Measurement of a Small Signal Near a Large Signal Using a Spectrum Analyzer

摘要

A number of factors are involved in determining whether a small signal can be measured in the presence of a larger signal using a spectrum analyzer. The type of signal involved has a significant impact. For example, the measurement results for a digitally modulated or pulsed carrier are quite different than for a sine wave. The effects of various spectrum analyzer specifications, such as sensitivity, or control settings, such as resolution filter bandwidth, are different for different signal types. This article focuses on the simple case of sinusoidal signals.