Real-time spectrum analyzers have become an indispensable tool for ensuring the electromagnetic compatibility (EMC) of devices or circuits. The same applies to determining electromagnetic interference (EMI). With the help of portable solutions, technicians can identify sources of interference on site and carry out measurements without having to rely on stationary laboratories. Likewise, mobile real-time spectrum analyzers are playing an increasingly important role in wireless communications. With the growing density and complexity of WLAN networks, for example, the requirements for their analysis and maintenance are increasing.
These networks often use advanced frequency hopping and adaptive modulation schemes to quickly adapt to changing conditions. This can result in signals being extremely short-lived, limited to a fraction of a second. While RTSA devices can capture signals in real time, their performance can be affected by factors such as limited sampling rates or insufficient resolution in the frequency domain, making it difficult to clearly identify interference or other sources of disturbance.
Another problem is the sheer volume of data that modern WLAN networks generate. Using protocols such as IEEE 802.11ac or 802.11ax (Wi-Fi 6), these networks operate with extremely high bandwidths and a large number of channels. Since WLAN networks share the 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz bands with many other applications, other sources of interference make measurements more difficult. This external interference can lead to significant performance degradation and is often difficult to diagnose. Even the most modern real-time spectrum analyzers can quickly reach their limits in an environment with constantly changing interference signals.
Portable and fast
With the SPECTRAN V6 MOBILE devices, Aaronia is now launching a portable real-time spectrum analyzer series that enables precise and reliable measurements on site. The tablet analyzer is the first to use the in-house developed PC board with AMD Ryzen 7 Core 8845HS CPU under Windows 11. In conjunction with the AMD Readeon 780M GPU, the system not only offers enormous computing power, but also delivers high-resolution graphics of all measurement results in fractions of a second. The device has several USB PD ports, an HDMI port, two 2.5 Gbit Ethernet ports and an SD card reader. With its 64 GB DDR5 RAM memory and the integrated 2 TB M.2 NVMe hard drive, the system is ideally equipped for most tasks. If that’s not enough, there are two additional M.2 2280 slots and three M.2 2242 slots available for expansion.
Depending on the integrated analyzer, the SPECTRAN V6 MOBILE with 490MHz real-time bandwidth can even fully capture the 320MHz wide channels of the new IEEE 802.11ax standard. The frequency range and sweep speed can also be selected to suit the respective tasks. Either a 15″ standard display with a brightness of up to 1,500 NIT or an OLED display with up to 1,300 NIT will be used. Which display will actually be installed depends on further tests and will be announced in due course. Both variants ensure easy-to-read, best image reproduction even when used outdoors in daylight. All connections are protected against the ingress of water or dirt by cover caps.
The integrated battery and the hot-swappable extension battery enable a running time of around 4.5 hours, depending on the application. This means that the V6 Mobile 500TA-6 can be operated for as long as required without a fixed power connection by using several sets of batteries.
broadband antenna included
The OmniLOG 30800 completes the scope of delivery of the SPECTRAN V6 MOBILE 500TA-6. This is an omnidirectional broadband antenna developed for radial isotropic measurements from 300 MHz to 8 GHz for the analysis of most RF sources such as LTE, GSM, UMTS or WLAN. It enables direct measurement without having to align the antenna. This means that the field strength can be determined almost immediately. Due to its extremely small design, the OmniLOG 30800 is also ideal for inconspicuous or covert measurements
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