Keysight N5186A User manual

MXG Vector Signal Generator
N5186A MXG Vector Signal Generator
This manual provides documentation for the N5186A running on the Linux operating system and X-Series Signal Analyzer running on the
Windows operating system.
MEASUREMENT GUIDE

Notices
© Keysight Technologies, Inc. 2023
No part of this manual may be
reproduced in any form or by any
means (including electronic
storage and retrieval or translation
into a foreign language) without
prior agreement and written
consent from Keysight
Technologies, Inc. as governed by
United States and international
copyright laws.
Trademark Acknowledgments
Bluetooth and the Bluetooth logos
are trademarks owned by
Bluetooth SIG, Inc., U.S.A. and
licensed to Keysight Technologies,
Inc.
Manual Part Number
N5186-90003
Edition
Edition 1, October 2023
Supersedes: September 2023
Published by:
Keysight Technologies
1400 Fountaingrove Parkway
Santa Rosa, CA 95403
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, KEYSIGHT
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.
KEYSIGHT 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
KEYSIGHT 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 WILL 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
accordance with the terms of such
license.
U.S. Government Rights
The Software is “commercial
computer software,” as defined by
Federal Acquisition Regulation
(“FAR”) 2.101. Pursuant to FAR
12.212 and 27.405-3 and
Department of Defense FAR
Supplement (“DFARS”) 227.7202,
the U.S. government acquires
commercial computer software
under the same terms by which the
software is customarily provided to
the public. Accordingly, Keysight
provides the Software to U.S.
government customers under its
standard commercial license,
which is embodied in its End User
License Agreement (EULA), a copy
of which can be found at
http://www.keysight.com/find/swe
ula. The license set forth in the
EULA represents the exclusive
authority by which the U.S.
government may use, modify,
distribute, or disclose the
Software. The EULA and the
license set forth therein, does not
require or permit, among other
things, that Keysight: (1) Furnish
technical information related to
commercial computer software or
commercial computer software
documentation that is not
customarily provided to the public;
or (2) Relinquish to, or otherwise
provide, the government rights in
excess of these rights customarily
provided to the public to use,
modify, reproduce, release,
perform, display, or disclose
commercial computer software or
commercial computer software
documentation. No additional
government requirements beyond
those set forth in the EULA shall
apply, except to the extent that
those terms, rights, or licenses are
explicitly required from all
providers of commercial computer
software pursuant to the FAR and
the DFARS and are set forth
specifically in writing elsewhere in
the EULA. Keysight shall be under
no obligation to update, revise or
otherwise modify the Software.
With respect to any technical data
as defined by FAR 2.101, pursuant
to FAR 12.211 and 27.404.2 and
DFARS 227.7102, the U.S.
government acquires no greater
than Limited Rights as defined in
FAR 27.401 or DFAR 227.7103-5
(c), as applicable in any technical
data.
Safety Notices
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.
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 death.
Do not proceed beyond a
WARNING notice until the
indicated conditions are fully
understood and met.

3
Where to Find the Latest Information
Documentation is updated periodically. For the latest information about this product, including instrument
software upgrades, application information, and product information, browse to the following URL:
https://www.keysight.com/us/en/product/N5186A/N5186A.html
Information on preventing instrument damage can be found at:
http://keysight.com/find/PreventingInstrumentRepair
Is your product software up-to-date?
Periodically, Keysight releases software updates to fix known defects and incorporate product enhancements.
To search for software updates for your product, go to the Keysight Technical Support website at:
http://www.keysight.com/find/techsupport

4

N5186A MXG and X-Series SA Measurement Guide 5
1. Basic Measurements
Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
Equipment Setup . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
Setting Up Triggers on the Signal Analyzer. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
Making Measurements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
Creating a Continuous Waveform (CW). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
Setting Up Amplitude Modulation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
Setting Up Frequency Modulation. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21
Setting Up Phase Modulation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25
Setting Up a Multitone Signal . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29
Setting Up Waveform File Vector Modulation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33
2. Corrections
Corrections/De-embedding Using PathWave E7653APPC Software . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40
Adding Fixture Blocks using s2p Files . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40
Using a Spectrum Analyzer to Make the Corrections Measurement . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46
Using a Power Meter to Make the Corrections Measurement . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52
Using the equivalent SCPI commands. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56
3. 5G New Radio (NR) Measurements
5G Waveform, EVM, and ACP Analysis . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 60
Setting Up Triggers on the Signal Analyzer using 5G NR Mode. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 60
Setting Up a 1 CC 3.5 GHz EVM Measurement . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 62
Setting Up a 1 CC 3.5 GHz ACP Measurement . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 75
4. Custom Modulation Measurements
Using PathWave E7608APPC to Create a Waveform File then Automatically Configure the
Analyzer to View the Results . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 80
On the MXG: . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 80
Setup Auto Configure Analyzer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 83

