Averaging Modes

You can perform averaged measurements in frequency analysis. Averaging successive measurements usually improves measurement accuracy.

Averaging usually is performed on measurement results or on individual spectra but not directly on the time record.

The following are some conditions in which you can perform averaged measurements:

  • You can use either contiguous or overlapping blocks of time data.
  • The number of samples in each block of time data determines the FFT block size.
  • The averaging automatically restarts if the size of the block of time data changes.

You do not apply averaging to the measurement when you want quick computations or when the signal-to-noise ratio is high.

You can choose from among the following common averaging modes: