HP 70427A User manual

Notice
Hewlett-Packard to Agilent Technologies Transition
To contact Agilent Technologies please use the information below.
Online assistance: http://www.agilent.com/find/assist
Americas
Canada
1 877 894 4414 Latin America [phone] United States 1 800 829 4444
Asia Pacific
Australia
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Switzerland
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Other European Countries: http://www.agilent.com/find/contactus
This manual may contain references to HP or Hewlett-Packard. Please note that Hewlett-Packard’s
former test and measurement, semiconductor products and chemical analysis businesses are now part of
Agilent Technologies. To reduce potential confusion, the only change to product numbers and names has
been in the company name prefix: where a product name/number was HP XXXX the current name/
number is now Agilent XXXX. For example, model number HP8648 is now model number Agilent
8648.
Please note that this document was updated in April 2011 to revise the Mixer Non-Linearity
Table 14-13 on page 14-37.

HP 70427A
HP 70428A (including Opt. 002)
Serial Numbers: HP 70427A - 3240A and Above, HP 70428A - 3240A and Above
User’s Guide
HP part number: 70427-90002
Printed in USA
June 2014
Supercedes: May 2014

ii HP 70427A/HP 70428A User’s Guide
Notice
The information contained in this document is subject to change without
notice.
Hewlett-Packard makes no warranty of any kind with regard to this material,
including, but not limited to, the implied warranties of merchantability and
fitness for a particular purpose. Hewlett-Packard shall not be liable for errors
contained herein or for incidental or consequential damages in connection
with the furnishing, performance, or use of this material.
Hewlett-Packard assumes no responsibility for the use or reliability of its
software on equipment that is not furnished by Hewlett-Packard.
This document contains proprietary information which is protected by
copyright. All rights are reserved. No part of this document may be
photocopied, reproduced, or translated to another language without prior
written consent of Hewlett-Packard Company.
Restricted Rights Legend
Use, duplication, or disclosure by the U.S. Government is subject to
restrictions as set forth in subparagraph (c)(1)(ii) of the Rights in Technical
Data and Computer Software clause at DFARS 252.227-7013 for DOD
agencies, and subparagraphs (c)(1) and (c)(2) of the Commercial Computer
Software Restricted Rights clause at FAR 52.227-19 for other agencies.
Hewlett-Packard Company
Santa Rosa Systems Division
1400 Fountaingrove Parkway
Santa Rosa, CA 95403-1799, U.S.A.
© Copyright Hewlett-Packard Company 1993, 1998, 1999

HP 70427A/HP 70428A User’s Guide iii
What You’ll Find in This Manual…
• Chapter 1, “Installation”
• Chapter 2, “Getting Started”
• Chapter 3, “Downconverter Operation”
• Chapter 4, “Source Operation”
• Chapter 5, “Tunable Source Operation”
• Chapter 6, “Reference Chain Configuration”
• Chapter 7, “Remote Programming”
• Chapter 8, “Advanced Hardware Control”
• Chapter 9, “Technical Data”
• Chapter 10, “Softkeys and Displays”
• Chapter 11, “Connectors and Indicators (Front- and Rear-Panel)”
• Chapter 12, “Remote Programming Commands”
• Chapter 13, “Block Diagram”
• Chapter 14, “Performance Tests”
• Chapter 15, “Adjustments”
• Chapter 16, “Customer Support”

