In our lab we use an N5222A PNA coupled with a U3042A 16 Port Test Set Extension for our network measurements. This 20 port calibration takes a significant amount of time at the moment and due to the nature of the DUT connections and temperature cycling, we often have to replace cables as we move through our weekly cal cycles. Our technicians are expressing a lot of frustration with the fact that our current methods require that they re-calibrate all 20 ports whenever they have to change even a single cable. Is there any functionality or cal data storage method that would allow for us to change a single cable on our test set extension and 'update' the calibration with this newly changed cable?
well, there is one work-around. With your 20 port calibration you have a 1 port cal for each cable. When you have a cable go bad, you can replace it, do a one-port calibration on that cable. Then you can use the "cal plane manager" to compute the "difference array" (a kind of s2p file of the difference between the 20 port cal and the 1 port cal) and de-embed that difference from the single port of the 20 port cal. Cal Plane Manager also provides a way to de-embed a port and generate a new calset.
W.R.T. a 20 port cal, you can do it with just a single 2-port cal, and then a thru connection to every other port using the same thru. Suppose all your DUT ports are female. You would normally have a f-f ecal. Instead, add a f-f adapter to port 1 and do a 2 port cal between the f-port (male dut) and the port 2 (which will be male) using the QSOLT cal (defined thru). The cal wizard will also let you do a defined thru to every other port (port 1-3, 1-4 up through 1-20). Now you have a 20 port cal, but with the thru adpater on port 1. Do another 1 port ca with the adpater removed and use cal plane manager to create a new calset at the proper reference plane.
will that work in your case?