WCDMA Analyzer Measurement Guide : WCDMA Analyzer (Option 871) : Setting Up Markers
 
Setting Up Markers
Marker parameters are set using the MARKER Menu.
Note 
Markers are only available in WCDMA spectrum-based measurements. For example, non-spectrum-based measurements such as Demod Summary the Marker menu is not available.
Refer to the figure below when working with this section.
Marker Table and Marker Settings Panels
1. Normal spectrum view marker information display.
2. Marker located on trace. The active marker is indicated with solid green fill, other markers will show with a hollow fill, fixed markers show as a green X.
3. Selected marker in the MARKER menu and in the marker table. The marker table shows all of the marker parameters and measurement values. You can edit marker parameters from the marker table as well as from the MARKER menu.
Placing a Normal Marker
1. Press MARKER to display markers. If markers were off, Marker 1 will automatically be made active at the current center frequency.
2. Select another marker using MARKER > SELECT, then select one of 12 available markers. If the marker was off, the marker will be made active and placed at the center frequency. If the marker was on, it will be made the active marker. You can enable all 12 markers and place them separately on traces, cursors, or set them as a fixed marker at a static frequency and amplitude.
3. Place a marker by first selecting it as the active marker, then do one of the following:
a. Enter a new FREQUENCY value.
b. Drag the marker on the trace (note that anywhere on the vertical dashed blue line can be touched to drag a marker’s position.
c. Use the PEAK SEARCH menu and the desired peak search function to automatically find signal peaks (refer to MARKER PEAK SEARCH Menu).
Placing a Fixed Marker
Fixed markers are set up the same as normal markers above, but are set to Fixed using the MODE button. In addition to setting a fixed frequency, you can set a fixed amplitude. Fixed markers are typically used as a reference marker when measuring amplitude differences relative to an absolute value.
Placing a Delta Marker
When a delta marker is on, its position data is relative to its reference marker. For example, Delta Marker 3 displays x‑axis and y‑axis data relative to Marker 3. To set a delta marker and its reference:
1. Activate a marker and place it in a reference location as described previously.
2. Select another marker using MARKER > SELECT, then select one of 12 available markers.
3. Set the second marker’s MODE to Delta.
4. Place the active delta marker by:
a. Entering a new FREQUENCY value.
b. Dragging the marker on the trace (note that anywhere on the vertical dashed blue line can be touched to drag a marker’s position.
c. Use the PEAK SEARCH menu and the desired peak search function to automatically find signal peaks (refer to MARKER PEAK SEARCH Menu).
A delta marker is labeled with a green delta symbol between the each marker number. For example, delta Marker 2 relative to Marker 1 is displayed as “2Δ1”.
 
MARKER Menu
MARKER Menu
 
PEAK SEARCH
SELECT
Turns on the selected marker if it is off or makes it the active marker if it is already turned on. Pressing the MARKER menu button for the first time will turn on Marker 1 as a normal marker at the center frequency, and open the MARKER menu. Pressing the MARKER menu button thereafter opens the MARKER menu to the current active marker, which is displayed in the upper left-hand corner of the screen. When a marker is turned on, it is a normal marker positioned at the center frequency of the selected trace.
ENABLED:
Enables the selected marker.
FREQUENCY
Displays the marker frequency. For delta markers, the frequency is relative to the reference marker. Change the marker frequency by pressing on the marker and dragging it to the desired location. You can also change the marker frequency by touching the value to open the keypad.
AMPLITUDE
Displays the current marker amplitude. If the marker is a fixed marker, the amplitude value can be changed by dragging the marker to the desired location or by directly entering the amplitude.
MODE
Select marker preference:
• Normal: A Normal marker is also known as a tracking marker. The frequency is fixed but the amplitude value varies from sweep to sweep.
• Delta (Δ): A Delta (Δ) marker displays the delta frequency and amplitude between itself and a reference marker. If Marker 1 is selected to be a Delta marker, then Marker 2 is turned on as a reference marker for Marker 1 and it becomes a Fixed marker at the same location. The reference marker can then be switched to a Normal marker if desired.
• Fixed: A Fixed marker has a fixed amplitude and fixed frequency, which are defined by the user and not related to the trace or sweep data.
FUNCTION
Sets the function of the currently selected marker to None or Noise. For more information about using marker functions, refer to Marker Functions.
DELTA REFERENCE
Selects the reference marker for a delta marker. A delta marker cannot be its own reference. Only Fixed and Normal markers may be used as a reference for Delta markers.
TRACE
Selects the trace number to which the marker is currently attached.
MARKER TABLE
Toggle on or off the marker table displayed below the screen. Refer to Marker Table.
CENTER ON MARKER
Sets the center frequency to the currently active marker’s frequency value.
REF LVL TO MARKER
Sets the reference level to the currently active marker’s amplitude value.
ALL MARKERS OFF
Turns all markers off, but markers will retain their last frequency position once re-enabled.
PRESET MARKERS:
Presets marker selections to default values.
MARKER PEAK SEARCH Menu
 
PEAK SEARCH Menu
 
SELECT
If the selected marker is off it will be turned on and the selected marker positioned at the peak of Trace 1. If the selected marker is on, then it will become the active marker and any subsequent actions in the PEAK SEARCH menu will apply to the selected marker. If no markers are on, pressing the PEAK SEARCH button on the control panel will turn on Marker 1 at the peak of Trace 1. Pressing the PEAK SEARCH button also opens the PEAK SEARCH menu.
PEAK SEARCH
Moves the selected marker to the highest peak.
NEXT PEAK
Moves the selected marker to the next highest peak regardless of location.
NEXT PEAK LEFT
Moves the selected marker to the next peak left of its current position.
NEXT PEAK RIGHT
Moves the selected marker to the next peak right of its current position.
NEXT POINT LEFT
Moves the selected marker one display point to the left of its current position. Useful for fine tuning the position of a marker.
NEXT POINT RIGHT
Moves the selected marker one display point to the right of its current position. Useful for fine tuning the position of a marker.
THRESHOLD
If turned on, sets the threshold that a peak has to achieve to be considered a peak.
EXCURSION
If turned on, sets the excursion value that a peak amplitude must rise and fall over the peak threshold to qualify as peak.
Marker Functions
Noise Markers
Noise Markers use an averaging routine applied to multiple data-point groups to calculate the readout, which is typically comparable to using 1 Hz bandwidth filtering. Because the noise marker routine uses groups of data points for the calculation, the noise marker should not be placed in close proximity to measurable signals. You can observe this effect by moving the marker further away from a signal until the marker readout stabilizes to a more consistent value. Noise markers should be used with an RMS/Avg detector type for proper measurement. When a noise marker function is selected, the marker amplitude value is displayed in dBm/Hz, which is the noise level within the resolution bandwidth filter. Delta markers can also be put into a noise function, but the reference marker must also be a noise marker. If they are different functions, one will be updated to match the other. Fixed markers are not allowed to be set to a noise function, so if a noise marker is changed to fixed mode, the function will automatically be set to off.
Marker Table
The Marker table display is useful for displaying many marker parameters at once. The example shown is for the WCDMA Channel Power measurement. The marker table shows the marker mode and corresponding X and Y values, and the trace to which it is selected. The selected marker is displayed with a highlighted background. Table controls are located on the right of the header. Press the down or up arrow to collapse or expand the table, press X to close the table.
Marker Table
1. You can select and change a marker’s parameters by selecting the marker from either the MARKER menu or the MARKER table.
2. The currently selected marker’s value is shown at the top left of the spectrum window with its current amplitude and frequency values.
3. The selected marker is highlighted on the trace display.