User`s guide

span accuracy
The uncertainty of the indicated frequency separation of any two signals on the display.
spectral purity
See noise sidebands.
spectral component
One of the sine waves comprising a spectrum.
spectrum
An array of sine waves differing in frequency and amplitude. They are properly related
with respect to phase and, taken as a whole, constitute a particular time-domain signal.
spectrum analyzer
A device that effectively performs a Fourier transform and displays the individual spectral
components (sine waves) that constitute a time-domain signal.
spurious response
The undesired responses that appear on a spectrum analyzer display as a result of the input
signal. Internally generated distortion products are spurious responses, as are image and
multiple responses. These can be either harmonic responses or nonharmonic responses.
Harmonic responses are second, third, fourth, and so on, harmonics of the input signal.
Nonharmonic responses are intermodulation and residual responses.
state-register
The area of user memory in the analyzer where measurement results and associated
analyzer settings are stored.
step
The increment of change that results when you press the front-panel step keys, @ and 0,
or by program commands.
stimulus-response mode
The operating state that allows a spectrum analyzer to make measurements similar to
those of a network-analysis measurement system. Spectrum analyzers with this ability
use tracking generator functions. The tracking generator may be an external instrument
(stand-alone tracking generators) or designed into the analyzer hardware. Measurement
results are displayed in a relative-amplitude scale resulting from a variation, plus or minus,
from a reference (normalized) value stored in a trace.
stop/start frequency
Terms used in association with the stop and start points of the frequency measurement
range. Together they determine the span of the measurement range.
Glossary-l 5