There are a number of external support components that may be associated with RF test and measurement environments. These components are generally related to RF power direction and/or distribution. There is a great deal of care needed when using power splitters, directional couplers, detectors, combiners and measuring divided power and branching. Application of these components are characterized when measuring jitter of digital communications systems, peripherals, and mechanical systems; determine frequency hopping performance of an agile transmitter, or measuring cellular phone switching from cell to cell.