This literature was published years prior to the establishment of Agilent Technologies as a company independent from Hewlett-Packard

and describes products or services now available through Agilent. It may also refer to products/services no longer supported by Agilent. We
regret any inconvenience caused by obsolete information. For the latest information on Agilent’s test and measurement products go to:
www.agilent.com/find/products
Or in the U.S., call Agilent Technologies at 1-800-452-4844 (8am–8pm EST)

HP 8920, 8921 RF Communications Test Set Family

Product Note

Using the IBASIC Programming Environment on the

HP 8920 Test Set Family
Contents Table of Contents
Conventions used in this Product Note ........................................................... 5
Chapter 1 - Overview of the Test Set ............................................................... 6
Reference Documents ................................................................................................ 6
Table 1-1. Useful Programming Documents ......................................................... 6
The Test Set .................................................................................................................. 6
Available Software ..................................................................................................... 6
This Product Note ........................................................................................................ 7
Test Set Operating Modes .......................................................................................... 7
Manual Control Mode ............................................................................................... 7
Instrument Types ......................................................................................................... 7
Figure 1-1. Manual Control Mode Functional Block Diagram .......................... 7
Table 1-2. Test Set Instrument Types ..................................................................... 8
Front Panel Displays .................................................................................................. 8
Manual Operation ........................................................................................................ 8
Table 1-3. Steps to Make an RF Power Measurement ........................................ 9
Automatic Control Mode ........................................................................................ 10
Figure 1-2. Internal Automatic Control Mode Functional Block Diagram .............. 10
IBASIC Controller Characteristics ........................................................................ 10
Four Types of Mass Storage .................................................................................... 1 1
Four Types of I/O’s ................................................................................................... 1 1
Table 1-4. Allocation of Controller Resources in Manual and
Automatic Mode ........................................................................................................ 12
Dedicated Internal HP-IB Interface Bus ............................................................... 12
Important Notes for Writing Programs .................................................................. 13
Program Development ............................................................................................ 13
Figure 1-3. Program Development Methods ....................................................... 14

Chapter 2 - Interfacing with the IBASIC Controller ................................... 16

Test Set Configuration...................................................................................................... 16
Serial Port Configuration ......................................................................................... 16
Table 2-1. Available HP RS-232 Serial Cables and Adapters .......................... 17
Figure 2-1. Available HP RS-232 Serial Cables and Adapters ........................ 17
Figure 2-2. Connecting the Test Set Serial Port to a PC or Terminal ............. 18
Test Set Serial Port 9 Screen Configuration ......................................................... 1 8
More about Receive and Transmit Pacing ........................................................... 1 9
Table 2-2. Test Set Serial Port 9 Configuration .................................................. 1 9
PC Configuration .................................................................................................... 20
PC Serial Port Configuration ................................................................................... 20
PC Configuration of Four Available Terminal Emulators ................................. 20
Setting Up Microsoft HyperTerminal on your PC (Windows 95, 98) ............... 20
Setting Up Microsoft ® Windows Terminal on your PC (Version 3.1) .............. 20
Setting Up ProComm® Revision 2.4.3 on your PC ............................................... 21
Setting Up HP AdvanceLink (HP 68333F Version B.02.00) on your PC .......... 22
Terminal Configuration ......................................................................................... 23

2 Table of Contents
Chapter 3 - Choosing Your Development Method ........................................ 24
Figure 3-1. Three Possible Development Methods ........................................... 24
Method 1.
Developing Programs on a BASIC Language Computer
Outside the Test Set .................................................................................................. 25
Figure 3-2. Connecting BASIC Language Computers to the Test Set ............. 25
HP-IB Interface Hardware and Screen Configuration ........................................ 2 6
Connecting BASIC language computers to the Test Set via HP-IB ................. 26
Downloading Your Program into the Test Set over HP-IB ................................. 2 7
Uploading Your Program from the Test Set to a Remote
BASIC Language Computer over HP-IB ............................................................... 27
Method 2.
Developing Programs on the Test Set Via RS-232 Using the “Edit” Mode ..... 28
Selecting the IBASIC Command Entry Field ....................................................... 29
Entering and Exiting the Edit Mode ...................................................................... 3 0
IBASIC Edit Commands (Function Keys) ............................................................ 30
Table 3-1. Edit Mode Escape Code Commands ................................................. 30
Setting Up Function Keys in Microsoft ® Windows Terminal ............................ 3 0
Setting Up Function Keys in HP AdvanceLink ..................................................... 30
Setting Up Function Keys in ProComm. ............................................................... 3 1
Method 3.
Developing Programs in a Word Processor on a PC .......................................... 31
Setting up a Word Processor ................................................................................... 3 1
Writing Lines of IBASIC Code on the Word Processor ...................................... 31
Transferring Programs from your Text Editor into the Test Set ...................... 32
Sending ASCII Text Files over RS-232 with Windows HyperTerminal .......... 34
Sending ASCII Text Files over RS-232 with ProComm
Communications Software ...................................................................................... 34
Uploading Programs from the Test Set to Your PC ............................................. 35
I/O from IBASIC Programs ...................................................................................... 3 6
The Two Serial Ports ................................................................................................ 3 6
Example IBASIC Program Using Serial Port 10 .................................................. 36
More Serial Port 10 Information ............................................................................. 3 7

Chapter 4 - Common Mistakes and Helpful Hints ......................................... 38

Guideline #1: Suggested Measurement Sequence and Example Program .... 38
Example Program ..................................................................................................... 39
Guideline #2: If the Program Stops or “Hangs Up” .............................................. 39
Guideline #3: Use of Single Quotes and Spaces .................................................. 40
Guideline #4: Improve Measurement Speed ........................................................ 4 0
Guideline #5: Combine Output Statements .......................................................... 4 1
Guideline #6: Ensure Fields are Active with State On ....................................... 41
Guideline #7: HP-IB Measurements Return in HP-IB Units Only ..................... 42
Guideline #8: HP-IB Syntax Index .......................................................................... 4 2

Table of Contents 3
 Appendix - Description of Memory and Mass Storage ................................. 44
Memory Systems Overview .................................................................................... 44
Figure A-1. Test Set On-board Mass Storage Locations and Size ................... 45
Table A-1. Test Set Memory Overview ................................................................ 45
Selecting the Mass Storage Location .................................................................... 47
Listing Memory Contents ........................................................................................ 48
Priority of Memory Use ............................................................................................ 48
Memory Space Considerations .............................................................................. 48
Saving and Retrieving Programs ........................................................................... 50
Memory Cards ......................................................................................................... 50
The Memory Card Location .................................................................................... 50
SRAM Cards ............................................................................................................... 50
OTP (ROM) Cards ..................................................................................................... 51
On-board RAM Memory .......................................................................................... 52
Storage for SAVE/RECALL Registers .................................................................... 52
Storage for Executable IBASIC Programs ........................................................... 52
Storage for IBASIC Programs or Data (RAM Disk) ............................................ 52
Disk Drives .............................................................................................................. 53

4 Table of Contents
 Conventions Used in this Product Note

The generic term “test set” is used interchangeably in this product note for the
following products:

HP 8920A RF Communications Test Set HP 8921A Cell Site Test Set

The generic abbreviation "PC" refers to computers compatible with the IBM®
personal computer (PC). The PC is used as the example external controller in this
product note. Computers other than the PC can also be used to program the test set.

HP-IB is Hewlett-Packard Company’s implementation of the IEEE 488.2 interface

bus standard.

Conventions used in defining program steps:

Screen titles are shown: RF ANALYZER

Field names are shown: Squelch
Field contents and measurement results are shown: RF In
Front-panel keys are shown: (TESTS)

1
IBM® is a U.S. registered trademark of International Business Machines Corp.

Conventions 5
Chapter One Chapter 1
Overview of the Test Set

Reference Documents
Table 1-1 lists other HP documents which will help you develop programs for your
test set. Later versions of the same documents may have the same information but
in different chapters or under different headings.

Document Title HP Part Number Useful Programming Sections

and Information
HP 8920A, 8921A 08920-90220 • General HP IBASIC reference with
Programmer's Guides 08921-90031 syntax lists
• A must for serious
Test Set programmers
• IBASIC error messages

Table 1-1. Useful programming documents

The Test Set

The test set is designed to test mobile radios, base stations, cellular telephones,
and other communication systems in service and manufacturing environments.
The test set combines the features of 22 individual radio test instruments and a
Hewlett-Packard instrument BASIC (IBASIC) controller into one package. With
the exceptions of volume and squelch vernier controls, all of the test set’s func-
tions can be automatically controlled through application programs running on the
built-in IBASIC controller or on an external controller connected via HP-IB. The
test set’s measurement capability can be extended by adding application specific
cellular adapters. Current cellular adapters are TDMA test for the North American
dual-mode cellular system (IS-54 and IS-136), PDC test for the Japanese personal
digital communication system, PHP test for the Japanese personal handy phone
system, and CDMA test for the North American code division multiple access
cellular system (IS-95).

Available Software
Hewlett-Packard has an extensive range of test set application programs available
to simplify both digital and analog measurements of cellular mobile telephones,
cellular telephone cell sites (base stations), private mobile radios (conventional
and trunked), and other equipment. They are available as various options to the
HP 11807A radio test software and the HP 11807B cell site test software. The tests
are based on North American, European, and Japanese communications
requirements and standards, as well as manufacturer recommendations.

6 Chapter One
 This Product Note
This product note is designed to help you write your own programs using the built-
in IBASIC controller. Developing programs for the test set is simplified if the pro-
grammer has a basic understanding of how the test set operates. An overview of
the test set’s operation is best presented in terms of how information flows through
the unit. The simplified block diagrams presented in Figures 1-1 and 1-2 show how
instrument control information and measurement result information is routed be-
tween the test set’s instruments, instrument control hardware, built-in IBASIC
controller, and other components.

Test Set Operating Modes

Test set usage can be simply modeled if divided into two operating modes:
Manual Control Mode
• Test set operation is controlled through the front-panel rotary knob and keypad.
This mode is briefly described in this chapter to help you understand the test set.

Automatic Control Mode

• External Automatic Control mode: Test set operation is controlled by an exter-
nal controller connected to the test set via the HP-IB interface. Some informa-
tion about this mode can be inferred from topics covered in this product note,
but this mode is not covered in detail.
• Internal Automatic Control mode: Test set operation is controlled by an applica-
tion program running on the built-in IBASIC Controller. This product note
primarily covers this mode.

Manual Control Mode

Instrument Types
The test set’s primary instruments are shown on the left side of Figure 1-1.
Table 1-2 lists the two basic types of instruments in the test set.

Figure 1-1. Manual control mode functional block diagram

Chapter One 7
 Instrument Type Instrument

Analyzer RF ANALYZER (power meter, frequency counter, modulation meter)

AF ANALYZER (ac/dc voltmeter, SINAD meter, audio filters)
OSCILLOSCOPE
SPECTRUM ANALYZER (optional in some test sets)
SIGNALING DECODER

Source RF GENERATOR
AF Generator 1
SIGNALING ENCODER (AF Generator 2)

Table 1-2. Test set instrument types

(In addition, all test sets can internally route RF or AF signals among the various
connectors and instruments, and can turn device-under-test transmitters on and off
with a relay closure. Also, with the optional radio interface card installed, the test
set can send and receive 16-bit parallel digital signals to and from the device-
under-test).

Front-Panel Displays
Since so many instruments are integrated into the test set, it is not feasible to have
an actual front panel for each instrument. Therefore, each instrument’s front panel
is maintained in firmware and is displayed whenever the instrument is selected.
Only one instrument can be displayed at a time (but up to four measurement re-
sults can be seen at once if desired). Just as with stand-alone instruments, instru-
ment front panels in the test set can contain:
• Instrument setting information
• Measurement results
• Data received from the device-under-test (DUT)

Manual Operation
Using the test set manually is very similar to using a set of bench- or rack-mounted
test equipment. To obtain a measurement result with a bench or rack system, you
must use the appropriate instrument and make it active. Conceptually, the same
measurement process applies to individual instruments of the test set. Table 1-3
compares identical measurements with an individual instrument and a test set.

8 Chapter One
 Bench- or Rack-Mount Test Equipment Test Set

1. Choose the RF power meter as the 1. Choose the RF power meter as the
measurement instrument. measurement instrument by selecting
the RF ANALYZER screen from the
To Screen menu using the rotary knob.

2. Turn the power meter on. 2. Turn the power meter measurement on
by selecting the field to the right of
TX Power and pressing the (ON/OFF) key.

