I note that the newer PXAs run our automated tests that check for spurious signals considerably faster than even the older PXAs at work.? The old ones take about 1.5 times longer to do the same tests.? IIRC, the model numbers are N9020A and N9020B.? I'm working from home today so I can't check until tomorrow.? But even within a product line, improvements in performance do happen.
HTH
Jim Ford Laguna Hills, California, USA
"And we know that God causes all things to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them." Romans 8:28 (NLT)
------ Original Message ------
Date 4/21/2024 11:44:15 PM
Subject Re: [HP-Agilent-Keysight-equipment] N9020A
The X-series analyzers have evolved quite a bit since their introduction, as the early versions ran XP, and the newer ones are probably on Win10, maybe 11. That gets into licensing negotiations with uSoft. Even with XP, the EXA, MXA, and PXA were faster and more capable than the PSA. ? The PSA was faster than the 8566/8568, and had a better display, as well as better dynamic range and speed. Log mag display linearity was no longer an issue as the log amps in the IF were replaced with software log functions. Dynamic range was at least 20 dB better. Amplitude accuracy improved from =/- 1.5 dB or worse to less than .5 dB, almost into power meter territory. ?The limitation of the PSA was that it could not support USB devices very well. Writing thee drivers to accommodate every possible peripheral in the wild, wild west that was USB back then was a lot of work. uS was doing all of that work, so why re-invent the wheel. ? The EXA/MXA/PXA took a lot of the hardware tech from the PSA and added the speed, memory, peripheral support, and processing horsepower of a modern PC, integral to the machine. Could it have used Linux instead of Windows? Yes, but at the time, Linux did not have the horsepower and peripheral support, among other things. ? ? Some features that ship standard with every box: ? More displayed data points, at least 64,000 last I knew were available. No, the LCD won¡¯t show them all but they are all available via GPIB, USB, or LAN ports. ? Sweep speeds are substantially faster than the 8566/8568. ? Amplitude accuracy and frequency are much better because of the large amounts of memory, both RAM and disk, which allows calibrating at more points across the range of the box, and applying the corrections immediately. ? Measurements like channel power and adjacent channel power are available. ? There are at least 4, traces available, in color, that can use any of 4 or 5 different detectors, so you can compare traces taken simultaneously with different detectors ( Rosenfell, Peak, Neg Peak, Average, and Sample). There are more trace math tricks available than the earlier models. ? There are, I think, 10 markers available, on each trace. Any marker can be a reference marker and any other marker can be a delta marker to that. Multiple reference and delta markers can exist on the same trace. ? On board storage of setups, traces, etc. is limited only by the size of the hard disk, which of course have grown larger over time. With the USB and LAN ports, off-board storage is just like you would do on a Win PC. ? There are several other cool things the X-series can do, but I think I¡¯ve hit a few of the more useful ones. ? I have used the 8566/8568 family since they came out in the late 70¡¯s, the PSA for several years, and also the X-series since they were introduced. I still own a 66, a 68, and a 3.6 GHz EXA. I don¡¯t use the 68 much. I use the 66 for microwave needs, but the EXA for most everything else on my test bench. Yeah, I hate the slow boot up time, but it does everything else so well and so much faster, and I very seldom need to post-process any sweeps, which saves me a lot more time than the slow boot up costs. ? My EXA has the noise figure option, and it does have some quirks compared the using the 8970 system that I used to have, but it is just as capable. It doesn¡¯t have quite as many tricks as the 8970 could pull off with its Special Functions menu, but I haven¡¯t missed those. ? I have had the EXA for going on 15 years and have not had any problems with it. (OK, now I¡¯m slightly apprehensive about going into the lab and turning it on, having said that!) ? Just like PCs in general, the hardware needed to support newer versions of Windows has changed, and obsoletes the older stuff. An upgrade is pretty simple, though not hobbyist cheap. The computer part ?is a plug in module that has a standard interface, so that , last I heard, an original X-series can be upgraded to the lates Wintel version just by replacing that module. The RF hardware doesn¡¯t need to change at all. Certainly, I would expect that more recently built