VNA Operating Guide

for the MSA

2/1/10
 The MSA as VNA
Introduction
This Guide contains individual pages to describe the use of the MSA in Trans-
mission Mode [functioning as either a Scalar Network Analyzer (SNA) or a
Vector Network Analyzer (VNA)], or in Reflection Mode. The pages can be
accessed by clicking on the blue headings below, or by using the Bookmarks
tab. This Guide assumes familiarity with the operating procedures set forth in
the Spectrum Analyzer Operating Guide for the MSA.

The first several pages include material that is relevant to a wide range of
measurements:
Fixtures. Basic fixtures for interfacing the DUT to the MSA.
Shunt Fixtures. Specifics on shunt fixtures.
Series Fixtures. Specifics on series fixtures.
Bridges. General description of reflection bridges.
Cal--Transmission. Calibration procedures for Transmission Mode.
Cal--Reflection. Calibration procedures for Reflection Mode
OSL Standards. Construction and characterization of OSL cal standards.
Basic Transmission. Basic procedures for measurement in Transmission
Mode.
Basic Reflection. Basic procedures for measurement in Reflection Mode.
Plane Extension. Eliminating unwanted signal delays from measurements.

The following pages cover what are called Functions, available under the
Functions menu:
Filter. Analysis of filter transmission peaks.
Crystal. Determination of crystal parameters for use in creating filters.
Component Meter. Component measurements similar to an LCR meter.
RLC--Transmission. Modeling devices as RLC combinations, using
Transmission Mode measurements.
RLC--Reflection. Modeling devices as RLC combinations, using
Reflection Mode measurements.
Coax. Measuring characteristics of coax cable or other transmission
lines.
Generate S21--Generating S21 data from S11 measurements for “two
terminal DUTs”
The following pages contain additional measurement procedures:
Coax Z0--Determining characteristic impedance of transmission lines.
Reference Lines--Creating Reference Lines for display or math.

At the end is reference information:

Return Loss Reference. Return Loss and related quantities.
Smith Chart 1. Basic description of the Smith Chart
Smith Chart 2. Circular graphs on the Smith Chart
 Fixtures
All Modes except Spectrum Analyzer

There are three basic types of fixtures for interfacing the MSA to the
device under test (DUT) in SNA and VNA modes. Attenuators may be
external or may be built into the fixture. Buffer amplifiers may be used
in place of attenuators to maintain higher dynamic range.

The main purpose of the attenuators is to present the DUT with a pre-
cise impedance, which is referred to as the R0 of the fixture. Home-
made attenuators are far better for this purpose than commercial
attenuators. R0 may be a value other than 50 ohms if the attenuators
are designed to transform the impedance.

Shunt
6-10 dB

6-10 dB

DUT is shunted to ground from the through-

Fixture connection. For impedances from 0.1 ohm to
1 kohm.

DUT

DUT is in series with the signal path. For

impedances from 3 ohms to 100 kohms. A
Series
6-10 dB

Series Fixture with R0 of 12.5 ohms is the

6-10 dB

Fixture standard for measuring crystals.

DUT For transmission mode, the DUT may have a

separate ground connection.

Normally for reflection mode only. But a

6-10 dB
6-10 dB

Bridge good bridge can be used in SNA or VNA

Transmission mode.

DUT is shunted to ground from the bridge

connection. For impedances from 1 ohm to
DUT 1 kohm. The bridge has the best accuracy of
any fixture for impedances close to 50 ohms.
 Shunt Fixture Specifics
The shunt fixture can be constructed with two attenuators attached to a
coax tee, with the DUT attached to the third arm. It is most important that
the DUT see 50 ohms looking into each attenuator; this can be most reliably
accomplished with homemade attenuators with precision resistors. A simple
pi attenuator with values of 100-68-100 ohms makes a precision 9.6 dB
attenuator; 120-49.9-120 makes a 7.7 dB attenuator. Both have excellent
return loss in normal use as attenuators.

But the return loss and attenuation values are based on the assumption of a
50-ohm source and load. In the shunt fixture, the input attenuator sees a
load consisting of the DUT in parallel with the output attenuator, so a zero-
ohm DUT creates a zero-ohm load. This can make the return loss from the
outside of a 7.7 dB attenuator as low as 15 dB.

