Tektronix has announced the new SA2600 handheld realtime spectrum analyser that includes DPX waveform image processor technology that provides a live RF view of the spectrum. DPX is now also available on the H600 'RF Hawk' handheld unit originally introduced in February. With these additions, Tektronix offers a full portfolio of realtime spectrum analysers with DPX for use in the field and on the design bench.
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. Finding and physically locating RF emitters that are misusing the radio spectrum can be a challenging process, especially when risk mitigation and time to response are critical.
The explosion of digital RF has created a highly complex technology environment that is moving from the design bench to the field, requiring the need for next generation test and measurement instruments. DPX waveform image processing provides a unique live RF view of the spectrum, enabling excellent RF signal discovery capability for a broad range of applications including 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 SA2600 with 10 kHz-6,2 GHz frequency coverage, 20 MHz realtime bandwidth and -153 dBm displayed average noise level (DANL) is designed to deliver benchtop spectrum analyser performance in a battery-operated, handheld field unit. With a spectrum processing rate greater than 2500 spectrum measurements for the SA2600 and more than 10 000 for the H600, these analysers provide 100% probability of intercept for transients with minimum event durations of 500 microseconds on the SA2600 and 125 microseconds on the H600.
The SA2600 and H600 are designed for field measurements. They combine a high performance spectrum analyser with an intuitive set of user controls, allowing for the quick and simple classification and location of both analog and digital RF transmissions. The user interface is designed specifically for enhanced productivity in the field including a touch-screen for easy navigation. The analysers include integrated GPS and mapping tools to allow more efficient interference location capability.
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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