Test & Measurement

Virtual Demo

Learn how to use Spectrum Compact in a few simple steps

Try virtual demo

Selecting Center Frequency
- 1
  Click on FREQ button.
  Center frequency is selected in this submenu.
- 2
  Click on CENTER window above the dialpad.
  This will allow altering center frequency. START and STOP can be used to select sweep borders, same can be achieved via SPAN subsection of menu.
- 3
  Input 4600 on the dialpad and click OK to confirm it.
  Now you are centered on 4600 MHz frequency.
- 4
  Click <BACK button to return to the main menu.
Selecting Frequency Span
- 1
  Click on SPAN button.
  Preferred frequency span can be selected in this submenu.
- 2
  Input 100 on the dialpad and click OK to confirm it.
  This will set span to 100 MHz symmetrically around center frequency. FULL SPAN/MIN SPAN are used to choose maximal/minimal spans available on Spectrum Compact. This will set span to 100 MHz symmetrically around center frequency. FULL SPAN/MIN SPAN are used to choose maximal/minimal spans available on Spectrum Compact.
- 3
  Click <BACK button to return to the main menu.
Low Noise Amplification (LNA)
- LNA allows distinguishing weaker signal patterns.
- 1
  Click on LEVEL button.
- 2
  Click on LNA button.
  You are able to see clearer that there is an interference within wider signal band.
- 3
  Click <BACK button to return to the main menu.
Locating Expected Signal
- We know that our expected signal is 48 MHz wide.
- 1
  Click on POWER IN BAND button.
- 2
  With BW window selected, input 48. Click OK and SET TO CENTER buttons.
  We are able to identify wider band as our expected signal.
- 3
  Click <BACK button to return to the main menu.
Measuring Interference Signal Frequency
- You can do this quickly using built-in PEAK function.
- 1
  Click on MARKER button.
- 2
  Click on PEAK button.
  Marker moves to the strongest on-screen signal. You are able to quickly measure frequency of interference signal.
- 3
  Click <BACK button to return to the main menu.
Cumulative Tracing
- Use tracing capabilities to check stability of the signals present.
- 1
  Click on TRACE button.
- 2
  Click CUMULATIVE button to start tracing.
  Clicking CUMULATIVE button again resets recorded points. Blue counter shows number of sweeps since last click.
- 3
  Click <BACK button to return to the main menu.

Selecting Center Frequency
- 1
  Click on FREQ button.
  Center frequency is selected in this submenu.
- 2
  Click on CENTER window above the dialpad.
  This will allow altering center frequency. START and STOP can be used to select sweep borders, same can be achieved via SPAN subsection of menu.
- 3
  Input 4800 on the dialpad and click OK to confirm it.
  Now you are centered on 4800 MHz frequency.
- 4
  Click <BACK button to return to the main menu.
Selecting Frequency Span
- 1
  Click on SPAN button.
  Preferred frequency span can be selected in this submenu.
- 2
  Input 100 on the dialpad and click OK to confirm it.
  This will set span to 100 MHz symmetrically around center frequency. FULL SPAN/MIN SPAN are used to choose maximal/minimal spans available on Spectrum Compact.
- 3
  Click <BACK button to return to the main menu.
Low Noise Amplification (LNA)
- LNA allows distinguishing weaker signal patterns.
- 1
  Click on LEVEL button.
- 2
  Click on LNA button.
  You are able to see clearer that there is a narrow peak to the right of wider signal band.
- 3
  Click <BACK button to return to the main menu.
Locating expected signal
- We know that our expected signal is 48 MHz wide.
- 1
  Click on POWER IN BAND button.
- 2
  With BW window selected, input 48. Click OK and SET TO CENTER buttons.
  We are able to identify wider band as our expected signal.
- 3
  Click <BACK button to return to the main menu.
Measuring Interference Signal Frequency
- You can do this quickly using built-in PEAK function.
- 1
  Click on MARKER button.
- 2
  Click on PEAK button.
  Marker moves to the strongest on-screen signal. You are able to quickly measure frequency of interference signal.
- 3
  Click <BACK button to return to the main menu.
Min/Max Tracing
- Use tracing capabilities to check stability of the signals present.
- 1
  Click on TRACE button.
- 2
  Click on MIN/MAX HOLD button to start tracing.
  Clicking MIN/MAX HOLD button again resets recorded points. Blue counter shows number of sweeps since last click.
- 3
  Click <BACK button to return to the main menu.

