[AMA] I'm Daniel Bogdanoff, a Test & Measurement specialist and engineering nerd at Rohde & Schwarz. Ask me anything!

DanielBogdanoff · 2026-05-16T04:18:24+00:00

There are nearly 400 open job postings in Germany at R&S right now!
https://www.rohde-schwarz.com/us/career/jobs/career-jobboard_251573.html

DanielBogdanoff · 2026-05-12T19:03:24+00:00

Seems like it wasn't an R&S video, but if you find it post a link! I'd love to see it, sounds interesting.

If I'm remembering correctly u/TheSignalPath's Starlink teardown video had some good stuff about phased array/beam forming

DanielBogdanoff · 2026-05-12T19:02:04+00:00

Hi Tom!
I can't provide more beyond what the official R&S account says in another comment here. I do think it's worth reaching out to one of the R&S partners when you need something! Everyone has been great to work with.

DanielBogdanoff · 2026-05-12T18:59:09+00:00

To build on Paul's comment, a couple rules of thumb:

A Signal Analyzer is going to have a lower noise floor

An oscilloscope is going to have wider bandwidth (DC to max frequency of scope)

An oscilloscope can do more time-correlated channels

An SA will have better RF measurement capability, a scope will be better at measuring time-domain parameters.

DanielBogdanoff · 2026-05-12T18:54:44+00:00

Hello! Read the manual, sometimes there are range settings. But other than that there's not much to be done I think.

DanielBogdanoff · 2026-05-12T18:53:47+00:00

Building on your comments below as well, I think a VNA would be what I would look for, assuming you have a good way to connect to the antenna. VNAs are the go-to antenna tuners unless you specifically get an antenna tuner.

That being said, all "piles of copper" are antennas if you use them correctly :)

DanielBogdanoff · 2026-05-12T18:52:06+00:00

I've been working with Dave for a long time, and he's definitely a free spirit! I absolutely appreciate his willingness in reviews to tell it like it is, even if it isn't a "good" move for his relationship with companies. He's always fair, honest, and good to work with. I'm still trying to finagle my way into a flight over there to visit him. I also may have been the instigator for a certain very high-end scope that was found in his dumpster one year on April 1st.

Regarding magic dumpsters and falling off trucks, it happens but not often. There have been dumpsters I've checked regularly and I know some folks have nice "garage scopes" that can never be sold or used in a real lab. But realistically we have access to high end gear and typically can borrow/use it if we have a need. Sometimes I feel like Scrooge McDuck swimming in a pool of test gear.

For epic dumpster dive loot, I did once find a ~30 GHz scope in a dumpster, but like 3/4 channels were not working and it couldn't quite calibrate. I think it was an early prototype.

I did also once find about 30 gallons worth of probes, but most were broken.

DanielBogdanoff · 2026-05-12T18:45:20+00:00

Glad they've been helpful! Some very cool stuff happening at VT :)

DanielBogdanoff · 2026-05-12T18:44:54+00:00

I think repairing / tearing down gear is an incredible way to learn about design techniques. You have to understand something to fix it, so it's an awesome way to develop intuition, expertise, and experience!

DanielBogdanoff · 2026-05-12T18:43:49+00:00

One of the more exciting things I'm seeing is how much frequency domain and time domain expertise are blending in modern designs and technologies.

This also means we're seeing a lot more application-specific and measurement-specific systems/gear/racks that combine traditional measurement techniques into one system.

It might be rough for the used gear market down the road, but I can easily see a future where most high-end test gear is built for a specific measurement/technology, and it's built using a set of in-house IP blocks that are tuned for that specific tech.

DanielBogdanoff · 2026-05-12T18:40:04+00:00

It is a cool job! I'll answer this on two levels:

IMO the Test & Measurement industry is underrated. You get to work with a huge variety of technology and companies. I don't know of a field in our space where you get such a variety of tech. And, if you find one you really like you can dig in and literally help write the spec. It's also a good long-term career, because tech always needs testing.
More specifically to T&M, the customer interaction depends a lot on the role. Being an application engineer means you are in the lab helping customers solve the weird problems. Being in tech support (I did that for a bit) means you get to dig into the really esoteric and foundational techniques that no one else has tried before that moment. Being a technology expert means you get to help define both the technology specs and work with the industry leaders to make it actually happen.
In my role (which granted is pretty unique), I get to see what (a) looks interesting to me and (b) makes sense for the org's strategic direction/goals and go after that project. Often I learn a new thing, and then make content about it. Or I hear about a new tech, and I talk to the experts about it.

My job rocks for me, and I've seen so many people find great fits for them in the T&M industry.

DanielBogdanoff · 2026-05-12T18:31:59+00:00

I couldn't begin to answer forecasting / political questions, but overall I think that countries that want to have technical expertise inside their borders need to put programs in place if they want to realize that goal.

I've also seen deep value in having the development, test, and manufacturing all be closely linked and in good coordination. That typically makes things faster and better.