3. Connect the DUT to the power meter's 3. Connect the DUT to the RF IN/OUT
RF input. connector on the Test Set.

4. Select the correct power meter functions 4. Change other necessary fields on the
on the front panel. RF ANALYZER screen (such as Input
Port to RF In.)

5. Read the measurement result on the 5. Read the measurement result on the Test
power meter's display. Set's CRT under TX Power.

Table 1-3. Steps to make an RF power measurement

Figure 1-1 illustrates that instrument selection is handled by the To Screen

control hardware which routes the selected instrument’s front panel to the display.
Once an instrument’s front panel has been displayed, the user can manipulate the
instrument settings using the rotary knob or keypad. Figure 1-1 also illustrates
how instrument setup is handled by the instrument control hardware which routes
setup information from the front panel to the individual instruments.
Both HP-IB and serial RS-232 bidirectional interfaces are available in the test set.
In manual control mode, they are useful for connecting an external HP-IB or serial
printer to print displayed screens.

Chapter One 9
 Automatic Control Mode
Note: This section covers internal automatic control mode. Information about
external automatic control of the test set by an external computer connected to
the test set via the HP-IB interface can be inferred from topics covered in this
section, but this mode is not covered in detail.
In internal automatic control mode, the test set’s operation is controlled by an
application program running on the built-in IBASIC controller. Hewlett-Packard
instrument BASIC is the only programming language supported on the built-in
controller of the test set. IBASIC is a subset of the Hewlett-Packard BASIC
programming language used on the HP 9000 series 200 and 300 workstation
controllers and PCs.

Figure 1-2. Internal automatic control mode functional block diagram

IBASIC Controller Characteristics

Some characteristics of the built-in IBASIC controller are very similar to that of
other computers, and some are quite different. The IBASIC controller can be
described as a computer residing in an instrument.
• Only one program can be run on the IBASIC controller at a time. It is
single-tasking.
• The program must not exceed the test set’s on-board RAM memory space.

1 0 Chapter One
Four Types of Mass Storage
The program is loaded into RAM memory from some type of mass storage
device. Four types of mass storage devices are available for the test set:
Cards
Memory cards plug into the front-panel slot of the test set.
SRAM (Static Random Access)
SRAM memory cards are primarily used for program development and storage.
They can be repeatedly written to and over-written, and are battery-backed.
OTP (One-time Programmable Read Only Memory)
OTP memory cards contain factory-supplied application programs or data that
cannot be over-written or erased by the user. (HP 11807A, HP 11807E, and
HP 11807B software comes on this format).

Disk Drives
These are typically 3 1/2" flexible disks or hard disks which can be connected to
the HP-IB interface.
RAM Disks
RAM disks are random access memory in four battery-backed memory locations
inside the test set's RAM that can be used by the programmer very much like
SRAM memory cards, but cannot be removed from the test set.
ROM
This read only memory inside the test set contains factory-supplied programs
accessible to the user that cannot be erased.
More detail on mass storage is given in the Appendix.

Four Types of I/Os

Four types of input/output (I/O) interfaces are available for connecting to external
computers, instruments, and other equipment:
HP-IB
HP’s implementation of the IEEE 488.2 standard; available as Option 103 on the
HP 8920A; a standard feature on other HP test sets.
Serial
RS-232 compatible; available as Option 103 on the HP 8920A; a standard feature
on other HP test sets.
Radio Interface
16-bit parallel data I/O; available as Option 020 (radio interface card) on all HP
test sets; this interface is treated as an internal instrument and has its own screen.
Parallel Port
This port is used with printers requiring a parallel interface; available as
Option 103 on the HP 8920A; a standard feature on other HP test sets.

Figure 1-2 shows how information is routed inside the test set when it is in internal
automatic control mode. In manual control mode, certain test set resources are
dedicated to manual operation. In internal automatic control mode (that is, when
an IBASIC program is running), these resources are switched to the IBASIC con-
troller. Table 1-4 shows some of the relationships.

Chapter One 1 1
 Test Set Feature Manual Control Mode Internal Automatic
(Front-Panel Control) Control Mode
(IBASIC program running)

Front-Panel Display The display shows The display is dedicated to

instrument settings, the IBASIC Controller for
measurement results, and program and graphics
data received from the DUT display; instrument front
through the To Screen panels cannot be displayed
control hardware while a program is running

Serial Interface (select serial port 9 is under Under IBASIC, a program

code 9; available at manual control; can control other devices
rear-panel connector) Example: The user can print using the serial port (like a
a CRT display to a printer if DUT or printer)
connected to this serial port

HP-IB Interface (select HP-IB is under Under IBASIC, a program

code 7; available at manual control; can control other devices
rear-panel connector) or Example: The user can print over HP-IB (like a power
Parallel Interface (select a CRT display to a printer if supply or printer, but
code 15) connected to the HP-IB port will only print on the
or Parallel Port parallel port)

Table 1-4. Allocation of controller resources in manual and automatic mode

Dedicated Internal HP-IB Interface Bus

In internal automatic control mode, the measurement results and data input from
the device under test (DUT) are routed to the IBASIC controller through a dedi-
cated internal interface bus (shown in Figure 1-2 as HP-IB 8).

Key features of the dedicated internal bus:

• It communicates with the internal instruments of the test set.
• It is available only to the built-in IBASIC controller.
• No external connector is available for this bus.
• No external instruments may be added to this bus.
• It conforms to the IEEE 488.2 standard in all respects but one: each internal
instrument on the internal bus does not have a unique address.
• The test set control hardware determines which internal instrument is being
addressed on the bus through the command syntax.

The externally-accessible HP-IB interface bus, select code 7 in Figure 1-2, is used
to connect the test set to external instruments or to an external controller. Refer to
the Programmer's Guide for your test set for a listing of the HP-IB command syntax.

1 2 Chapter One
Important Notes for Writing Programs
The test set is designed to operate the same way under automatic control as it
does under manual control. This has several implications when designing and
writing programs for the test set:
• To automate a particular task, determine how to do the task manually and then
duplicate the steps in your program.
• In manual control mode, an analyzer function must be displayed and active to
make a measurement or receive DUT data. Therefore, if you want to make a
measurement in your program, you must follow these basic steps:

1. Use the DISPlay command to select the instrument whose front panel contains
the desired measurement result or data field (such as AF ANalyzer).
2. Set the measurement field (such as SINAD) to the (ON) state.
3. Then trigger a reading and read the result.

Program Development
There are three recommended approaches to developing IBASIC programs. They
are outlined below and discussed in more detail in Chapter 3. As shown in Figure
1-3, all three development methods employ an external computer (or terminal).
Your choice of development method will typically be driven by the available
equipment and by the extent of the development task. If you have a large
development task, it is strongly recommended you use a BASIC language
computer as outlined in development Method #1, by using a PC based tool,
HP 83224A.
Method #2 is for program modification or smaller program development. Since
the test set only has the knob and numeric keypad for program entry, developing
programs on the test set alone is not recommended. Method #3 is least preferred
for program development or modification because no syntax checking occurs
until the program is first run making it difficult to debug long programs. Details of
each development method are given in Chapter 3.

NOTE:
Another development method, writing programs for the TESTS subsystem,
is referenced in the HP 8920A Instrument BASIC Programmer's Guide.
This method uses the DEV_PL programs found on the Hewlett-Packard Test
Set Program Development Tool (on a 3 1/2 inch flexible disk). The DEV_PL
programs will NOT operate with a typical PC, and therefore will not be
described in this product note.

Chapter One 1 3
 Figure 1-3. Program development methods

1 4 Chapter One
Chapter One 1 5
Chapter Two Chapter 2
Interfacing with the IBASIC Controller
This chapter describes how to interconnect and set up the test set and peripheral
devices so you can develop IBASIC programs. To determine which programming
environment best fits your application, refer to Chapter 3.

Test Set Configuration

To prepare for IBASIC programming, you must first configure the test set to
operate with your PC or terminal.
This includes:
• Hardware setup
• Cables
• Communication settings: I/O CONFIGURE and TESTS (IBASIC
CONTROLLER) screens

Serial Port Configuration

In general, this chapter assumes that you will be using the serial port to develop
programs to use the internal automatic control mode of the test set.
There are actually two independently controllable serial interfaces on each test
set, each using a 3-wire transmit, receive, ground implementation of the RS-232
standard. The IBASIC controller can send and receive data from either port by
using its assigned select code.

Information about the two serial ports

The rear-panel RJ-11 connector has 6 conductors. (Note that this jack appears the
same as a common 4-conductor RJ-11 telephone jack, but the test set jack uses 6
conductors). Three of the wires are designated as serial I/O port address 9, and
the other three wires are designated serial I/O port address 10 (also referred to as
serial port A and B, respectively). The user cannot change these select codes.
Serial port 9
Serial port 9 is used for developing and editing programs because it is the one
connected directly to the IBASIC Command Entry field in the TESTS (IBASIC
controller) screen. It is also useful for data I/O from an IBASIC program. Port
settings can be changed from the I/O CONFIGURE screen, from IBASIC com-
mands, or from an IBASIC program.
Serial port 10
Serial port 10 is useful for data I/O from an IBASIC program to an external device.
Settings can be changed from IBASIC commands or from an IBASIC program (not
from the I/O CONFIGURE screen).
Why does the test set have two serial ports?
A typical application involving both ports uses port 10 to send and receive
data to and from a DUT while it simultaneously uses port 9 to print or log test
results to a serial printer or PC. In this example, you can edit your IBASIC
program from the PC without switching ports. This is schematically shown in
Figure 2-2. If you do not have simultaneous serial I/O needs, you
should use only serial port 9.

1 6 Chapter Two
 Figure 2-1 and Table 2-1 show the cables and adapters that are available from
Hewlett-Packard. (See Figure 2-2 for a wiring diagram to construct your own
cables. RJ-11 cables and adapters can be wired several ways. If you buy a cable
or adapter other than the HP parts listed in Table 2-1, verify the connections for the
pins indicated before connecting the cables to the test set).

Device Typical Uses Description HP Part Number

(all for RS-232
Serial connections)
Single to Dual To connect to Single 6-pin RJ-11 08921-61031
RJ-11 Adapter Cable serial ports 9 and 10 (male) to dual 6-pin
simultaneously RJ-11 (female); 0.6
meter cable
Cable with Test Set to PC 6-pin RJ-11 (male) to 08921-61038
Connectors 9-pin DB-9 (female);
2 meter cable
Cable with Test Set to printer 6-pin RJ-11 (male) to 08921-61039
Connectors or terminal 25-pin DB-25 (male);
3 meter cable
RJ-11 to Use with 6-pin RJ-11 (female) 98642-66508
DB-25 Adapter 98642-66505 to 25-pin DB-25
long cable (male) adapter
Cable with Long cable from 6-pin RJ-11 (male) to 98642-66505
Connectors Test Set to PC or 6-pin RJ-11 (male); 15
printer (use with meter cable
98642-66508)
Table 2-1. Available HP RS-232 serial cables and adapters

A D E
08921-61038 98642-66505 98642-66508
(Usable Serial Port 9 ONLY) (Usable Serial Port 9 ONLY)

6-Pin RJ-11
15 Meter Cable Female
2 Meter Cable (in back of
6-Pin RJ-11 adapter)
Male
9-Pin DB-9
Female
6-Pin RJ-11 6-Pin RJ-11 25-Pin DB-25
Male Male Male

B
08921-61039
(Usable Serial Port 9 ONLY)
To the To
Test Set Computer
3 Meter Cable A, B, or D + E

25-Pin DB-25 6-Pin RJ-11

Male Male

C
08921-61031 To the To
Test Set Computer
C A, B, or D + E
0.6 Meter Cable
To
Device Under Test Device Under
Dual 6-Pin D Test
RJ-11 Female
6-Pin RJ-11
Male

Figure 2-1. Available HP RS-232 serial cables and adapters

Chapter Two 1 7
 Figure 2-2. Connecting the test set serial port to a PC or terminal

Test Set Serial Port 9 Screen Configuration

Table 2-2 and the following paragraphs describe how to set up the test set and the
implications of the various choices.
1. Under the To Screen menu, select MORE, then select IO CONFIG.)
2. This will take you to the I/O CONFIGURE screen.
3. Using Table 2-2, set the fields to match your PC or terminal settings for serial
port 9. (These test set settings will not change even if you press the
(PRESET) key, send the *RST programming command, or turn the power on
and off). Make sure you set up your PC or terminal with a matching configura-
tion (except for the character echo feature as mentioned for Inst Echo).
4. Set Serial In to Inst to configure serial port 9 to the IBASIC Command
Entry field.
5. Set IBASIC Echo to On to enable IBASIC character output commands like List
or Print to always echo characters to serial port 9.
6. If you leave IBASIC Echo On, you can see your programs on your PC or ter-
minal when you list.
7. Another method to output characters to your PC or terminal when listing is to
execute the IBASIC command PRINTER IS 9. After executing this command,
whenever you execute other printer commands, characters will come out
serial port 9. I/O address 9 is the test set’s serial port 9 address. I/O address 1
is the test set’s display address. I/O address 1 is also the default value
for the PRINTER IS command, so all program printer output defaults to the
test set's display.