6 N5186A MXG and X-Series SA Measurement Guide

7
N5186A MXG Signal Generator and X-Series Signal Analyzer
Measurement Guide
1 Basic Measurements
—“Equipment Setup” on page 9
—“Setting Up Triggers on the Signal Analyzer” on page 10
—“Making Measurements” on page 11
—“Creating a Continuous Waveform (CW)” on page 11
—“Setting Up Amplitude Modulation” on page 16
—“Setting Up Frequency Modulation” on page 21
—“Setting Up Phase Modulation” on page 25
—“Setting Up a Multitone Signal” on page 29
—“Setting Up Waveform File Vector Modulation” on page 33

8 N5186A MXG and X-Series SA Measurement Guide
Basic Measurements
Overview
Overview
Keysight’s N5186A MXG is optimized to be your ideal signal generator with the
outstanding performance you desire, all in one easy-to-use box capable of
signal generation up to 8.5 GHz with 960 MHz of modulation bandwidth per
channel.
The measurement examples use an X-Series Signal Analyzer to view the
results. For information on using the Signal Analyzer multi-touch user
interface, refer to the Online Help.
Please refer to the MXG data sheet and signal analyzer data sheet to ensure your
measurement setup has adequate power.
https://www.keysight.com/us/en/product/N5186A/N5186A.html
The software versions used in this measurement guide are:
— MXG: A.13.01
— Signal Analyzer/N9063EM0E: Version 2021 A.31.xx or later
— 89601 VSA: Version 2019

N5186A MXG and X-Series SA Measurement Guide 9
Basic Measurements
Equipment Setup
Equipment Setup
— N5186A front panel RF 1 Out to N9032B front panel RF In
— N5186A rear panel Event 2 to N9032B rear panel Trig 1 In
— N5186A rear panel Ref Out to N9032B rear panel Ext Ref In

10 N5186A MXG and X-Series SA Measurement Guide
Basic Measurements
Setting Up Triggers on the Signal Analyzer
Setting Up Triggers on the Signal Analyzer
1. From the Signal Analyzer Menu Panel (on the top right of the display),
select Mode/Meas > Spectrum Analyzer mode.
2. Select Mode Preset to set Spectrum Analyzer mode to a known state.
3. From the dropdown on the top right, select Trigger and set Trigger Source
to Free Run.
If accessing the instrument via a Remote Desktop connection, select the
Screen tab (at the top of the display) to open the
Mode/Measurement/View Selector window.

N5186A MXG and X-Series SA Measurement Guide 11
Basic Measurements
Making Measurements
Making Measurements
Creating a Continuous Waveform (CW)
This procedure will demonstrate the amplitude and frequency accuracy of the
MXG.
Using the graphical user interface
On the MXG:
1. Select Preset > Preset to set the instrument to a known state.
2. In the Output area, set Frequency to 1 GHz and Power to 0 dBm.
These values are coupled to CW Frequency and Total Power (RMS) in the
corresponding RF Output Block.
3. Set RF Out to On by selecting the numbered channel indicator switch.
This enables the RF Out for the indicated channels, in this case Channel 1
if using a multi-channel MXG.
4. For multi-channel instruments only: In the top right corner of the display,
set RF Out (All) to On by selecting the switch.
On the Signal Analyzer:
1. Select Mode Preset to set Spectrum Analyzer mode to a known state.
Ensure the equipment and triggers are properly configured. Refer to
“Equipment Setup” on page 9 and “Setting Up Triggers on the Signal
Analyzer” on page 10.
In order to turn on RF for any channel, both the RF Out for the specific
channel (for example, Channel 1 or Channel 2), and RF Out All must be
turned on.

12 N5186A MXG and X-Series SA Measurement Guide
Basic Measurements
Making Measurements
2. From the Menu Panel, select Frequency and set Center Frequency to
1 GHz and Span to 1 MHz.
3. Select Peak Search.
Observe the accuracy of the amplitude and frequency of the signal.
On the MXG:
1. Set Output 1 Power to –90 dBm.
2. Ensure that RF Out is On.
On the Signal Analyzer:
1. Select Amplitude and set Ref Level to –70 dBm and Scale/Div 5 dB.
2. Select BW and set Video BW to 300 Hz.
3. Select Peak Search.

N5186A MXG and X-Series SA Measurement Guide 13
Basic Measurements
Making Measurements
Observe the frequency and amplitude accuracy of the MXG at low power
levels.
On the MXG:
1. Set Frequency to 8 GHz and Power to 0 dBm.
On the Signal Analyzer:
1. Select Frequency and set Center Frequency to 8 GHz.
2. Select Amplitude and set Ref Level to 0 dBm and Scale/Div to
10 dB.
3. Select BW > Video BW and set to Auto.
4. Select Peak Search.

