Spectral Analysis with the R&S FSH

Mark Frank & Jeremy Cline

Outline
1.0 Introduction.

2.0 FSH SA Operation

3.0 Other Spectral Measurements

4.0 Example Application: Receiver PIM Test.

Spectral Analysis with the R&S FSH4/8

Version 1.0 by Mark Frank & Jeremy Cline
1.0 Spectral Analysis with the R&S FSH
• The FSH4 and FSH8 include high
quality swept frequency spectrum
analyzers, which operate to 3.6 GHz
and 8 GHz, respectively

• In addition to basic spectrum analysis

features, the FSH also allows the
measurement of Channel Power,
Occupied BW, TDMA Power, ACLR,
Spectrum Emission Mask, Harmonic
Distortion, and AM Modulation Depth.

• With the R&S K14 software option, a

spectrogram feature is available for
interference hunting.

Spectral Analysis with the R&S FSH4/8

Version 1.0 by Mark Frank & Jeremy Cline
2.0 FSH Spectrum Analyzer
The FSH Spectrum Analyzer allows the user to view the spectrum in
a wireless band in order to determine if the desired signal (e.g., base
station transmitted signal) is of the correct shape and amplitude, and
to determine that if there are any undesired signals within the band.
In order to the use the Spectrum Analyzer effectively, the user needs
to know about some basic settings including:
• Frequency Settings
• Span
• Resolution Bandwidth (RBW)
• Amplitude Settings
• Sweep Settings
• Trace Options
• Limit Lines
• Markers
These will be described in more detail in the following slides.

Spectral Analysis with the R&S FSH4/8

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2.1 Selecting Spectrum Analyzer
• Press the MODE Hard Key
• Press the Spectrum Hot Key

Spectral Analysis with the R&S FSH4/8

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2.2 Setting the center frequency
• FSH frequencies can be set either as frequencies (e.g. 1955
MHz) or as channels (e.g., 500)
• Channels are defined in channel tables
• FSH has predefined channel tables for all wireless
standards (GSM, WCDMA, LTE, WCDMA, CDMA2K, TD-
SCDMA, etc.) and bands.
• Custom channel tables can also be created using the
FSH4View PC tool. This way the user can step through the
specific bands available to the network operator.

Spectral Analysis with the R&S FSH4/8

Version 1.0 by Mark Frank & Jeremy Cline
2.2 For example, cdma2000 channel tables

Custom tables can also be defined using the free FSH4View utility. This will
allow the user to use custom names, uplink/downlink etc. for easy selection of
operator channels.

Spectral Analysis with the R&S FSH4/8

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2.3 Setting the Span
Once the center frequency has been set, it is important to set the frequency
range over which to observe the signal. This frequency range is called the
span. By setting a smaller span, the user can zoom in on the band of
interest. By setting a larger span, the user can view the center band along
with adjacent bands.
To set the span, press the SPAN hard key followed by the Manual Span hot
key. WCDMA Signal
Narrow Span Wide Span

Spectral Analysis with the R&S FSH4/8

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 2.4 Setting the RBW
The resolution bandwidth (RBW) determines the ability of the spectrum analyzer to pick
out fine structure and narrow frequency signals in the spectrum. With a smaller RBW,
the user can see finer structure, but this can also lead to longer sweep times (slower).
To set the RBW, press the BW hard key followed by the Manual RBW hot key. If in
doubt on the RBW setting to use, leave the FSH in Auto RBW mode.

Narrow RBW (10 kHz) Wide RBW (1 MHz)

Spectral Analysis with the R&S FSH4/8

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 2.4 Amplitude Settings
It is important to correctly set the expected level of the input signal for best operation of
the spectrum analyzer. This expected level is the reference level. It can be set by
pressing the AMPT hard key and then the Ref Level hot key. Note that the top of the
display is set to this ref level, which is -30 dBm in this case.
Related to the ref level is the ref offset. The ref offset allows the user to enter any
attenuation or gain into the FSH. For example, if measuring on a base station test port
that has 30 dB of attenuation, and using cables with 1.5 dB of attenuation/loss, enter a
ref offset of 31.5 dB. Note that setting a ref offset also adjusts the ref level accordingly.
Ref Offset = 0 dB Ref Offset = 31.5 dB

Spectral Analysis with the R&S FSH4/8

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 2.4 Amplitude Settings - continued
Once the ref level and ref offset are set correctly, it is necessary to set the attenuation
of the spectrum analyzer to an optimum level. If the attenuation is set too high, then
we won’t be able to see low level signals. If the attenuation is set too low, then we run
the risk of over driving the spectrum analyzer and causing distortions (e.g., intermods).
The figure on the left below is set for auto low noise, and we can see that the spikes
on the left side of the curve are way above the noise floor. However, in the figure on
the right, the tops of the spikes are not as far above the noise level.