units will have better RF stuff as that evolves over time. ? Blame the suits for going to a Windows OS? Nope, blame the engineers who finally got the freedom to build a machine that could do everything that the evolving technology of RF hardware, signal processing, and computing horsepower made possible. ? Tom, N8ZM ? ? Hi Just an extra note The preamp are inbuilt all MXA`s One of the very nice features are a package named EDP..enhanced display package¡ª its also an ?software option and works wonders-it simply lets you make normal sweeps at your own choise¡and have a split screen with a spectrogram¡. If one buy from the seller I earlier have linked to,you simply ask Hong for the options you want..and the analyzer can use!! ? ? Hi Jeremy et all The MXA have both a preamp and electronically attenuator as option.All MXA have inbuilt 28v dc for noise sources. The phase noise and noise figure options works even better than the one used in the old PSA. Regarding vsa 89600 software¡.all MXA` used to come with ?version 12.02 and version 14 preinstalled.works great in my MXA`s -and of course one can use this software from a pc as well. There exist ?cracks for version 12.02 and version 22.21. Only two of the sellers at ebay can offer the units with-a lot- of options¡have made a link. I have collected most info about these nice systems.If interested I can share!! The only caveat are the bandwidth at 3.6 Ghz,but many of us ?still have the ?old HP/Agilent 856x/859x series analyzers going to multi Ghz.Combinedwith the 3.6 Ghz MXA it¡¯s a great combo as the vsa 89600 sofware have an inbuilt up/down converter mode.The MXA come standard with a digital bandwidth of 25 Mhz!!! Hardy ? ? ? Here's the datasheet for the N9020A? MXA analyser
It may be the case that the 28V hardware for driving an external noise source is standard equipment. It might therefore be possible to measure noise figure by adding a suitable licence code. Maybe Hardy can advise about this.
The analyser would also need a preamp to cover up to 3.6GHz or an external (homebrew or HP) preamp could be fitted. The noise figure of the internal preamp isn't that great, so I'd recommend making an external preamp, especially for use below about 1GHz.
A noise source would also be needed and this could be homebrew or something like an HP 346A/B. A homebrew noise source would be a lot cheaper but it won't be as stable or as accurate.
The noise figure GUI will probably be similar to that used in other Agilent/Keysight analysers. It's a really nice feature to have on a modern spectrum analyser.?
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Everything in politics is a reaction to something else. Right To Repair is
a reaction to blatant market abuses by a couple of bad actors -- not calling
any names, but, um, Apple and John Deere. Customers were basically given
the choice to shoulder unreasonable costs to maintain products they've
purchased or to switch to inferior products... a choice that's increasingly
dictated by network effects.
If those companies were surprised when their customers wrote their
Congressmen, well, gee, bummer, I guess that's on them.
Rather than being a manifestation of "communism," right-to-repair is a
reaction to the "You will own nothing and be happy" sentiment propagated by
certain people who would not normally be identified as communists. It's not
helpful or productive to use terms like "communism" in this context.
Feudalism might be a better card to play.
-- john, KE5FX
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Just off the top of my head, it can be done, but perhaps not as easily as you'd think.
You need a central nexus, either FPGA, discrete circuitry, or microprocessor, that takes commands and makes hardware work.? It would have to be all the hardware through this central node.? If this node then has a computer interface, you can run everything remotely from the computer, or default to another, larger internal processor for standalone.
This is economically unfeasible for a manufacturer, though.
The design limitations are the complexity of the control node (and method of interface), the speed of that interface in getting data out, and of course, the tasks it needs to do.
You could distribute the machine's intelligence with a "smart RF section", a "smart Display", and so on, depending on what you want.
All very modular, but not trivial to do.? At best, you have an add-on control module for each section.? That might almost be a standardized design.
The things you control must lend themselves to this purpose, as well.
Harvey
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On 4/22/2024 5:54 AM, Martin via groups.io wrote: HI Hardy,
I did not mean trying this on an existing instrument.
