SNR Measurement of Superregenerative Oscillators

In this paper a method to measure the signal- to-noise ratio of superregenerative oscillators is presented. A spectrum analyzer can easily be coupled to a superregenerative oscillator without paying attention to possible loading effects. With just two measurements of the displayed power spectrum, in combination with the resolution bandwidth of the spectrum analyzer and the quench frequency of the oscillator, the signal- to-noise ratio is determined in a straightforward way. This is supported analytically with results from a frequency-domain analysis technique. Examples of the power displayed by a spectrum analyzer are given to provide insight into the explained procedure.