Phase Noise, Amplitude and TOI Measurement Errors

Do you rely on accurate measurement of phase noise, amplitude or third order intercept (TOI) as part of your work? Would it surprise you to find out the accuracy of these and other critical measurements may not be what you expected, depending upon how your instruments are calibrated? If you submit your instruments for calibration and just assume good things will happen, your carefully constructed system accuracy budget could be ruined by instruments operating out of specification! Sounds - bad and it is! Unfortunately, what constitutes a proper calibration and the importance to everyday measurement accuracy is seldom taught in electrical engineering classes. This article illustrates how the accuracy of key measurements is directly related to specific calibration deliverables.