🔍 Key Concepts

• VSWR (Voltage Standing Wave Ratio) indicates how well a transmission line is matched to its load • How directional couplers are used to sample forward and reflected power on a line • What network analyzers and spectrum analyzers are typically designed to measure

💭 Think About

• Think about which instrument(s) are specifically intended to look at forward and reflected power on a transmission line, not just signal frequency content • Consider which device can directly compute or display reflection coefficient or return loss, from which VSWR can be derived • Ask yourself: which combination of equipment is commonly used in the field for simple VSWR checks versus full characterization of a microwave device?

✅ Before You Answer

• Verify which equipment measures power in a specific direction along a line (forward vs reflected) • Check which instrument is primarily for frequency-domain analysis (viewing signals vs. measuring mismatch) • Confirm which instrument family is explicitly specified to measure S‑parameters (like S11), from which VSWR is derived