I'm looking for a USB spectrum analyzer for occasional use.

My immediate requirement is to cover the range 100kHz to 3MHz but up
to 30MHz would be good.

Any recommendations based on personal experience?

Raveninghorde wrote:
> I'm looking for a USB spectrum analyzer for occasional use.
> 
> My immediate requirement is to cover the range 100kHz to 3MHz but up
> to 30MHz would be good.
> 
> Any recommendations based on personal experience?


It's an unserved market. You can get one based on a Winradio but IIRC 
it'll set you back north af $1500. Then there's the Icom R1500 for $600 
or sans controller pod as the PCR1500 for around $500. Not much out 
there in terms of (reliable) spectrum analysis software, so to make it 
fancy you'd have to write some.

-- 
Regards, Joerg

http://www.analogconsultants.com/

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On Sat, 03 Oct 2009 18:57:03 +0100, Raveninghorde
<raveninghorde@invalid> wrote:

>I'm looking for a USB spectrum analyzer for occasional use.
>
>My immediate requirement is to cover the range 100kHz to 3MHz but up
>to 30MHz would be good.
>
>Any recommendations based on personal experience?

If you feel ambitious this is a home brew 1GHz one.


http://www.scottyspectrumanalyzer.com/msaorig.html

Then again if you have a DSO they come with FFTmay be good enough for
your purpose.

Raveninghorde <raveninghorde@invalid> wrote:

>I'm looking for a USB spectrum analyzer for occasional use.
>
>My immediate requirement is to cover the range 100kHz to 3MHz but up
>to 30MHz would be good.
>
>Any recommendations based on personal experience?

Most DSO have spectrum analyses capabilities. Just don't expect a wide
dynamic range.

-- 
Failure does not prove something is impossible, failure simply
indicates you are not using the right tools...
                     "If it doesn't fit, use a bigger hammer!"
--------------------------------------------------------------

Joerg wrote:
> Raveninghorde wrote:
>> I'm looking for a USB spectrum analyzer for occasional use.
>>
>> My immediate requirement is to cover the range 100kHz to 3MHz but up
>> to 30MHz would be good.
>>
>> Any recommendations based on personal experience?
> 
> 
> It's an unserved market. You can get one based on a Winradio but IIRC 
> it'll set you back north af $1500. Then there's the Icom R1500 for $600 
> or sans controller pod as the PCR1500 for around $500. Not much out 
> there in terms of (reliable) spectrum analysis software, so to make it 
> fancy you'd have to write some.
> 

It would need to go right down to DC, preferably with two channels so 
you can do I/Q.  I'd love to have a dynamic signal analyzer equivalent 
that went up to at least 30 MHz.  You could even do network analysis.

Cheers

Phil Hobbs

-- 
Dr Philip C D Hobbs
Principal
ElectroOptical Innovations
55 Orchard Rd
Briarcliff Manor NY 10510
845-480-2058
hobbs at electrooptical dot net
http://electrooptical.net

Phil Hobbs wrote:
> Joerg wrote:
>> Raveninghorde wrote:
>>> I'm looking for a USB spectrum analyzer for occasional use.
>>>
>>> My immediate requirement is to cover the range 100kHz to 3MHz but up
>>> to 30MHz would be good.
>>>
>>> Any recommendations based on personal experience?
>>
>>
>> It's an unserved market. You can get one based on a Winradio but IIRC 
>> it'll set you back north af $1500. Then there's the Icom R1500 for 
>> $600 or sans controller pod as the PCR1500 for around $500. Not much 
>> out there in terms of (reliable) spectrum analysis software, so to 
>> make it fancy you'd have to write some.
>>
> 
> It would need to go right down to DC, preferably with two channels so 
> you can do I/Q.  I'd love to have a dynamic signal analyzer equivalent 
> that went up to at least 30 MHz.  You could even do network analysis.
> 

Problem is, there isn't any market for this so you'd have to roll your 
own. Even 9kHz and up for regular pre-compliance is considered too small 
a market by some. Although I am convinced they are wrong about that 
because nobody has test-marketed any serious <$1k gear there.

-- 
Regards, Joerg

http://www.analogconsultants.com/

"gmail" domain blocked because of excessive spam.
Use another domain or send PM.

On Oct 3, 6:00 pm, Joerg <inva...@invalid.invalid> wrote:
>
> Problem is, there isn't any market for this so you'd have to roll your
> own. Even 9kHz and up for regular pre-compliance is considered too small
> a market by some. Although I am convinced they are wrong about that
> because nobody has test-marketed any serious <$1k gear there.

How accurate and linear and flat would it have to be?
The usual diode-mixer front end would be as fragile as always, it
would be easy to damage, no?
And how high is "up"? 2GHz? 200GHz? THz?

a...@netzero.com wrote:
> On Oct 3, 6:00 pm, Joerg <inva...@invalid.invalid> wrote:
>> Problem is, there isn't any market for this so you'd have to roll your
>> own. Even 9kHz and up for regular pre-compliance is considered too small
>> a market by some. Although I am convinced they are wrong about that
>> because nobody has test-marketed any serious <$1k gear there.
> 
> How accurate and linear and flat would it have to be?


Not very. +/-3dB would be good enough for most EMC pre-compliance. 
Dynamic range must be as large as possible though because you may have 
to hunt a wee spur inside an OEM system you don't know.


> The usual diode-mixer front end would be as fragile as always, it
> would be easy to damage, no?


Not so much for EMC work. But when designing switchers or when people 
aren't careful with conducted EMI measurements, yes, it can die fast.


> And how high is "up"? 2GHz? 200GHz? THz?


1GHz usually suffices. If you include 2.45GHz that creates a much larger 
market, that of all the "PC doctors" with their refurbed ambulances.

-- 
Regards, Joerg

http://www.analogconsultants.com/

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Does the Ten-Tec USB  VNA have a receive mode?

Steve

o...@uakron.edu wrote:
> Does the Ten-Tec USB  VNA have a receive mode?
> 

AFAIK it does not, like most VNA's don't :-(

Usually there's an I/Q detection with pretty much zilch in bandpassing 
before it. So they aren't very useful for that to begin with.

-- 
Regards, Joerg

http://www.analogconsultants.com/

"gmail" domain blocked because of excessive spam.
Use another domain or send PM.