Boonton 4540 Peak Power Meter User Manual - Manual (Page 18)

Boonton 4540 Series RF Power Meter
General Information 1-4
Dual Independent Channels. When equipped with the optional second measurement channel, the
instrument can display two pulsed RF signals simultaneously or one pulsed signal and one CW
signal. Each channel is calibrated and all channel parameters are channel-independent.
Balanced Diode Sensors. The balanced diode sensor configuration of most Boonton peak and CW
power sensors provides high sensitivity and even-order harmonic suppression. Low VSWR
minimizes mismatch errors. Frequency Calibration factors traceable to NIST standards are stored
in each power sensor’s EEPROM and downloaded to the instrument. A thermal sensor in each
peak power sensor tracks temperature variations.
Built-In Precision Calibrator. A 50 MHz step calibrator, traceable to NIST, enhances
measurement accuracy and reliability. The user-selectable automatic calibration routine calibrates
most sensors and the instrument in steps over the full dynamic range.
Adjustable Averaging. Random repetitive sampling at rates up to 5 GSa/sec followed by
waveform averaging with an exponential filter (performed on each point of the waveform) reduces
noise contribution and provides accurate, stable measurements. The number of repetitions to be
averaged can be adjusted to the smallest value that achieves the desired noise suppression, thereby
avoiding excessive averaging delays.
Automatic Waveform Analysis. The instrument can measure fifteen pulse parameters related to
power, time and/or frequency. All programmed measurements are made automatically and
displayed in text mode. Measurement information is available directly, eliminating the need for
interpretation by the user.
Single-Shot Measurements. The 50 MHz sampling rate yields a 5 MHz single-shot bandwidth (10
samples per pulse) for capturing and analyzing infrequent events in the time domain.
Flexible Remote Control. All instrument functions except power on/off can be controlled
remotely via the standard GPIB bus interface, USB port, or Ethernet LAN connection. Setup of
interface parameters is menu driven; front panel indicators keep the user informed of bus activity.
Remote control programming is performed using industry-standard SCPI programming syntax.
Stored Configurations. For applications in which the same instrument configurations are used
repeatedly, up to 25 complete setups can be stored and recalled by user-defined filename. The
instrument also provides built-in setups for many common signal types.