Stepped Scan Duration Calculator
Number of points and total time of a stepped scan from frequency range, step size and dwell time.
Worked example
Input: Start frequency 30 MHz, Stop frequency 1000 MHz, Step size 60 kHz, Dwell time per step 15 ms
Result: Number of points 16168, Total time 242.52 s, Total time 4.042 min
Result: Number of points 16168, Total time 242.52 s, Total time 4.042 min
Formula
N = (f₂ − f₁) / step + 1
T = N × dwell
How it works
Stepped-scan time is the number of points multiplied by the dwell time. For wide ranges such as a 30–1000 MHz pre-scan, the step/dwell combination directly affects test scheduling. The defaults are a 60 kHz step (half of a 120 kHz RBW) and 15 ms dwell.
Practical tipA step of at most half the measurement bandwidth is the usual recommendation. Widening the step to save time can miss narrow signals; shorten the test by tuning dwell time or by pre-scanning and then measuring only the peaks in detail.
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Results and summaries are for reference. For certification and test reports use the latest official standard text and calibrated instrument data. Last updated: 2026-10-10