameter values.

18. Ta p OK toclosetheSetupdialogbox and enable the measurement parameter settings.

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Spectrum Measurements

Displaying a Spectrum Waveform

1. Set the instrument to measure a signal of

interest.(See page 26, SettingUptoTakea Measurement.)

2. Ta p t he Spectrum Measurement button.

3. Ta p th e Spectrum tab.

4. Ta p the AutoLevel button.

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Operating Basics

5. Set spectru m display parameters. Available spectrum parameters include the frequency span, resolution bandwidth (RBW), signal attenuation value, graph reference and division values, start and stop frequencies, and ma rker positions.

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Operating Basics

6. For example, to change the graph

reference and division values, tap the Ref Lvl ﬁeld or the Vertical Scale ﬁeld to select it.

7. Use the Parameter Entry controls to enter

or change the scale setting.

8. Use Markers to take measurements on

a waveform. (See page 34 , Spectrum Waveform Markers.)

NOTE. Ta p th e Edit buttontoopentheSetup dialog box an d s et additional measurement parameters. Available param eters

depend on the current signal standard and measurement type. Not all measurements have setup parameters.

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Operating Basics

Spectrum Waveform Markers

Markers are visual icons that you position on a spectrum waveform to measure signal frequency and level values. You use the markers to measure the value at a particular point on a waveform (Absolute Marker Values), or measure the difference between two markers (Delta Marker Values). The markers follow the waveform level changes.

Each marker icon has an associated marker readout, displayed at the bottom of the Spectrum display. The marker readout shows the marker icon symbol, the marker name, and the frequency and level values for the marker.

There are a maximum of seven markers available; the Trace marker (Tra), and M1 through M6. The Tra marker changes the measurement frequency to the location you select on the waveform. The M1 through M6 markers read the waveform frequency and level at the location they are placed. Tra, M1, a nd M2 markers are shown by default.

TurningMarkersOnandOff.

1. Ta p View.

2. Ta p Markers to turn marker display on or

off.

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Selecting Which Marker Readouts to Display.

1. Select View > Marker Setup... to display

the Markers dialog box.

2. Tap to enable or disable individual markers

and set the marker mode:

On enables or disables the selected marker.

Front Trace places the marker on the front trace.

Trace 1 and Trace 2 keep the marker on the speciﬁed trace regardless of which trace is in front. Use this mode to compare two waveform traces.

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Operating Basics

3. Ta p OK. The instrument sho ws the center frequency readout plus three marker readouts at a time (in Absolute Marker Readouts mode) or the center frequency readout plus two marker readouts at a time (in Delta Marker Readouts mode).

4. Tap the marker readout scroll buttons to scroll through the enabled marker readouts.

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Setting the Marker Measurement Mode.

1. Ta p View.

2. Ta p Delta Marker Readouts to enable

marker readouts to display the difference (delta) between the frequency and level values at marker M1 and the other markers. While in Delta Marker Readouts mode, all marker readouts are relative to marker M1.

3. Ta p Absolute Marker Readouts to enable

marker readouts to display the actual frequency and level v alues of the signal at the marker position on the waveform.

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Operating Basics

Add or Move a Marker on a Waveform.

1. Ta p View.

2. Ta p Measurement Frequency Cursor.

3. Tap the marker readout of the marker that

you want to add or move on the spectrum waveform. The marker readout border darkens to indicate that it is selected.

4. Tap the waveform where you want to add or move the marker. The marker is placed on the waveform and the readout shows the signal values at the new location.

5. Use the Parameter Entry controls to ﬁne-tune the position of the marker on the waveform.

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Operating Basics

Comparing Spectrum Waveforms (Traces)

You can compare two live waveforms (derived from the single RF input signal), the RF input signal waveform and a saved waveform, or two saved waveforms.

Selecting Waveform Traces.

1. Ta p th e Traces button to toggle bet ween

Trace 1 and Trace 2 .

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Operating Basics

Comparing Live and Saved Waveform Traces.

1. Set the instrument Spectrum parameters

to display the waveform of interest. (See page 31, Spectrum Measurements.)

2. Ta p t he Traces button to select Trace 1.

3. Ta p the Trace 1 list button an d then tap

a trace type to select it. The instrument applies the selected operation to the input signal and displays the results as the trace 1 waveform.

4. Ta p t he Traces button to select Trace 2.

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5. Ta p th e Trace 2 list button and then tap

a trace type to select it. The instrument applies the selected operation to the input signal and displays the results as the trace 2 waveform.