We can obtain higher precision by building the attenuators on a fixture

board, and using non-standard attenuator design. The following schematic
shows a shunt fixture with modified 7.7 dB attenuators, and with the attenua-
tor resistors nearest the DUT merged into one.

This design can significantly improve accuracy for low impedance DUTs if
the source or load has return loss worse than about 25 dB, because it
reduces reflections off the outside of the attenuators.

Note that for Reflection Mode measurements when OSL calibration is used
(rather than the simpler Reference calibration), the issue described above is
not important, as the calibration will compensate for the impedances seen
by the DUT.
 Series Fixture Specifics
The section discussing shunt fixtures describes resistor values for home-
made attenuators, and discusses the fact that simply attaching standard
attenuators to a fixture does not produce optimal results. For example, in the
case of the series fixture, if the DUT has a large impedance, each attenuator
sees a large load, rather than the 50 ohms that its design assumes. This
causes the return loss at the outside of the attenuators to be very low, caus-
ing large reflections.

The design in the schematic below solves this problem and achieves a
worst-case return loss of 20 dB (with an infinite DUT).

The “official” fixture for testing crystals is a series fixture with an R0 of

12.5 ohms; the schematic is shown below.

The Ck components are for compensation, and aren’t normally needed.

Note that the low values of R3 and R4 also make the return loss from the
outside of the attenuators relatively insensitive to the DUT impedance, so
this fixture also solves the problem discussed above, and could be used for
purposes other than crystal testing.
 Bridges
Bridges are normally used only in reflection mode. They are designed so
that their output is proportional to the signal reflected b y the DUT. The
reflection coefficient is then that signal divided by the output level with an
open DUT (since an open creates a 100% reflection). In dB, that division is
done by subtraction.

Their quality can be judged by their directivity, which is the reflection coeffi-
cient (in dB) with a 50-ohm DUT (which should have zero reflection), and by
whether the open and short reflections have equal magnitude but opposite
phase. A bridge with good directivity and well matched open/short can be
used with just Reference calibration. In fact, it can even be used in Transmis-
sion Mode, by doing a scan of the bridge with the Open attached, and compar-
ing that level to a scan with the DUT attached. The difference is S11.

The Active Bridge is constructed with two op amps, and has extremely high
precision to 30 MHz and very good precision beyond 100 MHz, and thus is suit-
able for use with Reference calibration. Its active components allow it to mea-
sure reflections accurately with minimal signal loss.

Most passive bridges involve baluns with ferrite cores. The basic bridge design,
with optional modest attenuators at the input and output, typically result in loss
of 14-20 dB with passive bridges. That is, the maximum output (with an open or
short DUT) is 14-20 dB below the input level.

The Parallel Line Bridge is a passive bridge good from 1 MHz to beyond 1 GHz.
Its directivity is excellent over a broad range, but its open/short match is not
ideal. It therefore can be used with Reference calibration for measuring return
losses of 20 dB and higher, where directivity is the primary consideration. With
OSL calibration, its performance is excellent.

The Balun-Plus-Beads Bridge is another passive bridge. It has a broader fre-

quency range, from about 100 kHz (the practical lower limit for the MSA in VNA
mode anyway) to 1 GHz. It is relatively simple to construct.

Passive bridges can also be made from transformers, splitters/combiners and

directional couplers.
 Transmission Mode Calibration
VNA or SNA Transmission Mode

Calibration is performed to establish the strength and phase of the

signal transmitted in the absence of the DUT, to use as a reference
when measuring the DUT transmission.

1. Set the frequency range and Final Filter Path as desired.

2. Open Operating Cal-->Perform Cal.

3. For the Series Fixture, attach a direct connection in place of the

DUT. If you need to compensate for the length of the connection,
enter the delay caused by the connection, in ns.

4. For the Shunt Fixture, have nothing attached as a DUT.

5. Click Perform Band Cal. The MSA will conduct one sweep to gath-
er calibration Data. During the calibration sweep, a minimum Wait
time of 110 ms is used, regardless of your Wait time setting. Howev-
er, if your setting is greater than 110 ms, that longer time will be
used.

