If we connect the RF OUT of our hp 8593A to the INPUT with the tracking generator set to -10dBm, the display shows a line around about -22dBm (see first attached photo). If we then connect the INPUT to the OUTPUT of our 8350B sweep oscillator equipped with the 83599A RF plug-in set to CW 1.45GHz at -10dBm, the 8593A displays a peak at -10dBm at CW (see second attached photo). The 8350B results seem correct and I would expect the display to show -10dBm, so we believe the INPUT side is fully functional.
Shouldn't the tracking generator output be showing -10dBm? I'm pretty sure it use to show -10dBm on the display up until recently when we were doing some measurements using a bias-tee connected to the RF OUT port.
We tried resetting factory defaults, restoring factory cal settings, and deleting saved user information, but this didn't help.
Any thoughts on this? If it is supposed to display whatever the set power level is for the generator, then could it be damaged, and is there a solution to this?
Hi afaiello,
My recommendation is to try a couple self-calibration routines. These are described in the "8590B/8591A/8592B/8593A/8594A/8595A Spectrum Analyzer Operation Manual", which can be found from the product page document library. On page 1-15, follow the steps to calibrate the analyzer frequency and amplitude. Following that, you can calibrate the tracking generator with the steps described on 1-16.
If the problem persists after these calibrations, then it is possible that an internal component is damaged. The flatness of your first image leads me to believe that the LO level is low, rather than any issue with the tracking generator itself. A tracking issue would likely result in large deviations from a straight line as the signal and analyzer lose coherence.