1 8 Chapter Two
 8. If you set Inst Echo to On, you can see characters echoed back to your PC or
terminal as they are sent to the test set.
9. With test set's Inst Echo On, do not use the echo feature of your PC or
terminal serial port configuration or all the characters on your display will
be duplicated.

More about Receive and Transmit Pacing

When receiving characters into the IBASIC command entry field, the test set's
microprocessor responds to each entry so very little buffer space is used even at
the highest baud rate. Therefore, when using your PC or terminal to send charac-
ters to the IBASIC command entry field, it is permissible to set Rcv Pace and
Xmt Pace to None.
When sending characters over the serial port from the test set to slower devices
like printers that may have small buffers, it is important to set Rcv Pace and Xmt
Pace to Xon/Xoff. This allows the printer to stop the test set data flow when the
printer’s buffer is full and then start it again when the printer is ready.
The test set has a serial port input buffer length of 2000 characters (with firmware
revision A.09.04 and greater). This becomes important when you write IBASIC
programs that expect to receive large amounts of data over the serial
port with a single ENTER statement. See Chapter 3 of this product note for
more information.

Field Available Settings Recommended Setting

Serial In Inst/IBASIC Inst

IBASIC Echo On/Off On

Serial Baud Rate 150, 300, 600, 1200, 2400, 9,600

4800, 9600, 19200

Parity None, Odd, Even, Always 1, None

Always 0

Data Length 7 bits, 8 bits 8 bits

Stop Length 1 bit, 2 bits 1 bit

Rcv Pace (receive pacing) None, Xon/Xoff Xon/Xoff

Xmt Pace (transmit pacing) None, Xon/Xoff Xon/Xoff

Table 2-2. Test set serial port 9 configuration

Chapter Two 1 9
 PC Configuration
To prepare for IBASIC programming, you must first configure your PC to operate
with the test set. This includes:
• Hardware
• Terminal emulator software

PC Serial Port Configuration

Refer to Figure 2-2 for connection details. Connect the test set's serial port 9 to a
serial I/O (input/output) port on your PC. On many PCs, a serial port is available
as either a 25-pin DB-25 (female) connector or a 9-pin DB-9 (male) connector.
This port can be configured as COM1, COM2, COM3, or COM4 (communications
port 1, 2, 3, or 4) depending on the installed PC hardware and user-defined setup.
Follow the instructions with your PC for this hardware and software configuration
information.

PC Configuration of Four Available Terminal Emulators

One convenient method to send ASCII characters to the test set uses a “terminal
emulator” program which runs on your PC. A terminal emulator is an application
program running on the PC that communicates with one of the serial communica-
tion ports installed in most PCs. It provides a bi-directional means of sending and
receiving ASCII characters to the test set’s serial port.
In general, a terminal emulator enables the PC to act like a dedicated computer
terminal. This type of terminal was used before PCs to allow remote users to com-
municate via RS-232 with central mainframe computers. An ANSI-compatible
terminal like the Digital Equipment Corporation VT-100 can be used to directly
communicate with the test set. PC terminal emulation application programs have
been designed to have setup fields much like these older technology terminals.

Setting up Microsoft®2 HyperTerminal on your PC (Windows 95, 98)

1. From Start select Programs, Accessories, Hyperterminal then HyperTerminal.
2. Enter a name and choose an icon of your choice, select OK.
3. In the Connect To screen, change Connect Using to COM1 or COM2 depending
on which serial port you are using on your PC.
4. The next screen will allow you to set up the port settings. The default instrument
settings are: Baud 9600, Data Bits 8, Parity None, Stop Bits 1, Flow Control
Xon/Xoff.
5. Then choose File, Properties, choose the Settings Tab.
6. In the Settings Tab select VT 100 for the emulation field.
7. Select ASCII Setup, check Echo typed characters locally, then OK, then
OK again.
8. Then save this file for future use.

Setting up Microsoft Windows® Terminal on your PC (version 3.1)

1. From the Program Manager, select the Accessories Group
2. Select the Terminal icon
3. From the Settings menu, make the following choices:
Select Terminal Emulation
1. DEC VT-100 (ANSI).
2
Microsoft and Windows are U.S. registered trademarks of Microsoft Corp.

2 0 Chapter Two
 Select Terminal Preferences
1. Terminal Modes
Line Wrap: Off
Local Echo: Off
Sound: Off
2. Columns: 132
3. CR->CR/LF
Inbound: Off
Outbound: Off
4. Cursor
Block
Blink: On
5. Terminal Font: Fixedsys
6. Translations: None
7. Show Scroll Bars: On
8. Buffer Lines: 100
9. Use Function, Arrow, and Ctrl Keys for Windows: Off
Select Text Transfers
1. Flow Control: Standard Flow Control
2. Word wrap Outgoing Text at Column: Off
Select Communications
(the first five of the following communications choices for your PC's serial
port should match your test set's settings)
1. Baud Rate: 9600
2. Data Bits: 8
3. Stop Bits: 1
4. Parity: None
5. Flow Control: Xon/Xoff
6. Connector: COM1, COM2, COM3, or COM4 depending on your PC setup
7. Parity Check: Off
8. Carrier Detect: Off

Setting up ProComm3 on your PC (revision 2.4.3)

ProComm is a general purpose telecommunications software package for PCs
with MS-DOS4. One of its functions is to provide an RS-232 terminal function on a
typical PC.
Running ProComm in MS-DOS. (You can use ProComm’s built-in help function to
learn more about setting it up).
1. To access the help and command functions, press the (Alt) and (F10) keys
simultaneously [abbreviated as (Alt) (F10)]).
2. Press the (SPACE BAR) to move among the choices for a particular field.
3. Press (ENTER) to accept the displayed choice.

Setting up the ProComm software

1. Press (ALT) (P) to access the LINE SETTINGS window.
2. Enter the number 11.
This will automatically set:
Baud rate: 9600
Parity: None
Data Bits: 8
Stop Bits: 1
Selected communications port: COM1
(This may be different on your PC)
3
ProComm is a product of DATASTORM TECHNOLOGIES, INC.
4
MS-DOS is a U.S. registered trademark of Microsoft Corp.
Chapter Two 2 1
 3. To select a different communications port, enter the following numbers:
20: COM1
21: COM2
22: COM3
23: COM4
4. Enter the number 24 to save changes, to make the new configuration your de-
fault, and to exit LINE SETTINGS.
5. Press (Alt) (S) for the SETUP MENU
6. Enter the number 1 for MODEM SETUP
7. Enter the number 1 for the Modem init string
8. Press (Enter) to set a null string
9. Press (Esc) to exit MODEM SETUP back to the SETUP MENU
10. Enter the number 2 for TERMINAL SETUP
11. Terminal emulation: VT-100
Duplex: FULL
Flow Control: XON/XOFF
CR translation (in): CR
CR translation (out): CR
BS translation: NON-DEST
BS key definition: BS
Line wrap: ON
Scroll: ON
Break length (ms): 350
Enquiry (CNTL-E): OFF
12. Press (ESC) to exit Terminal Setup back to the Setup Menu
13. Enter the number 4 for General Setup
Translate Table: OFF
Alarm sound: OFF
Alarm time (secs): 1
Aborted downloads: KEEP
14. Press (ESC) to exit General Setup back to the Setup Menu
15. On the Setup Menu, press (S) to save your entries
16. Press (ESC) to exit the Setup Menu
17. Press (ALT) (X) to exit ProComm back to MS-DOS

Setting Up HP AdvanceLink on your PC (HP 68333F version B.02.00)

HP AdvanceLink is software that enables you to use your PC as an alphanumeric
or graphics terminal. It can also automate terminal and file-transfer functions.
The version described will work with PC’s with the MS-DOS or PC-DOS operating
systems. (AdvanceLink for Windows is also available, and configuration is
very similar).

Running AdvanceLink in MS-DOS

1. Press the (TAB) key to move from one field to the next, which also accepts
the displayed choice.
2. Press the (NEXT CHOICE) and (PREVIOUS CHOICE) keys to move among
the choices for a particular field.
Setting up the AdvanceLink software
1. Press the (TERMINAL) function key
2. Press (CONFIG KEYS)
3. Press (GLOBAL CONFIG)
Keyboard: USASCII
Personality: ANSI

2 2 Chapter Two
 Language: ENGLISH
Terminal Mode: Alphanumeric
Remote To: enter your PC’s selected serial port number, often Serial 1
Printer I/F: None
Memory Size: 32K
Video Type: select your display type
Forms Path: no entry
Screen Size: select your size — 23 or 24
4. Press (DONE) to return to the Config Screen
5. Press (REMOTE CONFIG) (to set up the Serial port you selected above in
Remote To)
Baud Rate: 9600
Parity/DataBits: None/8
Enq Ack: NO
Asterisk: OFF
Chk Parity: NO
SR(CH): LO
Recv Pace: Xon/Xoff
CS(CB)Xmit: NO
XmitPace: Xon/Xoff
6. Press (DONE) to return to the Config Screen
7. Press (TERMINAL CONFIG)
Terminal Id: 2392A
LocalEcho: OFF
CapsLock: OFF
Start Col: 01
Bell: ON
XmitFnctn(A): NO
SPOW(B): NO
InhEolWrp(C): NO
Line/Page(D): LINE
InhHndShk(G): NO
Inh DC2(H): NO
Esc Xfer(N): YES
ASCII 8 Bits: YES
Fld Separator: down arrow or US
BlkTerminator: up arrow or RS
ReturnDef: musical note or CR
Copy: Fields
Type Ahead: NO
Row Size: 160
Host Prompt Character: left arrow or D1
Horiz. Scrolling Increment: 08
6. Press (DONE) to return to the Config Screen
7. Press (DONE) to return to the Terminal Screen
8. Press (MAIN) to return to the Main Screen
9. Press (EXIT ADVLINK) to exit

Terminal Configuration
Use the cable information in Table 2-1 and Figure 2-1 earlier in this chapter for
connecting to your terminal. Terminals typically have a DB-25 (male) connector.
Set your terminal for DEC VT-100 ANSI emulation. Many ASCII terminals will
also function properly.
To set up your terminal, use the field settings found in the HP AdvanceLink termi-
nal emulator section found earlier in this chapter. As a minimum, make sure your
terminal’s basic setup information matches the fields on the test set’s I/O CON-
FIGURE screen (see Table 2-2 earlier in this chapter for recommended settings).

Chapter Two 2 3
Chapter Three Chapter 3
Choosing your Development Method

There are three fundamental ways of developing programs for the test set.
See Figure 3-1 below.

Figure 3-1. Three possible development methods

Method 1
If you have a BASIC language computer (either an HP technical computer or a PC
running BASIC with HP-IB), this is the best method for developing any program.
This is primarily true because it is easier to debug your program on the external
computer before downloading it into the test set. When doing this, you can watch
the test set's display show changes in state and easily verify the correct measure-
ments. In contrast, when running IBASIC programs on the test set's internal con-
troller, the test set displays only the IBASIC screen, not the individual screen
states as the program progresses. This makes troubleshooting larger programs
more difficult using Methods 2 or 3.

2 4 Chapter Three
 Method 2
If you do not have a BASIC language computer, you will most likely be using a PC
with DOS interfacing over RS-232 as explained in Chapter 2. In general, it is easier
to use a PC to develop on-line using the test set and a full-screen “EDIT” mode
because you can easily and quickly run your program at various stages of develop-
ment. In this case, the program always resides in the test set and can be run at any
time. Mass storage is usually RAM memory.

Method 3
The third method of developing is to use a word processor on a PC with RS-232,
and then download your program into the test set when you want to run. This is the
last choice for development because downloading code into the test set over
RS-232 requires a loader utility program running in the test set and a RAM memory
card present as an intermediate storage location before running the program. Also,
no syntax is checked until you run the program after downloading. For shorter
programs, the intermediate storage location is not necessary.

Method 1
Developing Programs on a BASIC Language Computer
Outside the Test Set

Figure 3-2. Connecting BASIC language computers to the test set

Chapter Three 2 5
 HP-IB Interface Hardware and Screen Configuration
To use HP-IB (the IEEE 488.2 interface bus) as a means of communicating with
the test set, connect a standard HP-IB cable (such as the HP 10833B) between the
test set’s rear-panel HP-IB connector and the HP-IB connector on your PC.

