Remote Vector Network Analyzers For Microwave Engineering Learning

Among the topics typically covered in a course on microwave engineering one of the most important is the characterization and design of microwave networks by means of scattering parameters. This paper describes an application developed at the Department of Telecommunication Engineering of the University of Jaen based on Agilent's E5062A Vector Network Analyzer in order to create remote laboratory sessions through the Internet for the purpose of microwave engineering learning. A typical application of a Vector Network Analyzer (VNA) is the measurement of scattering parameters of a Device Under Test (DUT). Therefore, the proposed remote VNA allows microwave engineering students to characterize a DUT placed in laboratory, and the equipment is remotely controlled by the student via the Internet by means of a Web Browser.