6. If you want to save the Band Cal as a Base Cal file, click Save
Base Cal.

7. Click Done. You may now attach a DUT and click Restart.

Shunt
6-10 dB

6-10 dB

Calibration is done with the DUT port

Fixture open.

Series
6-10 dB

6-10 dB

Calibration is done with a direct

Fixture through-connection in place of the DUT.
 Reflection Mode Calibration
VNA Reflection Mode
Calibration is performed to establish the strength and phase of the signal
reflected with one or more known “standards”. For Reference calibration,
only one such standard is needed. For Full OSL, three are needed.

1. Set the frequency range and Final Filter Path as desired.

2. Open Operating Cal-->Perform Cal. Click Perform Band Cal to open the
reflection mode calibration window.

3. Select whether you want to use Reference calibration (one standard; gen-
erally not used above 150 MHz) or Full OSL (three standards; highest
accuracy.)

4. For Reference calibration, select the fixture type. If Shunt Fixture, you
may enter the connector delay time. A delay of 0.115 ns is typical for an
SMA connector.

5. Attach the appropriate calibration standard and click the button “Perform
X”, where X is the name of the standard. For Full OSL, there will be a button
for each of the three standards, and a sweep must be performed for each
one. For Reference calibration, only one sweep is needed.

6. During the calibration sweeps, a minimum Wait time of 110 ms is used,

regardless of your Wait time setting. However, if your setting is greater than
110 ms, that longer time will be used.

7. When finished, click Done. You will be back to the Perform Calibrations
window. If you want to save the Band Cal internally as a Base Cal, click Save
Base Cal.

8. Click Done. You may now attach a DUT and click Restart.
 OSL Calibration Standards
We will consider here the construction of calibration standards to attach to a
male SMA connector coming from the test fixture. The standards will be mounted
on female connectors as shown below:

The legs are broken off the female connector (two can be left in place if desired).
The Open is constructed by grinding the center pin flush on the back of the female
connector. That pin is also ground almost flush for the Short and Load. The Short
has a piece of brass sheet (with a hole poked in the center) soldered on the back;
if the corners are notched with a Nibbler tool, the resulting cross shape sits nicely
between the stubs of the broken-off legs, which hold it in place during soldering.
The Load is made by soldering two 100-ohm 0805 resistors on the back in opposite
directions; or four 200-ohm 0603 resistors can be used.

It is important to note where the test fixture ends and the DUT begins. If we are
going to solder DUTs on the back of similar connectors, then the back plane of the
female connector is where the DUT starts; everything left of that, including the
front of the calibration standard connector, is part of the test fixture. In this case,
the standards are properly described as an open, short and load without any con-
nector delay--the connector is not part of the standard. The dividing point between
the test fixture and the DUT is called the Calibration Plane or Reference Plane.
(Some distinguish between these two terms; we use them interchangeably.)

If the DUT already has its own connector, then the DUT will begin at the mating
plane. In that case, our standards consist of the entire female connector, including
what is on the backside. We must then describe the Open and Short standards as
having some built-in delay, which we measure in ns. In addition, the Short will have
some loss due to skin effect, which we describe as a parallel resistor||inductor. As
long as the connector characteristic impedance is 50 ohms, the connector and
Load resistors will still appear together as a perfect 50 ohms, so we do not need to
specify a delay. It is permissible for the resistance to be a few tenths off of 50
ohms, as long as the true resistance is known.

When performing OSL calibration, the calibration window allows the characteris-
tics of the standards to be entered, or the standards can be specified as pre-
measured standards, which are still under development.
Basic Transmission Mode Measurements
VNA or SNA Transmission Mode

Measures the transmission coefficient of the DUT, determining the

gainor loss caused by the DUT. The VNA measures phase and also
determines the phase change caused by the DUT; the SNA does
not.

MSA
Video Filter=Mid or Narrow
Wait Time>=15

TG IN

Shunt Series
6-10 dB

6-10 dB

6-10 dB

6-10 dB
Fixture OR Fixture

DUT

DUT

Calibration
Preliminary measurements in Transmission Mode are sometimes
made without calibration, to get a general idea where dramatic
changes occur. But such measurements are generally preceded by
reference calibration, to establish a signal level and phase against
which to compare the DUT’s transmission.