I was wondering how one could design the architecture of a modern instrument to be more universal and less dependant on a single computer. I imagine (dream of) enabling the HW core of the instrument to be used to full extent with an external computer if the internal has failed or cannot be used anymore.
cheers
Martin
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A good approach with respect to being "less dependent on a single computer"
is to use a headless instrument that works with any PC you plug it into.
Almost every box in a modern R&D workspace needs to talk to a PC, but there
are few good reasons to demand that the T&M manufacturers build a separate
PC and display into each of them. (Portability in a field-friendly
instrument being one of those good reasons.)
Frankly if I were shopping for a new MXA-class spectrum analyzer today I'd
be inclined to look at Signal Hound first. Their newer SAs don't give up
much ground to the big boys in terms of features or performance, and most of
their gear supports Linux as well as Windows.
Keysight has made some exploratory moves into the headless space with the
Streamline products, but SH and Tek got the jump on them in the
spectrum-analyzer department.
-- john, KE5FX
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Show quoted text
-----Original Message-----
I was wondering how one could design the architecture of a modern instrument
to be more universal and less dependant on a single computer. I imagine
(dream of) enabling the HW core of the instrument to be used to full extent
with an external computer if the internal has failed or cannot be used
anymore.
cheers
Martin
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Re: N9020A - Right to repair
In general I agree with Chuck.
Communistic may be a bit heavy handed.
Hard to fix modern stuff for sure, but farmers, due to the John Deere Company, would argue that the inability to source third party solutions for the modern software driven $250,000+ farm tractor is a real problem, especially when it is sitting broken in the field due to a software/ firmware or electronics module problem. Then JD tells you a serviceman will show up in a month, after the planting season, and the cost is thru the roof... Others could and would source solutions and maybe non-factory repair technician services would appear, who knows, not allowed.
You want all the bells & whistles "needed" for the modern world, well, the problems come too...
Jeff Kruth
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Right to Repair, is a communistic, people's power sort of proposal. It sounds nice, but technology may have progressed beyond a point where it is practical. It requires the manufacturer to spend money to modify its products, and documentation, and to make special parts available long into the future, so that the purchaser can substitute his own unverified level of competence for the manufacturer's. It requires the manufacturer's warranty not to be voided by customer specified repairs. In most cases it is totally impractical, as the products were developed using hugely expensive CAD/CAM systems, and the product's documentation cannot even exist outside of those systems in a usable form. Who gets the liability when the purchaser finds that he, or his chosen independent repair organization, does bad work? Who will compensate the manufacturer when bad outcomes invariably happen, and the manufacturer's product and good name get smeared in the public's eye as the result of a faulty repair? Even something as prosaic as a 1980's automobile has already found this to have happened. Ford Explorer's developers tuned the suspension on the SUV to the tires they specified too tightly. Because the car's owners could use any tires they wished on their cars, some chose tires that did not meet the characteristics of the Firestone tires Ford specified, and unsafe handling was the result. If the car owners had to come to Ford for the tires, the problem might never have been revealed. Was its Ford's fault? Sure, but it only became a problem when incorrect materials were used in the customer ordered repairs. -Chuck Harris On Mon, 22 Apr 2024 10:29:33 +0200 "Martin via groups.io" <musaeum@...> wrote: On 21. Apr 2024, at 23:13, jmr via groups.io
<jmrhzu@...> wrote:
...A fairly decent analyser will have a 14 bit digital IF, a real
time bandwidth of 10MHz to maybe 160MHz and very good
specifications for dynamic range... One part of the analyser is merely a computer doing signal analysis
in SW, displaying measurements, doing automation etc.
Not sure about the architecture of these "modern" instruments, but I
guess their specs mainly depend on the hardware parts. Talking about
"right to repair", would it be possible to pilot these parts
exclusively with some (well documented) logic or FPGA that provides
an interface like HPIB?
If the internal computer (win, linux etc.) goes bad one could still
connect to HPIB and to everything via an external computer. A bit
like when the internal display goes bad and you connect an external
monitor to a VGA port.
cheers
Martin
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Re: HP 140B LVPS -12.6V Not Working
Hi David,
I saw some of your comments on another site (eevblog?) regarding 1854-0071.? It appears I have the 4-071 TI001 version.? If these are indeed failure prone, then possibly that's what happened in my case.
