Detect Mode defines how the measurement curve is calculated from the entire set of measurement points. The curve is interpolated from 560 points, each corresponding to one pixel of the CMU's LC display. The number of measurement values is actually larger than 560; the coordinates of the pixels defining the curve can be calculated in two alternative ways:
| Peak | The y-coordinate (power) of each pixel is equal to the maximum of all measurement values falling inside the pixel range. |
| RMS | The y-coordinate of each pixel is equal to the RMS average of all measurement values falling inside the pixel range. |
The two settings yield different curves, especially in domains where the signal shows strong power variations (e.g. in the noise floor around a distinct spectral lobe). RMS averaging tends to smooth out the spectral curve and to suppress the noise. On the other hand, very narrow peaks may be underestimated if RMS Detect Mode is set.
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[SENSe:]SPECtrum:DETector PEAK | RMS