Settings:
Wait time should be >=15 ms, but should be 50-150 ms for precision
work, and should be at least 50 ms if video filter is Narrow.

RBW is not critical but 2-10 kHz provides low noise.

Video filter should always be mid-range or narrow, primarily for

phase accuracy. The Video filter must be set in hardware and soft-
ware.
 Basic Reflection Mode Measurements
VNA Reflection Mode

Measures the reflection coefficient of the DUT, from which imped-

ance and other quantities can be calculated and graphed.

MSA
Video Filter=Mid or Narrow
Wait Time>=15

TG IN

Shunt Series
6-10 dB

6-10 dB
6-10 dB
6-10 dB

6-10 dB

6-10 dB
Fixture OR Fixture OR Bridge

DUT

DUT
DUT

Calibration
Measurements in Reflection Mode are virtually meaningless unless pre-
ceded by calibration. Reference calibration can be used up to 150 MHz,
depending on the quality of the fixture and the required accuracy. OSL
calibration can be used with any fixture for any frequency range.

Settings:
Wait time should be >=15 ms, but should be 50-150 ms for precision
work, and should be at least 50 ms if video filter is Narrow.

RBW is not critical but 2-10 kHz provides low noise.

Video filter should always be mid-range or narrow, primarily for phase

accuracy. The Video filter must be set in hardware and software.
 Plane Extension
VNA Transmission or Reflection Mode

Eliminate the effect of a signal delay in Transmission or Reflection Mode

measurements

Transmission Mode
The device being tested may include connectors or other causes of sig-
nal delay that we don’t actually consider part of the DUT. Extra delay
typically causes the phase graph to tilt downward to the right, as any
given distance will cause more phase delay at higher frequencies, caus-
ing phase to become more negative (or less positive). Plane Extension
can eliminate that tilt.

Reflection Mode
The device being tested may be connected to the test fixture with a con-
nector, or PCB trace that we don’t consider part of the DUT. Plane
Extension can extend the Calibration Plane (which is essentially the
dividing line between fixture and DUT) to a point closer to the true DUT.
The unwanted signal delay causes a phase delay that increases at high-
er frequencies and shows up on the Smith chart as a clockwise rotation
that increases with frequency. It also shows up on a regular graph of
S11 as a downward tilt similar to that described for Transmission Mode.

Procedure
Plane Extension is accomplished by entering an adjustment factor in the
Plane Extension box in the Sweep Parameters window. That factor is the
delay, in nanoseconds, that needs to be eliminated. The effect of the
extension can be viewed immediately by clicking the Recalc button
underneath the box.

For example, in Reflection Mode if the DUT is soldered on a

connectorized PCB, but we want to eliminate the effect of the connector
and PCB trace leading to the DUT, we can create a short in the line lead-
ing to the DUT. That short will appear on the Smith chart as an arc
caused by a point that rotates clockwise an increasing amount as fre-
quency increases. By trying different Plane Extension values, and click-
ing Recalc, that rotation can be eliminated so the short appears as a sin-
gle point at the far right side of the Smith chart. That effectively causes
the Calibration Plane to be moved to the point of the short.
 Filter Analysis Function
VNA or SNA Transmission Mode

Determines the peak of the filter response, as well as the -3 dB

points or other points specified by the user. Displays peak fre-
quency, bandwidth, Q, ripple and shape factor.

MSA
Video Filter=Mid or Narrow
Wait Time>=15

TG IN

Shunt Series
6-10 dB

6-10 dB

6-10 dB

6-10 dB
Fixture OR Fixture

Filter

Filter

1. Perform a transmission (S21) scan showing the peak frequency,

and the -3 dB points above and below that frequency, plus any
other points you wish to identify.

2. Select Function-->Filter Analysis.

3. Indicate which dB points you wish to identify--for example, -3 dB

and -20 dB.

4. Quit the function window. The desired points are marked and
information is displayed in and next to the marker info area.

