Test & Measurement


Realtime spectrum analysers show live RF

5 March 2008 Test & Measurement

Tektronix has announced the addition of DPX waveform image processor technology to the mid-range RSA3000B Series realtime spectrum analysers.

This provides a unique live RF view of the spectrum using the RSA3300B and RSA3408B family models, enabling RF signal discovery capability for a broad range of digital RF applications including RFID, radio communications and spectrum management. DPX transforms volumes of realtime data and produces a live RF spectrum display that reveals previously unseen RF signals and signal anomalies.

The rapid expansion of digital RF applications has driven the measurement needs of many applications, including mobile communications and spectrum management, beyond the capabilities of swept spectrum and vector signal analysis. Digital RF signals carry complex modulation and change from one instant to the next, hopping frequencies, spiking briefly and then disappearing. These transient and time varying transmission techniques help RF devices avoid interference, maximise peak power and, oftentimes, evade detection.

With an extremely high spectrum processing rate, the RSA3300B series and RSA3408B provide 100% probability of intercept for transients as brief as 31 microseconds on the RSA3408B and 41 microseconds on the RSA3300B Series models. Combined with the ability to trigger on transient signals in both time and frequency domains, the analysers offer excellent troubleshooting and debug of digital RF designs.

The RSA3300B series is available with either DC - 3 GHz or 8 GHz frequency coverage. With 15 MHz capture bandwidth and 70 dB spurious free dynamic range (SFDR), these analysers are ideal for use in the design and debug of 3G mobile systems, near-field systems (such as RFID and Bluetooth), and narrow to medium bandwidth communications systems.

The RSA3408B with DC - 8 GHz frequency coverage, 36 MHz capture bandwidth and 73 dB SFDR is tailored for higher bandwidth and dynamic range applications including 3G mobile components and system debug, WLAN and WiMax system design, demanding spectrum management applications and general purpose digital RF debug.

In addition to live RF, the waveform image processor also provides an intensity-graded persistence display that holds anomalies until the eye can see them to show the history of occurrence for dynamic signals and immediate feedback on signal variations over time. This provides engineers the ability to rapidly see on screen both transients and signals that ordinarily could not be seen, either because they are masked by other signals or could only be deduced after time consuming offline analysis.

For more information contact Inala Technologies, +27 (0)11 206 8360, [email protected], www.inala.co.za





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