Selecting Center Frequency
- 1
  Click on FREQ button.
  Center frequency is selected in this submenu.
- 2
  Click on CENTER window above the dialpad.
  This will allow altering center frequency. START and STOP can be used to select sweep borders, same can be achieved via SPAN subsection of menu.
- 3
  Input 5000 on the dialpad and click OK to confirm it.
  Now you are centered on 5000 MHz frequency.
- 4
  Click <BACK button to return to the main menu.
Selecting Frequency Span
- 1
  Click on SPAN button.
  Preferred frequency span can be selected in this submenu.
- 2
  Input 100 on the dialpad and click OK to confirm it.
  This will set span to 100 MHz symmetrically around center frequency. FULL SPAN/MIN SPAN are used to choose maximal/minimal spans available on Spectrum Compact.
- 3
  Click <BACK button to return to the main menu.
Low Noise Amplification (LNA)
- LNA allows distinguishing weaker signal patterns.
- 1
  Click on LEVEL button.
- 2
  Click on LNA button.
  You are able to see clearer that there is a narrow peak to the right of wider signal band.
- 3
  Click <BACK button to return to the main menu.
Configuring Detector Settings
- 1
  Click on TRACE button.
  This is a submenu that hosts multiple tracing methods and detector options.
- 2
  Click on DETECTOR: AVG button.
  This setting will record average signal value for each sweep. This setting is necessary for correct power in band measurement.
- 3
  Click <BACK button to return to the main menu.
Bandwidth Confirmation
- We want to confirm that assigned 56 MHz bandwidth is used correctly.
- 1
  Click on POWER IN BAND button.
- 2
  Click on BW window, enter 56 on the dialpad and click OK to confirm it.
- 3
  Click on SET TO CENTER button.
  Light blue band indicates span where power is measured. Measurement results and bandwidth are in the top left corner next to the SAF logo.
Signal Stability Visualization
- 1
  Click on TRACE button.
- 2
  Click on MIN/MAX HOLD button to start tracing.
  Clicking MIN/MAX HOLD button again resets recorded points. Blue counter shows number of sweeps since last click.You are able to prove that your signal's amplitude is stable. Using cumulative tracing would produce similar results.
- 3
  Click <BACK button to return to the main menu.

Selecting Center Frequency
- 1
  Click on FREQ button.
  Center frequency is selected in this submenu.
- 2
  Click on CENTER window above the dialpad.
  This will allow altering center frequency. START and STOP can be used to select sweep borders, same can be achieved via SPAN subsection of menu.
- 3
  Input 2411 on the dialpad and click OK to confirm it.
  Now you are centered on 2411 MHz frequency.
- 4
  Click <BACK button to return to the main menu.
Selecting Frequency Span
- 1
  Click on SPAN button.
  Preferred frequency span can be selected in this submenu.
- 2
  Input 50 on the dialpad and click OK to confirm it.
  This will set span to 50 MHz symmetrically around center frequency. FULL SPAN/MIN SPAN are used to choose maximal/minimal spans available on Spectrum Compact.
- 3
  Click <BACK button to return to the main menu.
Low Noise Amplification (LNA)
- LNA allows distinguishing weaker signal patterns.
- 1
  Click on LEVEL button.
- 2
  Click on LNA button.
- 3
  Click <BACK button to return to the main menu.
Configuring Detector Settings
- 1
  Click on TRACE button.
  This is a submenu that hosts multiple tracing methods and detector options.
- 2
  Click on DETECTOR: MAX button.
  This setting will record maximum signal value for each sweep, making sure that signal is noticed better.
Min/Max Tracing
- 1
  Click on MIN/MAX HOLD button to start tracing.
  Clicking MIN/MAX HOLD button again resets recorded points. Blue counter shows number of sweeps since last click.
  Envelope of the signal is now visible. Time-evolving nature of the signal is clear because min and max lines form different patterns.
- 2
  Click <BACK button to return to the main menu.
Time Plot Recording
- 1
  Click on TOOLS & SETTINGS button.
- 2
  Click on RECORD TIME PLOT button.
- 3
  Click on NEW RECORD button.
  Wait for the results to come in.
- 4
  When done recording, click NEW RECORD button again.
- 5
  Make sure that the latest record (R000...) is selected, then click OPEN TIME PLOT button.
  You can see recorded time plot in static and rename it for later use.The separate “dots” are detected sub-carriers of the TDD signal. The number of those “dots” indicates how much data is being transmitted.
- 6
  Click <BACK button to return to the main menu.