I didn't want to remove it unless I had good cause but since it tests in circuit the way it does, then I think there's good reason to at least remove it and test it out of circuit.? If it is indeed bad, then I can at least try a 2n3904.
If HP did switch to 2n3904s for that P/N, then I wonder if those are good for any/all instances?? If not, then I might want to get a supply of 2n3704s since, as you can see, that's not the only one on this board (and, maybe, on other boards in this scope).
Thanks again, Barry - N4BUQ
1854-0071 is one of the very common small general purpose transistors used all over HP TE, 1853-0020 is the other common one.
It depends on which manual you look at, I've seen 1854-0071 (marked 4-071) listed as 2N3391 and as a selected 2N3704 in different manuals, they were made by various manufacturers and pinouts vary.
I've found original parts fitted marked MPS3391 in a HP 180, the 4-071 or 1854-0071 seems to be the most often failed part I find in HP scopes & other TE.
Later they used 1854-0215 which is a 2N3904.
A few of the common one and the generic part listed, from manuals.
1854-0071 = selected from 2N3704
1853-0020 = selected from 2N3702
Those are listed in the 432A pdf.
1854-0215 = 2N3904
1853-0036 = 2N3906
And those are listed in the 3310A/B pdf.
David
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Re: 5342A: sometimes counts, sometimes not
Just to be sure: I mean the self test you initiate with <SHIFT> 1
Wilko
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I really wouldn't worry about the Windows aspect of these analysers. It isn't a valid reason to declare them as 'not worth the trouble' etc.?
The MXA really is a nice analyser. At work I'm used to using the PSA and PXA but there are some MXA/EXA and even CXA analysers.
I've only used the MXA a few times but it isn't that far behind the high end models. I used a rented one for several months at work and was quite pleased with it. From memory, the only disappointing aspect (compared to the high end analysers) was the amplitude response and the noise floor response, especially when crossing from band 0 to band 1 at about 3.6GHz. The frequency response, the DANL and noise floor 'flatness' is much better on the high end analysers. Even the 23 year old PSA model is markedly better than the MXA?when tested like this.
The phase noise and spurious free dynamic range is also going to be better on the high end models like the PSA, but not by much. Most users would never notice.
My main niggle with the old PSA is the display. Even the ancient HP 8568B had a better display quality in terms of resolution. I remember using a PSA for the first time back in about 2002. The display was a big disappointment even back then. For many years, I've been hoping that a display upgrade would be available for the PSA but it never happened. If it had been a Windows based machine it would have been much easier to upgrade the LCD display ;)
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Re: Interesting power supply issue!
What I found is more interesting than a short.
First of all, the power supply uses mag amps to regulate each output.? That's not very common!
Each output is floating with respect to the others in the supply. When the supply is plugged into the backplane the four outputs have their commons tied together and to chassis ground.? So my first thought was that there was a short inside the switcher transformer that led to high currents when the outputs were tied together. Measurements ruled that out.
Measuring the voltages of the outputs led me to the problem.? The +12 was at +23 volts.? So the +12 volt regulator has a fault.
The key finding is that there is a supervisory circuit in the supply which guards against such failures by crowbarring the supply.? But, its design only works when the individual supply commons are tied together.? With the +12 supply left floating the overvoltage protection circuit cannot sense that fault and the supply runs.? Tie the commons together and the overvoltage protection circuit keeps the supply from running, as intended.
I got the CLIP very quickly online from Artek Media and will track down the component fault when I get a little more bench time.
If you are curious about the mag amp angle, the control chips they use are UC3838 and the datasheets are easy to find on the web.? If the fault in mine is that chip, it is available.
Peter
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On 4/22/2024 4:19 AM, Martin via groups.io wrote: Hi Peter,
maybe there is a short circuit in the PS towards its chassis that only reveals itself when screwed to the instrument's chassis?
cheers
Martin
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Re: HP 140B LVPS -12.6V Not Working
1854-0071 is one of the very common small general purpose transistors used all over HP TE, 1853-0020 is the other common one.
