RF mixer

An RF mixer in RF measurement technology is a three-port component that multiplies two different input frequencies to shift the signal to a different frequency.

The RF mixer combines the high-frequency received signal (RF) with the signal from a local oscillator (LO), resulting in the sum and difference of these two frequencies at the output (IF/ZF).

What is this mixer principle used for?

The principle is used to convert extremely high frequencies down to a lower, more easily measurable range (down-conversion) or, conversely, to up-convert signals for transmission (up-conversion).

Mixers are used in RF measurement technology to convert high input frequencies to a lower intermediate frequency. This enables spectrum analysers to evaluate very high GHz signals using downstream filters. In network analysers, mixers also enable measurements to be taken on frequency-converting DUTs such as tuners, converters or similar RF assemblies.

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