Calibration Service
Signal Generator Calibration in Orange County & Los Angeles
A signal generator is a source of truth by definition — every measurement made against it inherits its error. American Gage calibrates RF, microwave, function, and pulse generators on purpose-built MET/CAL-driven racks, with automated routines and firmware-level adjustment where supported.
Automation
Automated MET/CAL RF racks
Parameters
RF power, frequency, time & frequency
Adjustment
Firmware level where supported
Turnaround
7–10 business days (expedited available)
Sources carry their error into everything downstream
When a measurement instrument drifts, one instrument reads wrong. When a source drifts, every device tested against it is stimulated incorrectly — and the results look entirely normal, because the analyzer reading the response is working fine. That asymmetry is the argument for treating sources at least as seriously as the instruments measuring them, and often more so.
We calibrate signal generators across the parameters our accredited scope covers — RF power, frequency, and time and frequency — on dedicated RF racks driven by the Fluke MET/CAL automated calibration system with a current procedure subscription. The manufacturer’s procedure runs in full, uncertainty is computed at each point, and adjustment is applied at firmware level where the instrument supports it.
RF sources and the DC/LF bench under one roof
The same laboratory covers the rest of the source population — function generators, pulse generators, power supplies, and the frequency counters used to check them — alongside the DC and low-frequency workload of voltage, current, resistance, and time and frequency. Sending sources to an RF specialist and the bench equipment somewhere else is how a recall calendar fragments.
Certificates carry as-found and as-left readings, measurement uncertainty, NIST traceability, and the ANSI/NCSL Z540.3 decision rule with TUR, under A2LA ISO/IEC 17025:2017 accreditation certificate 4296.01.
Getting them here, or us there
Free pickup and delivery runs Orange County Monday and Wednesday, Los Angeles County Tuesday and Thursday, and the Inland Empire Friday. Instruments stay in our custody between your bench and ours, which for export-controlled programs is frequently the deciding factor over freight cost.
Standard turnaround is 7–10 business days, with [expedited 24, 48, and 72-hour options](/rush-calibration) when a test campaign is waiting. For racks that cannot be broken down, [on-site RF calibration](/on-site-rf-calibration) is available by appointment.
What we see most
- RF & microwave signal generators
- Vector signal generators
- Function generators
- Pulse generators
- Arbitrary waveform generators
- Frequency counters & microwave counters
- Power supplies
Signal Generator Calibration FAQs
Why does a source need calibration if we verify with an analyzer?
Because an out-of-tolerance source stimulates every device under test incorrectly while the analyzer reading the response works perfectly — nothing in the data looks wrong. Sources warrant at least the same attention as the instruments measuring them.
Do you handle function and pulse generators too, or only RF?
Both. The same laboratory covers RF and microwave sources, function and pulse generators, arbitrary waveform generators, and power supplies, alongside the DC and low-frequency workload.
Can you adjust a generator that is out of tolerance?
Where the instrument supports adjustment, yes — at firmware level, with as-found and as-left readings both documented so the certificate shows exactly what changed.
What interval should we use?
Twelve months is the usual manufacturer specification. Sources used heavily or moved between sites often justify shorter. We report as-found data on every certificate so you can set the interval from your own drift history rather than a default.
Need signal generator calibration?
Send your list — manufacturer, model, quantity — and we'll return scope, pricing, and turnaround within one to two business days.