Spectrum Analyzer Measurement Guide : Spectrum Analyzer Measurements : Spectrum Emission Mask
 
Spectrum Emission Mask
To select spectral emission mask measurement go to main and menu press MEASURE > MEASUREMENT >SEM. The SEM measurement parameters are set up using the SETUP Menu (SEM). The spectrum emission mask (SEM) measurement is a relative measurement method to identify the power level of out-of-band spurious emissions outside of the in-channel bandwidth signal. The SEM measures the power ratio between in-band and adjacent channels. The SEM measurement then identifies the emissions that interfere with other channels. Then, the spurious signal levels of pairs of offset frequencies are identified and related to the carrier power.
The spectral emission mask measurement supports the testing for “Operating Band Unwanted Emissions” described in the 3GPP base station conformance testing document. There is support for 5GNR masks which are automatically built based on the current carrier frequency/channel and BW values. Masks with the (KR) designation in the title are built according to Korean regulator standards for FR1 signals. The instrument indicates if the signal is within the specified limits by displaying PASS or FAIL. The emission mask information is also displayed in a table format with different frequency ranges and whether the signal PASSED/FAILED in that region.
Selecting the SEM measurement does the following:
• Disables all other measurements
• Adds a predefined 5GNR emission mask
• Sets the span to the mask width
• Sets the detection method to RMS
A spectrum emission mask measurement showing the 5GNR P<38 dBm mask setting is illustrated in Figure: SEM Measurement.
SEM Measurement
1. The status panel provides quick access to common spectrum analyzer settings. See STATUS PANEL (SEM).
2. SEM Mask
3. Spectrum Emission
4. SEM Mask
5. All SEM measurement parameters are set via the SETUP menu. See SETUP Menu (SEM).
Spectrum Emission Mask Measurement Basic Setup
1. Select MEASURE > MEASUREMENT > SEM from the right side menu.
2. Select SETUP and select upper or lower mask (5GNR P>38 dBm or 5GNR P<38 dBm).
3. Enter the reference channel bandwidth.
4. Toggle AUTO MAX PWR or set MANUAL MAX POWER.
5. The SEM measurement results are displayed in a table with pass/fail results.
STATUS PANEL (SEM)
Below is the status panel with the corresponding minimized status panel icons that is unique only to spectral emission mask measurement.
Status Panel with Minimized Status Panel Icons (SEM)
 
AUTO MAX PWR
Toggle auto maximum power to set the maximum power automatically.
MANUAL MAX PWR
Enables when Auto Max Power is toggled.
REF LEVEL
Sets the reference level of the top graticule line in the selected units. If the reference level offset is not zero, OFFSET REF LEVEL is displayed at this location.
SCALE/DIV
Sets the graticule scale/division for log-based units. This setting does not apply to linear units.
REF LEVEL OFFSET
Sets the reference level offset in dB units. This setting can compensate for the presence of external input attenuation or gain.
FREQ OFFSET
Accounts for frequency conversions outside of the analyzer. Refer to Setting Frequency Parameters.
ATTEN LEVEL
When auto attenuation is off, sets input attenuation.
PRE AMP
Toggles the low-noise front-end preamplifier on or off. Refer to Setting Amplitude Parameters.
TRACES/CURSORS
Displays the current status of up to six traces or cursors in a quick-view summary. When the measurement view is set to RF Spectrum, trace information is displayed in this area. When the measurement view is set to Spectrogram, cursor information is displayed in this area. Cursors are available in the Spectrum measurement with the Spectrogram view selected.
The summary information includes the trace or cursor number, type, mode, and detector type. The active trace will show a highlighted background with the mode and detector type restated under the table. In Spectrogram, a reference trace (T0) will show you the settings of the trace used to fill the spectrogram. The reference trace settings are applied to all traces and cursors while in Spectrogram view. Selecting a trace or cursor in the summary panel activates the pressed trace or cursor and opens the TRACE menu, allowing you to select and set up an individual trace or cursor as desired. Refer to Setting Trace Parameters.
SWEEP
Toggles the current sweep setting between continuously or sweep once. Refer to Setting Sweep Parameters.
FREQ REFERENCE
Indicates the current frequency reference source of Internal High Accuracy (used after GPS has lost sync, but while the internal clock still has good GPS reference), Internal Standard Accuracy, External, or GNSS (GPS) Hi Accy (requires GPS). The instrument automatically selects the frequency reference in the following order of priority: external, GPS, then the internal time base.
SETUP Menu (SEM)
SETUP Menu (SEM)
 
SELECT MASK
Selects the desired upper or lower emission mask. Choose the desired mask from the list.
IMPORT MASK
Used to import a custom user mask.
EXPORT MASK
Exports an example user mask as a comma separated value file (see Example Custom Signal Emission Mask) or exports the currently selected custom mask.
REF CH BW
Sets the reference channel bandwidth for the measurement.
AUTO MAX PWR
Toggles automatic max power. Some segments in the mask are dependent on the main channel power. Enabling this automatically calculates the reference channel power by measuring the channel power of the center channel bandwidth. When disabled, the reference power must be entered manually below.
MANUAL MAX PWR
Used to manually enter the reference channel power for masks that have limits dependent on main channel power.
PRESET SETUP
Presets all values on the SETUP menu to default values.
Example Custom Signal Emission Mask
To create a custom SEM, use the following steps:
1. Export the existing mask as a csv file by pressing the EXPORT MASK button in the SEM SETUP menu.
2. From the FILES menu, move the exported file to a USB device and then to a computer for editing.
3. If this is the first time exporting the file, the following data should be in the file:
# Example Custom Signal Emission Mask
# Start Frequency, Stop Frequency, RBW, VBW, Is Start Amplitude Relative, Is Stop Amplitude Relative, Start Amplitude, Stop Amplitude
-3.5e6, -2.1e6, 100e6, 100e6, 0, 0, -9.5, -9.5
-2.1e6, -0.7e6, 100e6, 100e6, 0, 0, -9.5, 0.5
0.7e6, 2.1e6, 100e6, 100e6, 0, 0, 0.5, -9.5
2.1e6, 3.5e6, 100e6, 100e6, 0, 0, -9.5, -9.5
4. Change each of the values as desired. Note that the values must be entered in the listed order of the file header.
5. Save the file to a USB device and insert it into the instrument.
6. Select the IMPORT MASK button in the SEM SETUP menu and select the new file from the USB drive. The file name of the imported mask file will be displayed on the EXPORT MASK button.
7. Select the SELECT MASK button and select Custom.