iv HP 70427A/HP 70428A User’s Guide
Warranty
Custom systems are warranted by contractual agreement between
Hewlett-Packard Company and the Customer.
Certification Hewlett-Packard Company certifies that this product met its published
specifications at the time of shipment from the factory. Hewlett-Packard
further certifies that its calibration measurements are traceable to the
United States National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST,
formerly NBS), to the extent allowed by the Institute’s calibration facility,
and to the calibration facilities of other International Standards
Organization members.
Warranty This Hewlett-Packard system product is warranted against defects in
materials and workmanship for a period corresponding to the individual
warranty periods of its component products. Instruments are warranted for a
period of one year. During the warranty period, Hewlett-Packard Company
will, at its option, either repair or replace products that prove to be defective.
Warranty service for products installed by HP and certain other products
designated by HP will be performed at Buyer’s facility at no charge within
HP service travel areas. Outside HP service travel areas, warranty service
will be performed at Buyer’s facility only upon HP’s prior agreement and
Buyer shall pay HP’s round trip travel expenses. In all other areas, products
must be returned to a service facility designated by HP.
For products returned to HP for warranty service, Buyer shall prepay
shipping charges to HP and HP shall pay shipping charges to return the
product to Buyer. However, Buyer shall pay all shipping charges, duties, and
taxes for products returned to HP from another country.
HP warrants that its software and firmware designated by HP for use with an
instrument will execute its programming instructions when properly
installed on that instrument. HP does not warrant that the operation of the
instrument, or software, or firmware will be uninterrupted or error free.
LIMITATION OF WARRANTY. The foregoing warranty shall not apply
to defects resulting from improper or inadequate maintenance by Buyer,
Buyer-supplied software or interfacing, unauthorized modification or
misuse, operation outside of the environmental specifications for the
product, or improper site preparation or maintenance.
NO OTHER WARRANTY IS EXPRESSED OR IMPLIED. HP
SPECIFICALLY DISCLAIMS THE IMPLIED WARRANTIES OR
MERCHANTABILITY AND FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE.

HP 70427A/HP 70428A User’s Guide v
EXCLUSIVE REMEDIES. THE REMEDIES PROVIDED HEREIN ARE
BUYER’S SOLE AND EXCLUSIVE REMEDIES. HP SHALL NOT BE
LIABLE FOR ANY DIRECT, INDIRECT, SPECIAL, INCIDENTAL, OR
CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES, WHETHER BASED ON CONTRACT,
TORT, OR ANY OTHER LEGAL THEORY.
Assistance Product maintenance agreements and other customer assistance agreements
are available for Hewlett-Packard products.
For assistance, call your local Hewlett-Packard Sales and Service Office
(refer to “Customer Support”).

vi HP 70427A/HP 70428A User’s Guide
Sound Emission
Manufacturer’s Declaration
This statement is provided to comply with the requirements of the Germain
Sound Emission Directive, from 18 January 1991.
This product has a sound pressure emission (at the operator position) <70
dB(A).
• Sound Pressure Lp <70 dB(A).
• At Operator Position.
• Normal Operation
• According to ISO 7779:1988/EN 27779:1991 (Type Test)
____________________________________________________
Herstellerbescheinigung
Diese Information steht im Zusammenhaug mit den Anforderungen der
MaschinenlXrminformationsverordnung vom 18 Januar 1991.
• Schalldruckpegel Lp <70 dB(A).
• Am Arbeitsplatz.
• Normaler Betrieb.
• Nack ISO 7779:1988/EN 27779:1991 (TypprXfung).

HP 70427A/HP 70428A User’s Guide vii
Service and Support
Any adjustment, maintenance, or repair of this product must be performed
by qualified personnel. Contact your customer engineer through your local
HP Service Center. You can find a list of HP Service Centers on the web at
http://www.hp.com/go/tmdir.
If you do not have access to the Internet, one of these HP centers can direct
you to your nearest HP representative:
United States: Hewlett-Packard Company
Test and Measurement Call Center
PO Box 4026
Englewood, CO 80155-4026
[phone] (toll-free in US)
Canada: Hewlett-Packard Canada Ltd.
5150 Spectrum Way
Mississauga, Ontario L4W 5G1
[phone]
Europe: Hewlett-Packard European Marketing Centre
Postbox 999
1180 AZ Amstelveen
The Netherlands
(31 20) 547 9900
Japan: Yokogawa-Hewlett-Packard Ltd.
Measurement Assistance Center
9-1, Takakura-Cho, Hachioji-Shi
Tokyo 192, Japan
(81) 426 56 7832
(81) 426 56 7840 (FAX)
Latin America: Hewlett-Packard Latin American Region Headquarters
5200 Blue Lagoon Drive, 9th Floor
Miami, Florida 33126, U.S.A.
[phone]
[phone] (FAX)
Australia/New
Zealand: Hewlett-Packard Australia Ltd.
31-41 Joseph Street
Blackburn, Victoria 3130
Australia
1 800 629 485 (toll-free)
Asia-Pacific: Hewlett-Packard Asia Pacific Ltd.
17-21/F Shell Tower, Times Square
1 Matheson Street, Causeway Bay
Hong Kong
(852) 2599 7777
(852) 2506 9285 (FAX)

