Tektronix RSA306B – USB Spectrum Analyzer (9 kHz to 6.2 GHz Frequency Range)

Tektronix RSA306B – USB Spectrum Analyzer (9 kHz to 6.2 GHz Frequency Range)

The RSA306B uses your PC and Tektronix SignalVu-PC™ RF Signal Analysis Software to provide real-time spectrum analysis, streaming capture, and deep signal analysis capabilities for signals from 9 kHz to 6.2 GHz, all in a low-cost, highly portable package that is ideal for field, factory, or academic use.

The RSA306B: a new class of instrument

The RSA306B offers full-featured spectrum analysis and deep signal analysis at a price unmatched by any previous offering. Using the latest in commercial interfaces and available computing power, the RSA306B separates signal acquisition from measurement, dramatically lowering the cost of instrument hardware. Data analysis, storage, and replay are performed on your personal computer, tablet, or laptop. Managing the PC separately from the acquisition hardware makes computer upgrades easy, and minimizes IT management issues.

SignalVu-PC™ software and an API for deep analysis and fast programmatic interaction

The RSA306B operates with SignalVu-PC, a powerful program that is the basis of Tektronix performance signal analyzers. SignalVu-PC offers a deep analysis capability previously unavailable in value-priced solutions. Real-time processing of the DPX spectrum/spectrogram is enabled in your PC, further reducing the cost of hardware. Customers who need programmatic access to the instrument can choose either the SignalVu-PC programmatic interface or use the included application programming interface (API) that provides a rich set of commands and measurements for Windows and Linux. A MATLAB driver for the API is available, enabling operation with MATLAB and the Instrument Control Toolbox.

DataVu-PC for multi-instrument recording and analysis of large recordings

DataVu-PC software can control two spectrum analyzers simultaneously with independent settings. This allows you to monitor a wide span while recording at up to 40 MHz bandwidth at any frequency in the range of the instrument. Once recorded, DataVu-PC can find and mark signals of interest based on amplitude and frequency-mask characteristics, eliminating the need for manual inspection of long recordings. Pulse measurements are available on up to 2,000,000 pulses.

EMI pre-compliance and diagnostic measurements are easy with the RSA306B and SignalVu-PC. Transducer, antenna, preamplifier, and cable gain/loss can be entered and stored in correction files, and the standard spurious measurement feature of SignalVu-PC can be used to establish limit lines for your test. The following illustration shows a test from 30MHz to 960 MHz against the FCC Part 15 Class A limit shown shaded. The blue trace is the capture of Ambient. Violations are recorded in the results table below the graph. CISPR quasi-peak and average detectors can be added with option SVQP.

The EMC pre-compliance solution can be added with option EMCVU. It supports many predefined limit lines. It also adds a wizard for easy setup of recommended antennas, LISN, and other EMC accessories with a one-button push. When using the new EMC-EMI display, you can accelerate the test by applying the time-consuming quasi-peak only on failures. This display also provides a push-button ambient measurement. The Inspect tool lets you measure frequencies of interest locally, removing the need for scanning.

SignalVu-PC application-specific licenses

SignalVu-PC offers a wealth of application-oriented measurement and analysis licenses including:

• General-purpose modulation analysis (27 modulation types including 16/32/64/256 QAM, QPSK, O-QPSK, GMSK, FSK, APSK)
• EMC/EMI analysis with CISPR peak, quasi-peak, and average detectors
• P25 analysis of phase I and phase 2 signals
• WLAN analysis of 802.11a/b/g/j/p, 802.11n, 802.11ac
• LTE™ FDD and TDD Base Station (eNB) Cell ID & RF measurements
• Bluetooth® analysis of Basic Rate, Low Energy, and Bluetooth 5. Some support of Enhanced Data Rate
• Mapping and signal strength
• Pulse analysis
• AM/FM/PM/Direct Audio Measurement including SINAD, THD
• Playback of recorded files, including complete analysis in all domains
• Signal Classification and Survey

Modulation analysis application SVM enables multiple displays of modulation quality. The following screenshot shows the standard Channel Power/ACLR measurement combined with a constellation display and vector signal quality measurements on a QPSK signal.

SignalVu-PC application SV26 enables quick, standards-based transmitter health checks on APCO P25 signals. The following image shows a Phase II signal being monitored for anomalies with the spectrum analyzer while performing transmitter power, modulation, and frequency measurements.

Sophisticated WLAN measurements are easy. On the 802.11g signal shown below, the spectrogram shows the initial pilot sequence followed by the main signal burst. The modulation is automatically detected as 64 QAM for the packet and displayed as a constellation. The data summary indicates an EVM of -33.24 dB RMS, and burst power is measured at 10.35 dBm. SignalVu-PC applications are available for 802.11a/b/j/g/p, 802.11n and 802.11ac to 40 MHz bandwidth.

Two new options have been added to help with Bluetooth SIG standard-based transmitter RF measurements in the time, frequency, and modulation domains. Option SV27 supports Basic Rate and Low Energy Transmitter measurements defined by RF.TS.4.2.0 and RF-PHY.TS.4.2.0 Test Specification. It also demodulates and provides symbol information for Enhanced Data Rate packets. Option SV31 supports Bluetooth 5 standards (LE 1M, LE 2M, LE Coded) and measurements defined in the Core Specification. Both options also decode the physical layer data that is transmitted and color-encode the fields of the packet in the Symbol Table for clear identification.

Pass/Fail results are provided with customizable limits. Measurement below shows deviation vs. time, frequency offset, and drift and a measurement summary with Pass/Fail results.

The SignalVu-PC MAP application enables interference hunting and location analysis. Locate interference with an azimuth function that lets you draw a line or an arrow on a mapped measurement to indicate the direction your antenna was pointing when you take a measurement. You can also create and display measurement labels.

Application SV28 enables the following LTE base station transmitter measurements:

• Cell ID
• Channel Power
• Occupied Bandwidth
• Adjacent Channel Leakage Ratio (ACLR)
• Spectrum Emission Mask (SEM)
• Transmitter Off Power for TDD
• Reference Signal (RS) Power

There are four presets to accelerate pre-compliance testing and determine the Cell ID. These presets are defined as Cell ID, ACLR, SEM, Channel Power, and TDD Toff Power. The measurements follow the definition in 3GPP TS Version 12.5 and support all base station categories, including picocells and femtocells. Pass/Fail information is reported and all channel bandwidths are supported.

The Cell ID preset displays the Primary Synchronization Signal (PSS) and the Secondary Synchronization Signal (SSS) in a Constellation diagram. It also provides Frequency Error.

The ACLR preset measures the E-UTRA and the UTRA adjacent channels, with different chip rates for UTRA. ACLR also supports Noise Correction based on the noise measured when there is no input. Both ACLR and SEM will operate in swept mode (default) or in faster single acquisition (real-time) when the measurement bandwidth required is less than 40 MHz.

The signal classification application (SV54) enables expert systems guidance to aid the user in classifying signals. It provides graphical tools that allow you to quickly create a spectral region of interest, enabling you to classify and sort signals efficiently. The spectral profile mask, when overlaid on top of a trace, provides signal shape guidance, while frequency, bandwidth, channel number, and location are displayed allowing for quick checks. WLAN, GSM, W-CDMA, CDMA, Bluetooth standard and enhanced data rate, LTE FDD and TDD, and ATSC signals can be quickly and simply classified. Databases can be imported from your H500/RSA2500 signal database library for an easy transition to the new software base.

Above is a typical signal survey. This survey is of a portion of the TV broadcast band, and 7 regions have been declared as either Permitted, Unknown, or Unauthorized, as indicated by the color bars for each region.