The ﬁgure shows Trace 1 as an Normal waveform and Trace 2 as a Min Hold waveform. You can use markers to make measurements between the waveforms.

6. To compare a saved waveform to a live

waveform, tap the Trace 2 list button and then Saved. The instrument opens the

Trace 2 & Mask setup tab.

7. Ta p Saved Trace.

8. Ta p the Browse button to navigate to and

select the saved waveform to open.

9. Ta p OK. The instrument displays the saved

waveform as the Trace 2 waveform.

Operating Basics

NOTE. The current instrument measurement set tings must match the instrument settings used to capture the saved waveform in

order to compare both waveforms.

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Operating Basics

Comparing Two Saved Waveform Traces.

NOTE. Waveform traces are saved with the settings in effect at the time the trace is saved. When a saved trace is displayed, the

stored settings values are shown for reference, though no actual instrument settings change. As soon as you tap the Run button to return to making new acquisitions, the display settings are restored to what they were before the saved trace was o pened .

1. Select File > Comp are Saved.

2. Navigate to and select the ﬁrst waveform

ﬁle to load.

3. Ta p OK to open the Select second result

ﬁle to compare dialog box (it looks exactly thesameastheﬁrst dialog box).

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4. Navigate to and select the second

waveform ﬁle to load.

5. Ta p OK to enter the second ﬁle and close

the dialog box. The instrument displays both waveforms.

6. After viewing the waveforms, tap the Run

button to return the instrument to taking measurements.

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Display a Spectrogram

A spectrogram shows how the signal level changes over time. It can be very useful in identifying intermittent signals.

1. Set the instrument to display the spectrum waveform of interest.(S ee page 31, Displaying a Spectrum Waveform.)

2. Ta p the Spectrogram tab.

3. Ta p t h e Updates button to display a

dialog box where you can change t he spectrogram measurement update r ate, and enable automatic saving of data when a screen is full (80 data record acquisitions).

4. The Data Record readout shows the time and date stamp of the spectrogram record located at the record cursor (white horizontal line). To change the record cursor position, tap the Data Record ﬁeld and use the keypad or knob to move the record cursor.

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5. TaptheSplitScreenbuttontoswitch

between a full-screen spectrogram display and a sp lit spectrum and spectrogram display.

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Operating Basics

Locating a Signal

1. Connect a directional antenna to the

instrument.

2. Set the instrument to display the spectrum waveform of interest. (See page 31, Displaying a Spectrum Waveform.)

3. Ta p the Strength tab.

4. Tap the trace of the interfering signal to

set the measurement frequency. You can use the keypad or knob to adjust the measurement frequency.

5. Point the directional antenna in different directions. As you change the direction of the antenna, the audible tone and beep (if selected), and the Strength bar graph change to indicate signal strength. The signal of interest is loca ted in the direction that results in the strongest s ign al.

6. Ta p Fast Update to improv e audio tone response, at the expense of a reduced screen update rate.

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Listening to a Signal

1. Set the instrument to display the spectrum

waveform of interest. (See page 31, Displaying a Spectrum Waveform.)

2. Ta p th e Audio tab.

3. Tap th e trace of the interfering signal to

set the measurement frequency. You can use the keypad or knob to adjust the measurement frequency.

4. Tap the different Demodulation types and

listen to the resultant audio (if any). A station ID can be particularly helpful when the interfering signal is a radio or broadcast television station. You may also be able to discriminate between possible sources by listening to the characteristic sounds of paging, video, control signals or the harmonics of other common signals.

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Operating Basics

Taking a Noise Floo r Measurement

Noise ﬂoor measures all the RF Power coming into the receive antenna within the frequency band of the selected channel. The noise ﬂoor is the power integrated across the selected channel. To make an accurate measurement, you must measure the noise ﬂoor on a disabled channel (a channel that is not carrying live trafﬁc).

1. Connect a signal from a BTS receiver test port to the instrument.

2. Set the instrument to display the spectrum waveform of interest. (See page 31, Displaying a Spectrum Waveform.)

3. Ta p the Reverse (up) link button.

4. Ta p the Noise tab.

5. Tap the trace of the interfering signal to

set the measurement frequency. You can use the keypad or knob to adjust the measurement frequency.

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Channel Measurements Mode

Channel measurements mode includes measurements for Code Power, Codograms, EMF, Channel scanners, and Scrambling Code Analyzers. Code Power and Codogram are also available in the Signal measurements.

Taking a Channel Measurement

The following procedure assumes that you have already set up the measurement. (See page 26, Setting Up to Ta ke a Measurement.)