viii HP 70427A/HP 70428A User’s Guide
Safety and Regulatory Information
Review this product and related documentation to familiarize yourself with
safety markings and instructions before you operate the instrument. This
product has been designed and tested in accordance with international
standards.
WARNING The WARNING notice denotes a hazard. It calls attention to a
procedure, practice, or the like, that, if not correctly performed
or adhered to, could result in personal injury. Do not proceed
beyond a WARNING notice until the indicated conditions are
fully understood and met.
CAUTION The CAUTION notice denotes a hazard. It calls attention to an operating
procedure, practice, or the like, which, 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.
Instrument Markings
When you see this symbol on your instrument, you should refer to the
instrument’s instruction manual for important information.
This symbol indicates hazardous voltages.
The laser radiation symbol is marked on products that have a laser
output.
This symbol indicates that the instrument requires alternating current
(ac) input.
The CE mark is a registered trademark of the European Community. If
it is accompanied by a year, it indicates the year the design was
proven.
The CSA mark is a registered trademark of the Canadian Standards
Association.
!

HP 70427A/HP 70428A User’s Guide ix
Safety Earth
Ground
This is a Safety Class I product (provided with a protective earthing
terminal). An uninterruptible safety earth ground must be provided from the
main power source to the product input wiring terminals, power cord, or
supplied power cord set. Whenever it is likely that the protection has been
impaired, the product must be made inoperative and secured against any
unintended operation.
Before Applying Power Verify that the product is configured to match the available main power
source as described in the input power configuration instructions in this
manual. If this product is to be powered by autotransformer, make sure the
common terminal is connected to the neutral (grounded) side of the ac power
supply.
1SM1-A This text indicates that the instrument is an Industrial Scientific and
Medical Group 1 Class A product (CISPER 11, Clause 4).
This symbol indicates that the power line switch is ON.
This symbol indicates that the power line switch is OFF or in
STANDBY position.

x HP 70427A/HP 70428A User’s Guide
Declaration of Conformity

HP 70427A/HP 70428A User’s Guide -xi
Typeface Conventions
Typeface Conventions
Italics • Used to emphasize important information:
Use this software only with the HP xxxxxX system.
• Used for the title of a publication:
Refer to the HP xxxxxX System-Level User’s Guide.
• Used to indicate a variable:
Type LOAD BIN filename.
Instrument Display • Used to show on-screen prompts and messages that you will see on the
display of an instrument:
The HP xxxxxX will display the message CAL1 SAVED.
[Keycap] • Used for labeled keys on the front panel of an instrument or on a
computer keyboard:
Press [Return].
{Softkey} • Used for simulated keys that appear on an instrument display:
Press {Prior Menu}.
User Entry • Used to indicate text that you will enter using the computer keyboard;
text shown in this typeface must be typed exactly as printed:
Type LOAD PARMFILE
• Used for examples of programming code:
#endif // ifndef NO_CLASS
Path Name • Used for a subdirectory name or file path:
Edit the file usr/local/bin/sample.txt
Computer Display • Used to show messages, prompts, and window labels that appear on a
computer monitor:
The Edit Parameters window will appear on the screen.
• Used for menus, lists, dialog boxes, and button boxes on a computer
monitor from which you make selections using the mouse or keyboard:
Double-click EXIT to quit the program.

