Arbitrary waveform generators (AWGs) provide the means to precisely replicate complex waveforms when they are armed with sufficient bit resolution, sampling rate, and sample memory. The AWG5200 Series of AWGs is equipped with a generous measure of all three commodities, with standard sampling rate to 5 GSamples/s (and as high as 10 GSamples/s with 2× interpolation), 16-b vertical resolution, and enormous 2 GSamples waveform memory per channel. It amounts to modular AWGs in 2-, 4-, and 8-channel configurations with the capabilities to directly generate complex modulated signals with carriers to 4 GHz without frequency translation. The high-bit resolution also means that the generated signals will benefit from a -70 dBc spurious-free dynamic range.
Signal generation for RF/microwave test grows more complex according to a number of factors, including the growing number of devices operating within a frequency range of interest and the various modulation schemes that are used to maintain coexistence of different devices within a common frequency range. Realistic test signals must recreate the modulation used by a device under test (DUT) but may also require the reproduction of noise and interference to mimic a DUT’s actual operating environment. Measurements meant to emulate occupied spectrum, whether for military or commercial purposes, can never have enough test sources because the environments they are simulating are filled with literally thousands of RF/microwave signals from such sources as radars, portable radios, and smartphones.