Achieving and Improving Level and Attenuation Uncertainties in RF Calibration

Can an RF signal source produce low uncertainty precision level and attenuation directly at its output when, traditionally, signal generators, power meters, calibrated step attenuators, and complex procedures are needed? This paper describes how a purpose-designed RF reference source achieves precision level and attenuation performance without additional equipment, how it is traceably calibrated, and the impact of recent improvements in these key specifications on its ability to address workload requirements.