On the test set:

1. Select the I/O CONFIGURE screen.
2. Set the Mode field to Talk&Lstn.
Note: If this field is set to Control, there will be a controller conflict between
your computer and the test set, probably resulting in either an interface status
error or “lock up” of your computer.
3. Set the HP-IB Adrs field to the desired address for the test set. The default
value is 14.

Connecting BASIC Language Computers to the

Test Set via HP-IB
As shown in Figure 3-2, there are two choices for computers with this development
method. The preferred computer is the HP 200,300 series technical computer. If
this is not available, the recommended computer is any PC running a BASIC
language environment such as HP BASIC for Windows. Also available is the
HP 83224A IBASIC Developer's Tool Kit which runs in the HP BASIC for Windows
environment and is used to develop programs specifically for the HP 8920A or
HP 8921A.
Note: IBASIC is a subset of HP Rocky Mountain Basic. All IBASIC commands are
compatible with RMB and thus will execute from a remote BASIC language com-
puter. There are features unique to the test set's IBASIC controller.
They include:
• User keys
• Knob
• Line drawings on the test set display
• Screen printing on test set display
• RS-232 I/O
• Test set command line address (19)
• Dedicated internal HP-IB bus (select code 8)

You first develop your program on the computer using IBASIC compatible com-
mands, then run it from the external computer over HP-IB for debugging. Once the
program is working properly, you then download it into the test set so that it can
run on the internal IBASIC controller. Because the IBASIC controller communi-
cates with the test set's measurement functions over an internal bus with select
code 8, you need to make sure to provide a means of easily changing the HP-IB
select code from 7 to 8. Before downloading the program into the test set, change
all test set HP-IB commands to address 800 from the test set default address of 714
used with the external computer.
There are two ways of allowing easy conversion of all HP-IB commands to a
different address. The first way is to establish a variable to which you assign the
correct 3-digit address number.
For example:
10 Addr = 714! Sets the value of variable Addr to be 714.
20 OUTPUT Addr;”*RST” ! Commands the test set to reset at address 714.
To change the address, simply change the value of variable Addr to 800.

2 6 Chapter Three
 A second method is to assign an I/O path to the desired I/O port.
For example, to control device #14 on the port with select code 7:
10 ASSIGN @Device TO 714! Establishes I/O path to select code 7 address 14.
20 OUTPUT @Device;”*RST”! Commands test set to reset at address 714.

To change the address, simply change line 10 to:

10 ASSIGN @Device TO 800.

Downloading your Program into the Test Set over HP-IB

IBASIC PROGram subsystem commands have been developed to allow the exter-
nal BASIC controller to download your program to the test set over HP-IB. Four
commands from the remote controller are necessary to transfer the program. You
execute these commands serially allowing enough time for each command to
finish executing. (The test set's HP-IB Mode must be set to Talk&Lstn, and the
TESTS (IBASIC CONTROLLER) screen must be displayed).

1. OUTPUT 714;”PROG:DEL”
Deletes any programs that reside in test set RAM.
2. OUTPUT 714;”PROG:DEF #0"
Defines the address in test set RAM where the downloaded
program will be stored.
3. LIST #714
Causes all program lines to transfer over
HP-IB to the test set which is at address 714.
4. OUTPUT 714;” “END
Defines end of download process by
generating an EOI command.

At this point the program code will be in the test set ready to run. If you find bugs
at this point, you can upload the program back into the remote controller or use the
full screen “EDIT” function over RS-232 explained later.
After the program is working properly in the test set IBASIC environment, you
should Save it to your choice of Mass Storage.

Uploading your Program from the Test Set to a Remote

BASIC Language Computer over HP-IB
To upload a program, you need to enter into your external controller the following
short program that uses a command from the PROGram subsystem to initiate the
upload. The uploaded program is directed to a file on your PC in the HP BASIC
directory. If you are using an HP 200,300 series BASIC language computer,
change the target file appropriately. After running this program, the program code
will be in the designated file and you will have to GET it for editing in the HP BA-
SIC (or RMB) environment.
10 ! PROGRAM TO UPLOAD IBASIC CODE FROM A TEST SET TO BASIC
COMPUTER VIA HP-IB.
20!######################################################################
30 !
40 ! The file for uploaded code will be “C:\htb386\code”.
50 ! If you want to use a different file or directory, modify the two lines
60 ! with the labels “File_name_1” and File_name_2".

Chapter Three 2 7
 70 !
80 !##########################################################
90 Addr=714 !HP 8920 address on HP-IB
100 ALLOCATE Line$[200]
110 PRINTER IS 1
120 CLEAR SCREEN
130 DISP “It may be several minutes before code begins transferring if your
program is long”
140 OUTPUT Addr;”*RST” !Reset the HP 8920
150 OUTPUT Addr;”DISP TIB” !Displays the IBASIC screen
160 OUTPUT Addr;”PROG:EXEC ‘CLS’” !Clears the 8920 display
170 OUTPUT 714;”PROG:DEF?” !Initiates the upload of whole program
180 ENTER Addr USING “X,D,#”;Count_len !Number of lines in program
1 9 0 ENTER Addr USING VAL$(Count_len)&”D,#”;Char_count
!Number of characters
200 !
210 File_name_1: CREATE ASCII “C:\htb386\code”,(1.05*Char_count/256)+5
!Number of records reserved for upload.
220 File_name_2: ASSIGN @File TO “C:\htb386\code”
230 !
240 DISP “Transferring code from HP 8920”
250 LOOP !Program transfer loop.
260 ENTER Addr;Line$ !CR/LF terminates each line.
270 PRINT Line$ !Displays new lines on HP 8920 CRT.
280 OUTPUT @File;Line$ !Transfer new line to file.
290 Char_count=Char_count-LEN(Line$)-2 !Reduces Char_count by the number of
characters in current line.
300 EXIT IF Char_count<=0
310 END LOOP
320 !
330 ASSIGN @File TO * !Cleans out file buffer.
340 ENTER Addr;Line$ !Close off reading
350 CLEAR SCREEN
360 DISP “Transfer complete.”
370 LOCAL Addr
380 END

Method 2
Developing Programs on the Test Set Via RS-232
Using the “Edit” Mode
The test set's IBASIC controller has a built-in editor that is interactive with a ter-
minal or PC over the RS-232 serial port. (It does not work unless you have a termi-
nal or PC terminal emulator connected to serial port 9.) The editor, referred to
here as the “edit” mode, allows you to develop code directly in the test set with no
uploading or downloading. You can use the edit mode to begin writing programs
from scratch or to modify existing programs. Refer to Chapter 2 for information
about connecting a PC or terminal to the test set.

2 8 Chapter Three
Selecting the IBASIC Command Entry Field
To use serial port 9 for program development, you must access the IBASIC com-
mand entry field. Serial port 9 is directly interfaced with the IBASIC command
entry field. An IBASIC command of ASCII characters sent into serial port 9 will
appear on the IBASIC command entry field. When a carriage return/line feed is
encountered, the command will be executed. To select the TESTS (IBASIC
CONTROLLER) screen on the test set:
1. Press the (TESTS) key. The TESTS (main menu) screen is displayed.
2. Position the cursor and select the IBASIC (IBASIC Cntrl) field on the
screen's lower right.
3. The screen titled TESTS (IBASIC CONTROLLER) is displayed.

To access the IBASIC command entry field:

1. Position the cursor on the screen’s upper left. This is the IBASIC command
entry field.
2. The IBASIC command entry field is not titled like others in the test set — it
is the highlighted horizontal 2-line “bar” just below the screen title TESTS
(IBASIC CONTROLLER).
To use the IBASIC command entry field with the test set knob:
1. Position the cursor at the IBASIC command entry field and push the knob.
2. By rotating the knob, you can scroll through a long list of ASCII characters
displayed on the right side of the screen.
3. When the cursor is next to the character you want, push the knob to select that
character.
4. No external hardware is required for this entry method, but it is tedious and is
recommended only for short commands. Use this method when doing simple
tasks such as initializing memory cards or CATaloging a memory card.
5. Program development using the knob alone is not recommended.

Chapter Three 2 9
 Entering and Exiting the Edit Mode
You enter the edit mode by placing the cursor on the test set’s IBASIC command
line, typing the word “edit” on the connected PC, and pressing the PC’s (ENTER)
key. At this point the test set will fill the PC screen with 22 lines of IBASIC code
from the current program in the program memory. No program line will display on
the test set screen. If no program is present, it will display 10 for line #10 to allow
you to begin writing IBASIC lines beginning at line #10. The test set IBASIC
screen will display “*” in the upper right hand corner indicating that the IBASIC
controller is running to support the full screen edit mode.
After your editing is complete, you exit the edit mode by pressing the PC’s
(ESCAPE) key twice or pressing (SHIFT) (CANCEL) on the test set.

IBASIC Edit Commands (Function Keys)

A variety of editing commands are supported by the test set edit mode. These
commands are activated in the test set as escape code sequences. Most terminals
and PC terminal emulator programs allow you to configure softkeys (function
keys) with user defined escape code sequences and user defined labels for the
keys. An escape command (when received by a peripheral device like a printer or
the test set) causes the peripheral to recognize subsequent ASCII characters dif-
ferently. In the case of the test set, escape sequences are used for executing
IBASIC program editing commands.
For instance, ESCAPE [ L makes the test set insert a new line number where the
cursor is positioned. Table 3-1 lists editing escape codes for the test set. Choose
and use the ones you need. There is no escape code for DELETE CHARACTER. Use
the (Backspace) key for deleting. Also, use the arrow keys to position the cursor.

Function Key Names Windows Terminal Escape Codes HP AdvanceLink Escape Codes
INSERT LINE ^[[L (-[L
DELETE LINE ^[[M (-[M
GO TO LINE ^[g (- g
CLEAR LINE ^[[K (-[K
PAGE UP ^[OQ (-OQ
PAGE DOWN ^[OR (-OR
RECALL LINE ^[r (-r
BEGIN LINE ^[OP (-OP
END LINE ^[OS (-OS
Table 3-1. Edit mode escape code commands

Setting up Function Keys in Microsoft Windows Terminal

When in the TERMINAL mode, click on Settings, then Function Keys.
^[ is ESCAPE in Windows Terminal. See Table 3-1 for the escape codes.
Note: Windows Terminal seems to work best when you use a mouse to access the
function keys, not the keyboard. Also, scrolling a program works best when you
maximize the terminal window display.
Refer to page 20 for instructions on setting up Microsoft HyperTerminal on your
PC (Windows 95, 98 version).

Setting up Function Keys in HP AdvanceLink

• From the “Main” (highest level) screen, set up the 8 softkeys as follows:
1. Display User Definition Screens: by pressing (Cntrl) (F9)
2. Enter all the LABEL titles for K1 through K8.

3 0 Chapter Three
 3. Activate the “Display Function” feature by pressing softkey (F7).
4. Now you can enter the escape codes for each edit command aligned with the
soft key definitions you just entered. With the “Display Functions” key
pressed, when you press the escape key, a left arrow will be displayed.
• Once you have set up all 8 keys, you activate them by pressing (Shift) (F12).
To deactivate your user defined softkeys, press (F12).
• (- is ESCAPE in HP AdvanceLink. See Table 3-1 for the escape codes.

Setting up Function Keys in ProComm

ProComm does not have function keys. However, you can assign escape
sequences to number keys 1 through 0 by using the Keyboard Macro function.
You access this function by keying (Alt) (M). There is no way to display a
label so you have to record the labels elsewhere. See the ProComm manual for
further information.

Method 3
Developing Programs in a Word Processor on a PC
The third way of developing an IBASIC program for the test set is to write the pro-
gram using a text processor on a PC, save it as an ASCII file, then download it into
the test set through the serial port. The benefit of this method is that you can do it
on your PC alone without connecting a test set until download and you do not need
a BASIC language compiler. The primary drawback is that no syntax checking
occurs until you download the complete program and first run it. A second draw-
back is that, especially for longer programs (>100 lines), it is time-consuming to
transfer the code into the test set when you want to run it.

