How is a SINAD measurement made?
SINAD is one of four measurements available from the Analog Audio measurement. However, SINAD measurements are not typically made when testing GSM mobiles but are more common when testing AMPS or other analog mobiles.
SINAD is a receiver audio quality measurement for mobiles. It is the ratio of Signal+Noise+Distortion divided by Noise+Distortion, expressed in dB. SINAD can be measured in the range of 100 Hz to 10 kHz.
The SINAD measurement is used to determine receiver RF sensitivity. SINAD is usually measured in either of two ways:
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Reduce the Cell Power from the test set until 12 dB SINAD is displayed (re-triggering for each measurement), or
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Set the Cell Power from the test set to a specified low level and verify a >=12 dB SINAD reading.
Difference in Agilent 8960 Series 10 and 8920B Test Set SINAD Measurements
If you have previously used the Agilent 8920B RF Communications Test Set to measure SINAD, you may notice that the Agilent 8960 Series 10 test set's SINAD value may be higher by up to 0.8 dB when measuring 12 dB SINAD. This is due to the more precise digital notch filter used by the Agilent 8960, allowing a more accurate noise measurement to be made. The Agilent 8920B uses an analog filter that does not have as precise a filter notch as the Agilent 8960.