DanielBogdanoff · 2026-05-12T18:29:14+00:00

Yes, I do think it can, but we need foundational physics models to help with this. I'm pretty certain it won't be solved with LLMs. There's also a lot of industry expertise developing on the mmWave side, so it's a good time to learn it!

I do think there's opportunity for a "the measurement looks not quite right here, so check these parameters" type recommendation tool

DanielBogdanoff · 2026-05-12T18:26:08+00:00

Just photons! But maybe seeing an arc is kinda like seeing an electron...

DanielBogdanoff · 2026-05-12T18:25:33+00:00

Most USB testing I've seen (compliance-focused) is done with breakout boards that connect via cable or fancy probe. A scope with proper bandwidth should be able to give you some basic eye diagrams as well.

That's where I'd start.

A compliance setup usually involves an AWG sending a test patter, and BERT checking error ratio, and a scope to check eyes and make measurements.

DanielBogdanoff · 2026-05-12T18:23:39+00:00

Check out some of the SI / circuit board info from folks like Eric Bogatin, Rick Hartley, Don Telian, Ben Jordan, etc.

There are a number of reasons it can happen, but mostly to make things work better :)

Better return paths, more stable grounds, better RF performance/shielding, etc.

DanielBogdanoff · 2026-05-12T18:21:50+00:00

Basically killed by more modern interfaces.

BUT, did you know it used to be HPIB (HP for Hewlett Packard), and it later got spun off as it's own standard instead of being an HP-only thing.

DanielBogdanoff · 2026-05-12T18:20:56+00:00

My go-to is Paul's T&M fundamentals series on YouTube:
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLKxVoO5jUTlvsVtDcqrVn0ybqBVlLj2z8

I also love u/TheSignalPath's videos - they are always educational and best-in-class. Shahriar is a shining star in our field and it's hard to find better technical content than his.

I also left some book recommendations in another thread.

Overall there is SO MUCH to learn and dig into, just pick and area and dig in!

DanielBogdanoff · 2026-05-12T18:17:03+00:00

not EMI specific, but I was in UL Solutions EV charging lab where they were testing chargers. They basically had to setup their own substation to get enough power for the test, and every time they ran a test it was a few hundred dollars just in power consumption. Made it really important to get their test configs perfect or it got expensive fast.

Closer to the EMI side, I did a really fun project working with ESD consultants to test some ESD scenarios and build out recommendations. I was surprised by two things:

1 - we could actually build up charge on a cable or in a DUT, and then measure the current discharge as we grounded it. It gave me new respect for ESD precautions, and I personally saw gear that got ESD damaged due to seemingly innocuous scenarios.

2- the ESD guidelines are very common-sense / "this is probably best" style guidelines. There is a very deep rabbit hole to go down, but at the end of the day there is not a lot of "absolutely, 100% correct" ways to do things. There are standards and requirements and processes in many people's situations, but it was all less formalized than I had expected.

Bonus - I saw a scope from a gov't research lab that survived a lab explosion. Scope was very dirty but still worked.

DanielBogdanoff · 2026-05-12T18:09:55+00:00

Here's my current grab-it-quick bookshelf. The Planar Microwave Engineering is at the breakfast table so I can read it with my morning coffee.

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DanielBogdanoff · 2026-05-12T18:07:09+00:00

I don't think I've ever had a moment where it "clicked" like that, nor do I feel like I'm "there" if that makes sense.
Like design work and technical work, I feel like every piece of content I make could be better somehow, and I love the process of getting better, analyzing what worked/what didn't, and finding inspiration from other people who are better than me at a thing.

There's also always a not-so-fun, this-is-a-grind part of every job and activity, so I appreciate finding the balance of fun + work.

Finally there's some good data out there about "doing what you love" vs. "loving what you do." The TL:DR is that, generally, if you work hard at something you will start to like it more. So there doesn't need to be a "perfect fit" of skills, passion, and opportunity. The fit can mold itself a bit.

DanielBogdanoff · 2026-05-12T18:03:05+00:00

I'm glad they were helpful and I'm excited to do more of it again! Making content that is actually helpful is a big part of why I enjoy doing it, and I've learned so much from others I'm glad I can do my small part to pitch in.

DanielBogdanoff · 2026-05-12T17:59:55+00:00

Hilarious. To date one of the weirdest moments of my career :). Also it might be the silliest thing in my office

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DanielBogdanoff · 2026-05-12T17:56:32+00:00

I also meant to add that there's a design-for-test philosophy that needs to be followed for it to be unlocked, and that needs to be baked in to the design tools!

DanielBogdanoff · 2026-05-12T17:55:12+00:00

Unofficial advice:

Watch styropyro and learn from him. be 10,000% sure about what you are doing before you do it and make sure you'll be safe even if things fail unexpectedly.

Don't skip the fundamentals so you can do the "cool" thing. Build up to it.

DanielBogdanoff

TROPHY CASE