Setting up a Word Processor

The word processor on which you develop IBASIC code must be able to save the
file in ASCII format. This is necessary because word processors use a variety of
escape codes to mark all the special display formats such as bold face, font size,
indented text, and the like. When you store your text processor file as ASCII for-
mat, all escape codes are stripped off. (As explained in the Appendix, the test set
stores IBASIC code either as PROGRAM files or as ASCII files. The ASCII format
is available in most text processors.)
Note: If you have a BASIC language operating system running on DOS such as
TransEra® HT Basic™, you can use the GET statement to bring in programs devel-
oped on text processors which were saved as an ASCII file. Then follow the steps
for downloading described earlier in this chapter in Method 1.
When writing the program, follow these steps to make sure the test set will accept
the code when you download it.

Writing Lines of IBASIC Code on the Word Processor

1. Always begin new lines at the far left margin. Never use a leading
space or tab.
2. Number each consecutive line just like an IBASIC language program.
Typically begin with 10 and increment by ten for each consecutive line.
3. Do not leave any space or double space between lines.
4. Make sure to use hard carriage return, line feeds (CR/LF) at the end of
each line.

Chapter Three 3 1
 5. When saving the completed program, save it as an ASCII file. Some word pro-
cessors have ASCII options where you need to specify CR/LF at the end of each
line. It is important that each line end with a carriage return, line feed.
6. Experiment with a short program first to make sure everything is working
correctly.

Transferring Programs from your Text Editor into the Test Set
Programs 100 Lines or Shorter
For short (<100 lines) programs, it is convenient to use an ASCII file transfer pro-
gram running on your PC to send your program down to the test set over RS-232 a
line at a time directly into the IBASIC program entry field. In this case, you set up
the test set to receive serial ASCII characters by positioning the test set cursor at
the IBASIC command entry field as explained in Method 2 in the section titled
“Selecting the IBASIC Command Entry Field”. With this setup, when ASCII charac-
ters are sent, they appear on the IBASIC command entry field. When a
carriage return, line feed is received, the test set will parse the line into the
IBASIC program memory. Each line takes about two seconds to scroll in and be
parsed. As you can see, this becomes very time consuming for long programs.
An alternative for longer programs is discussed later.
Start off by making sure there is no program in the IBASIC program memory by
executing a SCRATCH A command.
For the “short” program transfer method, using Microsoft Windows Terminal,
select the Hyperterminal application in the Accessories Group. Set it up as de-
scribed in Chapter 2 with the following additions:

1. Select Settings, Text Transfers, Flow Control, Line at a Time, Delay

Between Lines 25/10 Sec, Word Wrap Outgoing Text at Column: Off.
2. Select Transfers, Send Text File, Following CR: Strip LF selected;
Append LF not selected.
3. Select the text file you want to transfer and begin the transfer by selecting (OK).
4. Make sure the test set display cursor is in the upper left of the IBASIC
command entry line.

At this point, the IBASIC command entry line will intensify and characters will
scroll in left to right. As each line is finished you will see the IBASIC run time
indicator (upper right) come on for about 0.5 seconds as the line is parsed. If an-
other line is sent before this parsing is complete, the test set will beep indicating
an error, and the next line of the transfer will be rejected. If this happens, you need
to halt the transfer, increase the delay between line to a slightly higher number,
and start the transfer again from the beginning. When all lines have transferred,
you can list the program to verify that it was completely received. At this time, the
program is ready to run. You can either key in RUN from your terminal emulator
or press the (K1) Run user key in the TESTS (IBASIC CONTROLLER) screen.
Make sure to not press the Run Test user key in the TESTS (main menu) screen as
this will scratch the program you just loaded and look to the memory card for a
different program.

Programs Longer Than 100 Lines

For longer programs (greater than 100 lines), transferring the ASCII text files
directly into the IBASIC program memory via the RS-232 serial bus is too time
consuming. To speed the process up, perform a two step process.
1. Transfer the ASCII text file directly to a test set mass storage location
(typically a RAM card).
2. Perform a “GET” command to bring the program from mass storage into the
IBASIC program memory.

3 2 Chapter Three
To perform the ASCII text file transfer, an IBASIC program running in the test set is
required to manage the transfer. A suitable program titled “ASCII_DN” (for ASCII
downloader) is listed below.
10 ! ASCII_DN
20 ! Program to download ASCII program file from PC to the test set via RS-232
30 ! ##############################################################
40 !
50 ! This program must be loaded into the test set and run on the test set.
60 ! It directs ASCII characters that come in the serial port 9 to a file
70 ! named “TEMP_CODE” on an SRAM card. After the transfer is complete,
80 ! you must SCRATCH this program and GET the transferred program from
90 ! the “TEMP_CODE” file.
100 !
110 ! ##############################################################
120 COM /File_name/ File_name$[10]
130 DIM In$[200]
140 File_name$=”TEMP_CODE” ! File name on RAM card
150 CLEAR SCREEN
160 CLEAR 9 ! Clears HP 8920 serial bus
170 OUTPUT 800;”*RST”
180 ! Set up HP 8920 serial bus to receive ASCII text file
190 OUTPUT 800;”CONF:SPORT:BAUD ‘9600’;PAR ‘None’;DATA ‘8 Bits’”
200 OUTPUT 800;”CONF:SPORT:STOP ‘1 Bit’;RPAC ‘Xon/Xoff’;XPAC ‘Xon/Xoff’”
210 OUTPUT 800;”CONF:SPORT:SIN ‘IBASIC’;IBECHO ‘OFF’”
220 CALL Code(File_name$,In$)
230 END
240 Purge_it:SUB Purge_it ! Purges File_name on card
250 COM /File_name/ File_name$
260 OFF ERROR
270 PURGE File_name$&”:INTERNAL”
280 SUBEND
290 Code:SUB Code(File_name$,In$)
300 ON ERROR CALL Purge_it ! Branches if CREATE statement
returns error
310 CREATE ASCII File_name$&”:INTERNAL”,650
! Creates file on card
320 OFF ERROR
330 ASSIGN @File TO File_name$&”:INTERNAL”
340 PRINT TABXY(1,5);”Ready to receive ASCII file data.”
350 PRINT
360 Begin:ON TIMEOUT 9,1 GOTO Begin !Loops until data begins coming
370 ENTER 9;In$
380 OUTPUT @File;In$
390 PRINT In$
400 Transfer:LOOP !Loops to bring in ASCII file line
at a time
410 ON TIMEOUT 9,5 GOTO Done !Exit loop if data stops for >5 sec.
420 ENTER 9;In$
430 PRINT In$
440 OUTPUT @File;In$
450 END LOOP
460 Done:ASSIGN @File TO *
470 CLEAR SCREEN
480 ! Returns HP 8920 serial port input to “instrument” allowing serial comm
490 ! via the IBASIC entry field.
500 OUTPUT 800;”CONF:SPORT:SIN ‘Inst’;IECHO ‘ON’;IBECHO ‘ON’”
510 PRINT TABXY(1,5);”Down load of ASCII file is complete.”
520 SUBEND

Chapter Three 3 3
 This program runs on the test set to direct ASCII characters coming in serial port 9
directly to a file on a RAM card titled “TEMP_CODE”. This program creates the
TEMP_CODE file on the card with a size of 650 records (166 KB or enough for
about 6600 lines of ASCII text — see the Appendix for memory considerations).
When this program is running, it displays “Ready to receive ASCII file data”.
At that point, you need to initiate sending the ASCII text file representing your
program from your computer over the RS-232 serial bus. Below are two ways to
initiate sending an ASCII file from your PC. They both require you to have entered
the “ASCII_DN” program into the test set's IBASIC controller memory. This can
be done by either typing it in using the EDIT mode described earlier, or download-
ing it from an ASCII text file a line at a time as explained earlier.

Sending ASCII Text Files over RS-232 with Windows

HyperTerminal
Set up your Windows HyperTerminal software on your PC as explained in Chapter
2 of this product note. On the test set, enter and run the ASCII_DN download
program in the IBASIC program memory (see “Transferring Programs from your
Text Editor into the Test Set” immediately above in this chapter). You should now
see the instruction “Ready to receive ASCII file data” on the test set. Now
make sure your Terminal or HyperTerminal settings are configured correctly (see
page 20).

At this point, you should see each line of your program rapidly scroll across the
screen of the test set. When it is finished, the download program will display
“Down load of ASCII file complete.”
Before running your transferred program, you must SCRATCH the IBASIC pro-
gram memory to remove the ASCII_DN download program from the test set's
memory.
Next, execute a GET “TEMP_CODE” command on the IBASIC command entry
line. This will bring the ASCII text into the IBASIC program memory. It is now
ready for execution.

Sending ASCII Text Files over RS-232 with ProComm

Communications Software
Set up your ProComm terminal emulator software on your PC as covered in Chap-
ter 2 of this product note. On the test set, enter and run the ASCII_DN download
program into the IBASIC program memory (see “Transferring Programs from your
Text Editor into the Test Set” above in this chapter). You should now see the in-
struction “Ready to receive ASCII file data” on the test set. Now make the
following settings in ProComm on your PC:
Note:
The way ProComm views the remote computer (test set controller) defines an
upload as sending data from the host computer “up” to the test set. This is back-
wards from the way the download was described earlier in the Terminal example.
So with ProComm we will be using its ASCII upload capability.

1. Press (Alt) (F10) to display the ProComm help screen.

2. Press (Alt) (P) to display the SETUP MENU.
3. Select item 6, ASCII TRANSFER SETUP.
4. Set Echo locally NO
5. Expand blank lines YES

3 4 Chapter Three
 6. Pace character 0
7. Character pacing 15
8. Line pacing 10
9. CR translation NONE, LF
10. Translation NONE (This is important since the default setting will strip line
feeds and this will cause the transfer to never begin).
11. Now use the (Escape) key to get out of the set up mode and back to the main
screen.
12. Press (Alt) (F10) to access the help menu.
13. To begin sending the file, select PgUp.
14. In the UPLOAD screen, select 7 ASCII protocol.
15. Run the ASCII_DN downloader program on the test set.
16. When the test set displays “Ready to receive ASCII file data”, press
(Enter) on your PC and the transfer will begin. At this point, you should see
each line of your program rapidly scroll across the screen of the test set. When
it is finished, the download program will display “Down load of ASCII file
complete.”, and your program file will be on the memory card in the “TEMP-
CODE” file.
17. Before running your transferred program, you must SCRATCH the IBASIC
program memory to remove the ASCII_DN download program from
test set memory.
18. Next you must execute a GET “TEMP_CODE” command on the IBASIC com-
mand entry line to bring the ASCII text into the IBASIC program memory. It is
now ready for execution.
19. To run this program on the test set IBASIC controller, execute the RUN
command.

Uploading Programs from the Test Set to your PC

As an overview, you have to do the following:
1. The test set must output the program over the serial bus.
2. Your PC must receive the data through its serial port and direct the data to a
file on disk. This can be done by a terminal emulator application such as
Windows Terminal, ProComm, or HP AdvanceLink. This requires having the
serial port connection established as explained in Chapter 2.
On the test set, set the cursor to the IBASIC command entry line. Execute the
command PRINTER IS 9 which sets serial port 9 as the default printer port. Later
when you execute the PRINT command, ASCII characters will come
out serial port 9.
On your PC, select “Receive Text File” in Windows Terminal or “Receive Files”
(PgDn which is called Download) in ProComm. Enter a file name, then initiate the
file transfer. The PC is now looking for ASCII text to come in the serial port.
The final step is to execute the IBASIC LIST command on the test set IBASIC com-
mand line. At this point, the program will list its contents out serial port 9 and be
received by the terminal emulator software on the PC. When the listing is finished,
you need to terminate the file transfer by selecting Stop on Windows or Escape on
ProComm.

Chapter Three 3 5
 I/O from IBASIC Programs
There are three ports providing I/O (input/output) to peripherals external to the
test set: two serial ports and one HP-IB (IEEE-488.2) port. To bring data in, use
the IBASIC ENTER command. To send data out, use the OUTPUT command.
Please reference the Test Set Instrument BASIC Programmer’s Guide for a com-
plete description of these and other IBASIC commands.

The Two Serial Ports

The test set uses a small RJ-11 female connector on the rear panel for two serial
ports. This connector has six wires, 3 for serial port address 9 and 3 for serial port
address 10. For basic information about the serial ports, see Chapter 2 of this
product note. For a connection diagram, see Figure 2-2 in Chapter 2.
Before using either port, you have to set up the RS-232 protocol by setting baud
rate, pacing, and the other settings explained in Chapter 2. Functionally from an
I/O point of view, the two ports are identical. However, operationally there is one
major difference. The serial port address 9 settings are adjustable on the I/O
CONFIGURE screen or via IBASIC commands, while the serial port 10 settings
are adjustable only via IBASIC commands. There is no screen for serial port 10
settings. For more information, see Chapter 3, Operating Overview of the Test
Set's User’s Guide which gives the syntax for serial port 10 commands.

