Instrument-advances enable high-speed power measurements

EVALUATION of RF power is a fundamental measurement, representing energy tr ansfer over a period of time. Almost every RF device has some type of power -level specification, Consequently, nearly every manufacturing test system contains at least one power meter. Test systems for power amplifiers usuall y have two or three power meters, while RF test stations for large satellit es may have up to 24 dual-channel power meters. Improvements in sensor tech nology and signal processing are resulting in power meters that provide gre ater dynamic range and accuracy as well as faster test execution and reduce d system complexity.