Setting Auto Low Noise Attenuation Setting Auto Low Distortion Attenuation

Spectral Analysis with the R&S FSH4/8

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 2.4 Amplitude Settings - continued
The other amplitude settings are as follows:
• Range/Ref Pos – This hot key allows the
user to set the full scale range, and where to
set the ref level on the range axis.

• Unit – This hot key allows the user to set

the power level units (e.g., dBm versus
Watts).

• Transducer – This hot key allows the user

to load a transducer file. For example, when
using the R&S HE300 antenna, the
corresponding transducer file needs to be
loaded so that the correct spectrum is
displayed.
Spectral Analysis with the R&S FSH4/8
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 2.5 Sweep Settings
The sweep settings are accessed by pressing the SWEEP hard key.
The sweep time determines how fast the RBW filter scans across the frequency range.
Ideally, we would like the sweep time to be as fast as possible to decrease measurement
times. However, if the sweep time is set too low, the hardware may not have time to settle,
and this results in a very noisy looking spectral display. Normally, it is best to leave the sweep
time on the auto setting.
In the figure on the left, the sweep time is set to auto, and we can see a clean looking
spectrum. In the figure on the right, the sweep time was manually set to 20 ms, and we notice
that the spectral display is much more noisy looking. And we can’t distinguish the spikes on
the left of the display.

Spectral Analysis with the R&S FSH4/8

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 2.5 Sweep Settings - continued
The other sweep settings of interest are:

• Cont Sweep versus Single Sweep: This

determines whether or not the display should
continue updating, or just display once.

• Trigger: By selecting a trigger, the FSH will

only sweep when an external trigger signal is
applied to the trigger port shown at the right.
Normally, the Trigger is set to “Free Run” which
means that the spectrum is just displayed on a
continuous basis. A trigger may be used when
viewing a bursted signal such as 1xEV-DO. In
this case, the trigger signal could be the even
second clock from the base station, and we
select Trigger = “External Rise”. A Gated
Trigger allows the user to set the amount of
time during which the signal is analyzed. For
example, for the 1xEV-DO we could set the
gate to equal the 26.6 ms of the 1xEV-DO
frame.

Spectral Analysis with the R&S FSH4/8

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 2.6 Trace Settings
The Trace Settings are accessed by pressing the TRACE
hard key.
The trace settings affect how the spectral display is
presented. Two interacting trace settings are the Detector
and the Trace Mode. The Detector settings affect how the
samples are captured as the RBW filter sweeps across the
frequency span. We show two Detector settings below,
Auto Peak and RMS. As you can see, Auto Peak displays
the minimum and maximum value at each frequency, while
RMS displays the “average” of the value at each
frequency.

Spectral Analysis with the R&S FSH4/8

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 2.6 Trace Settings - continued
The other trace setting that is related to the Detector
settings is the Trace Mode. In contrast to the Detector
mode, the Trace Mode affects how multiple sweeps are
combined together.
In the displays below, we show the effects of averaging
over multiple sweeps versus taking the maximum over
multiple sweeps. If the goal is to look for an intermittent
interferer that pops up once in a while, it is probably best to
set to set trace mode to Max Peak. An alternative would
be to use the Spectrogram feature which is described later.

Spectral Analysis with the R&S FSH4/8

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 2.6 Trace Settings - continued
The final trace setting which we will discuss is the ability to
display two traces simultaneously, with two different types
of detectors. In order to enable two traces, press the
Show hot key, and check Trace 2. Then use the Select
Trace hot key to select either trace 1 or trace 2. With
trace 1 selected, pick the type of detector to be used for
trace 1 (for example, max peak as below). With trace 2
selected, pick the type of detector to be used with trace 2
(for example, min peak as below). This way the user can
see both results in a single sweep.