Example IBASIC Program using Serial Port 10

10 !......ASCII CHARACTER CYCLER...........
11 !......Prompts user over Serial Port 9. To see this prompt, you need to
12 !......be connected to a terminal at 9600 baud.
20 !......Outputs ASCII characters on Serial Port 10 beginning with ASCII
30 !......character 32 (space) ending with ASCII character 126 (~).
40 !......Characters are output with no CR/LF.
50 OUTPUT 9;”When you are ready for data to be sent on 10”
60 OUTPUT 9;”port, press Enter”
70 OUTPUT 800;”CONF:SPOR:SIN ‘IBASIC’;BAUD ‘9600’”!Allows IBASIC to
read port 9.
80 DIM A$[10]
90 ENTER 9;A$ !Program hangs here until CR/LF comes in.
100 !.................................................................
110 I=32
120 WHILE I<=126
130 OUTPUT 10 USING “K,#”;CHR$(I) ! Outputs characters all on one line.
140 I=I+1
150 END WHILE
160 OUTPUT 800;”CONF:SPOR:SIN ‘Inst’” !Sets port 9 to IBASIC entry field.
170 EXECUTE (“CURSOR HOME”) !Places cursor at left of IBASIC entry field.
180 END

3 6 Chapter Three
More Serial Port 10 Information
Serial port 10 is sometimes called serial port B in test set documentation and pro-
grams.
The default serial port 10 settings are the same as serial port 9. They are:
1. Serial Baud rate: 9600
2. Parity: None
3. Data Length: 8 Bits
4. Stop Length: 1 Bit
5. Receive and Transmit Pacing: Xon/Xoff
6. Serial in: Not available for Port 10
7. IBASIC and Instrument Echo: Not available for Port 10

There is no test set screen that shows serial port 10 settings. Therefore, to know
serial port 10 settings, you must either set them or query them.
For example, you can query the baud rate of the serial port 10 with the following
IBASIC program:
10 DIM Setting$[20]
20 OUTPUT 800;”CONF:SPB:BAUD?” !Initiates a query.
30 ENTER 800;Setting$
40 DISP Setting$
50 END

This program returns a quoted string. For example, if the baud rate is set to 9600,
the returned ASCII character string is “9600”. These settings are held in non-vola-
tile memory. They remain in place until you change them.

Chapter Three 3 7
Chapter Four Chapter 4
Common Mistakes and Helpful Hints

Because of the test set’s wide functionality, a large body of IBASIC syntax has
been defined to provide complete HP-IB control. The Programmer's Guide lists
this syntax in a hierarchical presentation to help you understand the sequence
you must follow in building command strings. The following section lists several
helpful programming guidelines you can use to develop your program more
quickly.

Guideline #1:
Suggested Measurement Sequence and Example Program
When taking readings from the test set always follow this general sequence:
1. Start from the PRESET state. This is done manually with the green
(PRESET) key and over HP-IB with the *RST command. This initial step
allows you to start making settings beginning with most fields in a known
state. If you do not do this in your program, you will have to make many more
settings to assure the desired instrument state.
2. Make your measurement manually on the front panel of the test set and record
in sequential order the screens you select and settings within each screen.
3. Begin writing your program using settings you recorded from above. As your
manual procedure requires changing screens, use the DISPlay command to
select the desired screen followed by the correct syntax to set the desired
field. As discussed in Chapter 3 of this product note, when programs are run-
ning in the IBASIC controller, you will not see the “displayed” screen since
the IBASIC screen is always displayed. However, the IBASIC DISPlay com-
mand assures all settings and measurements you want in a particular screen
are available. If you try to take a reading from a screen that is not made avail-
able by using the DISPlay command, the test set will return HP-IB Error:-
420 Query UNTERMINATED, or HP-IB Error: -113 Undefined header.
4. The ENCoder and DECoder require a further level of syntax to display the
desired screen. To display the desired ENCoder or DECoder screen, you
first have to send DISP ENC then send ENC: MODE ‘DTMF’ for example.
5. Make sure measurement state is ON. This is the default preset condition for
most measurements but if a previous program has set the state to OFF, the
measurement will not be available. The program will halt with HP-IB
error:-420 Query UNTERMINATED.
6. Trigger a reading if you are using single trigger. The default trigger mode is
repetitive causing the test set to trigger itself. In this case, a separate trigger
command is not necessary.
7. Send the MEASure query command to initiate a reading. This will place the
desired reading in the HP-IB output register. If you are using AF Analyzer
measurements of SINAD, Distortion, Signal to Noise Ratio,
AF Frequency, DC Level, or Current, you must first SELect the appropriate
measurement. (See HP-IB syntax diagrams for MEASure.)
8. Use the ENTER statement to transfer the reading to a variable or string array
in the context of your program.

3 8 Chapter Four
 The following example illustrates how to make settings and then take a reading
from the test set. This setup takes a reading from the spectrum analyzer marker
after tuning it to the RF generator output frequency.

Example Program
10 Addr=714
20 OUTPUT 714;”*RST” ! Preset to known state
30 OUTPUT Addr;”TRIG:MODE:RETR SING” ! Sets single trigger
40 OUTPUT Addr;”DISP RFG” ! Selects the RF Gen screen
50 OUTPUT Addr;”AFG1:FM:STAT OFF” ! Turns FM OFF
60 OUTPUT Addr;”RFG:AMPL -66 DBM” ! Sets RF Gen ampl to -66 dBm
70 OUTPUT Addr;”RFG:FREQ 500 MHZ” ! Sets RF Gen freq to 500 MHz
80 OUTPUT Addr;”RFG:AMPL:STAT ON” ! Turns RF Gen output ON if
! it was OFF.
90 OUTPUT Addr;”DISP SAN” ! Selects Spec Anal screen
100 OUTPUT Addr;”SAN:CFR 500 MHZ” ! Center Frequency 500 MHz
110 ! —————— MEASUREMENT SEQUENCE—————————
120 OUTPUT Addr;”TRIG” ! Triggers reading
130 OUTPUT Addr;”MEAS:SAN:MARK:LEV?” ! Query of Spec Anal marker level
140 ENTER Addr;Lvl ! Places measurement result in
! variable Lvl
150 DISP Lvl ! Displays value of Lvl
160 END

After preset, the RF generator is set to 500 MHz, -66 dBm from the RF IN/
OUT port with modulation turned off.
Then the spectrum analyzer is set to the same frequency as the generator
with input from the RF IN/OUT port. This allows the spectrum analyzer to
measure the RF generator with no external connections. In the beginning the trig-
ger mode is set to SINGle so that a TRIGger command is necessary during the
measurement sequence. This program illustrates the proper sequence of making
settings and taking readings from the test set.
The measurement taken is the level of the spectrum analyzer marker. The marker
is always tuned to the center frequency of the spectrum analyzer display after
preset. With the RF generator output and spectrum analyzer input both directed to
the RF IN/OUT port, the two will internally couple with 46 dB of gain. So the
measurement will read a level of approximately -20 dBm. (-66 +46) This is
convenient for the demonstration since no external cables are required.

Guideline #2
If the Program Stops or “Hangs Up”
If your program stops or “hangs up” when trying to ENTER the measurement, it is
likely that the measurement you’re trying to read is not available. Here are sev-
eral reasons that can happen.
1. You have not displayed the screen where your measurement is presented
before querying the measurement.

Chapter Four 3 9
 2. The squelch control is set too high. If you are trying to make TX measurements
and the test set is squelched, most measurements are unavailable.
3. The RF Input is set to ANT while trying to read TX power. TX power is not
measurable with the input port set to antenna.
4. The input signal to the test set is very unstable causing the test set to
continuously autorange. (You should see this when setting up the measurement
manually).
5. While setting up the measurement manually, if the measurement field displays
——, this means the measurement is not available.
6. You have set single trigger mode (TRIG:MODE:RETRig SINGle) and have
not triggered a new reading before the ENTER command.
7. You are trying to make an FM deviation or AM depth measurement while in the
RX test screen or after executing instrument preset. In these cases, the test set
is in the RX test screen where FM or AM measurements are not available.

One way to make modulation depth measurements available is to:

1. Display the AF ANALYZER screen (DISP AFAN)
2. Set the AF analyzer input to AM or FM Demod (AFAN:INP ‘FM’).
3. You may also use the TX TEST screen to access the AFAnlIn field but this
automatically changes several other settings and is not recommended for
IBASIC programming.

Guideline #3
Use of Single Quotes and Spaces
The test set's HP-IB syntax requires proper use of single quotes and spaces. The
syntax diagrams in the Programmer's Guide show where single quotes are
needed and where spaces are needed.

Example:
OUTPUT 714;”DISP<space> AFAN”
OUTPUT 714;”AFAN: DEMP<space>’Off’”

Notice the use of the single quotes around the Off command. If you leave out the
space in the second line, the test set will display “ERROR 103 Invalid Separator”.

Guideline #4
Improve Measurement Speed
There are several methods to improve measurement speed. Time-to-first-reading
after making new settings is usually much slower than the repetitive reading rate
once the first reading has been returned. The main contributor to first-reading
measurement time is hardware autoranging. See “Speeding Up HP-IB Measure-
ments” in The Programmer's Guide under "Advanced Operation" for more details.
You can eliminate autoranging by first establishing the expected signal levels into
the test set (both RF and AF). With these signal levels present, the test set will
autorange, allowing you to determine the attenuation and gain settings of the RF
input attenuator in the RF ANALYZER screen, and the various IF and Audio gains
shown in the AF ANALYZER screen. In your program, select gain control hold
(default is auto) and make the settings you recorded earlier. When your program
runs, the signal levels into the test set need to remain relatively constant because
autoranging has been disabled.

4 0 Chapter Four
 The second improvement you can do is to set all unused measurements to
STATe OFF. This will primarily speed up reading repetition rate.
Disable RF autotuning to achieve the third speed improvement.

Guideline #5
Combine Output Statements
To reduce the number of OUTPUT statements used to make the desired settings
within one screen, string together multiple settings within one OUTPUT statement.
To do this, you first make one setting, then back up one level in the syntax hierar-
chy and make the second setting and so on. For normal forward hierarchical pro-
gression of syntax you use the : (colon) separator. To back up one level of syntax
hierarchy you use the ; (semicolon) separator. The ;: takes you back to the high-
est level of hierarchy.
As documented in the “Using HP-IB” section of the Programmer's Guide, you must
follow the given hierarchy to make settings for each field. The syntax diagrams in
the Programmer's Guide show this hierarchy. You can use the ; to string together
the three settings made to the RF generator in the example program listed under
Guideline #1 for lines 60, 70 and 80.

OUTPUT Addr;”RFG:AMPL -66 DBM;FREQ 500 MHZ;AMPL:STAT ON”

In a second example, the following lines can be used to set the AMPS SAT tone
frequency and deviation.

OUTPUT 714;”ENC:AMPS:SAT:FM 2.35 KHZ”

OUTPUT 714;”ENC:AMPS:SAT:FREQ 5.970 KHZ”

These same settings can be made in a single line like this

OUTPUT 714;”ENC:AMPS:SAT:FM 2.35 KHZ;FREQ 5.970 KHZ”

In another example, if you want to set the RF generator to accept external modula-
tion from the rear panel input and set the amount of modulation all in the same
OUTPUT statement, use the following line:

OUTPUT 714;”RFG:MOD:EXT:DEST ‘FM (/Vpk)’;FM 12.5 KHZ;FM:STAT ON”

Guideline #6
Ensure Fields are Active with State On
When making settings to fields that can be turned OFF with the STATe ON/OFF
command ((OFF/ON) key on the front panel), make sure the STATe is ON if you
want that function to be active. Note that if the STATe is OFF, just setting a
numeric value in the field will not change the STATe to ON. (This is different
than how it works on the front panel.) You have to explicitly send the STATe ON
command. The previous example involving the RF Generator external modulation
input illustrates the proper use of the STATe ON command to activate the func-
tion after the desired value is set. STATe ON is the preset state for most functions
affected by the STATe command. External modulation input is one exception.

Chapter Four 4 1
 In another example, if you want to set a new AMPS encoder SAT tone deviation
and the current STATe is OFF, use the following line: (note the use of ; to back up
one level in the hierarchy so you can make more than one setting in a single line.)