5. Continue the scan, and the markers and other information will
be updated at the end of each scan.

6. When done, reopen Function-->Filter Analysis and turn it off.

Use the Clear Markers button to get rid of existing markers.
 Crystal Analysis Function
VNA or SNA Transmission Mode
Determines crystal series resonance (Fs), parallel resonance (Fp), motional
parameters (Rm, Cm, and Lm) and parallel package capacitance (Fp).

MSA
Video Filter=Narrow
Wait Time>=50

TG IN

Series
6-10 dB

6-10 dB
Fixture

XTAL
1. Perform a line calibration with a short in a Series Fixture. A 12.5-ohm
fixture is the standard for crystal analysis, but a 50-ohm fixture works well.

2. Insert the crystal and perform either:

--S21 dB scan of series resonance peak (Fs) and parallel resonance dip
(Fp)
or
--S21 dB scan of series resonance peak, after separately doing a scan to
determine for yourself the parallel resonance frequency.

3. Open Function-->Crystal Analysis, select the type of scan you per-

formed, and if necessary enter the value of Fp in the text box. If the step
size is too large to accurately determine Fs, click Zoom to Fs. You typically
need a step size of 5-50 Hz/step, depending on your accuracy require-
ments.

4. Click Analyze. The parameters of the crystal will be displayed.

5. You may create a list of crystals with their parameters by clicking Add
To List. You must quit the function to do a scan for another crystal, but the
list will continue until you close its window. Crystals in the list are num-
bered sequentially, but you may change the current number by clicking Set
ID.
 Component Meter Function
Reflection Mode or VNA/SNA Transmission Mode
Continuously measures and displays the values of resistors, inductors or capaci-
tors. Measurements are made at relatively low frequencies to avoid self-resonance
effects. More extensive capabilities are available in the RLC Analysis Functions.

MSA
Video Filter=Narrow

TG IN

Cutoff 100-900 MHz, to

LPF
attenuate signals
Compon=Single Resistor, from 1 GHz-1.1GHz
Inductor or Capacitor

6-10 dB
6-10 dB
Shunt Series Bridge
6-10 dB

6-10 dB

6-10 dB

6-10 dB
Fixture OR Fixture OR

Compon

Compon Compon

1. (Optional) Attach a low pass filter if you will be measuring larger components
that the MSA will choose to measure at 100 kHz to 500 kHz. This will filter out high
frequency TG signals that increasingly limit the dynamic range below 500 kHz.

2. Open Function-->Component Meter. There are no required pre-scans for this

Function, which will establish its own settings and perform the necessary calibra-
tion and scans. (But you must set the video filter to Narrow.)

3. Select the fixture type being used, and enter its R0, which is the resistance seen
by the DUT looking into each attenuator. For the Shunt Fixture, you may enter the
connector delay, in ns; 0.115 ns is typical for an SMA connector. Attach the proper
Open or Short connection and click Calibrate. In Reflection Mode, click Calibrate
first, and enter the fixture information in the Reflection Calibration window if neces-
sary. (It is not necessary for full OSL.)

4. Select the checkbox for the type of component to measure, attach it to the fixture
and click Measure. The Measure button will change to Stop and the component
value will be measured and displayed continuously until you click Stop. You may
swap components while the measurement is in progress.

5. Once you click Stop, you may click +Freq or -Freq to obtain measurements at
other frequencies.
 RLC Analysis Function
VNA or SNA Transmission Mode

Models a circuit as combination of a resistor, inductor and capacitor,

which may be actual components or parasitics. Calculates the values
of those components and Q factors. More extensive RLC Analysis is
available in Reflection Mode.

MSA
Video Filter=Mid or Narrow
Wait Time>=15

TG IN

Shunt Series
6-10 dB

6-10 dB

6-10 dB

6-10 dB
Fixture OR Fixture

R
L
R C
R L C L R L C
C

1. Perform a transmission (S21) scan showing the resonant frequency, and

the -3 dB point above or below that frequency, or both -3 dB points. For a
resonant peak, the -3dB points are 3 dB below the peak. For a resonant dip,
they are at the absolute -3 dB level.

2. Select Function-->RLC Analysis.

3. Select the fixture type being used, and enter its R0, which is the resis-
tance seen by the DUT looking into each attenuator. For the Shunt Fixture,
you may enter the connector delay, in ns. 0.115 ns is typical for an SMA con-
nector.

