Spectrum analyzers and signal analyzers are passive receivers that display the signal in the form of easily identifiable data. Spectrum analyzers and signal analyzers display raw, unprocessed signal ...

Tests such as noise figure and signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) are important for characterizing the performance of a device and/or its contribution to overall system noise. Fast Fourier Transform (FFT) ...

Such analyzers are handy tools for when you quickly need to see what really is happening with a certain signal, and they’re cheap enough to be sacrificial when it comes to risky repairs.

With all the pleasantries dispensed, I turned to the one task pretty much every ham will want to turn a spectrum analyzer on: finding out just how bad the signal from a cheap handy talkie is.