Selecting Center Frequency of Reference Signal
- 1
  Click on FREQ button.
  Center frequency is selected in this submenu.
- 2
  Click on CENTER window above the dialpad.
  This will allow altering center frequency. START and STOP can be used to select sweep borders, same can be achieved via SPAN subsection of menu.
- 3
  Input 5000 on the dialpad and click OK to confirm it.
  Now you are centered on 5000 MHz frequency.
- 4
  Click <BACK button to return to the main menu.
Selecting Frequency Span
- 1
  Click on SPAN button.
  Preferred frequency span can be selected in this submenu.
- 2
  Input 100 on the dialpad and click OK to confirm it.
  This will set span to 100 MHz symmetrically around center frequency. FULL SPAN/MIN SPAN are used to choose maximal/minimal spans available on Spectrum Compact.
- 3
  Click <BACK button to return to the main menu.
Low Noise Amplification (LNA)
- LNA allows distinguishing weaker signal patterns.
- 1
  Click on LEVEL button.
- 2
  Click on LNA button.
- 3
  Click <BACK button to return to the main menu.
Saving Current Screen for Use in Mask Mode
- Save currently displayed spectrum (spectrum mask) for visual comparison with spectrum curves displayed later.
- 1
  Click SAVE button whilst in the main menu.
  This saves screenshot to the Spectrum Compact's file system. It is also possible to upload masks created in Spectrum Manager PC software beforehand.
Centering on Signal Being Tested
- 1
  Click on FREQ button.
- 2
  Input 6000 on the dialpad and click OK to confirm it.
- 3
  Click <BACK button to return to the main menu.
Visual Comparison with the Reference Signal
- 1
  Click on TOOLS & SETTINGS, then MASK MODE buttons.
- 2
  Click on SELECT FILE button.
- 3
  Select previously saved file then click on SET AS MASK button.
  Saved mask is displayed in red.
- 4
  Adjust mask's offset using +10 dB/-10 dB/+1 dB/-1 dB buttons.
  Shapes of the signals are visibly different. This can indicate a problem either with transmitter or antenna.

Selecting Center Frequency
- 1
  Click on FREQ button.
  Center frequency is selected in this submenu.
- 2
  Click on CENTER window above the dialpad.
  This will allow altering center frequency. START and STOP can be used to select sweep borders, same can be achieved via SPAN subsection of menu.
- 3
  Input 5400 on the dialpad and click OK to confirm it.
  Now you are centered on 5400 MHz frequency.
- 4
  Click <BACK button to return to the main menu.
Selecting Frequency Span
- 1
  Click on SPAN button.
  Preferred frequency span can be selected in this submenu.
- 2
  Input 100 on the dialpad and click OK to confirm it.
  This will set span to 100 MHz symmetrically around center frequency. FULL SPAN/MIN SPAN are used to choose maximal/minimal spans available on Spectrum Compact.
- 3
  Click <BACK button to return to the main menu.
Low Noise Amplification (LNA)
- LNA allows distinguishing weaker signal patterns.
- 1
  Click on LEVEL button.
- 2
  Click on LNA button.
  You can see two signals occupying same bandwidth. Distinguish your expected signal from the interference.
- 3
  Click <BACK button to return to the main menu.
Locating expected signal
- We know that expected signal is 28 MHz wide.
- 1
  Click on POWER IN BAND button.
- 2
  With BW window selected, input 28. Click OK and SET TO CENTER buttons.
  Light blue band indicates 28 MHz span where power is measured. Measurement results and bandwidth are in the top left corner next to the SAF logo.We are able to identify narrow band as the expected signal.
- 3
  Click <BACK button to return to the main menu.
Evaluating Bandwidth of Interference Signal
- Use touch-screen controlled marker to navigate the display and obtain information quickly.
- 1
  Click on MARKER button.
- 2
  Click on the screen OR drag cursor/finger across the screen to place marker manually.
  If clicking doesn't work properly, use double-click. Real device supports single-click only!
- 3
  Place marker first on the left then on the right edges of the interference (wide) signal.
  Start frequency is 5376 MHz and the stop frequency is 5424 Mhz, meaning 48 MHz-wide interference bandwidth.
- 4
  Click <BACK button to return to the main menu.