4. Select the Series or Parallel model to be used. For an explicit LC combina-

tion, enter whatever its configuration is; the parasitic R will be considered
to have the same arrangement. For a single L or C component with
parasitics, enter Series for capacitors and Parallel for inductors.

5. Click Analyze; the results will be displayed. You may then click +Freq
or -Freq to change the frequency for which results are displayed.
 RLC Analysis Function
VNA Reflection Mode
Models a circuit as a combination of a resistor, inductor and capacitor,
which may be actual components or parasitics. Calculates the values
of those components, and Q factors, and also creates graphs of those
values which can be viewed after exiting the function.

MSA
Video Filter=Narrow
Wait Time>=50

TG IN

Shunt Series
6-10 dB

6-10 dB
6-10 dB
6-10 dB

6-10 dB

6-10 dB
Fixture OR Fixture OR Bridge

RLC

RLC Possible RLC Circuits RLC

R
R L C R
L
L C
C
Open or
Shorted

1. Perform an S11 scan showing the frequency range of interest. Accu-

racy is best if the resonant frequency is included, but that is not
required.

2. Open Function-->RLC Analysis. Select the Series, Parallel, or Lossy

RLC model that best fits your circuit. Specify the number of points to
be used in analyzing each frequency, typically 5-15.

3. Click Analyze, which will display the R, L and C values, and the Q, all
at a specified frequency. You may temporarily move to a different fre-
quency by clicking +Freq or -Freq.

4. The graphs automatically change to LC--Series L and LC--Series C

for the series model and LC--Parallel L and LC--Parallel C for the other
models. When you quit the Function, you may also select to graph the
Series Q or Parallel Q, as appropriate. These graphs will be available
until Restart.
 Coax Parameters Function
VNA Reflection Mode

Measures length or velocity factor, plus loss factor(A0, dB per hundred

feet) and characteristic impedance (Z0).

MSA
Video Filter=Narrow
Wait Time>=50

TG IN

Shunt

6-10 dB
6-10 dB

6-10 dB
6-10 dB

OR Bridge
Fixture

TERM
TERM

1. Perform an S11 scan of an open coax stub, focused around

the quarter-wavelength resonance (near +/-180 degrees S11 phase).

2. Open Function-->Coax Analysis.

3. Enter either the length or velocity factor of the coax stub.

4. Click Analyze. The resonant frequency, length, velocity factor and loss
factor (A0, dB per hundred feet) are displayed, and the Analyze Z0 button
appears.

5. To measure Z0, attach a terminating resistor to the stub, click Analyze

Z0, and enter the value of the termination in the dialog that opens. When
you click OK a scan will be performed and the results will be displayed.
For best accuracy, the value of the terminating resistor should be in the
ballpark of what you expect Z0 to be, but you may choose to use no termi-
nation at all, in which case you should enter 1 mega-ohm or larger as the
termination value. (Z0 will be displayed as a complex number, but only the
real part is generally used to identify coax cable.)
 Generate S21
VNA Reflection Mode

For certain types of DUTs, which we call “two-terminal DUTS”, the transmission
characteristics (S21) of the DUT can be calculated from the reflection charac-
teristics (S11). Two-terminal DUTs include devices with exactly two connections,
such as resistors, capacitors and inductors, or series or parallel combinations
of those devices. They also include devices that have one connection plus a per-
manent or implicit ground, such as a wire antenna. Two-terminal DUTs are effec-
tively nothing but an impedance, and we can hypothetically place that imped-
ance in a series or shunt fixture, and calculate the S21 of the device in that
fixture.

To generate S21 values,

1. After proper calibration, do an S11 scan of the DUT. Note that one terminal is
always grounded in S11 scans.

2. Open Functions->Generate S21. A window will open allowing you to specify

the type (Series or Shunt) of fixture, and the R0 of the fixture. After specifying
those options, click Generate.

3. The window will close and the generated S21 values will be graphed. As for all
Function graphs, these are temporary graphs created by the function, which are
listed as graph options in the Y-axis windows until the next Restart.

4. If desired, you may re-open Generate S21 to modify the selected fixture or R0.
It is not necessary for the original S11 values to actually be graphed for Gener-
ate S21 to work.

