IMS 2022 video: Test equipment

Several test equipment companies demonstrated their latest products for attendees of the International Microwave Symposium.

Denver — The 2022 International Microwave Symposium took place here in June. Several companies exhibited the latest in RF, microwave, mmWave, and even sub-terahertz test equipment. EE World visited Anritsu, Keysight Technologies, Rohde & Schwarz, Signal Hound, and Wireless Telecom Group for video demonstrations of test equipment.

Anritsu

Anritsu demonstrated its VectorStar ME7838x4 Broadband System vector-network analyzer. Based on the MG7838 with additional units, the VNA can cover 70 kHz to 220 GHz in a single sweep. The video below also shows the company’s MA25400A mmWave module, which provides test ports to a device under test. Anritsu’s Navneet Kataria, Technical Expert for Test & Measurement explains how the system works.

Keysight Technologies

According to Keysight applications engineer Randy Becker, signal generators that use I/O modulators can never quite get perfect in-phase/quadrature alignment. That, he said, raises the measurement noise floor, which reduces dynamic range. Keysight’s M9484C VXG Vector Signal Generator, shown at the 2022 International Microwave Symposium, uses direct-digital synthesis (DDS) to produce a lower noise floor. Becker shows the results on the company’s N9042B UXA Signal Analyzer running the company’s software.

In a second video taken at the Keysight booth, Becker demonstrates a test bed for testing radios running at 141 GHz. The radio-on-glass, developed at Nokia Bell Labs and discussed at IMS 2020 (virtual) has the potential to 100 Gb/sec data rates using the D-band (130 GHz to 174.8 GHz).

Rohde & Schwarz

While visiting with Rohde & Schwarz, EE world was treated to two demonstrations. In the first part of the video, Martin Lin demonstrated error-vector-magnitude (EVM) measurements using an SMW200A 67 GHz Vector Signal Generator and an FSW 50 GHz Signal and Spectrum Analyzer. The demonstration uses a 5G NR signal at 39 GHz with a 100-MHz bandwidth.

Next, Clinton Linville gave a demonstration of the ATS1800C 5G NR test chamber. The demo used a horn antenna as the DUT, but in actual use, you’d see a devices such as a smartphone, mmWave small cell, or other device. The DUT can both spin on its axis and the chamber cam “roll” the DUT ±181°. Linville also showed us how the chamber six can be extended by adding additional sections.

Signal Hound

With RF engineers now designing products for 5G mmWave, you’ll need a spectrum analyzer capable of handling mmWave frequencies through 24 GHz, 28 GHz, and 39 GHz. The SM435B from Signal Hound fits that bill. The instrument connects to a PC using USB and Windows-based software. During a visit to the Signal Hound booth at IMS 2022 we saw Senior Engineer Justin Crooks give a demonstration of the unit.

The demo used a 24 GHz garage door opener as the signal source. The transmitter generates a pulse and the SM435B lets you scroll through the pulse in the time domain and the frequency domain.

Wireless Telecom Group (Boonton, Noisecom)

With more and more connected devices and networks coming on live every day, coexistence becomes and ever-increasing problem. At the Wireless Telecom Group booth of IMS 2022, Sales Director Matt Deissner demonstrated how you can add noise to a cellular or Wi-Fi signal for testing purposes.

The demonstration uses a Boonton PMX40 RF power meter to monitor a modulated RF signal. A Noisecom UFX7000B noise generator adds noise on 0.1 dB increments. You can see the difference in the signal’s dynamic range in the video.