Concepts and Features
R&S
®
ZNA
128
User Manual 1178.6462.02 ─ 12
●
ASCII ("*.csv") files
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Matlab ("*.dat") files are ASCII files which can be imported and processed in Mat-
lab.
The trace file formats complement each other; see
Chapter 5.4.2.3, "Finding the Best
When exporting traces to a file, it is recommended to set the analyzer to single sweep
mode (Channel – [Sweep] > "Sweep Control" > "All Channels on Hold"). This ensures
that a complete sweep is exported.
5.4.2.1
Touchstone Files
Touchstone files contain a header, a comment section, and the actual trace data:
# HZ S RI R 50.00
! Rohde & Schwarz Vector Network Analyzer
! Rohde-Schwarz,ZNA26-4Port,1332450024100005,1.50.2.19
! Created: UTC 3/21/2018, 5:20:26 PM
! My Comment
! freq[Hz] re:S21 im:S21
1.000000000000000E7 5.067533850669861E-1 -4.535870999097824E-2
1.424500000000000E8 4.869025051593781E-1 -1.263110041618347E-1
...
#
indicates the beginning of the header line (required at the top of file), which consists
of the following data elements:
●
<Frequency unit>:
HZ / KHZ / MHZ / GHZ
allowed for imported files; the ana-
lyzer always uses
HZ
for exported data.
●
<Data file type>: at present only
S
for S-parameter files is supported
●
<Data format>: RI for Re/Im, MA for linear Mag-Phase, DB for Mag-Phase in deci-
bels; the data format for export files can be selected in the Export Data dialog.
●
<Reference resistance>: specifies the impedance system underlying the trace
data, given as a real, positive resistance (default 50 Ω)
Comment lines start with the exclamation mark (!) and can contain any text used for
documentation of the trace data file. Any number of comment lines can be inserted
before or after the header line.
The following information is displayed in the comments section:
●
VNA identification (comment line 2 in above example)
●
timestamp (comment line 3)
●
port-specific renormalization information (comment lines 4ff, if applied; see
ple "Renormalization comments"
●
headings for included data tables (comment lines right above the data tables, start-
ing with
! freq
)
The trace data section corresponds to a set of single-ended S-parameters. It depends
on the number of ports and the data format. For real and imaginary values (<Data for-
Operations on Traces