LC Example
If a reflection scan is performed with a parallel or series LC combination, the
resulting S11 values can be used to generate S21 graphs that show how the LC
combination would perform as a filter. The R0 used for the series fixture can be
the actual source/load values of the filter’s intended environment. Or, by using a
very high R0 value, such as 100 kOhms, the S21 graphs will effectively show the
profile of the response of the LC combination with no load (though the absolute
level of the entire response profile will be shifted downward). In the latter case,
Q can be determined by dividing the center frequency by the -3 dB bandwidth,
and that Q value is effectively the unloaded Q (Qu).
 Coax Z0
There are several ways on the MSA to measure characteristic impedance (Z0) of
transmission Lines.

Method 1 (Manual Method)

Perform a reflection mode scan of an open stub, and look for the first valley of
low impedance. Place a marker on the point of zero reactance. That will be the
quarter-wavelength resonance. If your scan is very broad, narrow to a few MHz
around the marker. Add a termination resistor to the end of the cable; anything
in the range 50-100 ohms is fine. Scan again and note the series resistance at
the resonance point. (If the marker at the resonance point is the selected mark-
er, the resistance will be shown on the bottom of the Smith Chart.) You can then
calculate the real part of the characteristic impedance by the formula

Z0=Sqrt(Zt * Zin), where Zt is the termination resistance,

and Zin is the coax input resistance measured by the MSA.

Method 2 (Coax Parameters Function)

See section on Coax Parameters Function.

Method 3 (Infinite Length Method)

If you measured the impedance of an infinite length of coax, the result would be
the characteristic impedance, no matter what the termination of the coax. If you
have a significant length (more than 25 feet for modestly lossy cable, more than
100 feet for low loss cable), you can terminate it with a resistor approximating
the characteristic impedance and measure at a high frequency (say, 200 MHz).
The measured resistance will be very close to the characteristic impedance. (At
high frequencies the imaginary part is likely to be small, so we ignore it here.) If
the measured value is not flat over frequency, look at the Smith chart, where
there will be a circle around the characteristic impedance. (You may need to
maximize the Smith chart window to get a good view). If necessary, you can
change the Graph Z0 in the Sweep Parameters window to change the center of
the Smith Chart to the value that appears to be circled.

Method 4 (Simulation Method)

You can simulate a coax cable of a known type by opening the Sweep Parame-
ters window and selecting Data Type 5 (Simulated RLC/Coax). Specify a resis-
tance equal to something close to the nominal Z0 of the coax. Deselect the
inductance and capacitance. Select the coax type, or select Custom and enter
your own parameters. Enter a length of 50 k feet and a resistance of 50 ohms.
Select the desired frequency range; in order for the actual Z0 to differ much
from the nominal Z0, the frequency must be below about 20 MHz. Close the win-
dow and click Restart. The graphed data will simulate the coax terminated by
the specified resistance. The long length is effectively infinite, so the measured
input impedance of the cable will in fact be the characteristic impedance, Z0.
You can graph Series Resistance and Series Reactance to see the real and
imaginary parts, or simply place a marker on the graph and look at the informa-
tion displayed at the bottom of the Smith chart for that marker.
 Reference Lines
Reference lines can be created in any mode. They may either be displayed on the
graph, or combined with the graph data by addition or subtraction. They are
accessed through the menu Options->Reference Lines. That menu item opens a
window that allows you to specify the reference line type, which axes will have ref-
erence lines, and the color and width of the reference lines (if they are to be
drawn). A reference line may be created for each axis, but if two are created they
must both be of the same type. The reference line types are described below.

Fixed Value References

Fixed value references are created by selecting that type and entering the value
for the appropriate axis. For example, if a value of -18 is specified, a horizontal line
will be drawn at -18 on the selected axis, provided that the Graph Option “Data and
Ref” is selected. That option means to graph both the data and the reference.
Instead, you may perform subtraction or addition with the reference line, by
selecting the appropriate Graph Option. For example, if you have a transmission
mode graph with a peak value of -18 dB, and create a reference of -18, setting
Graph Option to Data-Ref, the reference will be subtracted from the data so the
peak will appear at 0 dB, and all other graph values will effectively be dBc relative
to that peak.

