Agilent Technologies N1911A Operating instructions

Agilent Technologies
Agilent
N1911A/1912A
P-Series Power
Meters
Programming Guide

N1911A/1912A P-Series Power Meters Program-
Notices
© Agilent Technologies, Inc. 2006–2013
No part of this manual may be reproduced in
any form or by any means (including elec-
tronic storage and retrieval or translation
into a foreign language) without prior agree-
ment and written consent from Agilent
Technologies, Inc. as governed by United
States and international copyright laws.
Manual Part Number
N1912-90008
Edition
Tenth Edition, December 10, 2013
Printed in Malaysia
Agilent Technologies, Inc.
5301 Stevens Creek Blvd.
Santa Clara, CA 95052 USA
Warranty
The material contained in this docu-
ment is provided “as is,” and is sub-
ject to being changed, without notice,
in future editions. Further, to the max-
imum extent permitted by applicable
law, Agilent disclaims all warranties,
either express or implied, with regard
to this manual and any information
contained herein, including but not
limited to the implied warranties of
merchantability and fitness for a par-
ticular purpose. Agilent shall not be
liable for errors or for incidental or
consequential damages in connec-
tion with the furnishing, use, or per-
formance of this document or of any
information contained herein. Should
Agilent and the user have a separate
written agreement with warranty
terms covering the material in this
document that conflict with these
terms, the warranty terms in the sep-
arate agreement shall control.
Technology Licenses
The hardware and/or software described in
this document are furnished under a license
and may be used or copied only in accor-
dance with the terms of such license.
Restricted Rights Legend
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ware and technical data rights granted to
the federal government include only those
rights customarily provided to end user cus-
tomers. Agilent provides this customary
commercial license in Software and techni-
cal data pursuant to FAR 12.211 (Technical
Data) and 12.212 (Computer Software) and,
for the Department of Defense, DFARS
252.227-7015 (Technical Data - Commercial
Items) and DFARS 227.7202-3 (Rights in
Commercial Computer Software or Com-
puter Software Documentation).
Safety Notices
CAUTION
A CAUTION notice denotes a haz-
ard. It calls attention to an operat-
ing procedure, practice, or the like
that, if not correctly performed or
adhered to, could result in damage
to the product or loss of important
data. Do not proceed beyond a
CAUTION notice until the indicated
conditions are fully understood and
met.
WARNING
A WARNING notice denotes a
hazard. It calls attention to an
operating procedure, practice, or
the like that, if not correctly per-
formed or adhered to, could result
in personal injury or death. Do not
proceed beyond a WARNING
notice until the indicated condi-
tions are fully understood and
met.
Notices

N1911A/1912A P-Series Power Meters Programming Guide iii
General Warranty
The material contained in this document is provided “as is,” and is subject
to being changed, without notice, in future editions. Further, to the
maximum extent permitted by applicable law, Agilent disclaims all
warranties, either express or implied with regard to this manual and any
information contained herein, including but not limited to the implied
warranties of merchantability and fitness for a particular purpose. Agilent
shall not be liable for errors or for incidental or consequential damages in
connection with the furnishing, use, or performance of this document or
any information contained herein. Should Agilent and the user have a
separate written agreement with warranty terms covering the material in
this document that conflict with these terms, the warranty terms in the
separate agreement shall control. Duration and conditions of warranty for
this product may be superseded when the product is integrated into
(becomes a part of) other Agilent products. During the warranty period,
Agilent will, at its option, either repair or replace products which prove to
be defective. The warranty period begins on the date of delivery or on the
date of installation if installed by Agilent.
Restricted Rights Legend
The Software and Documentation have been developed entirely at private
expense. They are delivered and licensed as “commercial computer
software” as defined in DFARS 252.227-7013 (Oct 1988), DFARS
252.211-7015 (May 1991), or DFARS 252.227-7014 (Jun 1995), as a
“commercial item” as defined in FAR 2.101(a), or as “restricted computer
software” as defined in FAR 52.227-19 (Jun 1987) (or any equivalent
agency regulation or contract clause), whichever is applicable. You have
only those rights provided for such Software and Documentation by the
applicable FAR or DFARS clause or the Agilent standard software
agreement for the product involved.

iv N1911A/1912A P-Series Power Meters Programming Guide
Equipment Operation
Warnings and Cautions
This guide uses warnings and cautions to denote hazards.
Personal Safety Considerations
This is a Safety Class I product (provided with a protective earthing ground
incorporated in the power cord). The mains plug shall only be inserted in a
socket outlet provided with a protective earth contact. Any interruption of
the protective conductor, inside or outside the instrument, is likely to make
the instrument dangerous. Intentional interruption is prohibited. If this
instrument is not used as specified, the protection provided by the
equipment could be impaired. This instrument must be used in a normal
condition (in which all means of protection are intact) only.
No operator serviceable parts inside. Refer servicing to qualified
personnel. To prevent electrical shock, do not remove covers. For
continued protection against fire hazard, replace the line fuse(s) only with
fuses of the same type and rating (for example, normal blow, time delay,
etc.). The use of other fuses or material is prohibited.
WARNING
A WARNING notice denotes a hazard. It calls attention to an operating
procedure, practice, or the like that, if not correctly performed or
adhered to, could result in personal injury or loss of life. Do not proceed
beyond a WARNING notice until the indicated conditions are fully
understood and met.
CAUTION
A CAUTION notice denotes a hazard. It calls attention to an operating
procedure, practice, or the like that, if not correctly performed or adhered
to, could result in damage to the product or loss of important data. Do not
proceed beyond a CAUTION notice until the indicated conditions are fully
understood and met.

