Munich, October 15, 2008 — The R&S NRP-Z28 and -Z98 level control sensors from Rohde & Schwarz are designed to enhance the performance of power measurements. Both products are ideal for situations when highly accurate RF levels must be supplied over a wide dynamic range. Designed as a one-box solution, they significantly outperform conventional test setups in both ease of operation and accuracy.
When signals are supplied by a calibrated generator, level accuracy can be degraded by influences such as attenuation in the connection cable, mismatch, and finite level accuracy of the generator. Poor level accuracy may cause the amplitude of the generator signal to deviate radically from the set value. In applications with high level accuracy requirements, engineers usually turn to power meters for checking results, often in combination with a power splitter. This approach is complex, however, and a second power sensor is generally required for precisely measuring the power splitter.
The new level control sensors from Rohde & Schwarz make it possible for the first time to perform such measurements easily and with high precision. They replace the conventional test setup, and the only additional equipment needed is a display unit and a signal source.
To save users the effort of precalibration, both sensors come fully calibrated. In addition, to reduce the uncertainties caused by mismatch to a minimum, they are excellently matched (VSWR <1.11 for the frequency range from 9 kHz to 2.4 GHz). The sensors are ideal for level calibration of spectrum and signal analyzers as well as for providing high-precision levels for receiver measurements.
If the level control sensors are used in combination with signal generators currently available from Rohde & Schwarz, the measurement results can be read off from the signal generator's display. Measured power can also be displayed on the R&S NRP base unit or on a PC with USB interface.
The R&S NRP-Z28/-Z98 level control sensors are available now. The R&S NPR-Z28 covers a frequency range from 10 MHz to 18 GHz, while the R&S NRP-Z98 is suitable for frequencies from 9 kHz to 6 GHz. The measurement range is from -67 dBm to +20 dBm.
