Keysight FieldFox User manual

Contents
Do you have everything? ..................... 1
The Power Button and LED ........ 1
Connector Care……………………………….2
Battery Usage...................................... 3
Measure Return Loss (CAT Mode) ...... 4
Measure 1-Port Cable Loss (CAT)....... 5
Measure Distance to Fault (CAT) ........ 6
Measure S-Parameters (NA Mode) ..... 7
Multi-Trace Configurations (NA Mode)9
Calibration (CAT, NA, VVM)............... 10
Spectrum Analyzer (SA Mode) .......... 11
Channel Measurements (SA)............. 12
Record Playback (Opt 236) ............... 13
Power Meter Mode ............................ 14
Save and Recall Files......................... 15
Quick Reference Guide
Keysight FieldFox
Microwave Analyzers

1
Do you have everything?
FieldFox –To check for installed options, press
System then System Configuration then Options
then Show Options
Phase stable jumper cable or adapters – Used to
connect the FieldFox to devices with various
connector types and gender.
Attenuators – Reduces power and prevents
damage to the FieldFox at the RF IN port.
Cal Kit – OSL Tee or other calibration devices.
SD card or USB flash drive – Save files to these
devices for quick download to a PC.
USB Power Sensor – For making Power Meter
measurements. (Opt 302)
Battery charger or extra battery
The Power Button and LED
-To turn power ON, briefly press the power button.
The LED is green. The boot-up takes about 60
seconds.
-To switch to Standby power (low battery drain)
briefly press the power button. A 10 second
counter is displayed that allows you to choose
Standby / Shutdown/ Restart or to let the
countdown counter expire after 10 seconds then
perform the action. The LED is green and blinks
slowly. To turn power ON, briefly press the power
button. Power and settings are restored instantly.
-To turn Power OFF (very low battery drain) press
the Shutdown softkey (For details, refer to previous
Standby bullet). The LED is OFF, or solid amber, if
AC power is connected.

2
Connector Care
To maintain optimum performance in your FieldFox:
-Make connections carefully to avoid misalignment,
leading to inaccurate measurements of connector
damage.
-Keep the connectors free of dirt and metallic
particles.
-If you must clean the connectors, use clean
compressed air first. NEVER use abrasives. When
cleaning connectors, use liquid Freon exclusively
and apply with a plastic swab. See also,
https://literature.cdn.keysight.com/litweb/pdf/08
510-90360.pdf.

3
Battery Usage
A fully charged battery should last about four hours.
Battery charge status is viewable:
-In the upper-right corner of the screen.
-On the battery. To view the LCD gauge on the
Inspired Energy battery, open the FieldFox battery
compartment door.
To conserve battery power:
-Use Hold (Run/Hold) mode to trigger a
measurement only when needed. Hold is shown on
the display.
-Press System then Display then Brightness then
dim the FieldFox display as much as possible.
-Press the power button and press the Standby
softkey when not being used. Press again to restore
power. All current settings are preserved.
The FieldFox will shutdown automatically when battery
power is very low to prevent it from being completely
discharged.
Use ONLY a FieldFox charger to recharge a battery.
The battery can be fully charged while in the FieldFox in
about 4 hours with the FieldFox either ON or OFF.
A fully discharged battery takes about 1.5 hours to
recharge to 80%.
The battery can be fully charged in about 4 hours using
the external battery charger (Opt 872).

4
Measure Return Loss (CAT Mode)
Starting with A.11.25 firmware, for the B
models, the FieldFox output power defaults to -15 dBm.
Return loss can be thought of as the absolute value of
the reflected power as compared to the incident power.
When measuring an OPEN or SHORT, all incident power
is reflected and 0 dB return loss is displayed.
When measuring a LOAD, very little power is reflected
and values of 40 dB to 60 dB are displayed.
1. Connect the Device Under Test (DUT).
2. Select Preset then Preset (Factory) Returns the
FieldFox to known settings.
3. Select Mode then CAT(Cable and Antenna Test)
4. Then Measure 1 then Return Loss(Default
measurement).
5. Press Freq/Dist and enter Start and Stop frequency
values of the measurement.
6. Press Meas Setup 4then Settings to make
appropriate settings before calibrating.
7. Disconnect the DUT and press Cal 5then follow the
calibration prompts.
8. Reconnect the DUT (cable to be tested).
Optional
-Add Markers – All Modes except VVM and Power
Meter
-Add Limits – All Modes except VVM and Power
Meter
-Save Settings and Data – All Modes

