Characteristics
R&S
®
ESMD
17Manual 4066.0040.32 ─ 08
can be demodulated and processed. In the case of analog methods, the demodulated
signal is audible on the loudspeaker or headphones.
The "Frequency Scan" and "Panorama Scan" function are specially designed for the
monitoring of radio services that employ fixed frequency spacing (channel spacing).
Searches at specific frequencies
The "Memory Scan" function is used to scan a series of predefined channels and analyze
them for occupancy. If a signal is above the threshold, the R&S ESMD dwells at the
signal's frequency for the predefined dwell time, and the signal can be demodulated and
processed. In the case of analog methods, the demodulated signal is audible on the
loudspeaker or headphones.
In this mode, parameters such as frequency, demodulation mode, bandwidth or squelch
levels can be set individually for each channel. The content of each memory channel can
be transferred to the receiver manually by using the RCL key. The settings can also be
changed and then stored in memory by means of the SAVE key. The parameters for
multiple channels can be set by calling up a display table.
This scan is especially useful when it is necessary to scan individual frequencies that do
not have fixed channel spacing, or when frequency blocks need to be scanned at regular
intervals (e.g. f1, f2, f3, f1, f2, f3, etc).
Demodulation and analysis
Analog modulated signals are demodulated in the R&S ESMD. The signal is audible on
the built-in loudspeaker or via headphones. A PC-based software application is available
for analyzing complex signals. This application provides a large number of functions such
as classification (detection of modulation mode), vector analysis, bit-stream analysis or
decoding.
For online analysis, the digital data is transferred from the receiver to the PC via LAN in
realtime. For offline analysis, the software accesses data that was recorded in the
R&S ESMD itself or externally.
Interference search
Owing to its compact design and many special functions, the R&S ESMD is ideally suited
for detecting all kinds of radio interference. Special functions such as adjustable mea-
surement time and continuous (averaged) or periodic (maximum value after timeout of
the measurement) level output have been integrated for these tasks. Since these func-
tions are also applied in the RF spectrum, even nonperiodic interferers can be easily
detected, which are otherwise easy to miss in a quick spectrum because they occur at
erratic intervals. As a result, the source of interference can be quickly detected and elim-
inated – an aspect that is extremely important in security-critical radiocommunications
(e.g. air-traffic communication).
Detection of frequency-agile signals, e.g. hoppers
Due to its wide realtime bandwidth and high scan rates, the R&S ESMD can also reliably
detect signals with quickly varying frequencies – even hoppers with hop rates up to 2000
Application Examples