Selecting Center Frequency
- 1
  Click on FREQ button.
  Center frequency is selected in this submenu.
- 2
  Click on CENTER window above the dialpad.
  This will allow altering center frequency. START and STOP can be used to select sweep borders, same can be achieved via SPAN subsection of menu.
- 3
  Input 2134 on the dialpad and click OK to confirm it.
  Now you are centered on 2134 MHz frequency.
- 4
  Click <BACK button to return to the main menu.
Selecting Frequency Span
- 1
  Click on SPAN button.
  Preferred frequency span can be selected in this submenu.
- 2
  Input 100 on the dialpad and click OK to confirm it.
  This will set span to 100 MHz symmetrically around center frequency. FULL SPAN/MIN SPAN are used to choose maximal/minimal spans available on Spectrum Compact.
- 3
  Click <BACK button to return to the main menu.
Low Noise Amplification (LNA)
- LNA allows distinguishing weaker signal patterns.
- 1
  Click on LEVEL button.
- 2
  Click on LNA button.
- 3
  Click <BACK button to return to the main menu.
Configuring Detector Settings
- 1
  Click on TRACE button.
  This is a submenu that hosts multiple tracing methods and detector options.
- 2
  Click on DETECTOR: MAX button.
  This setting will record maximum signal v.alue for each sweep, making sure that signal is noticed better.
Min/Max Tracing
- 1
  Click on MIN/MAX HOLD button to start tracing.
  Clicking MIN/MAX HOLD button again resets recorded points. Blue counter shows number of sweeps since last click.
Cumulative Tracing
- 1
  Click CUMULATIVE button to start tracing.
  Clicking CUMULATIVE button again resets recorded points. Blue counter shows number of sweeps since last click.
- 2
  Click <BACK button to return to the main menu.
Time Plot Recording
- 1
  Click on TOOLS & SETTINGS button.
- 2
  Click on RECORD TIME PLOT button.
- 3
  Click on NEW RECORD button.
  Wait for the results to come in.
- 4
  When done recording, click NEW RECORD button again.
- 5
  Make sure that the latest record (R000...) is selected, then click OPEN TIME PLOT button.
  You can see recorded time plot in static and rename it for later use.
- 6
  Click <BACK button to return to the main menu.

Turning off Signal Amplification
- If you expect signal to be strong, this step should be performed before antenna is connected.Make sure that low noise amplification option is turned off before using attenuator. Otherwise it can damage Spectrum Compact's hardware.
- 1
  Click on LEVEL button.
- 2
  Verify that LNA is off or turn it off.
  If LNA button is gray then it is off and we're good to go.
- 3
  Click <BACK button to return to the main menu.
Selecting Center Frequency
- 1
  Click on FREQ button.
  Center frequency is selected in this submenu.
- 2
  Click on CENTER window above the dialpad.
  This will allow altering center frequency. START and STOP can be used to select sweep borders, same can be achieved via SPAN subsection of menu.
- 3
  Input 7000 on the dialpad and click OK to confirm it.
  Now you are centered on 7000 MHz frequency.
- 4
  Click <BACK button to return to the main menu.
Selecting Frequency Span
- 1
  Click on SPAN button.
  Preferred frequency span can be selected in this submenu.
- 2
  Input 20 on the dialpad and click OK to confirm it.
  This will set span to 20 MHz symmetrically around center frequency. FULL SPAN/MIN SPAN are used to choose maximal/minimal spans available on Spectrum Compact.
- 3
  Click <BACK button to return to the main menu.
Built-in Attenuator
- 1
  Click on LEVEL button.
- 2
  Click on ATT button.
- 3
  Click on 30dB button.
  Select different attenuation options select which one suits the strength of signal.
- 4
  Click <BACK button to return to the main menu.

Selecting Center Frequency
- 1
  Click on FREQ button.
  Center frequency is selected in this submenu.
- 2
  Click on CENTER window above the dialpad.
  This will allow altering center frequency. START and STOP can be used to select sweep borders, same can be achieved via SPAN subsection of menu.
- 3
  Input 6900 on the dialpad and click OK to confirm it.
  Now you are centered on 6900 MHz frequency.
- 4
  Click <BACK button to return to the main menu.
Selecting Frequency Span
- 1
  Click on SPAN button.
  Preferred frequency span can be selected in this submenu.
- 2
  Input 800 on the dialpad and click OK to confirm it.
  This will set span to 800 MHz symmetrically around center frequency. FULL SPAN/MIN SPAN are used to choose maximal/minimal spans available on Spectrum Compact.
- 3
  Click <BACK button to return to the main menu.
Click on Tools & Settings button.
- 1
  Click on SPAN button.
- 2
  Click on SETTINGS button.
- 3
  Click on SIGNAL ID button.
  Built-in harmonics supression function removes artificial harmonics of main signal.
- 4
  Click <BACK button until you return to the main menu.

