Hello,
I'm a sound engineer not an RF engineer let's just start there.. Wondering if I should be always using an attenuator on the input of my TinySA Ultra to protect it or only if I observe a signal that's nearing 0dB? Will the TinySA warn you somehow of an overload?
A little background.. I'm using the TinySA to scan mostly VHF and UHF but sometimes 2.4GHz and 5GHz to help coordinate and troubleshoot our wireless mics and wireless video equipment. Generally the power levels we deal with are well under 1W but some video transmitters go higher... I am often wearing an active wireless mic myself (100mW transmitter) for coms purposes. Does operating the TinySA very close to the a transmitter like that run the risk of overloading or damaging it?
Can I connect the output of a transmitter directly to the tinySA with a piece of coax without an attenuator or is this bad for both devices?
Sorry for the basic questions. Just looking for some best practice basics. If I'm just going to buy one attenuator for this purpose what's a good value? 10/20/30 dB?
Derek H