Technical data

384 Chapter 13
Power Meter
Making an Average Power Measurement
Power Meter
measures 42.51 dB (measured with the 2 port insertion loss measurement prior to
this test), and the PM loss is turned
On (with the 42.51 dB loss value entered). The
true measured level (using an 8481A sensor) is –2.51 dBm (the attenuator and RF
cabling attenuated the signal to within the proper range for the sensor), but the
displayed measured value is 40 dBm (10 W), which is correct. This also points out
the importance of accurately measuring the loss of the attenuator and connecting
cables.
Using the Power Ref Button to Verify the Sensor Is Working Properly
With the sensor head connected to the Power Ref 50 MHz RF Port and selecting
Power Ref to
On, you can verify that the sensor is working correctly. In this
configuration, the power meter should indicate approximately 0 dBm (1 mW) as it
reads the 50 MHz, 0 dBm RF signal.
Example of a Sensor Calibration Table (Agilent 8482A)
Setting Power Meter Resolution
You can choose from four levels of Power Meter resolution. Higher resolutions
provide more accuracy but slow the measurement speed.
MHz CF%
.1000 97.3
.3000 99.0
1.0 99.0
3.0 99.0
10.0 99.5
30.0 99.1
100 98.8
300 98.5
1000 98.1
2000 97.4
3000 98.1
4000 90.5