1. Ta p t he Channel Measurement button.

2. Tap the tab of the measurement that you

want to take. The active signal standard determines the available measu remen ts.

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Operating Basics

3. Tap available measurement parameters and use the Parameter Entry controls to set measurement parameter values.

4. Ta p the Edit button to open the Setup dialog box and set additional measurement parameters in the dialog box tabs. Available parameters depend on the current signal standard and measurement type. Not all measurements have setup parameters.

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Operating Basics

Scanner Tadd/Tdrop Markers

Tadd and Tdrop are horizontal marke rs t hat you can set on 1xEV-DO and cdma2000 PN Scanner measurements to visually indicate add or drop signal power levels. Using these markers lets you quickly identify PN codes that are w ithin d eﬁned add or drop ranges. The Tadd/Tdrop horizontal markers are visual aids only, and do not cause the instrument to display warnings when signals are above or below the set levels.

1. Select View > PN Scanner Tadd/Trop

Markers to display the markers on the

scanner measurement graph.

2. Tap the Tadd or Tdrop readout and use

the keypad or knob control to change the marker level value.

See the Online help topic Take a Scan Measurement for information on scanner measurements.

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Operating Basics

Custom Scanner Code Labels

The Scanner Code Label Editor lets you add unique labels to the graphs of 1xEV-DO/cdma2000 PN o ffset and W-CDMA scrambling code scanners. Once you have created labels, tapping a bar graph of a PN offset or scrambling code displays the label assigned to that PN offset or scrambling code, directly below the graph. Using labels lets you quickly identify the source of a particular code.

1. Select View > PN Offset Labels or View > Scrambling Code Labels to enable

viewing scanner labels on the scanner measurement graph.

2. Tap a bar graph plot to display the custom label assigned to that PN offset or scrambling code.

See the Online help topic Scanner Code Labels Overview for information on creating, saving a nd using custom scanner code labels.

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iMap Measurement Mapping Mode

iMap integrates interference mapping, coverage mapping, in-building mapping, outdoor mapping, and provides an integrated solution for ﬁeld interference and coverage problems in one instrument.

Using iMap is as easy as selecting a measurement and touching the displayed map where you want the measurement to be placed. Measurement icons are color coded to indicate if the measurements have passed or failed limit tests. You can also add a direction arrow to a measurement to indicate the direction the antenna was pointing when you took a measurement.

You can load scanned bitmap ﬁles as maps for in-building mapping, or use GSF and MIF map ﬁle formats for outdoor maps. Using GSF or MIF map ﬁles lets you use a connected GPS receiver (such as the Tektronix YBGPS1 GPS Timing Reference) to automatically place measurements at your current location.

You can save maps and associated measurement results data to common ﬁle formats such as CSV or MapInfo. Saving maps and measurement results lets you analyze measurement data (position, value, and direction) and prepare reports to help resolve interference problems.

1. To start the iMap tool, tap the iMap butto n.

When you open the iMap tool for the ﬁrst time, the screen d isplays the message No map loaded. Otherwise, iMap displays the last-loaded map.

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Operating Basics

Map File Concepts

The iMap tool uses two types of maps; Grid an d Image.

Grid Maps. Grid maps have geophysical latitude and longitude coordinate references embedded in the map ﬁ le. RF Scout uses

grid maps, along with an active GPS receiver, to place measurements on a map at your c u rrent geophysical position. Grid maps require specialized PC software to create or can be purchased from map-creating companies. RF Scout can load both GSF- and MIF-format grid map ﬁles. You need to convert non-GSF or MIF grid maps to GSF format before you can load them into the iMap tool. (See page 69, Converting Map File Formats to GSF.)

Grid maps require an active GPS receiver to correctly link measurements to geophysical map locations. An active GPS receiver is a receiver that is locked to four or more satellite signals and is providing the RF Scout with accurate GPS location data. If you load a grid map and a GPS receiver is either not connected or does not have a good satellite signal lock, the instrument considers the grid map as an image map.

Image Maps. Image maps do not have any geophysical latitude and longitude references embedded in the map ﬁle. An image

map is a bitmap picture, such as a sca nned building ﬂoor plan or aerial photograph, to which you can attach measurements. Save the ﬁle to 256-color bitmap format. The iMap Converter, a program that is included with the PC version of the RF Scout application, lets you convert image maps to GSF format map ﬁles, as well as convert image maps to grid maps.(See page 71, Adding Coordinates to an Image (Bitmap) File.)

