Each VNA channel is like a separate VNA, with its own frequency list, calibrations, power setup and other parameters. Each channel can display up to 16 individual trace graph displays.
The number of VNA channels is user-definable, subject to the limits of the Maximum Point Mode of the instrument described in the section above.
25,000 Point Mode
If the instrument is set to the 25,000 point mode, up to 16 channels, each with up to 16 traces can be defined for a total of 256 traces. The number of sweep points can be distributed to the defined channels and traces in any combination. The screen layout of the VNA channels is also user-definable by selecting from multiple pre-defined layouts. If many channels and trace graphs are used, the user can quickly maximize any channel and/or trace display for ease of viewing and closer inspection.
100,000 Point Mode
If the instrument is set to 100,000 point mode, the instrument is limited to 1 channel with 16 traces. The 100,000 sweep points can be distributed across the defined traces in any combination. On the MENU BAR, the CHANNEL drop-down menu is limited to four choices: Frequency, Power, Sweep, and Averaging. On the right-side menus, the CHANNEL menu buttons are unavailable.
Channel Detach
Channel detach creates a new window containing the graph area of the active channel. This can be useful with external monitor configurations where one wishes to examine a given channel's data in more detail without maximizing the channel.
Detached Channel Display
Channel Sweep Control
Several tools are available to control which channels are sweeping. By default, each channel sweeps sequentially in order of channel number. If there are many sweep points or a low IF bandwidth in one or more channels, it can take a long time for a given channel to sweep and the data to update. One can sweep only the active channel using a menu toggle. One can also independently select which channels are sweeping using the CHANNEL SWEEP CONFIGURATION dialog shown below.