N1911A/1912A P-Series Power Meters Programming Guide v
General Safety Considerations
The following general safety precautions must be observed during all
phases of operation of this instrument. Failure to comply with these
precautions or with specific warnings elsewhere in this manual violates
safety standards of design, manufacture, and intended use of the
instrument. Agilent Technologies, Inc. assumes no liability for the
customer’s failure to comply with these requirements.
User Environment
This instrument is designed for indoor use only.
WARNING
• Before this instrument is switched on, make sure it has been
properly grounded through the protective conductor of the ac power
cable to a socket outlet provided with protective earth contact. Any
interruption of the protective (grounding) conductor, inside or
outside the instrument, or disconnection of the protective earth
terminal can result in personal injury.
CAUTION
• Any adjustments or service procedures that require operation of the
instrument with protective covers removed should be performed only
by trained service personnel.

vi N1911A/1912A P-Series Power Meters Programming Guide
In This Guide…
1Power Meter Remote Operation Chapter 1 describes the parameters
that configure the power meter and helps you determine settings to
optimize performance.
2MEASurement Commands Chapter 2 explains how to use the MEASure
group of instructions to acquire data using a set of high level instructions.
3CALCulate Subsystem Chapter 3 explains how the CALCulate
subsystem is used to perform post acquisition data processing.
4CALibration Subsystem Chapter 4 explains how the CALibration
command subsystem is used to zero and calibrate the power meter.
5DISPlay Subsystem Chapter 5 explains how the DISPlay subsystem is
used to control the selection and presentation of the windows used on the
power meter’s display.
6FORMat Subsystem Chapter 6 explains how the FORMat subsystem is
used to set a data format for transferring numeric information.
7MEMory Subsystem Chapter 7 explains how the MEMory command
subsystem is used to create, edit and review sensor calibration tables.
8OUTput Subsystem Chapter 8 explains how the OUTput command
subsystem is used to switch the POWER REF output on and off.
9PSTatistic Subsystem Chapter 9 explains how the PSTatistic command
subsystem is used to configure the settings of Complementary Cumulative
Distribution Function (CCDF), both in table and trace format.
10 SENSe Subsystem Chapter 10 explains how the SENSe command
subsystem directly affects device specific settings that are used to make
measurements.
11 STATus Subsystem Chapter 11 explains how the STATus command
subsystem enables you to examine the status of the power meter by
monitoring the “Device Status Register”, “Operation Status Register” and
the “Questionable Status Register”.

N1911A/1912A P-Series Power Meters Programming Guide vii
12 SYSTem Subsystem Chapter 12 explains how the SYSTem command
subsystem is used to return error numbers and messages from the power
meter, preset the power meter, set the remote address, and query the SCPI
version.
13 TRACe Subsystem Chapter 13 explains how the TRACe command
subsystem is used to configure and read back the measured power trace.
14 TRIGger Subsystem Chapter 14 explains how the TRIGger command
subsystem is used to synchronize device actions with events.
15 UNIT Subsystem Chapter 15 explains how the UNIT command
subsystem is used to set the power meter measurement units to Watts
and % (linear), or dBm and dB (logarithmic).
16 SERVice Subsystem Chapter 16 explains how the SERVice command
subsystem is used to obtain and set information useful for servicing the
power meter.
17 IEEE 488.2 Command Reference Chapter 17 contains information about
the IEEE488.2 Common Commands that the power meter supports.
ACalibration Factor Block Layout Appendix A contains information on
the calibration factor block layout for E4410 Series, E9300 Series, E9320
Series and N8480 Series sensors (excluding Option CFT).

viii N1911A/1912A P-Series Power Meters Programming Guide
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N1911A/1912A P-Series Power Meters Programming Guide ix
Contents
Notices ii
General Warranty iii
Restricted Rights Legend iii
Equipment Operation iv
General Safety Considerations v
User Environment v
In This Guide… vi
1 Power Meter Remote Operation
Introduction 5
Configuring the Remote Interface 6
•Interface Selection 6
•GPIB Address 6
•LAN Configuration 7
•USB Configuration 8
Zeroing and Calibrating the P-Series Power Sensor 9
•Zeroing 9
•Calibration 9
Making Measurement 11
•Using MEASure? 12
•Using the CONFigure Command 17
•Using the Lower Level Commands 26
Using Frequency Dependent Offset Tables 27
•Overview 27
•Editing Frequency Dependent Offset Tables 29
•Selecting a Frequency Dependent Offset Table 32
•Enabling a Frequency Dependent Offset Table 32
•Making the Measurement 32
Setting the Range, Resolution and Averaging 34
•Resolution 34
•Averaging 34
•Auto Averaging Mode 35
•Filter Length 36
•Range 37

x N1911A/1912A P-Series Power Meters Programming Guide
Setting Offsets 38
•Channel Offsets 38
•Display Offsets 38
Setting Measurement Limits 40
•Setting Limits 40
•Checking for Limit Failures 42
•Using STATus 43
Getting the Best Speed Performance 44
•Measurement Rate 44
•Sensor 45
•Trigger Mode 45
•Output Format 47
•Units 47
•Command Used 47
•Fast Mode 48
How Measurements are Calculated 49
Status Reporting 50
•The General Status Register Model 50
•How to Use Register 53
•The Condition Polling Method 53
•The SRQ Method 54
•Device Status Register 65
•Using the Operation Complete Commands 67
Saving and Recalling Power Meter Configurations 69
•How to Save and Recall a Configuration 69
Using Device Clear to Halt Measurements 70
An Introduction to the SCPI Language 71
•Mnemonic Forms 71
•Using a Colon (:) 71
•Using a Semicolon (;) 72
•Using a Comma (,) 72
•Using Whitespace 72
•Using “?” Commands 72
•Using “*” Commands 73
•Syntax Conventions 73