NOTE. Image (bitmap) ﬁles that you convert to GSF-format load faster on the RF Scout because the instrument does not have to

convert the bitmap to GSF before loading. However, it is then possible to confuse image GSF maps with grid (coordinate) GSF ﬁles. Use a ﬁle-na ming convention to differentiate between GSF maps that were created from coordinate maps and GSF maps that were created from bitmap ﬁles but do not contain coordinate information.

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LoadingaMapintoRFScout

You need to load a map before you can use the RF Scout iMap tool.

1. With iMap open, select File > Load M ap.

2. Navigate to and select the map ﬁle to load

(Bitmap, GSF or MIF format).

3. Ta p Open. T he iMap application loads the

maponthescreen.

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Operating Basics

Mapping a Measurement

The following procedure requires that you have already set up the measurement. (See page 26, Setting Up to Take a Measurement.) You must have also loaded a map ﬁle. (See page 55, Loading a Map into RF Scout.)

1. Ta p t he Single Measurement button.

2. Tap an iMap measurement button.

Available measurements depend on the current signal standard. The selected measurement is displayed in the Measurement Thumbnail area.

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3. Tap the map:

If a connected GPS receiver is active,

andyouareusingagridmap,a single measurement is placed at the current GPS latitude and longitude coordinates.

If a GPS receiver is not a ctive, or if

youareusinganimagemap(such as a building ﬂoor plan), a single measurement is p laced where you tapped the map.

4. You can select a different measurement

button, and then tap the map to add a new measurement to the map. Multiple measurement icons at the same location stack on top of each other.

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5. To move an icon, tap the Select button andthentouchanddragtheicontoa new position. If the measurement was part of a stack of measurements (such as measurements created by a macro), then iMap moves the topmost icon in the stack. If the icon is moved to a new stack of measurements, then the icon is placed in the stack in time-of-measurement order.

NOTE. To add measurements at a new location on a grid map with an active GPS receiver, you must physically move to the

new location.

NOTE. You can move measureme nt icons on an image map, or on a grid map with the GPS receiver inactive. Attempting

to move an icon on a grid map with an active GPS receiver causes iMap to drag the map and its measurement icons to a new position on the screen; the measurement icons are not m oved.

When a GPS receiver is not active, you can move any measurement icon. This includes moving measurement icons that were placed on the map while in GPS mode. iMap does not reposition moved GPS-related measurement icons back to their original geophysical position on a map wh en the GPS receiver is active.

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Operating Basics

iMap Measurement Icons

The iMap application use s icons on the map to represent a m easurement taken at that location. There are three types of measurement icons: large, small, and ﬂag. The large and small icons have individual icon graphics for each measurem ent type that they represent. The ﬂag icon is a simple small ﬂag, and is used for all measurement types. See the RF Scout Online help topic iMap Measurement Map Icon Types for more i nformation.

To select which type of measurement icon to display on a map, tap the View menu item and select the icon type to use. A ll current icons on the map are changed to the selected icon type.

You can set the measurement icons to color their border to indicate the signal or measurement range value (from Best to Unacceptable). Setting the icon border color lets you quickly evaluate the relative value of a measurement. To set icon color ranges, tap Tools > iMap Measurement Settings. See the RF Scout Online help topic Setting The iMap Measurement Icon Colors for more information.

You can perform various actions on measu rement icons, including view the measurement results of an icon, move the icon, delete the icon, and attach a measurement direction arrow to an icon. See the following sections, and the RF Scout Online help topic View Map Measurements, for more information.

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Operating Basics

Viewing and Deleting Icon Measurements

To view or delete the measurement results associated with an iMap measurement icon:

1. Tap the iMap Select mode button.

2. Tap a measurement icon to open the Map Measurements dialog box.

3. Tap the measurement of interest in the list.

4. Ta p Open to op en the measurement

screen for the selected measure m ent. Then tap the iMap button to return to the iMap screen.

5. To delete the selected measurement, tap the Delete button If there are multiple measurements that you want to delete, repeatedly tap Delete.

6. Ta p OK to close the dialog box.

NOTE. You can also double-tap on a measurement icon to open the measurem ent window for that measurement. If there are

multiple measurements at a location, double-tapping an icon displays the results for the measurement icon that is at the top of the list.

To delete all the measurement icons from a map, select File > Clear All Measurements.

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Operating Basics

Measurement Direction Arrows

The iMap direction arrow function lets you draw an arrow on a mapped measurement icon. You can use the arrow to indicate the direction your antenna was pointing when you took a measurement.

Draw a M easurem ent Direction Arrow.

