I have a really stupid question. I have some attenuators that I wanted to test, so I figured I'd take a voltage source, a volt meter and some cables. I then measured the voltage without the attenuators, and with. But somehow the numbers don't add up; I get attenuation values much lower than listed.. Am I missing something obvious? Also, multiplying the separate 3db and 2db ratios gives something different than the actual 2+3 dB configuration..
They are mini circuit attenuators rated from DC to 18 GHz, the bw S2w2+ for example
@Asmyldof I see your point, they probably list it as DC to 18 GHz because it goes close to DC, but not to actual DC. It's terminology that remains a bit confusing to me. So since my voltage source is DC, testing the attenuation with it doesn't make all that much sense? Mini circuits is the brand, and looking at their data sheet you are of course right that they are not completely flat, albeit quite. Any suggestion on how to determine it's attenuation in a more accurate way? Perhaps with a VNA.
@user3183724 Ah yes, mini circuits. Not as famous here as elsewhere I guess. Dave Jones has a video on using a DSO as a scanning "lower grade" S.A. with a function gen