Sharper signals

today introduced what it believes is the industry's first 42.98 GHz spectrum analyser, which offers resolution bandwidths up to 8 MHz. The latest in Agilent's PSA Series of spectrum analysers, the E4447A offers high-performance analysis for designers and production engineers of microwave and millimetre applications, including satellite and emerging digital communications, pulsed signals, and 3G wireless systems.

Combined with Agilent's 89601A vector signal analysis software, the E4447A is also said to be an indispensable tool for R&D engineers to evaluate and troubleshoot wireless and emerging communications formats.

"Agilent's PSA Series offers R&D engineers unmatched levels of measurement capability, flexibility, design verification, and troubleshooting to root cause," said Pat Byrne, president of Agilent's Electronic Products and Solutions Group. "Performance advantages of our new E4447A analyser include powerful, one-button measurements and a leading-edge combination of flexibility, speed, accuracy, bandwidth and dynamic range."

The Agilent E4447A PSA offers the same performance as the PSA Series with +/- 0.62 dB (+/- 0.17 dB typical) amplitude accuracy at 1 GHz; the fastest adjacent channel power, with < 30 ms and low-level spur search to 42.98 GHz; plus a dynamic range offering the broadest capability and a 2 dB step attenuator up to 42.98 GHz. The PSA also performs conducted and radiated CISPR and MIL-STD EMI measurements.

The Power Suite tool set on the E4447A offers 10 one-button RF and microwave power measurements, including multicarrier ACP, CCDF and TOI. Twelve format-based set-ups are available to automatically set up the parameters for general-purpose wireless standards.

Fifteen optional measurement personalities are available for the E4447A. Built into the analyser, these application-specific firmware programs provide advanced measurement capability with one-button simplicity. Engineers, with the push of a button, can perform complex measurements like phase noise for oscillators, the noise figure of an amplifier, scalar network analysis for components, as well as digital modulation analysis on 2G to 3.5G signals and more.

The Agilent 89601A VSA software works with the E4447A and offers traditional RF spectrum displays; (I/Q) analysis up to 8 MHz; signal capture memory with recording and playback; RF and IF triggering; a wide variety of analogue and digital demodulators; and an extensive set of time, frequency and modulation analysis tools. Standard-signal presets cover GSM (EDGE), cdma2000, W-CDMA, 1xEV-DO, and more. For emerging standards, the 89601A offers flexible digital demodulators with variable centre frequency, symbol rate, filter type and alpha/BT.