Saved Data References

You may save the current data as a reference. This allows you to compare the cur-
rent data to future scans, either visually or by subtracting one from the other. If
you re-open the Reference Line window when you already have a data reference,
and you keep that reference type, then when you close the window you will have
the option to update to the current data, or to retain the old data. For example, if
you just want to change the line color, you will want to retain the old data when
closing the window. When data is saved, it is the underlying dBm value (SA mode)
or dB/angle values (SNA/VNA modes) that is saved. But the saved data is convert-
ed to the current graph data before being used. For example, if a reflection mode
graph shows capacitance, the saved S11 data is converted to capacitance before
being graphed or added/subtracted.

RLC References
You can create a reference line from simulated RLC data, just as though the cur-
rent scan contained that data. “RLC data” is a parallel or series RLC combination,
that optionally can be treated as terminating a transmission line. This is useful if
you want to compare graph data to some RLC combination, to see how well the
DUT can be modeled by that combination.

Reference lines are temporary objects, in that they are created for short-term use.
They are not saved when you save Preferences or Test Setups. If you change the
frequency range settings, any Saved Data Reference will disappear, but Fixed
Value or RLC References will survive.
 RETURN LOSS REFERENCE
RETURN LOSS AND RELATED QUANTITIES

Return Loss is the negative of S11 magnitude, in dB. The reflection coeffi-
cient magnitude is the S11 magnitude expressed as a ratio from 0 to 1, rep-
resenting the proportion of the signal voltage that is reflected. The square
of that ratio gives the reflected power ratio, expressed above as a percent-
age.

Each value of Return Loss can be generated by two pure resistances, one
greater than 50 ohms and one less than 50 ohms. Those resistances equal
50*SWR and 50/SWR. That Return Loss can also be generated by any resis-
tance in-between those two values combined with the necessary capaci-
tance or inductance.
 THE SMITH CHART-PART 1

The Smith Chart is used to graph reflection coefficients, and to relate

them to impedances. The MSA automatically creates a Smith Chart in
Reflection Mode. At the end of each sweep it draws the measured reflec-
tion coefficients on the Smith Chart.

Reflections coefficients are graphed by starting at the center of the

chart (marked 50) and moving outward a distance equal to the reflection
coefficient magnitude, in the direction indicated by the reflection coeffi-
cient angle. The chart is considered to have radius=1. Zero phase is
toward the right of the chart, and positive angles are measured counter-
clockwise from that zero line.

The impedance at any point on the chart can be read from the grid lines.
The circles represent constant resistance (marked on the center line)
and the arcs represent constant reactance (marked at the boundary).
The impedance at a point is based on the resistance circle and reac-
tance arc that cross at that point.

The chart can be divided into regions as shown below:

Thus, the nature of a device can be quickly judged based on where its
reflection coefficient is graphed. Anything with a capacitive component
is in the bottom half; inductive components are in the top half, and pure
resistances are on the horizontal center line.
 THE SMITH CHART-PART 2

The Smith Chart is particularly useful for viewing graphs that follow a cir-
cular path. All Smith Chart graphs proceed in a generally clockwise
direction as the frequency increases, but the most interesting ones actu-
ally trace out partial or complete circles. Below are such graphs:

The left graph is a capacitor, and therefore lies entirely on the lower
boundary, starting at high impedance at marker 1 and moving to mark-
er 2 as the frequency increases. The right graph is a parallel coil and
capacitor, which begins as an inductance at marker 1 and moves
clockwise, falling away from the boundary due to inductor losses. At
marker 2 it reaches resonance (because it is crossing the center line
of pure resistances), after which it becomes capacitive and moves on
to marker 3.

An unterminated coax cable starts

in the capacitive zone near the
boundary, and moves clockwise as
the increasing phase delay at high-
er frequencies makes the phase
more negative. It eventually crosses
the center line of pure resistance,
which is its quarter-wavelength reso-
nance. The impedance at that point is
nearly zero. It continues around the
top of the chart. Here the graph
stops shortly before it would have
reached the half-wavelength reso-
nance at the right side of the chart.