14 N5186A MXG and X-Series SA Measurement Guide
Basic Measurements
Making Measurements
Observe the frequency and amplitude accuracy at higher frequency levels.

N5186A MXG and X-Series SA Measurement Guide 15
Basic Measurements
Making Measurements
Using the equivalent SCPI commands
Creating a CW signal on Channel 1.
On the MXG:
SYSTem:PRESet
RF1:FREQuency:CW 1GHZ
RF1:POWer:AMPLitude 0dBm
RF1:OUTPut:STATe ON
For multi-channel instruments, set RF Out (all) to On.
RFALl:OUTPut ON
On the Signal Analyzer:
FREQuency:CENTer 1GHZ
FREQuency:SPAN 1MHZ
CALCulate:MARKer1:MAXimum
On the MXG:
RF1:FREQuency:CW 1GHZ
RF1:POWer:AMPLitude -90dBm
RF1:OUTPut:STATe ON
On the Signal Analyzer:
DISPlay:WINDow1:TRACe:Y:RLEVel -70
DISPlay:WINDow1:TRACe:Y:PDIVision 5
BWIDth:VIDeo 300Hz
CALCulate:MARKer1:MAXimum
On the MXG:
RF1:FREQuency:CW 8GHZ
RF1:POWer:AMPLitude 0dBm
On the Signal Analyzer:
FREQuency:CENTer 8GHZ
DISPlay:WINDow1:TRACe:Y:RLEVel 0
DISPlay:WINDow1:TRACe:Y:PDIVision 10
BANDwidth:VIDeo:AUTO ON
CALCulate:MARKer1:MAXimum

16 N5186A MXG and X-Series SA Measurement Guide
Basic Measurements
Making Measurements
Setting Up Amplitude Modulation
Follow the steps below for AM analog modulation using the internal I/Q
modulation source.
Using the graphical user interface
On the MXG:
1. Select Preset > Preset to set the instrument to a known state.
2. Set Frequency to 6 GHz and Amplitude to 0 dBm.
3. Select the Signal block.
The MXG must have the E7642APPC PathWave Signal Generation for IQ
Based AM, FM, and Phase license installed.
Ensure the equipment and triggers are properly configured. Refer to
“Equipment Setup” on page 9 and “Setting Up Triggers on the Signal
Analyzer” on page 10.

N5186A MXG and X-Series SA Measurement Guide 17
Basic Measurements
Making Measurements
4. From the Mode dropdown, select Analog Modulation.
5. Select the Analog Modulation tab and set:
a. Modulation Type to AM.
b. Waveform to Sine.
c. Rate to 100 kHz.
d. Depth to 50%.

18 N5186A MXG and X-Series SA Measurement Guide
Basic Measurements
Making Measurements
6. Select the General tab > Enable.
Selecting Enable automatically turns on both Output Modulation and
Internal I/Q Modulation as displayed in the Output Modulation block.
7. Close the Vector Modulation Signal Setup by selecting the Home icon at
the top of the display.
8. Set RF Out to On by selecting the numbered channel indicator switch.
This enables the RF Out for the indicated channels, in this case Channel 1
if using a multi-channel MXG.
On the Signal Analyzer:
1. Select Mode Preset to set Spectrum Analyzer mode to a known state.
2. Select Frequency and set Center Frequency to 6 GHz and Span to
500 kHz.

N5186A MXG and X-Series SA Measurement Guide 19
Basic Measurements
Making Measurements
3. Select BW and set Res BW to 100 Hz.
4. Select Peak Search.
5. Use markers to measure sideband power relative to the center frequency
by selecting Marker Delta. Select Next Pk Right until the second marker is
at the next highest peak.
The Delta Marker should be approximately –12 dB for 50% AM.

20 N5186A MXG and X-Series SA Measurement Guide
Basic Measurements
Making Measurements
Using the equivalent SCPI commands
On The MXG:
SYSTem:PRESet
RF1:FREQuency:CW 6GHZ
RF1:POWer:AMPLitude 0dBm
SIGNal:MODE AMODulation
SIGNal1:AMODulation:TYPE AM
SIGNal1:AM:SHAPe SINE
SIGNal1:AM:FREQuency 100KHZ
SIGNal1:AM 50
SIGNal1 ON
RF1:OUTPut:STATe ON
For multi-channel instruments, set RF Out (all) to On.
RFALl:OUTPut ON
On the Signal Analyzer:
FREQuency:CENTer 6GHZ
FREQuency:SPAN 500KHZ
BANDwidth 100 Hz
CALCulate:MARKer1:MODE DELTa
CALCulate:MARKer1:MAXimum:RIGHt
Repeat the above command until the marker is at the next highest peak.
To retrieve the delta marker:
CALCulate:MARKer1:Y?