Fundamentals of modern spectral analysis

In this paper, we cover several of the fundamental or kev design parameters affecting the performance of a spectrum analvzer. We present a high level overview of the spectrum analyzer dynamic range and show how it can be achieved with both FFTSA and SSA. We discuss the effect of instan taneous bandwidth on system flexibility and measurement speed, we explore the importance of image rejection and anti-aliasing and how the lack thereof can lead to false mea surements, and we conclude with final comments and analysis.