How to set up an oscope to measure like an antenna?

Thread Starter

Gibson486

Joined Jul 20, 2012
355
I want to set up an oscilloscope to measure as if it were an antenna. What type of probe would I need? Can I just use the standard probe that came with my scope (a tektronix MDO 4000), or do I have to get something active? I am expecting the signal to be pretty low (it's very low power, like 100mW) and I will be using the spectrum analyzer function to look at it.
 

dl324

Joined Mar 30, 2015
16,845
I want to set up an oscilloscope to measure as if it were an antenna. What type of probe would I need? Can I just use the standard probe that came with my scope (a tektronix MDO 4000), or do I have to get something active? I am expecting the signal to be pretty low (it's very low power, like 100mW) and I will be using the spectrum analyzer function to look at it.
I'd start with a piece of wire; quarter wavelength.
 

MarkSimms

Joined Apr 6, 2016
54
I'm a noob, but I would use as small coil to measure Electro magnetic force, that I belive are part of radio waves, I'm a noob so don't quote me
 

kubeek

Joined Sep 20, 2005
5,794
Electric field? Magnetic field? Corn field? All of the above?
Most likely a set of near field probes or a home made ones would do the job, but don´t expect to get any hard data from the measurement as you can´t really calibrate these since the signal level depends on the distance from the source.
 

dl324

Joined Mar 30, 2015
16,845
I am trying to see if we have a field from a own self made electrodes.
Try the piece of wire. I used that technique in the 70's when I was working on SAW resonator circuits and had one that would occasionally lock on the wrong frequency. IIRC, it was a pager frequency around 160MHz which was within a few tens of MHz of the fundamental frequency of the resonator.
 

SLK001

Joined Nov 29, 2011
1,549
Build yourself a "sniffer". Here is one I used to use everyday. Connect it to a spectrum analyzer with a quality 50 Ω coax cable and move it over your circuit to locate "hot spots".
DSCI1736.JPG
DSCI1737.JPG
 

Thread Starter

Gibson486

Joined Jul 20, 2012
355
Electric field? Magnetic field? Corn field? All of the above?
Most likely a set of near field probes or a home made ones would do the job, but don´t expect to get any hard data from the measurement as you can´t really calibrate these since the signal level depends on the distance from the source.
Electric Field
 

MrSoftware

Joined Oct 29, 2013
2,188
You probably don't need anything! When I attach the little probe clips that came with my probes (little horseshoe shaped clips) my scope picks up the 60Hz mains power in my walls really strongly. If you touch the probes that also picks up all kinds of stuff. Probably any piece of wire will pick up something.
 
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