Signal analyser to accelerate wireless communications

Industries from wireless to satellite communications require wider analysis bandwidth to meet demands for higher data throughput. As higher bandwidth technologies such as 5G NR move into mainstream, engineers need tools for design validation and manufacturing that offer the accuracy, speed, and bandwidth to accelerate device development.

The new Keysight N9021B MXA X-Series Signal Analyser offers an enhanced frequency sweep algorithm, accelerating test time improvements with uncompromising performance. It provides radio frequency (RF) and millimetre-wave (mmWave) analysis to address the needs of engineers designing and delivering high-frequency new-generation wireless devices, including:

• Advancing wireless and satellite communications design verification and manufacturing with the widest analysis bandwidth in its class and superior phase noise performance at high frequencies.
• Eliminating the complexity of challenging signals by combining real-time spectrum analyser (RTSA) with Keysight's PathWave 89600 VSA software.
• Capturing measurement expertise and delivering repeatable results with industry-proven PathWave X-Series Measurement Applications.
• Maximising the flexibility of test assets with a wide variety of PathWave X-Series Applications offering licensing terms that enable application sharing between X-Series signal analysers and PXIe instruments.

"Engineers need a test and measurement solution that addresses the signal analysis needs for a diverse set of wireless devices and systems, and provides the performance required to make rapid, accurate and repeatable measurements across both RF and mmWave frequencies," stated Joe Rickert, Vice President and General Manager of high frequency measurement R&D for Keysight's communications solutions group. "Keysight's new MXA X-Series Signal Analyser enables these engineers to overcome the challenges in identifying signals at higher frequencies and offers wider bandwidth to meet a breadth of wireless application test requirements."

Key features:

• Frequency range of 10Hz to 50GHz meeting specification requirements for both 5G NR FR1 and FR2.
• Signal detection with extended analysis bandwidth up to 510 MHz and better than 72 dB spurious-free dynamic range (SFDR).
• RF performance with a single sideband (SSB) phase noise -129 dBc/Hz (1 GHz, 10 kHz offset) for better EVM measurements (5G NR EVM less than one percent).
• Full-band real-time spectrum analysis (RTSA) to capture elusive or transient signals.
• Fast, accurate signal and spectrum measurements to increase throughput and yield while minimising cost in 5G manufacturing.

Keysight's N9021B MXA X-Series Signal Analyser is available now at a starting price of $105,220.