Spectral Analysis with the R&S FSH4/8

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 2.7 Limits Settings
The FSH also has the capability of comparing the spectral trace to user definable limits. This
capability is enabled by pressing the LINES hard key. After pressing this key, the user has
the option of comparing the spectrum to either a fixed threshold or a user defined limits file.
In the example below, a user defined limits file was created using FSH4View. In this limits
file, we allow a high spectral power in the vicinity of the WCDMA transmit signal, but do not
allow any power outside of this band (shown by the red lines). Accordingly, we get a fail, due
to the spikes outside of the band, which could be caused by transmitter problems.

FSH4View Limit Line Editor

Spectral Analysis with the R&S FSH4/8

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 2.8 Marker Settings
Markers can be used for accurate determination of the powers and frequencies of points on
the spectrum display. In order to turn on markers, press the MARKER hard key. From this
display, markers can be added or deleted using the New Marker or Delete Marker hot keys.
Markers can be changed from normal to delta markers using the Marker Type hot key.
Markers. In order to move markers, the marker must be selected using the Select Marker hot
key. The marker can then be moved using the scroll wheel.
There are a number of functions that can operate on the signal at the marker frequency by
pressing the Marker Function hot key as shown below.

Spectral Analysis with the R&S FSH4/8

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3.0 Related Spectral Measurements
In addition to the spectral displays, the FSH
offers related spectral measurements. These
can be accessed by pressing the MEAS hard
key and include:
• Channel Power
• Occupied BW
• TDMA Power
• ACLR
• Spectrum Emission Mask
• Harmonic Distortion
• AM Modulation Depth
• Spectrogram/Playback
Some of these will be described in more detail
in the following slides.

Spectral Analysis with the R&S FSH4/8

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 3.1 Channel Power
Since the FSH calculates the power of the signal at each frequency of the
span, it can find the total power in a band just by summing up all the powers
across the band. This is what is done in the Channel Power display. In order
to calculate the channel power, the FSH needs to know over what band of
frequencies to calculate the power. This band can be calculated automatically
by selecting a common wireless standard (e.g., 3GPP WCDMA, as below), or
by entering the Channel BW manually.

Spectral Analysis with the R&S FSH4/8

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 3.1 Channel Power - continued
All of the hard keys in the Channel Power display operate in
a similar fashion to the Spectrum Analyzer display.
However, there are a few hot keys that offer more features.
These include:

• Level Adjust – This hot key allows the attenuators and

preamp to be adjusted automatically without already
knowing the signal power.

• Channel BW – Allows the user to manually enter the

channel bandwidth.

• Power Unit – Allows the user to select the power display

units.

• Power Display – Configures the FSH to continuously

update the power for each sweep (Clear/Write), or maintain
the max power over all the sweeps (Max Hold). Also allows
the power value to be displayed on a per Hz basis (not
normally used).

Spectral Analysis with the R&S FSH4/8

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 3.2 Occupied BW
The occupied BW display allows the user to check how much bandwidth the
signal is occupying. For example, if there is an unknown interfering signal, and
the occupied bandwidth is around 1.23 MHz, the user can guess that it is a
cdma2000 signal, as shown below. Or if the bandwidth is on the order of 100
kHz, the user can guess an FM signal.

cdma2000 Signal FM Broadcast Signal

Spectral Analysis with the R&S FSH4/8

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 3.2 Occupied Bandwidth - continued
All of the hard keys in the Occupied Bandwidth display
operate in a similar fashion to the Spectrum Analyzer
display. However, there are a few hot keys that offer
more features. These include:

• Standard – Allows the user to enter the expected

wireless signal type.

• Level Adjust – This hot key allows the attenuators and

preamp to be adjusted automatically without already
knowing the signal power.

• Channel BW – Allows the user to manually enter the

channel bandwidth.

• % Power BW – Allows the user to enter the percentage

of power in the band to define the channel bandwidth.

Spectral Analysis with the R&S FSH4/8

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 3.3 TDMA Power
The TDMA Power display allows the user to display time bursted signals, for
example, GSM or 1xEV-DO. The display below shows the TDMA power plot
for a 1xEV-DO signal. The sweep time is set to 26.67 ms which is the 1xEV-
DO frame time. Note that in this frame, there are 4 slots with user data, and the
rest of the 16 slots only have the pilot signal.