1. Ta p t he Measurement Direction button.

2. Tap and drag from the center of a

measurement icon in the direction the anten na was pointing when the measurement was made. iMap draws an arrow from the measurement icon.

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Operating Basics

3. To change the arrow direction, draw a new line. iMap replaces the existing arrow with the new direction arrow.

Delete a Direction Arrow.

1. Tap the iMap Select mode button.

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2. Single-tap the measurement icon with the

direction arrow to delete. iMap opens the

Map Measurements dialog box.

3. Tap the measurement name that has the

direction arrow to delete.

4. Ta p the Remove Arr ow button.

5. Ta p OK. iMap closes the dialog box and

deletes the direction arrow.

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Operating Basics

Logging iMap Measurements (Automatic Measuremen ts)

Logging measurements lets you automatically map a single measurement at a set time interval or change in GPS position (with active GPS receiver and a grid map).

NOTE. The iMap tool only maps completed measurement results. I f the speciﬁed time interval is less than that required to take a

measurement, iMap ignores the speciﬁed time interval and maps results as soon as the measurement acquisition is done. For example, if the instrument re quires 20 seconds to take a measurement, but the time interval is set to 10 seconds, then the instrument maps results every 20 seconds.

1. Tap a measurement button. Available measurements depend on the current signal standard.

2. Ta p t he Log Measurements button.

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3. Select the type of repeat measurement

to take (time interval or distance between measurement positions).

4. Ta p OK to return to the mapping screen.

5. Tap the map to start logging measurements:

ForgridmapswithanactiveGPS

receiver, tap the map at any point. The instrument begins adding measurement ﬂags to the map at the current GPS position.

For image maps or for grid maps

without an active GPS receiver, tap the map at the measurement starting location. The instrument begins taking measurements, but does not display them on the map until measurement logging is done.

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6. Tap the map to stop measurements:

7. Ta p the Single Measurement or the Select

button to exit the logging measurements mode.

ForgridmapswithanactiveGPS

receiver, tap the map at any position.

For image maps or grid maps without

an active GPS receiver, tap the map at the position the last measurement was taken. Measurements are then evenly spaced on a straight line between the start and stop map points.

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Operating Basics

NOTE. The iMap Log measurements function automatically sets the map view measurements mo de to Measurement Flags during

logging measurement acquisition. When iMap measurement logging is done, the instrument restores the map view measurements mode to the mode it was at before the iMap measurement logging was initiated.

If you tap the Select, Measurement Direction,orSingle Measurement button while logging measurements in non-GPS mode, iMap cancels the log measurements mode and does not draw any measurement icons on the map.

Grid maps with an active GPS receiver suppo rt logging measurements by time interval or distance change interval. Image maps, or grid maps with an inactive GPS receiver, support logging measurement s by time intervals.

You cannot place a measurement icon on any area of the map that is covered by a message banner or by the zoom and pan controls.

iMap Measurement Macros

iMap has the capability to use a macro ﬁle to take a set of sequential measurements with one operation, instead of selecting and running individual measurements one at a time. Each macro ﬁle measurement can be unique, including measurements for different channels, measurement settings, and signal standards. You create a macro ﬁle by using the iMap Macro Editor tool. You then load the macro ﬁle into the instrument, and enable the macro to run with the Macro button on the iMap tool bar.

To open the iMap M acro Editor, select Tools > iMap Macro Editor. See the RF Scout Online help topic Mapping Measurements Using Macros for c omplete information on creating, saving, loading, and running iMap measurement macros.

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Operating Basics

The iMap Map Converter Program

RF Scout includes a map ﬁle conversion program that is installed at the same time as the RF Scout PC Simulator. The iMap Converter program:

Converts industry-standard MapInfo Interchange Format (.mif), ArcInfo Shape (.shp), USGS Digital Line Graph (.opt) geographic coordinate maps, and 256-color bitmap images (.bmp), into GSF-format ﬁles for use with RF Scout.

Combines multiple coordinate map ﬁles into a single map.

Lets you add geograph ic coordinate information to bitmap image ﬁles, effectively converting imag e maps to grid maps.

Recognizes world ﬁles associated with an image ﬁle, and automatically creates a grid map with coordinates when you load an image map ﬁle that has an associated world ﬁle.

See the RF Scout Online help topic Map File Concepts for more information on converting map ﬁles.

NOTE. Bitmap ﬁles that are converted to GSF-format load faster on the RF Scout because the instrument does not have to do the

bitmap-to-GSF conversion in the instrument. However, it is then possible to confuse image GSF maps with grid (coordinate) GSF ﬁles. Use a ﬁle naming convention to differentiate between GSF maps created from coordinate maps and GSF maps created from bitmap ﬁles that do not have coordinate information.