Selecting Center Frequency
- 1
  Click on FREQ button.
  Center frequency is selected in this submenu.
- 2
  Click on CENTER window above the dialpad.
  This will allow altering center frequency. START and STOP can be used to select sweep borders, same can be achieved via SPAN subsection of menu.
- 3
  Input 4000 on the dialpad and click OK to confirm it.
  Now you are centered on 4000 MHz frequency.
- 4
  Click <BACK button to return to the main menu.
Selecting Frequency Span
- 1
  Click on SPAN button.
  Preferred frequency span can be selected in this submenu.
- 2
  Input 40 on the dialpad and click OK to confirm it.
  This will set span to 40 MHz symmetrically around center frequency. FULL SPAN/MIN SPAN are used to choose maximal/minimal spans available on Spectrum Compact.
- 3
  Click <BACK button to return to the main menu.
Configuring Detector Settings
- 1
  Click on TRACE button.
  This is a submenu that hosts multiple tracing methods and detector options.
- 2
  Click on DETECTOR: AVG button.
  This setting will record average signal value for each sweep. This is the correct setting to measure signal that fluctuates quickly.
Cumulative Tracing
- 1
  Click CUMULATIVE button to start tracing.
  Clicking CUMULATIVE button again resets recorded points. Blue counter shows number of sweeps since last click.
  It is clear that amplitudes of these signals oscillate in a range of more than 20 dBm.
- 2
  Click NORMAL button before going to main menu.
- 3
  Click <BACK button to return to the main menu.
Time Plot Recording
- We will use time plot as another tool to visualize instability of these signals.
- 1
  Click on TOOLS & SETTINGS button.
- 2
  Click on RECORD TIME PLOT button.
- 3
  Click on NEW RECORD button.
- 4
  When done recording, click NEW RECORD button again.
- 5
  Make sure that the latest record (R000...) is selected, then click OPEN TIME PLOT button.
  You can see recorded time plot in static and rename it for later use. This is a great tool for noticing recurrent patterns and signal intensities.
- 6
  Click <BACK button to return to the main menu.

Selecting Center Frequency
- 1
  Click on FREQ button.
  Center frequency is selected in this submenu.
- 2
  Click on CENTER window above the dialpad.
  This will allow altering center frequency. START and STOP can be used to select sweep borders, same can be achieved via SPAN subsection of menu.
- 3
  Input 4400 on the dialpad and click OK to confirm it.
  Now you are centered on 4400 MHz frequency.
- 4
  Click <BACK button to return to the main menu.
Selecting Frequency Span
- 1
  Click on SPAN button.
  Preferred frequency span can be selected in this submenu.
- 2
  Input 100 on the dialpad and click OK to confirm it.
  This will set span to 100 MHz symmetrically around center frequency. FULL SPAN/MIN SPAN are used to choose maximal/minimal spans available on Spectrum Compact.
- 3
  Click <BACK button to return to the main menu.
Low Noise Amplification (LNA)
- LNA allows distinguishing weaker signal patterns.
- 1
  Click on LEVEL button.
- 2
  Click on LNA button.
  You are able to see clearer that there is an interference within wider signal band.
- 3
  Click <BACK button to return to the main menu.
Locating expected signal
- We know that expected signal sits at 4415 MHz and is 28 MHz wide.
- 1
  Click on POWER IN BAND button.
- 2
  With BW window selected, input 28.
- 3
  Select CENTER window and input 4415.
  We are able to identify band to the right as the expected signal.
- 4
  Click <BACK button to return to the main menu.
Evaluating Start/Stop Frequencies of Interference Signal
- Use touch-screen controlled marker to navigate the display and obtain information quickly.
- 1
  Click on MARKER button.
- 2
  Click on the screen OR drag cursor/finger across the screen to place marker manually.
  If clicking doesn't work properly, use double-click. Real device supports single-click only!
- 3
  Place marker first on the left then on the right edges of the interference (wide) signal.
  Start frequency is 4371 MHz and the stop frequency is 4398 Mhz, meaning 27 MHz-wide intereference bandwidth.
- 4
  Click <BACK button to return to the main menu.
Min/Max Tracing
- Use tracing capabilities to check stability of the signals present.
- 1
  Click on TRACE button.
- 2
  Click on MIN/MAX HOLD button to start tracing.
  Clicking MIN/MAX HOLD button again resets recorded points. Blue counter shows number of sweeps since last click.
- 3
  Click <BACK button to return to the main menu.

This free online simulator mimics the user interface and functionality of the Spectrum Compact spectrum analyzer.

Watch the full virtual demo walkthrough, or explore the How To playlist to learn more.

Test & Measurement

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Test & Measurement

Test & Measurement

Portable RF analysis with Spectrum Compact

Products

Virtual Demo

Applications

Antenna Alignment

Broadcast Operations Maintenance

External PIM Mitigation

Electromagnetic Warfare

Smart Grid Connectivity

Frequency Regulation

5G Network Deployment

Satellite Communications

Automotive Radar Testing

DAS Optimization

System Integration

Let’s talk

Support

Tools

Company

Subscribe to our newsletter