It depends on which manual you look at, I've seen 1854-0071 (marked 4-071) listed as 2N3391 and as a selected 2N3704 in different manuals, they were made by various manufacturers and pinouts vary.
I've found original parts fitted marked MPS3391 in a HP 180, the 4-071 or 1854-0071 seems to be the most often failed part I find in HP scopes & other TE.
Later they used 1854-0215 which is a 2N3904.
A few of the common one and the generic part listed, from manuals.
1854-0071 = selected from 2N3704
1853-0020 = selected from 2N3702
Those are listed in the 432A pdf.
1854-0215 = 2N3904
1853-0036 = 2N3906
And those are listed in the 3310A/B pdf.
David
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HI Hardy,
I did not mean trying this on an existing instrument.
I was wondering how one could design the architecture of a modern instrument to be more universal and less dependant on a single computer. I imagine (dream of) enabling the HW core of the instrument to be used to full extent with an external computer if the internal has failed or cannot be used anymore.
cheers
Martin
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Martin If the OS in these instrument goes-bad-,one have to re-install it. You cant connect to the instrument without a working OS. Hardy -----Oprindelig meddelelse----- Fra: [email protected]< [email protected]> P? vegne af Martin via groups.io Sendt: 22. april 2024 10:30 Til: [email protected]Emne: Re: [HP-Agilent-Keysight-equipment] N9020A On 21. Apr 2024, at 23:13, jmr via groups.io <jmrhzu@...> wrote: ...A fairly decent analyser will have a 14 bit digital IF, a real time bandwidth of 10MHz to maybe 160MHz and very good specifications for dynamic range... One part of the analyser is merely a computer doing signal analysis in SW, displaying measurements, doing automation etc. Not sure about the architecture of these "modern" instruments, but I guess their specs mainly depend on the hardware parts. Talking about "right to repair", would it be possible to pilot these parts exclusively with some (well documented) logic or FPGA that provides an interface like HPIB? If the internal computer (win, linux etc.) goes bad one could still connect to HPIB and to everything via an external computer. A bit like when the internal display goes bad and you connect an external monitor to a VGA port. cheers Martin -- Denne mail er blevet tjekket for vira af AVG-antivirussoftware. www.avg.com
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On 21. Apr 2024, at 23:13, jmr via groups.io <jmrhzu@...> wrote: ...A fairly decent analyser will have a 14 bit digital IF, a real time bandwidth of 10MHz to maybe 160MHz and very good specifications for dynamic range... One part of the analyser is merely a computer doing signal analysis in SW, displaying measurements, doing automation etc. Not sure about the architecture of these "modern" instruments, but I guess their specs mainly depend on the hardware parts. Talking about "right to repair", would it be possible to pilot these parts exclusively with some (well documented) logic or FPGA that provides an interface like HPIB? If the internal computer (win, linux etc.) goes bad one could still connect to HPIB and to everything via an external computer. A bit like when the internal display goes bad and you connect an external monitor to a VGA port. cheers Martin
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Re: Interesting power supply issue!
Hi Peter,
maybe there is a short circuit in the PS towards its chassis that only reveals itself when screwed to the instrument's chassis?
