A double inequality for the equivalent impulse bandwidth

In this paper, we derive a double inequality that permits one to obtain a lower and an upper limit for the value of the impulse bandwidth of a measuring receiver. The limits are the reciprocal of the integral of the relative envelope of the impulse response (lower limit) and the integral of the relative frequency response (upper limit) of the intermediate frequency (IF) filter. Since the limits are relative quantities, their evaluation does not require the use of a calibrated generator, the only significant sources of error being receiver’s vertical scale nonlinearity and noise proximity. Here, the deviation between the impulse bandwidth and its limits is quantified for practical IF filter configurations. The dominant contributions to measurement uncertainty are identified and suggestions for reducing their magnitude are also offered.