Tektronix RSA300 Series User manual

Tektronix RSA300, RSA500, and RSA600 Series
USB Spectrum Analyzers
Self-Guided Demo
*P071333002*
071333002

Tektronix RSA300, RSA500, and RSA600 Series
USB Spectrum Analyzers
Self-Guided Demo
www.tek.com
071333002

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and are protected by national copyright laws and international treaty provisions. 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.
Contacting Tektronix
Tektronix, Inc.
14150 SW Karl Braun Drive
P.O. Box 500
Beaverton, OR 97077
USA
For product information, sales, service, and technical support:
■In North America, call 1-800-833-9200.
■Worldwide, visit www.tek.com to find contacts in your area.

Table of Contents
Introduction
Demo guide overview ..................................................................................................................................... 5
Over-the-air demo .................................................................................................................................... 5
EMI spurious search ................................................................................................................................. 5
Fundamental operations of spectrum analyzers ...................................................................................... 6
Real-time DPX .......................................................................................................................................... 6
Modulation ................................................................................................................................................ 7
Tracking generator ................................................................................................................................... 7
Setup .............................................................................................................................................................. 8
Installing SignalVu-PC ................................................................................................................................. 11
Activating SignalVu-PC ................................................................................................................................ 12
Setting up the connection ............................................................................................................................. 13
RSA Self-Guided Demo i

Demo instructions
Demo 1: FM listening (Demo board not needed) ......................................................................................... 17
Demo 2: ISM band DPX (Demo board not needed) ..................................................................................... 22
Demo 3: EMI spurious (Demo board not needed) ....................................................................................... 33
Demo 4: Basic spectrum measurements with markers ................................................................................ 40
Demo 5: Power measurements with markers .............................................................................................. 49
Demo 6: Traces and detectors ..................................................................................................................... 52
Demo 7: Save and recall .............................................................................................................................. 59
Demo 8: DPX and transient capture ............................................................................................................ 63
Demo 9: Transient capture - Mask test and act on violation ........................................................................ 70
Demo 10: Analog modulation analysis ......................................................................................................... 76
Demo 11: Digital modulation analysis .......................................................................................................... 84
Demo 12: Transmission gain measurement (tracking generator needed, available on the
RSA500/600 series) ............................................................................................................................... 90
..................................................................................................................................................................... 93
Table of Contents
ii RSA Self-Guided Demo

Introduction
With this guide, you will explore what you can do with the RSA306, RSA306B, RSA503A, RSA507A, RSA603A, and
RSA607A USB spectrum analyzers. Applications range from simple frequency / amplitude measurements of RF
signals to real-time and modulation analysis that provide you with a complete system view of your device under test.
RSA Self-Guided Demo 1

Check list for the demo
Before beginning the demo, please be sure you have the following items:
Item Illustration
RSA USB spectrum analyzer
RTSA demo board
USB Y-cable (to power the board)
Introduction
2 RSA Self-Guided Demo

Item Illustration
N-BNC adapter
Whip antenna
BNC cable
USB 3.0 cable
Introduction
RSA Self-Guided Demo 3

Item Illustration
N-N Cable (2) (Tracking Generator)
10 dB Type-N attenuator (Tracking Generator)
Bandpass Filter, 1500 to 1620 MHz (Tracking Generator)
N-N Male Adapter (Tracking Generator)
Introduction
4 RSA Self-Guided Demo

Demo guide overview
Over-the-air demo
The Tektronix RSA300 Series, RSA500A Series, and RSA600A Series USB spectrum analyzers can perform off-air
applications. This demo shows how to use the analyzer for these applications. Using the whip antenna provided with
the analyzer demonstration kit, you can demodulate and listen to the signals from the local FM broadcasting station,
see the realtime spectrum of the signals in the ISM band created by your smart phone, and use the analyzer in
interference-hunting.
■Demo 1: FM listening
■Demo 2: ISM band DPX
EMI spurious search
From the first wireless transmissions, electromagnetic interference (EMI) has been a concern for design engineers.
General-purpose spectrum analyzers that contain appropriate filters and detectors are often employed in diagnostics
and pre-compliance, as they are fast measurement tools that often are already used in the design process and do not
require additional capital expense.
■Demo 3: EMI spurious
Introduction
RSA Self-Guided Demo 5

