{"id":1356,"date":"2019-10-03T08:00:06","date_gmt":"2019-10-03T12:00:06","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blog.pasternack.com\/?p=1356"},"modified":"2019-09-04T13:59:20","modified_gmt":"2019-09-04T17:59:20","slug":"rf-test-equipment-series-noise-sources-noise-generators","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"\/blog\/rf-testing\/rf-test-equipment-series-noise-sources-noise-generators\/","title":{"rendered":"RF Test Equipment Series: Noise Sources\/Noise Generators"},"content":{"rendered":"

RF designers and engineers spend a significant amount of design and effort dealing with noise in RF systems. So, it surprises some that there is a whole branch of RF test equipment that\u2019s sole purpose is to generate noise. Noise sources are a key piece of test equipment, as well as being integral parts of some types of test equipment or precision communication and radar systems. Often noise sources are integrated into precision RF systems to aid with built-in testing (BIT), fault isolation testing (FIT), and for calibration.<\/p>\n

Moreover, noise sources can be used to test receiver gain, bandwidth, phase tracking, noise figure, dynamic range, etc. Noise sources can also be used to calibrate the gain and phase of IQ modulation circuits as well as with multichannel receivers. Another use is the randomization of quantization errors in high-speed analog-to-digital converters (ADCs). These use cases are predicated on a Noise Sources ability to generate broadband noise that is precisely at the same power levels across the entire frequency range of operation (a.k.a. White Noise). Other noise types of interest include Gaussian Noise and Pink Noise, and the specific flavor of noise depends on the application.<\/p>\n

Noise sources are much like other Noise sources come in a variety of forms, such as compact DC powered and calibrated sources to sophisticated bench mount Noise Generators with external interfacing and software control. Some noise sources are integrated into RF\/Microwave assemblies, as part of multi-function rack-mount systems, or as part of a communication or radar system. Noise sources designed as test equipment are typically either compact inline devices with external power or bench-top equipment with the applicable interconnect for the frequency range of operation.<\/p>\n

As is often the case with test and measurement equipment, Noise sources are often interconnected to the DUT and test system with high precision coaxial cables with minimal insertion loss and frequency over a broad range of frequencies. In some cases, adapters and other types of precision interconnect is also needed to pair between a noise sources and test system or DUT.<\/p>\n

Key Noise Source and Noise Generator Performance Parameters<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u2022 VSWR
\n\u2022 Temperature Stability
\n\u2022 Voltage Stability
\n\u2022 Power Output
\n\u2022 Output Power Flatness
\n\u2022 Return Loss
\n\u2022 Frequency Range (bandwidth)
\n\u2022 Regulator technology
\n\u2022 Input Power
\n\u2022 Operating Temperature Range
\n\u2022 Temperature Coefficient
\n\u2022 Calibration Frequency Steps
\n\u2022 Voltage Coefficient<\/p>\n

Useful Noise Sources Accessories and Equipment<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u2022 Pasternack Phase Stable (VNA) Coaxial Cables<\/span><\/a>
\n\u2022 Pasternack Cable Generic Test Cable Assemblies<\/a><\/span>
\n\u2022 Pasternack Skew Matched Pair Coaxial Cable<\/a><\/span>
\n\u2022 Pasternack Precision Coaxial Adapters<\/a><\/span>
\n\u2022 Pasternack In-series and Between-series Adapters<\/a><\/span>
\n\u2022 Pasternack RF Coaxial Probe<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

RF designers and engineers spend a significant amount of design and effort dealing with noise in RF systems. So, it surprises some that there is a whole branch of RF test equipment that\u2019s sole purpose is to generate noise. Noise sources are a key piece of test equipment, as well as being integral parts of ..<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[481],"tags":[524,523,483],"class_list":["post-1356","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-rf-testing","tag-rf-noise-generators","tag-rf-noise-sources","tag-rf-test-equipment"],"yoast_head":"\nRF Test Equipment Series: Noise Sources\/Noise Generators - Pasternack Blog<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"\/blog\/rf-testing\/rf-test-equipment-series-noise-sources-noise-generators\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"RF Test Equipment Series: Noise Sources\/Noise Generators - Pasternack Blog\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"RF designers and engineers spend a significant amount of design and effort dealing with noise in RF systems. 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