5
Measure 1-Port Cable Loss (CAT Mode)
Required Equipment:
-LOAD with correct connector type and gender to
terminate the end of the DUT.
-Optional phase stable jumper cable or adapter to
connect the beginning of the DUT to the FieldFox.
1. Press Preset then Preset
2. Select Mode then CAT (Cable and Antenna Test)
3. Then Measure 1 then Return Loss (Default
measurement).
4. Then More then Cable Loss (1-Port)
5. Connect the DUT.
6. Press Freq/Dist and enter Start and Stop frequency
values of the measurement.
7. Press Sweep 3then Min Swp Time Increase the
sweep time until a stable trace is visible on the
screen.
8. Connect the DUT (cable to be tested) to the FieldFox
and connect a LOAD at the end of the DUT.
Depending on the DUT, the following three steps may
improve the amount of ripple visible on the screen.
9. Press Trace 6then Math and Memory, then
Data->Mem.
10.Remove the LOAD and leave the end of the DUT
open.
11.Press Data Math then Data – Mem. Use Averaging
for high-loss measurements. Press BW 2then
Averaging
12.Read Avg Cable Loss on the FieldFox screen.

6
Measure Distance to Fault (CAT Mode)
Starting with A.11.25 firmware, for the B
models, the FieldFox output power defaults to -15 dBm.
Required Equipment:
-LOAD with correct connector type and gender to
terminate the end of the DUT.
-Known length and cable type or Cable Loss
(dB/Meter) and velocity factor of the DUT.
-Optional phase stable jumper cable or adapter to
connect the beginning of the DUT to the FieldFox.
1. Connect any necessary jumper cable or adapter to the
FieldFox RF OUT port.
2. Press Preset then Preset
3. Then Mode then CAT
4. Then Measure 1 then Distance to Fault
5. Press Freq/Dist then Stop Distance and enter the
length of the DUT.
6. If a diplexer or other filter is in the measurement path,
press Meas Setup 4 then select Freq Mode then
Bandpass. Then press Freq/Dist and manually type
the Min Start Freq and Max Stop Freq frequencies.
7. Press Cal 5and see the FieldFox User’s Guide.
8. Press Meas Setup 4then DTF Cable Specifications.
9. Either press Edit/Save/Recall Cables or enter the
Velocity Factor and Cable Loss manually--using
Cable Corr [Manual]--of the DUT.
10.Connect the start end of the DUT to the FieldFox. The
DTF measurement is displayed.

7
Measure S-Parameters (NA Mode)
S-parameter syntax is described by the following:
S (out | in)
out = FieldFox receiver port
in = FieldFox source port
1. Press Preset then Preset
2. Press then Mode then NA then choose from the
following:
-S11 1-port reflection measurement.
-S21 2-port transmission measurement.
-S12 Reverse 2-port transmission measurement.
Requires the full 2-port S-parameter option.
-S22 Reverse 1-port reflection measurement.
Requires the full 2-port S-parameter option.
OR Press Trace 6 then Num of Traces then select a
Multi-trace configuration. Learn more on page 9.
3. Press Freq/Dist then either Start and Stop or Center
and Freq Span to enter a frequency range for the
measurement.
4. Press BW 2then IF BW to select the IF Bandwidth
for the measurement. Narrower bandwidths require
more time to sweep but reduces the noise.
5. Press Sweep 3 then Resolution to select the number
of data points for the measurement. More data points
requires more time to sweep.
6. Press Cal 5 to calibrate the measurement. See page
10 to learn more.
Continued on following page…