-xii HP 70427A/HP 70428A User’s Guide
Typeface Conventions

Contents
HP 70427A/HP 70428A User’s Guide Contents-i
Notice . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-ii
What You’ll Find in This Manual… . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-iii
Warranty . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-iv
Certification . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-iv
Warranty . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-iv
Assistance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-v
Sound Emission . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-vi
Service and Support . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-vii
Safety and Regulatory Information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-viii
Safety Earth Ground . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-ix
Before Applying Power . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-ix
Declaration of Conformity . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-x
Typeface Conventions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-xi
1. Installation
Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-1
Installation Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-2
Standard Equipment Supplied . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-4
Optional Equipment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-5
Table 1-1. Optional Equipment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-5
Front Panel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-6
Connector Saver Installation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-6
Rear Panel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-8
Preliminary Work . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-9
Line Voltage . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-9
Verify MMS is Functioning Properly . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-9
Set MS-IB Address (if Necessary) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-9
Mainframe Assembly . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-10
Install Unit . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-10
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-10
Connect Cables . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-11
Verification . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-12
Procedure A: HP 70428A Option 002, using
HP 8662A / HP 8663A Softkey Configuration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-15
Procedure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-15
Procedure B: Setting HP-IB Address . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-18
Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-18
2. Getting Started
Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-1
HP 70427A Microwave
Downconverter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-2

Contents-ii HP 70427A/HP 70428A User’s Guide
Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-2
Microwave Downconverting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-2
Detecting AM noise at the RF input . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-2
Detecting AM noise at the IF output . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-3
Routing the input to an external instrument . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-3
Monitoring the IF output . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-3
Configuring the reference chain . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-3
Millimeter wave downconverting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-3
Using the HP 70427A as a Microwave source . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-4
To Access the Downconverter Screen . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-5
To read error messages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-7
To Downconvert a Signal Below 26.5 GHz . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-9
To Demodulate AM: RF AM Detector . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-13
To Demodulate AM: IF AM Detector . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-16
To Electrically Tune the Downconverter’s LO . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-19
To Select the LO’s Reference Chain Phase-Lock-Loop Bandwidth . . . 2-21
Table 2-1. The 100 MHz and/or the 600 MHz Phase-Lock-Loop
Bandwidths and Tuning Sensitivity 2-22
To Control the Downconverter over the HP-IB (IEEE 488.2) . . . . . . . 2-23
To Configure the Downconverter as a Microwave Source . . . . . . . . . . 2-25
HP 70428A Microwave Source Module Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-26
To Access the Source Screen . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-27
To read error messages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-29
Procedure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-29
To Output a Signal with a Microwave Source . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-31
Procedure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-31
To Electrically Tune the Source’s Frequency . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-33
Procedure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-33
To Select Reference Chain Phase-Lock-Loop Bandwidth . . . . . . . . . . 2-35
Procedure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-35
To Control the Source Over the HP-IB (IEEE 488.2) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-37
Procedure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-37
HP 70428A Option 002 (Tunable Source) Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-39
To Access the Tunable Source Screen . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-40
Procedure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-40
To read error messages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-42
Procedure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-42
To Output a Signal with the Tunable Source . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-44
Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-44
Procedure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-44
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-45
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-46
To Electrically Tune the Tunable Source’s Frequency . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-49
Procedure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-49
To Select Reference Chain Phase-Lock-Loop Bandwidth . . . . . . . . . . 2-51
Procedure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-51
To Configure the Tunable Source as a Microwave Source . . . . . . . . . . 2-53

HP 70427A/HP 70428A User’s Guide Contents-iii
Procedure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-53
3. Downconverter Operation
Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-1
Procedures . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-1
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-1
Phase Noise Measurement <26.5 GHz
User Control . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-2
Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-2
Procedure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-3
Millimeter Phase Noise Measurement - User Control . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-7
Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-7
Procedure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-8
AM Noise Measurement (Input AM Detector) User Control . . . . . . . . 3-13
Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-13
Procedure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-13
AM Noise Measurement (IF AM Detector)
User Control . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-17
Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-17
Procedure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-18
Phase Noise Measurement <26.5 GHz System Control . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-21
Millimeter Phase Noise Measurement System Control . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-25
Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-25
AM Noise Measurement (Input AM Detector) System Control . . . . . . . 3-30
Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-30
Procedure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-30
AM Noise Measurement (IF AM Detector)
System Control . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-34
Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-34
Spectrum Analyzer Connection User Control . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-38
Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-38
Procedure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-39
Spectrum Analyzer Connection System Control . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-40
Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-40
Procedure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-41
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-41
4. Source Operation
Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-1
Phase Noise Measurement With PLL . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-2
Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-2
Procedure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-2
Table 4-1. Tuning Sensitivity . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-4
Table 4-2. HP 700428A Reference Chain Parameters . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-5
Table 4-3. VCO Tuning Constant and Range vs. HP 70428A Tuning
Sensitivity 4-6
5. Tunable Source Operation