The MIF-format ﬁles take signiﬁcantly longer to load than the GSF-format ﬁles. Tektronix recommends that you use iMap Converter to convert MIF map ﬁles to GSF map ﬁles, rather than loading MIF ﬁles directly on the instrument.

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Converting Map File Formats to GSF.

1. On the PC, select Start > Programs >

NetTek > iMap Converter .

2. Click the Open Map(s) button to load grid

(coordinate) or Bitmap (image) map ﬁles.

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Operating Basics

3. Use the dialog box to navigate to and selectoneormoregridmapﬁles or a single bitmap ﬁle.

4. Click Open. The iMap Converter loads the ﬁle, converts the data, and displays the resulting map.

5. Click the Save for NetTek button.

6. Use the dialog box to enter a map name

and navigate to the location to save the GSF-format map ﬁle.

7. Click Save to save the ﬁle.

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Operating Basics

NOTE. The iMap Converter program saves all ﬁles as GSF-format. This includes bitmap ﬁles that you convert to GSF-format

to reduce the map ﬁle size and loading time. Therefore it is possible to have GSF-format maps that are not grid (coordinate) maps. Use a ﬁle naming convention to differentiate between GSF maps created from coordinate maps and GSF maps created from bitmap ﬁles to which you have not added coordinate s.

Adding Coordinates to an Image (Bitmap) File. The iMap Converter lets you add geographic coordinate information to an

image (bitmap) map ﬁle, effectively converting it to a grid map. This feature lets you convert building or ﬂoor plan diagrams, saved images from road map programs, or photographs (such as aerial photographs) to grid (coordinate) maps for use with RF Scout GPS measurement mapping.

There are two ways to m anu ally add coordinates to an image ﬁle:

Element Description

Set Coordinates (two points) lets you enter the latitude and longitude of two points that you select on the image ﬁle. The iMap Converter uses those two points to add coordinate information for the entire image map, extrapolating the coordinates for any map area that is outside of the deﬁned two points.

Set Coordinates (image edges) lets you ente r the latitude and longitude of the edges of the image ﬁle. iMap Converter uses these points to add coordinate information to the entire image map.

NOTE. Image maps to which you plan to add coordinate information must have true North as the top edge of the image.

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Operating Basics

To Add Coordinates to an Image Map.

1. Load an image (bitmap) map ﬁle into the

iMap Converter program.

2. Click on the two point or edges Set Coordinates bu tton, depending on

how you want to enter the coordinate information. This example uses th e Set Coordinates (image edges) button.

3. Set the coordinate system to either Degrees or Decimal.

4. Enter the map edge coordinates in the dialog box.

5. Click OK.

6. Click Save for NetTek to save the

converted map ﬁle.

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Signal Measurements

Taking a Signal Measurement

Signal measurements include RF channel power, peak/average, carrier frequency, occupied bandwidth, signal quality, code power, codograms, and pilot power. Available measurements depend on the current signal standard.

1. Set the instrument to measure a signal of

interest. (Seepage26,Setting Up to Take a Measurement.)

2. Ta p t he Signal Measurement button.

3. Ta p th e Select Measurement button to

open the Select Signal Standard and Measurement dialog box.

4. Tap the measurement button for which

you want to take measurements. The instrument o pens the selected measurement screen.

Operating Basics

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Operating Basics

5. Make any necessary setting changes on the measurement screen (if available). For example, the cdma2000 Signal Quality measurement lets you select the signal type to use for measuring Signal Quality (Pilot only or Auto detect active codes).

6. Ta p the Edit button to open the Setup dialog box and set additional measurement parameters in the dialog box tabs. Available parameters depend on the current signal standard and measurement type. Not all measurements have setup parameters.

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Speciﬁcations

This section lists the electrical, environmental, and physical speciﬁcations of the RF Scout Interference Hunter. All speciﬁcations are guaranteed unless labeled “typical”. Typical speciﬁcations are provided for your convenience and are not guaranteed.

