Calibration

Calibration is an important process for any RF instrument, particularly vector network analyzers. Calibration can be classified as either factory calibration (also known as external calibration) or user calibration. The user calibration process generally involves characterizing error terms using known standards so that the errors can be removed from the actual measurements. Unlike factory calibration, user calibration must be performed frequently for network analyzer measurements because vector network analysis is specifically affected by temperature, test environment, cables, and test fixture differences.