Contents-iv HP 70427A/HP 70428A User’s Guide
Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-1
Phase Noise Measurement With PLL . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-2
Procedure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-2
Table 5-1. Tuning Sensitivity . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-5
Table 5-2. HP 70428A Option 002 Reference Chain Parameters. . . 5-5
Table 5-3. VCO Tuning Constant and Range vs. HP 70428A Tuning
Sensitivity 5-6
6. Reference Chain Configuration
Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-1
To Select Tuning Sensitivity . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-2
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-2
To Select Phase-lock-loop Bandwidth . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-3
To Select Noise Performance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-4
7. Remote Programming
Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-1
Command guidelines . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-2
Command name syntax . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-2
Command Punctuation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-2
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-2
HP 7042XA error reporting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-3
HP 7042XA Status Reporting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-4
Status Byte Reporting Structure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-5
Enabling the Status Byte . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-6
Register and Queue Contents . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-7
Table 7-1. Operational Status Register (Staus Bit 7) . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-7
Table 7-2. Standard Event Status Register (Status Bit 5) . . . . . . . . . 7-8
Table 7-3. Questionable Status Register (Status Bit 3) . . . . . . . . . . . 7-9
Table 7-4. Calibration Status Register . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-10
Remote setup procedure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-11
Sample HP-IB programs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-12
HP 70428A Microwave Source program example . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-13
Microwave Source Program Comments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-14
HP 70427A Downconverter program example . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-15
Downconverter Program Comments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-16
HP 70428A Option 002 Tunable Source Program Example . . . . . . . . 7-17
Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-17
HP 7042XA Reading Errors Program Example . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-21
Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-21
HP 7042XA Trapping Errors Using SRQ program Example . . . . . . . . 7-23
Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-23
8. Advanced Hardware Control
Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-1
To Set A Hardware Latch . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-2
To Set A Relay . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-4
To Select a Multiplexer (Voltmeter Monitor Point) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-5

HP 70427A/HP 70428A User’s Guide Contents-v
Table 8-1. A3 AM Detector. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-6
Table 8-2. A4 IF Amplifier . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-7
Table 8-3. A7A1 100 MHz Reference Loop . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-9
Table 8-4. A7A1 100 MHz Reference Loop . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-10
Table 8-5. A7A2 600 MHz Reference Loop . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-11
Table 8-6. A7A2 600 MHz Reference Loop . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-12
Table 8-7. A8 & A9 YTF & GaAs FET Amplifier Drive. . . . . . . . . . 8-13
Table 8-8. A8 & A9 YTF & GaAs FET Amplifier Drive. . . . . . . . . . 8-14
Table 8-9. Relays . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-15
9. Technical Data
Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-1
HP 71707A/70427A Specifications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-2
Microwave Downconverter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-2
Table 9-1. HP 70427A Configuration 1 - All Oscillators Locked . . . 9-3
Table 9-1. Table 9-1A HP 70427A Configuration 1 - All
Oscillators Locked, Units repaired after April 2014 9-4
Table 9-2. HP 70427A Configuration 2 - 100 And 600 MHz Oscillators
Locked 9-5
Table 9-2. Table 9-2A HP 70427A
Configuration 2 - 100 And 600 MHz Oscillators Locked, Units
repaired after April 2014 9-6
Table 9-3. HP 70427A Configuration 3 - 600 MHz Free-running
Oscillator 9-7
Table 9-3. Table 9-3A HP 70427A Configuration 3 - 600 MHz
Free-running Oscillator, Units repaired after April 2014 9-8
Table 9-4. HP 70427A Mixing Spurious. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-10
Table 9-5. HP 70427A AM Detector Noise Floor Specifications (+15
dBm) 9-11
HP 70427A Microwave Source . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-12
Table 9-6. HP 70427A Source Configuration 1 - All Oscillators Locked
9-13
Table 9-6. Table 9-6A HP 70427A Configuration 1 - All
Oscillators Locked, Units repaired after April 2014 9-14
Table 9-7. HP 70427A Source Configuration 2 - 100 And 600 MHz
Oscillators Locked 9-15
Table 9-7. Table 9-7A HP 70427A
Configuration 2 - 100 And 600 MHz Oscillators Locked, Units
repaired after April 2014 9-16
Table 9-8. HP 70427A Source Configuration 3 - 600 MHz Free-running
Oscillator 9-17
Table 9-8. Table 9-8A HP 70427A Configuration 3 - 600 MHz
Free-running Oscillator, Units repaired after April 2014 9-18
Table 9-9. HP 70427A AM Detector Noise Floor Specifications (+10
dBm) 9-19
HP 71707A
HP 70427A

