Types of Tests an RF Noise Generator is Used For

RF noise generators are used to measure the effectiveness of radio frequency systems. They are used to conduct BER tests, receiver tests and handover test. More information about these tests is mentioned in this article.

A noise generator is a type of electronic circuit. This type of circuit is used to produce electrical noise. The electronic noise is generally a random signal. Noise generators can also be used to generate a random sequence of numbers. Randomness is used for a variety of applications in arts, sciences, gambling, statistics, etc. The electronic signal generated by a noise generator is used to measure noise figure, frequency response, and other parameters of an electronic device (Agilent Technologies, Agilent Fundamentals of RF and Microwave Noise Figure Measurements, 2010). Noise figure is a number that indicates the performance of an amplifier or radio receiver. A lower noise figure indicates better performance of a device.

An RF noise generator is used in various tests to measure the performance of radio frequency systems and devices. Some of these tests are mentioned below:

BERT

BERT stands for Bit Error Rate Test. When data is received through a digital communication channel, this test helps determine how many bits of data have been altered due to some interference, noise during communication, distortion etc. The bit error rate is the number of bit errors measured per unit of time. The bit error ration is the number of bit errors divided by the total number of bit transferred during the communication in the studied unit of time. An Rf noise generators is sometimes used to introduce noise in a communication channel and measure its effect on the data transferred. Thus they are an integral part of BER tests.

Receiver Testing

Wireless cellular communication has become commonplace. To ensure that these systems are working properly, receiver tests must be conducted. A digital radio receiver is generally part of a cellular system. The receiver must extract the RF signal despite the presence of interference, noise, etc. A generator acts as a RF noise source so that receivers can be tested to ensure that they are in proper working order and capable of picking low strength signals even in the presence of noise (Agilent Technologies, Testing and Troubleshooting Digital RF Communications Receiver Designs, 2002).

Handover Testing

Cellular systems have a core network. This network provides various services to customers, like routing telephone calls. When an ongoing call or data session is transferred from one channel on the core network to another, this is known as a handover. Handovers may take place on a core network for various reasons. For example, when a cell phone being used in an area covered by a particular cell tower moves into an area covered by another cell tower, a handover needs to take place to ensure that the call does not get terminated. RF noise generators are used to test the effectiveness of handovers on a network.

Businesses can purchase noise generators, shied boxes, RF switches, etc from Ranatec. More information about product specifications is available on their website.