To look at them, you might not suspect that the new X-Series signal analyzers are from Keysight Technologies. Gone are the putty-colored plastic enclosures that were once a hallmark of the company, replaced by anodized, precision-machined, dark-gray metal exteriors with chamfered edges. And that’s just the exterior; the instruments’ electronics provide more precise measurement capability and integrate a multi-touch user interface to streamline measurement setup. According to the company, the design will provide a solid foundation for new solutions, with performance improvements and feature enhancements that address emerging needs in aerospace, defense, and wireless communications.
While the company chose to retain the popular X-Series designation for the new instruments, they provide significant performance advances over previous X-Series models. The new top-of-the-line UXA offers frequency coverage to 44 or 50 GHz with the option for an integrated 1-GHz analysis bandwidth, an industry first. The new PXA offers phase-noise performance of −136 dBc/Hz at 1-GHz/10-kHz offset, as well as real-time bandwidth of 510 MHz with spurious-free dynamic range greater than 75 dBc over the full span. To characterize signal interactions in dense radar environments, the UXA and PXA support real-time data streaming at up to 255-MHz bandwidth with 16-bit resolution at 300 Msamples/s. When coupled with a data recorder from solution-partner X-COM Systems, the analyzers support real-time acquisition with up to 15 Tbytes (>3 hrs) of capture memory.
To make rapid use of the new instruments’ measurement capabilities, the touch interface enables optimization of measurement parameters in no more than two touches. Support for gesture-driven control (such as pinching, dragging, and swiping) makes analysis more immediate and intuitive. Coupled with the multi-touch screen are proven, ready-to-use measurement applications for pulse analysis, analog demodulation, noise figure, phase noise, LTE/LTE-Advanced, and W-CDMA. The new pulse application accelerates development and verification of chirped wideband signals, such as those used in advanced radar. Updates to the LTE/LTE-A application simplify characterization of systems that use carrier aggregation by supporting 256 QAM and providing visible configuration of all component carriers.
Furthermore, to control the instruments remotely, the control software provides the same look-and-feel as the instruments themselves. And as the company notes, “With consistent operation across the UXA, PXA, MXA, EXA, and CXA models, learning one means knowing them all.” In addition to the signal analyzers, the new N897xB NFA X-Series noise figure analyzers, with ranges from 3.6 to 40 GHz, leverage the X-Series improvements to offer not only the multi-touch interface, but also a larger display and improved performance compared to their predecessors.
The instruments are available now with list prices ranging from $13,284 for a 3-GHz CXA (N9000B) to $115,743 for a 50-GHz UXA (N9040B). Pricing for NFA X-Series models starts at $39,371 for the 3.6-GHz model (N8973B).
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