8
Measure S-Parameters (NA Mode) continued
The following NA Mode settings can be made before or
after calibrating without affecting measurement
accuracy.
-Press Scale/Amptd to change scale.
-Autoscale Adjusts the Y-axis to comfortably fit
the Min and Max amplitude of the active trace.
-Autoscale All Autoscales all the traces on the
screen. Useful for multi-trace configurations.
-Scale Manually enter a scale per division to view
specific areas of the trace.
-Ref Level Manually set the value of the reference
line.
-Ref Pos Manually set the position of the
reference line. Values must be between 0 (TOP
line) and 10 (BOTTOM line)
-Press Measure 1then Format to change the
format for the measurement.
-Press BW 2then Averagethen enter a value for
the number of trace sweeps to average.
-Press Marker then enter a value to move the
marker to the X-axis position of interest.
-Press Limit 8 then Edit Limits or Recall Limits to
test measurement results against limit lines.

9
Multi-Trace Configurations (NA Mode)
You can display multiple traces on the FieldFox screen.
The above image shows a 3-trace configuration. Tr1 is
the ACTIVE trace as indicated by the highlighted Tr1
annotation in the upper left corner.
The Frequency Range, IF BW, Resolution, Averaging, and
Output power is common to all traces. All trace settings,
such as format, markers, and limit lines, are applied to
the ACTIVE trace in the same manner as when a single
trace is present.
To select a multi-trace configuration:
-Press Trace 6then Num of Traces
-Then choose a multi-trace configuration.
To activate a trace to change a setting:
-Use the ▲|▼arrows to scroll through the traces -
OR
-Press Trace 6then select Trace 1, Trace 2, Trace
3, or Trace 4, Only traces that are shown can be
activated.
By default, with Multi-trace configurations, Markers that
are applied to one trace are applied to ALL traces.

10
Calibration (CAT, NA, VVM)
Starting with A.11.25 firmware, for the B
models, the FieldFox output power defaults to
-15 dBm.
Calibration is performed in CAT, NA, and VVM Modes.
A calibration is performed automatically when the
FieldFox is powered ON, CalReady sets the reference
plane at the test port connectors.
For highest accuracy, perform an O, S, L when any of the
following occur:
-The temperature changes significantly.
-The Frequency Range, Resolution, Min Swp Time,
or Power Level is changed.
-When using a phase stable jumper cable or adapter
to connect the DUT to the FieldFox. These should
be high-quality components.
Press Cal 5then see the FieldFox User’s Guide.
Cal Rdy is shown on the screen when a CalReady is
correcting the measurement.
CAL ON U is shown on the screen when an O, S, L Cal is
correcting the measurement.
When a calibration is being interpolated, an asterisk is
added to the screen annotation as follows: Cal ON*

11
Spectrum Analyzer (SA Mode)
SA measurements require NO calibration.
Check for a Compressed Measurement
1. Using a marker at the signal peak, make note of the
signal power level.
2. Increase the RF Attenuation level by 5 dB.
-If the signal level does NOT change, then NO
compression exists. This indicates that the signal is
in the linear region of the receiver.
-If the signal level DOES increase with more
attenuation, then compression DID exist. Set the
RF Attenuation value at the setting when further
increases no longer result in an increase in the
displayed power level.
Set RF Attenuation
1. Press Preset then Preset (Factory)
2. Press Mode then SA
3. Press Scale/Amptd then RF Atten
-Auto RF Attenuation is set by adjusting the Ref
Level.
-Man Change the RF Attenuation level manually.
Display up to four types of traces
SA settings are applied to all traces.
1. Press Trace 6 then Trace 1,2,3,4 repeatedly to select
a trace number to display.
2. Then State to select a trace type.

