Anritsu Series MS278XB - Manual (Page 20)

Product Description General Information
1-4 MS278XB OM
Software Architecture
The operating software of the Signature Signal Analyzer is based on the Microsoft® .Net platform and takes
full advantage of the Windows® XP Professional operating system. All of the user interface constructs are
based on the Windows model so that a new user who is familiar with Windows applications can learn to
operate the instrument very quickly.
The fact that the Signature’s main software is a Windows application also means that users can write their
own programs in languages such as Visual Basic to run on the embedded PC and customize the operation of
the instrument. Commercially available software, such as Microsoft Office and MATLAB from The
MathWorks, can also interact with the instrument’s programming and measurement data.
In order to maximize the responsiveness of the system, additional control programs run on dedicated
microcomputers in most of the system’s modules. These programs receive their instructions from the embedded
PC through an internal network, but can operate autonomously to provide high speed hardware real-time
control. This approach frees the instrument from the inherent response time limitations of the Windows-based
PC while improving flexibility and measurement speed.
When used as a standalone instrument, the 8 GHz analyzer can perform the following measurements:
• All typical spectrum analysis, including channel power, carrier to noise ratio, conformance to spectral
mask, peak signal frequency, and amplitude
• All typical vector signal measurements, such as constellation and vector plots, carrier leakage, I/Q
imbalance, and quadrature error
• Smart one-button measurements such as ACPR, signal bandwidth, EVM (error vector magnitude), and
BER (bit error rate)
When configured with one external source, the 8 GHz analyzer can perform the following network
measurements:
• Frequency Response
• Return Loss
• Group Delay
• 1 dB Compression
When configured with two external sources, the 8 GHz analyzer can perform the same set of measurements, as
well as perform the following network measurements:
• Conversion Loss
• Group Delay (frequency translating devices)
• Intermodulation Distortion
• 2
nd Order Intercept
• 3
rd
Order Intercept