Table 1: General characteristics

Characteristic Description

RF Input

Input Frequency Range 30 MHz – 2500 MHz

Input Impedance

Signal Amplitude for Modulation Measurements

Signal Amplitude for Spectral Display, typical

Input Overload Detect >1 W (+30 dBm) CW or peak envelope power

Maximum Input Power without Dama ging Instrument

Coupling AC for all measurements and spectral display modes

Speciﬁcations

50 ohms (nominal)

–50 dBm to +30 dBm for CW-like or peak envelope power

Measurements may be outside this range but accuracy is not guaranteed

CW or peak envelope power:

–144 dBm to +30 dBm, 200 MHz to 2.0 GHz –142 dBm to +30 dBm, 2.0 GHz to 2.2 GHz –139 dBm to +30 dBm, 2.2 GHz to 2.5 GHz

Levels apply when using 100 Hz resolution bandwidth

50 W CW or peak envelope power

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Speciﬁcations

Table 1: General characteristics (cont.)

Characteristic Description

Frequency Reference Input

Maximum Working Voltage

Spurious Input Signals To meet modulation measurement speciﬁcations:

Impedance

Frequency Range

Level Range –15 dBm to +15 dBm

Maximum Input Level without Damage

Coupling AC

Working Voltage

15 V (DC + peak AC)

(Total power of interest - Total power in spurious) > 35 dB

| Center frequency of signal of interest - center frequency of spurious signa l | > 1.4 MHz

and

(Total power of interest - Total power in all spurious) ≥ –3 dB

50 ohms (nominal)

Anymultipleof1MHzupto15MHzinclusive,±1ppm

Any multiple of 1.2288 MHz up to 19.6608 MHz inclusive, ± 1 ppm

2.048 MHz ± 1 ppm

4.8 MHz ± 1 ppm

± 3 V peak continuous

3 V (DC + peak AC)

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Table 1: General characteristics (cont.)

Characteristic Description

Lock Time < 15 seconds

Timing Input

Impedance

Minimum High Threshold 2.0 V

Maximum Low Threshold 0.8 V

Minimum High Time 10 ns

Minimum Low Time 10 ns

Maximum Input Level without Damage

Coupling DC

Timing Error ± 10 ppm

Internal Time Base Characteristics

10 kΩ

± 5 V peak continuous

Speciﬁcations

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Speciﬁcations

Table 1: General characteristics (cont.)

Characteristic Description

Signal Path Characteristics

Error

Phase Noise

Noise Figure 1 kHz resolution bandwidth:

Displayed Average Noise Level (DANL), typical

± 0.5 ppm drift from 0 °C to 50 °C

± 1.0 ppm aging/year

Ten minute warm-up period required to meet accuracy speciﬁcation.

Users can connect the External Reference input to a frequency source and obtain a user correction value. This value will be used to correct time base errors in measurements to the accuracy of the external reference. The internal time base will continue to drift with temperature and age as speciﬁed above.

≤ –75 dBc/Hz @ 20 kHz carrier offset

≤10 dB, 200 MHz to 2000 MHz ≤12 dB typical, 2000 MHz to 2200 MHz ≤15 dB typical, 2200 MHz to 2500 MHz

10 Hz RBW: –152 dBm, 200 MHz to 200 0 MHz

100 Hz RBW: –145 dBm, 200 MHz to 2000 MHz

1 kHz RBW: –135 dBm, 200 MHz to 2000 MHz

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Table 2: Measurement characteristics

Measurement Description

External Attenuation

Code Domain Power (cdmaOne, cdma2000, W-CDMA)

Units dB relative to Pilot Power or Total Power

Resolution 0.1 dB

Accuracy

User Selectable ON/OFF

Attenuation=–30dBto+80 dB

Measures the power in each of the Walsh codes (64 in cdmaOne, 128 in cdma2000) used in a CDMA signal.

Measures the power in each of (up to 51 2) OVSF codes used in a W-CDMA signal.

cdmaOne and cdma2000: ± 1 dB code domain power level > –20 dB relative to total power, using the recommended TIA/EIA-IS-97-D pilot level of –;7.0 dB (20%) relative to total power.

W-CDMA: ± 1 dB Code domain power level > –20 dB relative to total power, using W-CDMA 3GPP Test Model 3 .

Reference information: ± 2.5 dB for –27 dB < CDP < –20 dB relative to total power in band classes 0-6 (cdmaOne, cdma2000). ± 2.5 dB for –27 dB < CDP < –20 dB relative to total power (W-CDMA).

Speciﬁcations

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Speciﬁcations

Table 3: Spectral analysis

Characteristic Description

Measurement Frequency

Frequency Span Sets the frequency range covered by the spectral display.

Resolution Bandwidth (RBW)

Reference Level The power level indicated by the top line of the spectral display

Sets the measurement frequency of the display. The measurement frequency can be set by either entering a speciﬁc frequency or by selecting a channel number.