Fundamental operations of spectrum analyzers
The Tektronix RSA USB Signal Analyzers have the ability to perform basic spectrum measurements that most
Spectrum Analyzer users are already accustomed to. The goal of these demonstrations is to show how these
instruments perform these basic spectrum analyzer capabilities.
■Demo 4: Basic spectrum measurements with markers
■Demo 5: Power measurements with markers
■Demo 6: Traces and detectors
■Demo 7: Save and recall
Real-time DPX
Two of the most challenging types of signals to identify and capture are low-level signals close to your signal
frequency and rarely-occurring transients. Sometimes the interference is so infrequent that you can’t detect it at all.
You suspect it is there because of seemingly-random errors. DPX Spectrum instantly demystifies these situations by
displaying a clear image of the offending signals. Its capture probability is 100% for transients as short as 100 μsec.
■Demo 8: DPX and transient capture
■Demo 9: Transient capture: Mask test and act on violation
Introduction
6 RSA Self-Guided Demo

Modulation
Digital modulation is used in virtually all modern communication systems. These systems have penetrated every
aspect of our lives at a rapid pace. The growth has put increased stress on the ability to quickly and efficiently
analyze a wide variety of digital modulation schemes. In some cases, general modulation schemes have been
included in complex standards with rigorous specifications involving manual test procedures according to these
standards that require lengthy test setups with skilled engineers. Analog modulation is the most fundamental
modulation method, and is frequently used to demonstrate principles in education labs.
■Demo 10: Analog modulation analysis
■Demo 11: Digital modulation analysis
Tracking generator
The tracking generator in the RSA500A Series and RSA600A Series analyzers enables some basic network
measurements to be made, thereby providing additional capability beyond basic spectrum analysis. The internal
bridge plus a vector calibration routine enables the instrument to make vector-calibrated measurements of return
loss, VSWR, cable attenuation and distance-to-fault (DTF).
■Demo 12: Transmission gain measurement
Introduction
RSA Self-Guided Demo 7

Setup
As with any test, one of the first steps is to connect the instrument to the device under test. For the initial exploration,
a demo board has been provided to output signals needed for the demo. After you’ve completed the demo and have
gained an understanding of how the USB RSA operates, connect to your own system and see how the analyzer can
help in your day-to-day work.
1. Install SignalVu-PC
■Install the SignalVu-PC software onto your PC. You can download the software from www.tektronix.com/
downloads, or it is available on the flash drive that is provided with the RSA306.
2. Set up the RSA
■Power the RSA by connecting the USB 3.0 cable to the USB 3.0 port of your PC.
■Install the N-BNC adaptor on the RSA.
3. Setup the demo board
■Connect one end of the USB Y-Cable to the demo board.
■Connect the other end of the USB Y-Cable to 2 USB ports either on your PC or a separate USB power
supply.
Introduction
8 RSA Self-Guided Demo

4. Connect the RSA to the demo board
■Connect one end of the BNC cable to the RF port of the RSA.
■Connect the other end of the BNC cable to the RF port of the board.
Introduction
RSA Self-Guided Demo 9

Introduction
10 RSA Self-Guided Demo

Installing SignalVu-PC
SignalVu-PC can be downloaded from the Tektronix.com or included in the USB drive in the box.
1. Use Windows Explorer to navigate to the folder you extracted from the archive.
2. Double-click Setup.exe. Follow the on-screen instructions to install the software.
3. When installation is almost complete, a dialog box will appear to let you choose if you want to install TekVISA.
TekVISA is optimized for SignalVu-PC, especially for instrument searching, and is the recommended VISA
application. You may also use another VISA application, such as NIVISA. To bypass TekVISA installation,
uncheck the box.
NOTE. TekVISA is not required to run SignalVu-PC with Tektronix USB based spectrum analyzers.
Introduction
RSA Self-Guided Demo 11

Activating SignalVu-PC
SignalVu-PC SVE is free to use, so no activation is needed. To activate the other options in SignalVu-PC, do the
following:
1. Launch SignalVu-PC. A window will be displayed stating that no license was found.
2. In the dialog, select I have a key--activate now.
3. In the Enter Activation Key text box, enter the activation key for SignalVu-PC.
4. Click OK in the License Activation window. SignalVu-PC will contact the license server and install a license file
provided by the license server.
Introduction
12 RSA Self-Guided Demo

Setting up the connection
1. Double click the SignalVu-PC icon on
the Desktop of PC to start the
application. Please wait for the
automatic connection process to
complete before using the software.
If the SignalVu-PC application is already connected to another instrument (either USB or network), an automated
connection will not take place. In this situation, you have to do the following:
Introduction
RSA Self-Guided Demo 13

Select Search for Instruments. You
should see the USB connected RSA in the
instrument list.
1. Select Disconnect from Instrument
to end the existing connection.
2. Select Search for Instruments. You
should see the USB connected RSA
in the instrument list.
3. Select the instrument.
A Connect Status dialog box will
appear to confirm the instrument is
connected and SignalVu-PC can
receive live data from the instrument.
A Connect Status dialog box will appear to confirm the instrument is connected and SignalVu-PC can receive live
data from the instrument.
Introduction
14 RSA Self-Guided Demo