12
Channel Measurements (SA Mode)
Optionally apply a Radio Standard which changes
frequency settings, Res BW, and other relevant settings
to that of the selected standard. Then change the
frequency range by selecting channel numbers.
1. Press Freq/Dist then More then Radio Standard.
Scroll to select the standard.
2. Then press Back.
3. Then press Unit Freq Chan.
4. If active, press Chan Direction to toggle between
Uplink and Downlink frequencies.
5. Optionally, change the Channel Stepsize which
allows you to use the ▲|▼arrows to increment the
channel number by the specified value.
6. Then Back and Center, Start, or Stop channel.
7. Press Measure 1 then Channel Measurements and
choose from the following:
-Channel Power (CHP) - Measures total power over
the specified Integrated BW.
-Occupied Bandwidth (OBW) - Measures the power
of the current frequency span and displays vertical
posts between which the specified percentage of
power is contained.
-Adjacent Channel Power (ACPR) - Measures the
power of a carrier channel and one, two, or three
adjacent (offset) channels.
-Tune and Listen (AM/FM) – Plays potentially
interfering AM or FM signals through the FieldFox
speaker or headphones.

13
Record Playback (Opt 236)
Allows you to record SA traces and play them back at a
later time. You can change most SA settings during a
recording. Setting changes are recorded along with the
traces.
To record a new session:
Press Trace 6 then Record Playback
Then New Session, Recorder Player, then Record
Optionally set the following Recording Configuration:
-Record Time – limits record time.
-Record Source – choose where in the FieldFox data
flow that data is recorded. RawMeas is easiest.
-Record Interval – sets the amount of time to wait
between individual trace recordings.
-Segment Count – sets the number of traces to
record.
-FreqMaskTrigger – sets the power level which will
trigger a recording.
To play a session:
Press Recall Session select a session, press Open. Then
Recorder Player then Play.
Run/Hold can be used to Pause and Resume during
Record or Playback.
The maximum recording time is determined largely by
the amount of available memory. To maximize recording
time, select Storage Device then Internal or USB (flash
drive) or SD Card.

14
Power Meter Mode
Power Meter measurements are made using a Keysight
USB Power Sensor.
For a complete list of supported Keysight USB Power
Sensors, visit:
www.keysight.com/find/usbsensorsforfieldfox
Damage levels vary for each power sensor. For details,
refer to the Data Sheet for your model power sensor.
Use an Attenuator between the DUT and the power
sensor when measuring power levels that are higher than
+20 dBm. The attenuator value can be subtracted from
the measurement using Offset as follows:
Select Offset
-Press Mode then Power Meter
-Press Scale / Amptd then Offset On Off
-Then Offset Val Enter a value by which the power
meter display is offset. A positive value
compensates for a component with loss, such as an
attenuator.
Zeroing
The Keysight USB Power Sensors perform internal
zeroing automatically. Internal zeroing does NOT require
that the power source be turned OFF.
Perform external zeroing when measuring power levels
below -30 dBm. During external zeroing, the power
source MUST either be turned OFF or the power sensor
be disconnected from the DUT.
-Press Cal 5 then see the FieldFox User’s Guide.
-Then External Zero

15
Save and Recall Files
Save current settings and calibration, trace data (CSV)
and .S1P), or a picture of the FieldFox screen.
Press Save/Recall 9
1. Then Device to set the LOCATION where the file is to
be saved. Choose from the following:
-Internal Saves/Recalls files to or from the FieldFox
internal memory.
-SD Card Saves/Recalls files to or from the mini SD
card.
-USB Saves/Recalls files to or from a USB Flash
drive.
2. Then File Type
-State Saves ALL FieldFox instrument settings and
calibration for ALL Modes to an *.sta file.
-Trace + State Saves the current trace (all traces in
SA mode) and instrument settings to an *.sta file.
-Picture (PNG) Saves the FieldFox screen to a *.png
file.
-Data (S1P) Saves CAT and NA Mode trace data to
an *.S1P file.
-Data (CSV) Saves trace data from the current
mode to a *.csv file.
3. Then press Save to save the specified file type to the
specified device location.
4. Press Recall to read an *.sta file into the FieldFox.

16

This information is subject tochange
without notice.
©Keysight Technologies 2012-2019
Edition 4 Print Date: June 2019
Supersedes: March 2019
www.keysight.com