Ion motion in a Penning trap and the electrical signals it can produce have been analyzed for the purpose of identifying the important causes of uncertainty in high‐accuracy mass measurements of heavy ions. The role of the azimuthal quadrupole electric field in signal pickup, and its effects on ion motion at the sum frequency of the cyclotron and magnetron motions, have been identified. A useful scheme for calculating the signal strength and strength of the interaction between an applied field and the ion motion has been developed. The important sources of uncertainty in using the sum frequency of the cyclotron and magnetron motions for determining the ion mass are discussed. Particular application is made to the case of cyclotron resonance detection by observation of the time of flight of ejected ions.