Contents-vi HP 70427A/HP 70428A User’s Guide
General Specifications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-21
HP 71708A/70428A Specifications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-25
Microwave Source . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-25
Table 9-10. HP 70428A Source Configuration 1 - All Oscillators Locked
9-26
Table 9-10. Table 9-10A HP 70427A Configuration 1 - All
Oscillators Locked, Units repaired after April 2014 9-27
Table 9-11. HP 70428A Source Configuration 2 - 100 And 600 MHz
Oscillators Locked 9-28
Table 9-11. Table 9-11A HP 70427A
Configuration 2 - 100 And 600 MHz Oscillators Locked, Units
repaired after April 2014 9-29
Table 9-12. HP 70428A Source Configuration 3 - 600 MHz Free-running
Oscillator 9-30
Table 9-12. Table 9-12A HP 70427A
Configuration 3 - 600 MHz Free-running Oscillator, Units repaired
after April 2014 9-31
Table 9-13. HP 70428A AM Detector Noise Floor Specifications (+10
dBm) 9-32
HP 70428A Option 002 Specifications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-34
Table 9-14. HP 70428A Option 002 Configuration 1 - All Oscillators
Locked 9-35
Table 9-15. HP 70428A Opt. 002 AM Detector Noise Floor
Specifications (+10 dBm) 9-37
Table 9-16. HP 70428A Option 002 Mixing Spurious . . . . . . . . . . 9-37
General Specifications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-38
10. Softkeys and Displays
Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-1
120-300, 480-600 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-2
300-600 Only . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-3
25 Hz . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-4
53 Hz . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-5
126 Hz default . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-6
300 Hz . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-7
650 Hz . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-8
4 kHz . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-9
1.5 kHz . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-10
3.6 kHz . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-11
10 kHz/default . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-12
10 kHz . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-13
17 kHz . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-14
30 kHz . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-15
100 MHz no tune . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-16
100 MHz PLL BW . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-17
600 MHz no tune . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-18
600 MHz PLL BW . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-19

HP 70427A/HP 70428A User’s Guide Contents-vii
0 PM/V default . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-20
0.05 PM/V . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-21
1.0 PM/V . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-22
20 PM/V . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-23
A band 26.5 - 40 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-24
ALC ON| OFF . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-25
AM Det Max Lvl . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-26
AM DET MAX LVL . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-27
AM Det Voltage . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-28
AM Noise . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-29
AM NSE IN | IF . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-30
Amplitudes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-31
Atten . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-32
AUTO ATTEN . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-33
AUTO IF GAIN . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-34
AUTO RANGE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-35
BEGIN . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-36
BIAS ON| OFF . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-37
BLOCK . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-38
Block . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-39
Data . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-40
Det . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-41
Down Convert . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-42
EXIT . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-43
FREQ . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-44
Freq . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-45
Frequency . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-46
Freqs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-47
Hardware Control . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-48
HP 437A/B . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-49
HP 8662A . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-50
HP 8663A . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-51
HP 70100A . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-52
HP-IB Addr . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-53
HP-IB ADDRESS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-54
IF . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-55
IF AM NOISE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-57
IF AM Output . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-58
IF GAIN . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-59
IF Gain . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-60
IF LEVEL . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-61
Input . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-62
INPUT ATTEN . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-64
INPUT FREQ . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-65
K band 18-26.5 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-67
Latch . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-68
LATCH DATA . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-69