Section 5: Glossary - AEA CIA-HF Operating Manual

Capacitive Reactance – The Reactance of a circuit resulting from Capacitance, or the property of
a device or component that enables it to store energy in an electrostatic field and release it later.
Center Frequency – The frequency corresponding to the center of a plot; defines the midpoint of
the frequency sweep range.
Data Box – Displays the data blocks described in the Function Keys section; located below the
horizontal axis in the real time graphing screens.
Graticule – A dotted grid superimposed on a plot to aid the user in discerning numerical values.
Idle Period – The amount of time that elapses between user inputs; the Analyzer will power off
after a five minute idle period in which no keys have been pressed.
Impedance – The total passive opposition offered to the flow of an alternating current; total
(absolute) Impedance consists of Resistance plus either Capacitive or Inductive Reactance.
Inductive Reactance – The Reactance of a circuit resulting from the presence of Inductance, or
the property of an inductor that opposes any change in a current that flows through it.
Logo Box – Displays a letter identifying the currently displayed screen; located in the lower right
corner of each real time graphing screen.
Plot – The analog display of various antenna values relative to frequency.
Q factor – As it relates to the Analyzer, this value, which is calculated by dividing the center
frequency by the 2:1 SWR bandwidth, provides a relative indication of how sharp an antenna or
tuned circuit is.
Reactance – The part of total Impedance resulting from Inductance or Capacitance.
Real Time – A term applied to the seven primary graphing and data screens; indicates that there
is no significant delay between data capture and display.
Resistance – The opposition of a material to the flow of electric current; Resistance is equal to a
voltage drop through a given material, divided by the current flow through it. The standard unit of
Resistance is the ohm.
Return Loss – The approximate loss that a signal experiences when traveling "round-trip" through
a cable, expressed in decibels (dB).
Scale – The values displayed on the Y (vertical) axis of the graphing area.
Screen – A display containing either real time plots or data:
S: Real time sweep display of a test load's SWR curve.
Z: Real time sweep display of a test load's Impedance (absolute value) vs. frequency
curve.
R: Real time sweep display of a test load's Resistance vs. frequency curve.
SECTION 5.
GLOSSARY
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