A test and measurement instrument comprising: an input processor (20, 30) adapted for receiving an input signal and producing a digital signal; a trigger signal generator adapted for generating a trigger signal on the occurrence of a trigger event; and an acquisition memory adapted for storing a seamless block of digital data from the digital signal in response to the trigger signal; the trigger signal generator comprising: a time to frequency converter (250, 252, 350, 352) adapted for converting a frame of digital data from the digital signal into a frequency spectrum wherein the frequency spectrum has at least two frequency bins, each frequency bin having a power amplitude value, and the at least two frequency bins having dissimilar frequency widths; circuitry (260, 262, 360, 362) adapted for generating the trigger signal when the power amplitude value of any of the at least two frequency bins violates an associated reference power level; wherein the time to frequency converter comprises: a first time to frequency transform (250, 350) structured to accept an output from a downconverter and generate a frequency spectrum for a first of the at least two frequency bins; and a second time to frequency transform (252, 352) structured to accept the output from the downconverter and generate a frequency spectrum for a second of the at least two frequency bins; and wherein the test and measurement instrument further comprises a first resolution bandwidth window (240, 340) and a second resolution bandwidth window (242, 342) coupled to the downconverter. an input processor (20, 30) adapted for receiving an input signal and producing a digital signal; a trigger signal generator adapted for generating a trigger signal on the occurrence of a trigger event; and an acquisition memory adapted for storing a seamless block of digital data from the digital signal in response to the trigger signal; the trigger signal generator comprising: a time to frequency converter (250, 252, 350, 352) adapted for converting a frame of digital data from the digital signal into a frequency spectrum wherein the frequency spectrum has at least two frequency bins, each frequency bin having a power amplitude value, and the at least two frequency bins having dissimilar frequency widths; circuitry (260, 262, 360, 362) adapted for generating the trigger signal when the power amplitude value of any of the at least two frequency bins violates an associated reference power level; wherein the time to frequency converter comprises: a first time to frequency transform (250, 350) structured to accept an output from a downconverter and generate a frequency spectrum for a first of the at least two frequency bins; and a second time to frequency transform (252, 352) structured to accept the output from the downconverter and generate a frequency spectrum for a second of the at least two frequency bins; and wherein the test and measurement instrument further comprises a first resolution bandwidth window (240, 340) and a second resolution bandwidth window (242, 342) coupled to the downconverter. a time to frequency converter (250, 252, 350, 352) adapted for converting a frame of digital data from the digital signal into a frequency spectrum wherein the frequency spectrum has at least two frequency bins, each frequency bin having a power amplitude value, and the at least two frequency bins having dissimilar frequency widths; circuitry (260, 262, 360, 362) adapted for generating the trigger signal when the power amplitude value of any of the at least two frequency bins violates an associated reference power level; wherein the time to frequency converter comprises: a first time to frequency transform (250, 350) structured to accept an output from a downconverter and generate a frequency spectrum for a first of the at least two frequency bins; and a second time to frequency transform (252, 352) structured to accept the output from the downconverter and generate a frequency spectrum for a second of the at least two frequency bins; and wherein the test and measurement instrument further comprises a first resolution bandwidth window (240, 340) and a second resolution bandwidth window (242, 342) coupled to the downconverter. a first time to frequency transform (250, 350) structured to accept an output from a downconverter and generate a frequency spectrum for a first of the at least two frequency bins; and a second time to frequency transform (252, 352) structured to accept the output from the downconverter and generate a frequency spectrum for a second of the at least two frequency bins; and wherein the test and measurement instrument further comprises a first resolution bandwidth window (240, 340) and a second resolution bandwidth window (242, 342) coupled to the downconverter.