Spectral Analysis with the R&S FSH4/8

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 3.3 TDMA Power - continued
All of the hard keys in the Occupied Bandwidth
display operate in a similar fashion to the Spectrum
Analyzer display, with the exception of the SPAN
key. The TDMA Power display always operates in
zero span mode, so the SPAN key is not
operational.

In addition, there are a few hot keys that offer more

features. These include:

• Standard – Allows the user to enter the expected

wireless signal type.

• Level Adjust – This hot key allows the attenuators

and preamp to be adjusted automatically without
already knowing the signal power.

• Manual SWP Time – This hot key allows the user

to set the X axis display time.

• Burst Length – This hot key allows the user to set

the expected burst length.
Spectral Analysis with the R&S FSH4/8
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 3.4 ACLR
The ACLR display allows the user to measure the base station transmitter’s
leakage into adjacent bands. Any leakage will cause interference into the other
bands. As can be seen from the display below, the FSH measures the power
into the two adjacent bands (upper and lower), as well as the next two bands.
A PASS is indicated if the leakage power is below a value specified by the
wireless standard.

1 Standard, 2 Marker information, 3 Limit check information

4 Channel information, 5 TX channel (red line), 6 Adjacent channel (green
line), 7 Alternate channels (green lines), 8 Marker (blue line)
9 ACLR softkey menu
Spectral Analysis with the R&S FSH4/8
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 3.5 Spectral Emissions Mask
The SEM display is similar to the ACLR display in that it measures the
spectral power transmitted outside the user’s frequency band. In
contrast to the ACLR measurement, the SEM display measures
absolute power, so that it is important that the Ref Offset is set correctly.

Spectral Analysis with the R&S FSH4/8

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 3.6 Harmonic Distortion
The harmonic distortion display is another way of measuring the quality
of the base station transmitter. In this case, the measurement tries to
find harmonics of the transmission band. If the harmonics are severe, it
could indicate problems in the base station transmit power amplifier
(PA).

Spectral Analysis with the R&S FSH4/8

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 3.7 Spectrogram
The spectrogram is a powerful tool for interference hunting. It gives a time
history display of the spectral power. In the display below, we see an LTE
signal at 751 MHz. Note that the LTE signal stays constant in the
spectrogram display in the bottom half of the figure. However, note that at
about a frequency of 770 MHz, an interfering signal shows up briefly in the
spectrogram display. The time history allows us to capture this signal, and
determine its burst time.

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 3.7 Spectrogram - continued
All of the hard keys in the Spectrogram
display operate in a similar fashion to the
Spectrum Analyzer display.
In addition, there are a few hot keys that
offer more features. These include:

• Spectrogram Settings – Allows the user to

change the reference level and color
settings for the spectrogram.

• Save Spectrogram – Allows the user to

save a spectrogram for later play back.

• Playback – Allows the user to review a

spectrogram recording for further analysis.

Spectral Analysis with the R&S FSH4/8

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4.0 Example Application: Receiver PIM Test
Passive Intermodulation (PIM) can be caused by problems
(bad cables, etc.) in the transmit path which cause the
replicas of the transmit signal to show up in the receive
signal path. These replicas act as noise in the receive band
and therefore degrade the performance of the base station.
PIM measurements should be made on a regular basis in
order to catch problems when they occur.

Spectral Analysis with the R&S FSH4/8

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4.1 Receiver PIM Test - continued
The first step in using the
FSH to measure PIM on the
receive path is to take a
baseline measurement of
the receive spectrum with
no active calls being
handled. Connect the FSH
to the receive test port of
the base station, and
display the spectrum over
the receive band. Save the
display by using the
SAVE/RECALL button.

Spectral Analysis with the R&S FSH4/8

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4.1 Receiver PIM Test - continued
Make sure the FSH is set for “Auto Low Noise” and the RBW is set
to 30 kHz.
Once the data is saved, future measurements can be compared
with With the excellent noise floor of the FSH, PIM signals are
easy to identify.

Baseline Measurement Current Measurement Baseline Comparison

Spectral Analysis with the R&S FSH4/8

Version 1.0 by Mark Frank & Jeremy Cline