OUTPUT 714;”ENC:AMPS:SAT:FM 2.1 KHZ;FM:STAT ON”

If you just want to turn on the SAT tone without affecting the current setting, use
the following line:

OUTPUT 714;”ENC:AMPS:SAT:FM:STAT ON”

Guideline #7
HP-IB Measurements Return in HP-IB Units Only
When querying measurements or settings over HP-IB, the test set always returns
numeric values in HP-IB units, regardless of the current display unit. HP-IB units
are units of Hz, volts, watts, and seconds, for example. Display units are what you
see on the front panel display. This means that when the test set front panel is
displaying TX frequency as 835.02 MHz, and you query this measurement over
HP-IB, the value returned will be 835020000. Another way of looking at this is that
changing display units will not change HP-IB units. (Note that making numeric
settings over HP-IB can be done in a wide variety of units.)

Guideline #8
HP-IB Syntax Index
When looking for HP-IB syntax in the Programmer's Guide, it helps to have an
understanding of the organizational structure of the syntax diagrams. The syntax
diagrams are divided into four parts as shown below. This list is in the same order
as the pages appear in the HP-IB section of the Programmer's Guide.

FUNCTIONALITY
(listed alphabetically)

AF ANalyzer
AF Generator 1
AF Generator 2 Pre-Modulation Filters
AF Generator 2/ENCoder
CONFigure, I/O Configure
DECoder
OSCilloscope
RF ANalyzer
RF Generator
Radio Interface
Spectrum ANalyzer

4 2 Chapter Four
NUMERIC SETTINGS
(Number Setting Syntax: Integer,
Real and Multiple Real)
Integer Number Setting Syntax
Real number setting syntax
Multiple Real Number Setting Syntax
Make Numeric Settings
Set Display Units
Set Increment
HP-IB Units (UNITs)
STATE ON/OFF

MEASUREMENT QUERY
(MEASure)

MEASure
AF ANalyzer (AFRequency)
OSCilloscope
RF ANalyzer (RFRequency)
Spectrum ANalyzer
DECoder
Trigger
Multiple Number Measurement Syntax
Number Measurement Syntax
Units
Average
HI / LO limits
Meter
Reference Set
STATe (ON/OFF)

OTHER
(Miscellaneous)

DISPlay (Screen)
PROGram (Subsystem)
TESTs (Environment)
STATus
Save / Recall Registers

Chapter Four 4 3
Appendix Appendix
Description of Memory and Mass Storage

Memory Systems Overview

As shown in Figure A-1 and Table A-1, the test set has both external and on-board
memory locations (on-board means inside the test set on the memory board). Pro-
grams in any of these memory locations can be accessed and run from an IBASIC
program or command. The programmer can select and run programs from any
desired memory location using IBASIC commands. The programmer must also
decide which mass storage location to use when storing programs and data.
When shipped from the factory (or after initializing RAM with the SERVICE
screen RAM Initialize function), the test set’s default mass storage location is
INTERNAL, which means the front-panel memory card slot. The front-panel slot
accepts small solid-state media called memory cards.

Card (SRAM)
SRAM memory cards are the most convenient media for storing user-written
programs.
Hewlett-Packard recommends this as the primary media for program
storage and development.

Card (OTP)
As mentioned in Chapter 1, Hewlett-Packard offers many types of IBASIC
programs (the HP 11807A/E radio test software and HP 11807B cell site test
software) on the ROM version of the memory card.

Disk Drive
External hard or flexible disk drives can be used to store user-written
programs and data. They must be connected to the test set via the
HP-IB interface.
Hewlett-Packard does not recommend this media for program storage or
development because of slow program storage and retrieval times.

RAM
Part of the test set’s on-board RAM memory is used to store IBASIC
programs, store data from programs, and store SAVE/RECALL register
information. (SAVE/RECALL registers can also be stored in on-board RAM,
memory cards, or disk drives).
Hewlett-Packard does not recommend this media for permanent program
storage because of the chance of unintentional program erasure.
It is excellent for dedicated applications where the software will not
change often.

ROM (factory use only)

Part of the test set’s on-board ROM memory contains IBASIC application
programs (such as hardware diagnostics and memory card initialization).
However, you cannot write to this memory.

4 4 Appendix
Figure A-1. Test set on-board mass storage locations and size

Mass Storage Mass Storage Type Physical Location Mass Storage

Name and Format Volume Specifier

SRAM Static Random • Plugs into front-panel slot :INTERNAL

Memory Card Access Memory of Test Set
• Removable 86x54x2 mm
solid-state package

Table A-1. Test set memory overview

SRAM, Typical Uses and Other Information

• User-written program storage; recommended as the primary method to store
and develop programs.
• Accessible to the user from the TESTS screen and the IBASIC command
entry field
• Program or data retained by on-card lithium battery

Appendix 4 5
 Mass Storage Mass Storage Type Physical Location Mass Storage
Name and Format Volume Specifier

OTP • OTP = One-Time • Plugs into front-panel slot :INTERNAL

Memory Card Programmable of Test Set
Read Only
• Removable 86x54x2 mm
Memory Card
solid-state package
• Permanent
program storage

OTP Card, Typical Uses and Other Information

• Factory-written program storage
• Users cannot erase or write to OTP memory cards
• Accessible to the user from the TESTS screen and the IBASIC
Command Entry field

Mass Storage Mass Storage Type Physical Location Mass Storage

Name and Format Volume Specifier

Disk Drive • HP-IB Disk Drive • Separate unit from :,7xx,n (where 7xx is
Test Set HP-IB address, with
• Media is typically
3 1/2" flexible disk • Connected by xx=00 to 30; and n is
or hard disk drive HP-IB interface unit #)
• Flexible disk is removable
• Hard disk is usually
not removable
• HP LIF compatible
• DOS compatible

Disk Drive, Typical Uses and Other Information

• User-written program storage; relatively slow program storage and retrieval,
not recommended for some applications
• Accessible to the user from the TESTS screen and the IBASIC command
entry field
• Easy storage and retrieval of multiple procedures for different DUT’s in manu-
facturing or service situations
• Good for collection and storage of data in unattended or remote situations

4 6 Appendix
 Mass Storage Mass Storage Type Physical Location Mass Storage
Name and Format Volume Specifier

RAM • Random Access • IC's on memory board :MEMORY,0,n

(or RAM Disk) Memory inside Test Set (where n = 0, 1, 2, or
• 4 factory-defined • Only a portion of Test Set 3; the unit number)
unit numbers (or RAM is user-available
volumes)5
• Non-removable
• Programs and data
protected by Test
Set internal battery
5
Some test set documentation refers to a section of RAM memory as a "volume" in place of the IBASIC term
"unit number." The term "unit" will be used in this product note.

Typical Uses and Other Information

• User-written program storage; excellent for dedicated application; not for
permanent program storage (easily erased)
• All units accessible to the user from the IBASIC command entry field
• Unit 0 accessible to the user from the TESTS screen
• Unit 0 can be overwritten by the “RAM_MNG” ROM utility program
• Unit 1 can be overwritten by the “COPY_PL” ROM utility program
• Units 2 and 3 are not overwritten by ROM programs

Mass Storage Mass Storage Type Physical Location Mass Storage

Name and Format Volume Specifier

ROM • Read Only • IC's on memory board :MEMORY,0,4

Memory inside Test Set
• Permanent • Non-removable

Typical Uses and Other Information

• Contains factory-supplied utility programs
• Users cannot erase or write to ROM memory
• Accessible to the user from the TESTS screen and the IBASIC command
entry field

Selecting the Mass Storage Location

The test set’s default mass storage location is INTERNAL, which means the front-
panel memory card slot. A common way to select a different mass storage
location is to redefine the default location in your program. This is done using the
MSI (Mass Storage Is) keyword in IBASIC.
• For example, to change the default location to on-board RAM unit 2, execute the
following command:
MSI “:MEMORY,0,2”

• MSI is also a keyboard-executable command, but any changes to the mass

storage default are lost when the test set is turned off.

Appendix 4 7
 Listing Memory Contents
By executing the CATalog command, the IBASIC controller will display the
contents of memory.
• To display the contents of the default mass storage location (whether SRAM
memory card, disk drive, or on-board RAM):
CAT
• To display the contents of any specific memory location, use CAT followed by
the mass storage address. The following example lists the contents of on-board
RAM memory unit 0:
CAT “:MEMORY,0,0”

Priority of Memory Use

Memory is allocated in sequence based on the following order:
• The highest precedence is given to space initialized for RAM disk. If you use a
RAM disk, remember that RAM is used to contain the current IBASIC execut-
able program, so there must always be sufficient space to contain the whole
program or it will not load.
• The second-highest precedence is given to the memory function you first ex-
ecuted since RAM was cleared (typically using the RAM Initialize function on
the SERVICE screen).

Memory Space Considerations

Determining the Program Size
1. When programs are SAVEd as ASCII files, memory is used at the rate of
approximately 25 bytes/line.
2. When programs are STOREd as PROGRAM files or loaded as executable
files, memory is used at the rate of approximately 62.5 bytes/line. This can
vary slightly depending on how much COMmon space is dimensioned or how
many large arrays are dimensioned in the program.

Determining Your Test Set’s Total On-Board RAM Memory Size

The test set’s standard memory size is usually 1 megabyte.

If you have firmware revision 14.XX or higher, press (TESTS). Under Select
Procedure Location, select "ROM." Under Select Procedure Filename, select
"RAM_USAGE." Press k1 (Run Test.) RAM memory usage information will be
displayed on the screen. If your firmware revision is lower than 14.XX, there is no
direct method to determine total memory space. To indirectly determine the total
memory space in your test set, follow steps C & D below:

A. Clearing all on-board RAM

1. Press (SHIFT) (CONFIG)
2. Under To Screen, select the SERVICE screen
3. Select RAM Initialize to clear all RAM
CAUTION! This will clear all save/recall registers, programs in
RAM disk, etc.

4 8 Appendix
B. Initializing a RAM disk to use a known amount of RAM space.
For example:
128 KB = 128 x 1024 bytes = 131,072 bytes
131,072 bytes / 256 bytes/record = 512 records
1. Press (TESTS)
2. Under Location, select ROM
3. Under Procedure:, select RAM_MNG in HP 8920A and HP 8921B, or
IB_UTIL in HP 8920B and HP 8924C (to use the RAM_MNG utility program)
4. Press (k1) (the Run Test softkey)
5. Press (k1) (the Yes softkey)
6. Press (k3) (the Int RAM softkey)
7. Press the (5),( 1),( 2), and (ENTER) keys (to initialize 512 records
for unit 0)
8. Press (k1) (the Yes softkey)
C. Determine the percentage of total RAM still available (free memory) (Rev. <14.XX)
1. Under To Screen, select the RF GEN screen
2. Press (SHIFT) (SAVE)
3. Information at the top of the display will appear like this example:
(number/name; 65% free memory)
D. Determine the total memory space in your test set (Rev. <14.XX)
TMKB = Total Memory in KB (kilobytes)
% FM = % Free Memory (65% for this example + 2% for RAM overhead
128 = space initialized in RAM in KB

(65% + 2%) FM TMKB - 128

= ; 0.67 x TMKB = 1.0 TMKB - 1.0 X 128; TM = 387 KB
100% FM TMKB

Thus, total RAM in this test set is 384 KB. Record this total for future use.

Determining the percentage of total RAM still available (free memory):

1. Under To Screen, select the RF GEN screen
2. Press (SHIFT) (SAVE)
3. Information at the top of the display will appear like this:
(number/name; 99% free memory)

Other Memory Space Considerations

When you GET a program from memory, besides pulling the named file into the
current IBASIC program memory location, the GET command partially compiles
the originally saved ASCII file into machine code. (This is a feature of IBASIC).
This machine code takes about 2.5 times the space of the saved ASCII file. It is
therefore possible to have an ASCII file which appears small enough to fit in the
available RAM, but when retrieved with the GET command, will not fit into the
available RAM due to the compilation expansion.
If many save/recall registers are saved, then there may not be enough space to
load a large IBASIC program.
Also, if a large IBASIC program is in executable memory, there may be insuffi-
cient memory space to save many save/recall registers.

Appendix 4 9
 Saving and Retrieving Programs
There are two groups of IBASIC commands used to save and retrieve files.
• SAVE and GET are used for ASCII files. ASCII files occupy approximately 2.5
times less memory space than PROGRAM files. The drawback is that they
transfer into the test set more slowly. All HP 11807A and HP 11807B test pro-
grams are saved as ASCII files to conserve space on memory cards.

• STORE and LOAD are used for PROGRAM files. PROGRAM files are about
2.5 times larger than the equivalent ASCII files because PROGRAM files have
been partially compiled. Compiled code occupies more space because IBASIC
is a high level language in which a single command (represented in ASCII)
actually instructs the computer to execute many machine steps.