Units

Resolution 1 kHz 1 channel

Range 30 MHz to 2500 MHz

Units

Resolution 1 kHz

Range 10 kHz to 2470 MHz, continuously variable or 1 -2-5 steps

Units

Resolution Uses 1-3 steps to cover the range

Range 10Hzto6MHz

Units dBm

MegaHertz (MHz) or Channe l Number

kiloHertz (kHz), MegaHertz (MHz)

Width of the resolution bandwidth ﬁlter

Hertz (Hz), kiloHertz (kHz), MegaHertz (MHz)

When in Auto mode, the instrument automatically sets the RBW. The RBW is set as a combination of 1-3 steps at the 1 , 2, 5 span settings, and a linear range between 1, 2, 5 span settings, for a nominal value of approximately Span/125.

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Table 3: Spectral analysis (cont.)

Characteristic Description

Resolution 1 dBm

Range –100 dBm to +30 dBm

Spectral Display Amplitude

Units

Resolution 0.1 dB

Accuracy ± 1.25 dB, –20 dBm to +30 dBm

Vertical Scale Factor

Units 1 dB to 10 dB in 1 dB increments

dB relative to Reference Level

± 2.0 dB, –80 dBm to –20 dBm ± 2.75 dB, –120 dBm to –80 dBm ± 5 dB –134 dBm < Input < –120 dBm, typical

Accuracy speciﬁcations apply only for spans less than 1000 MHz and to CW-like signals.

Speciﬁcations

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Speciﬁcations

Table 3: Spectral analysis (cont.)

Characteristic Description

Display Modes Normal: updates display with each new result

Max Hold: updates displayed point only if new point > old p oint Min Hold: updates displayed point only if new point < old point Max/Min Hold: displays a bar between Max Hold and Min H old Average: displays average of N (speciﬁed by user) results

Reference information: Average is calculated as follows: The last N v alues are saved in memory; when a new result is available, the earliest result of the N stored va lues is discarded, the new average is calculated from the stored values. If the number of results is less than N, then all of the results are averaged together.

Number of Averages

Spurious F ree Dynamic Range (external signal related)

Residual Spurious Signals

1 ≤ N ≤ 99

IM3 better than –70 dBc typical, 100 MHz to 2500 MHz

2nd Harmonic better than –60 dBc, typical

–125 dBm at BTS Rx frequencies (776–794, 806–849, 872–940, 1453–1465, 152 5–1549, 1710–1785, 1840–1910,1920–1980) MHz and GPS frequencies (L1 1570.3–1580.5, L2

1222.5–1232.8, L5 1171.4–1181.6) MHz

–115 dBm at BTS Tx frequencies (746–764, 832–834, 840–960, 1477–1513, 1805–1880, 1930–1990, 2110–2170) MHz

–95 dBm at frequencies not listed above, except from 1155–1168 MHz: -20 dBm in s pa ns above 10 MHz, 1155 MHz–1175 MHz

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Table 4: Interference analysis characteristics

Characteristic Description

Noise Floor Measurement

Units dBm

Resolution 0.1 dB

Accuracy ± 3 dB typical

AM Demodulation

Measurement Frequency

Input Signal Level

Measurement Bandwidth

Audio Output Bandwidth

Run Time 4 seconds per activation

FM Demodulation

Measurement Frequency

Measures the interference p o wer that is coming into the receiver antenna for any standard. Measurement defaults to uplink channel when speciﬁed by channel number.

Provides an audio output signal after AM demodulation of th e user-selected signal to use for identifying a signal.

30 MHz to 2500 MHz with 1 kHz resolution

–100 dBm minimum

8kHz

4kHz

Provides an audio output signal after FM demodulation of the user-selected signal to use for identifying a signal.

30 MHz to 2500 MHz with 1 kHz resolution

Speciﬁcations

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Speciﬁcations

Table 4: Interference analysis characteristics (cont.)

Characteristic Description

Signal Strength Indicator Provides an aud io tone and a visual display that vary with the strength of the selected signal.

Input Signal Level

Maximum Signal Deviation

Measurement Bandwidth

Audio Output Bandwidth

Run Time 4 seconds per activation

Measurement Frequency

Input Signal Level

-100 dBm minimum

Up to 100 kHz

8 kHz, 15 kHz, 75 kHz, 200 kHz; selected by user

4 kHz for Measurement BW = 8 kHz, 15 kHz

15 kHz for Measurement BW = 75 kHz, 200 kHz

30 MHz to 2500 MHz with 1 kHz resolution

–110 dBm minimum

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Tektronix RF Scout User manual

Specifications and Main Features

Frequently Asked Questions

User Manual