Reply To: Calibration for measuring return loss

Thanks, Justin! I hadn’t realized the additional calibration was for vector analyzers only.

I wonder if you could elaborate on the cause of the impedance mismatch at the SA/TG. Looking at the manuals for the SA44B and TG44A, section 2.1 indicates that both SMA connectors have an impedance of 50 ohms.

I learned recently that it’s a good idea to add a small attenuator at one or both instruments, but but I’m afraid I’m not clear on why this improves the result. I would love to understand a bit better.