The following examples show the command format for the IBASIC keywords
SAVE, GET, STORE, and LOAD.
1. To save an IBASIC program as an ASCII file to the default mass storage location
(where My_file is the unique name of the file):
SAVE “My_file”
2. To retrieve a PROGRAM file (from RAM disk unit 3 in the following example):
LOAD “My_file:MEMORY,0,3”

Memory Cards
This media was chosen for test set program and data storage because of its small
physical size and ruggedness. The SRAM card is recommended for program stor-
age because it is convenient, transportable, and requires no peripheral hardware.

The Memory Card Location

As shown in Figure A-1, the test set’s default mass storage location is INTERNAL,
which means the front-panel memory card slot.
• Default mass storage
If the default mass storage location has changed, you can designate the memory
card to be the default memory by using the mass storage is (MSI) command:
1. MSI “:INTERNAL”

• Catalog
To catalog the card if it is not the default mass storage:
1. CAT “:INTERNAL”

• Each memory card is treated as one mass storage unit in IBASIC, so there is no
mass storage unit number or volume number.

SRAM Cards
SRAM cards provide removable read/write memory for programs, similar to a
flexible disk. Data and files can be stored, re-stored, read, or erased as needed.
SRAM Card HP Model Numbers:
HP 85700A — 32 KB
HP 85702A — 128 KB
HP 85704A — 256 KB
HP 85705A — 512 KB

5 0 Appendix
 Battery
SRAM memory cards require a battery to maintain stored information. The lithium
battery is HP part number 1420-0383 (or non-HP type CR2016). A fresh battery in
an SRAM card typically retains data for over 1 year at 25 oC. To ensure data
retention, replace the battery annually. (See the Test Set's User’s Guide for more
information about replacing the SRAM card battery).
When a SRAM card is plugged into an operating test set, the card draws power from
the test set. This allows you to change the battery while the card is powered by
the test set. NOTE: Don't remove the battery unless the card is in a powered-up
test set.
Card Insertion and Removal
Memory cards may be inserted and removed with the test set powered on or off.

Initialization
When you initialize an SRAM card, you do not specify the number of records. The
initialization process always initializes the whole card. Initialization destroys any
existing files on the SRAM card. There are two initialization methods for cards:
1. Use the IBASIC Command — INITIALIZE “:INTERNAL”
2. Use the RAM_MNG program located in on-board ROM. (Note: Do not use this
method if you have a program you want to keep in test set memory. Loading the
RAM_MNG program will erase your program).

Write-Protect Switch
Slide the switch on the end of the card to the “SAFE” position to prevent writing to
the card (as shown on the label on one side of the HP SRAM cards).

Saving and Retrieving Programs with SRAM

The SRAM card must be initialized before a SAVE or STORE.
1. To SAVE or GET an ASCII file:
SAVE “My_file:INTERNAL”
GET “My_file:INTERNAL”
2. To STORE or LOAD a PROGRAM file:
STORE “My_file:INTERNAL”
LOAD “My_file:INTERNAL”

Determining Remaining SRAM Space

1. CATalog the card and look at the number of records occupied by the
programs listed.
2. Example: a 256 KB SRAM card is used to save one ASCII program and two
BDAT (binary data) files. (Also, there are typically 14 records used for the
on-card file directory which is not shown when you CATalog the card). The
number of bytes used is:
Hidden Directory 14 records
ASCII Program 548 records
BDAT File 21 records
BDAT File 16 records
(14+548+21+16) * 256 bytes/record = 153 KB

OTP (ROM) Cards

All HP 11807A and HP 11807B software is shipped on the OTP version of this media
(One-Time Programmable ROM).
• OTP cards provide removable read-only storage for HP-supplied programs.
• OTP cards do not require a battery to maintain stored information.

Appendix 5 1
 • Memory cards may be inserted and removed with the test set powered on or off.
• OTP cards cannot be programmed by a test set. A special memory card
programmer (not available from HP) is required to save files to OTP cards.
• Catalog
To catalog the card if it is not the default mass storage:
CAT “:INTERNAL”

On-Board RAM Memory

On-board RAM serves three primary functions (see Table A-1 for more details of
the on-board RAM structure):

1. Storage for SAVE/RECALL Registers

Although save/recall registers occupy on-board RAM, the amount of RAM used is
usually very little. If you need to maximize the RAM space available for programs
and data, delete the save/recall registers or save them to memory cards or disk
(see the Test Set's User's Guide).

2. Storage for Executable IBASIC Programs

To run a program, GET or LOAD the program from the mass storage memory loca-
tion. This action will place the program into RAM. There must be sufficient RAM
available to hold the program or it will not load. (See “Memory Space Consider-
ations” earlier in this chapter for a discussion of the memory space occupied by
programs).
If you encounter an “insufficient memory” error when getting or loading a
program, you can:
a. Reduce the size of the program
b. Release space that is being held for one of the other two RAM functions
c. Add more RAM memory to the test set (if possible)

3. Storage for IBASIC Programs or Data (RAM Disk)

RAM disk is a term used to designate the test set’s on-board RAM used to store
IBASIC programs and data.
You can designate RAM disk to be the default memory by using the MSI (Mass
Storage Is) command.
MSI “:MEMORY,0,n”
(where n = 0, 1, 2, or 3; the unit number)
The RAM disk is divided into four IBASIC unit numbers (often called volumes
in other test set documentation). The complete RAM disk space is available
to each unit if necessary.
All RAM disk units are accessible to the user from the IBASIC command
entry field.
Unit 0 is accessible to the user from the TESTS screen. Unit 0 can be over-
written by the “RAM_MNG” ROM utility program.
Unit 1 can be overwritten by the “COPY_PL” ROM utility program.
Units 2 and 3 are not overwritten by ROM programs.

5 2 Appendix
 On-board RAM is different than other test set mass storage media. When
INITIALIZEd for use as a RAM disk, that portion is no longer available to the test
set for other RAM functions (such as containing an executable program or save/
recall registers). The programmer should INITIALIZE only the portion needed to
leave enough to allow other functions to operate properly.

Initialization
Before you save programs on RAM disk, you need to INITIALIZE enough space for
your program. Initialization destroys any existing files on the RAM disk unit. A
typical INITIALIZE command looks like this:
INITIALIZE “:MEMORY,0,0”,50
(where 50 is the number of records reserved for RAM disk)
There are 256 bytes/record. For a test set with 640 KB total memory avail-
able, you could theoretically initialize a RAM disk for a maximum of 640
kilobytes / 256 bytes/record = 2560 records. (However, this will leave no
space to GET and run the program).

Clearing RAM Disks

There are two ways to clear RAM disks.
1. To clear all RAM (including save/recall registers, any loaded program, and all
RAM disk space), use the RAM Initialize field located in the
SERVICE screen.
a. To access the SERVICE screen, press the (SHIFT) and then the
(CONFIG) key.
b. From the To Screen menu, select SERVICE.
c. Select the RAM Initialize field to clear all on-board RAM.
2. To clear only a specific RAM disk unit, initialize only that RAM disk unit to zero
records (example is for unit 0):
INITIALIZE “:MEMORY,0,0”,0

Accessing “Unavailable” RAM Disk Space

Unlike most disk drives, RAM disk space is not “packed” after you delete a
program. Thus, if you try to load a slightly larger program into the same unit, the
previous space will not be reused, but new space at the end of the previous
program will be used. It is possible to delete programs from RAM disk yet still not
have enough space to save a program that is smaller than the sum of the programs
deleted. In this case, you need to re-initialize the RAM disk unit which will erase
all the files on the unit.

Disk Drives
The test set supports HP-IB disk drives that operate under the Hewlett-Packard
Logical Interchange File (LIF) format with CS-80 command structure. In the past,
Hewlett-Packard has manufactured both flexible and hard disk drives of this type.
Here is a partial list of the previously-manufactured HP model numbers which will
operate with the test set:
• HP 9122A, HP 9122C, and HP 9122D,S single and dual 3 1/2" flexible disk drives
• HP 9133H,L and HP 9153A,B,C single 3 1/2" flexible disk plus fixed
hard disk drive
• HP 9134H,L, HP 9153C, and HP 9154A,B fixed hard disk drives
(The HP 9121 series of disk drives are not compatible with the test set). These
disk drives or compatible ones available from other manufacturers can be

Appendix 5 3
 connected directly to the HP-IB port on the back of the test set and used almost
identically to the other mass storage media described in this chapter.6

Because the disk drive is external to the test set and connected via HP-IB, the test
set must be configured as a controller on the HP-IB bus before accessing the disk
drive. To do this, make the following settings:
1. Access the I/O CONFIGURE screen
2. On the Mode field, select Control

You can designate the disk drive as default memory by using the MSI (Mass Stor-
age Is) command. With an external disk drive, you can leave out the volume num-
ber so the command can be shortened to:
1. MSI “:,<device selector>,<unit number>”
2. MSI “:,7xx,m” (where 7xx = HP-IB address and m = unit number)
3. MSI “:,700,0”

The HP-IB address for a disk drive is typically 700, but can be selected from
700 to 730.
In most cases, the unit number is either 0 or 1 to indicate a left-hand disk drive or
a right-hand disk drive of a two-drive disk system.
Memory access and storage operations typically require more time with a disk
drive attached to the test set than with RAM disk or memory cards.
Initialization is just like the card media. All existing files on the media will be
destroyed. (For more information, see “INITIALIZE” in the HP Instrument BASIC
Language Reference. Also, review the documentation with the disk drive to as-
sure compatible initialization is performed since some drives can be configured
for CS-80, DOS, and other file format options). For example, you could use this
command to initialize the left-hand disk drive at HP-IB address 700 of a dual-
floppy drive:
INITIALIZE “:,700,0”

To save a program to a disk drive when it is the default memory location, execute
the following command:
SAVE “My_file”

To save to a disk drive when it is not the default memory, execute the following
command:
SAVE “My_file:,700,0”

NOTE:
On the bottom of the test set's TEST (External Devices) screen is a field titled
External Disk Specification. This field is used to set the external disk location
in conjunction with the TESTS environment discussed in the Test Set's User's
Guide in the “Tests” section.

6
One currently-manufactured disk drive which has been tested to operate with the test set: Model 7312
Option 400 – 3 1/2" Flexible Disk plus 120 MB Winchester Hard Disk Drive (CS-80 and LIF
5 4 Appendix compatible). Contact: Bering Technology, 1357 Dell Ave., Campbell, CA 95008 USA; (408) 379-6900.
Appendix 5 5
 For more information about Hewlett-Packard test and
measurement products, applications, services, and a
For more information about the HP 8920 Test Set Family visit our current sales office listing, visit our web site at:
web site at: http://www.hp.com/go/tmdir
http://www.hp.com/hp8920support You can also contact one of the following centers and
ask for a test and measurement sales representative.
Available literature may include: product overviews, technical specifications,
product notes, configuration guides, application notes, and more. United States:
Hewlett-Packard Company
Warranty This test set is backed by Hewlett-Packard with a one-year warranty and world class support Test and Measurement Call Center
services. With HP sales and service centers worldwide, you can be assured of getting the global support P.O. Box 4026
that you need. Englewood, CO 80155-4026
(tel) 1 800 452 4844
Canada:
Hewlett-Packard Canada Ltd.
5150 Spectrum Way
Mississauga, Ontario
L4W 5G1
(tel) 1 877 894 4414
Europe:
Hewlett-Packard Company
European Marketing Organisation
P.O. Box 999
1180 AZ Amstelveen
The Netherlands
(tel) (31 20) 547 9999

Japan:
Hewlett-Packard Japan Ltd.
Measurement Assistance Center
9-1, Takakura-Cho, Hachioji-Shi,
Tokyo 192-8510, Japan
(tel) (81) 426 56 7832
(fax) (81) 426 56 7840
Latin America:
Hewlett-Packard
Latin American Region Headquarters
5200 Blue Lagoon Drive, 9th Floor
Miami, Florida 33126 U.S.A.
(tel) (305) 267-4245
(tel) (305) 267-4220
(fax) (305) 267-4288

Australia/New Zealand:
Hewlett-Packard Australia Ltd.
31-41 Joseph Street
Blackburn, Victoria 3130
Australia
(tel) 1 800 629 485 (Australia)
(tel) 0800 738 378 (New Zealand)
(fax) (61 3) 9210 5489
Asia Pacific:
Hewlett-Packard Asia Pacific Ltd.
17-21/F Shell Tower, Times Square,
1 Matheson Street, Causeway Bay,
Hong Kong, SAR
(tel) (852) 2599 7777
(fax) (852) 2506 9285

 1994 Hewlett-Packard Co.

Technical data subject to change
Printed in U.S.A. 4/99
5963-0046E