Agilent Technologies Agilent 86120C manual Measuring Total Power Greater than 10 dBm

C A U T I O N

Making Measurements

Measuring Total Power Greater than 10 dBm

Measuring Total Power Greater than 10 dBm

The maximum total power that can be measured by the Agilent 86120C is 10 dBm. However, with the addition of an external attenuator, more power can be applied. This may be necessary at the transmit end of a wavelength- division- multiplexed system where large signal levels are present. By entering an amplitude offset equal to the amount of atten- uation at the instrument’s input, accurate amplitude measurements are shown on the display. Additional amplification can also be accounted for.

The maximum total input power that can be applied to the Agilent 86120C before damage occurs is 18 dBm. The maximum total input power that can be measured is 10 dBm.

To measure total power exceeding 10 dBm

1Connect an optical attenuator between the front- panel OPTICAL INPUT connector and the fiber- optic cable.

The attenuator must reduce the total input power to the Agilent 86120C so that it is below +10 dBm.

2Press Setup, MORE, CAL, and then PWR OFS.

Notice that the PWR OFS annotation appears on the screen to indicate an offset is applied.

3Use the softkey to select the digit that requires editing.

4Use the and softkeys to change the value.

Power offset values are added to the display power readings. For example, if you placed a 10 dB attenuator on the front- panel connec- tor, enter a power offset value of +10 dB. Negative values can also be entered if you connect an amplifier instead of an attenuator.

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