R&S®NRP Power Meter
The art of measuring power accurately
- 90 dB dynamic range
- High measurement speed
- Autofilter function
- Intelligent sensors - plug in and measure
- Accurate measurement of average power regardless of bandwidth and modulation
- Multislot measurements for common time division systems
- Handling of external components through Γ and S parameter correction
- Simultaneous operation of up to 4 sensors on basic unit
- Operation of sensor directly from PC via USB interface
Accurate measurement of average power regardless of bandwidth and modulation
Benefiting from all the factors described above, Rohde & Schwarz power meters have a very low measurement uncertainty. In the past, however, the data sheet specifications of about 2% (0.09 dB) for unmodulated, spectrally pure signals of well-matched sources could seldom be achieved. This was due to error sources associated with the test signal or external circuitry: harmonics and nonharmonics, modulation, mismatch of the source, and the influence of attenuators and directional couplers connected ahead of the sensor for level matching.
The R&S NRP sensors are a big step forward in solving these problems. The concept of comprises an entire series of measures intended to give the sensors the behaviour characteristic of thermal sensors. This includes very accurate measurement of average power, regardless of modulation, as well as high immunity to incorrect weighting of harmonics, spurious and other interference signals. The maximum speed of 1500 measurements per second nevertheless equals that of diode sensors (in buffered mode, measurement interval 2 x 100 µs).
Modulation-related errors of a R&S NRP-Z11 or R&S NRP-Z21 power sensor for a 3GPP test signal (test model 1-64) compared to CW signal of the same magnitude.Red: default setting; yellow: transition area between measurements paths shifted by – 6 dB; light blue: uncertainty caused by noise (modulation effect below –30 dBm negligible).