cheers
Martin
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The X-series analyzers have evolved quite a bit since their introduction, as the early versions ran XP, and the newer ones are probably on Win10, maybe 11. That gets into licensing negotiations with uSoft. Even with XP, the EXA, MXA, and PXA were faster and more capable than the PSA. ? The PSA was faster than the 8566/8568, and had a better display, as well as better dynamic range and speed. Log mag display linearity was no longer an issue as the log amps in the IF were replaced with software log functions. Dynamic range was at least 20 dB better. Amplitude accuracy improved from =/- 1.5 dB or worse to less than .5 dB, almost into power meter territory. ?The limitation of the PSA was that it could not support USB devices very well. Writing thee drivers to accommodate every possible peripheral in the wild, wild west that was USB back then was a lot of work. uS was doing all of that work, so why re-invent the wheel. ? The EXA/MXA/PXA took a lot of the hardware tech from the PSA and added the speed, memory, peripheral support, and processing horsepower of a modern PC, integral to the machine. Could it have used Linux instead of Windows? Yes, but at the time, Linux did not have the horsepower and peripheral support, among other things. ? ? Some features that ship standard with every box: ? More displayed data points, at least 64,000 last I knew were available. No, the LCD won¡¯t show them all but they are all available via GPIB, USB, or LAN ports. ? Sweep speeds are substantially faster than the 8566/8568. ? Amplitude accuracy and frequency are much better because of the large amounts of memory, both RAM and disk, which allows calibrating at more points across the range of the box, and applying the corrections immediately. ? Measurements like channel power and adjacent channel power are available. ? There are at least 4, traces available, in color, that can use any of 4 or 5 different detectors, so you can compare traces taken simultaneously with different detectors ( Rosenfell, Peak, Neg Peak, Average, and Sample). There are more trace math tricks available than the earlier models. ? There are, I think, 10 markers available, on each trace. Any marker can be a reference marker and any other marker can be a delta marker to that. Multiple reference and delta markers can exist on the same trace. ? On board storage of setups, traces, etc. is limited only by the size of the hard disk, which of course have grown larger over time. With the USB and LAN ports, off-board storage is just like you would do on a Win PC. ? There are several other cool things the X-series can do, but I think I¡¯ve hit a few of the more useful ones. ? I have used the 8566/8568 family since they came out in the late 70¡¯s, the PSA for several years, and also the X-series since they were introduced. I still own a 66, a 68, and a 3.6 GHz EXA. I don¡¯t use the 68 much. I use the 66 for microwave needs, but the EXA for most everything else on my test bench. Yeah, I hate the slow boot up time, but it does everything else so well and so much faster, and I very seldom need to post-process any sweeps, which saves me a lot more time than the slow boot up costs. ? My EXA has the noise figure option, and it does have some quirks compared the using the 8970 system that I used to have, but it is just as capable. It doesn¡¯t have quite as many tricks as the 8970 could pull off with its Special Functions menu, but I haven¡¯t missed those. ? I have had the EXA for going on 15 years and have not had any problems with it. (OK, now I¡¯m slightly apprehensive about going into the lab and turning it on, having said that!) ? Just like PCs in general, the hardware needed to support newer versions of Windows has changed, and obsoletes the older stuff. An upgrade is pretty simple, though not hobbyist cheap. The computer part ?is a plug in module that has a standard interface, so that , last I heard, an original X-series can be upgraded to the lates Wintel version just by replacing that module. The RF hardware doesn¡¯t need to change at all. Certainly, I would expect that more recently built units will have better RF stuff as that evolves over time. ? Blame the suits for going to a Windows OS? Nope, blame the engineers who finally got the freedom to build a machine that could do everything that the evolving technology of RF hardware, signal processing, and computing horsepower made possible. ? Tom, N8ZM ?
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From: [email protected] < [email protected]> On Behalf Of hardyhansendk via groups.io Sent: Sunday, April 21, 2024 11:26 PM To: [email protected]Subject: Re: [HP-Agilent-Keysight-equipment] N9020A ? Hi Just an extra note The preamp are inbuilt all MXA`s One of the very nice features are a package named EDP..enhanced display package¡ª its also an ?software option and works wonders-it simply lets you make normal sweeps at your own choise¡and have a split screen with a spectrogram¡. If one buy from the seller I earlier have linked to,you simply ask Hong for the options you want..and the analyzer can use!! ? ? Hi Jeremy et all The MXA have both a preamp and electronically attenuator as option.All MXA have inbuilt 28v dc for noise sources. The phase noise and noise figure options works even better than the one used in the old PSA. Regarding vsa 89600 software¡.all MXA` used to come with ?version 12.02 and version 14 preinstalled.works great in my MXA`s -and of course one can use this software from a pc as well. There exist ?cracks for version 12.02 and version 22.21. Only two of the sellers at ebay can offer the units with-a lot- of options¡have made a link. I have collected most info about these nice systems.If interested I can share!! The only caveat are the bandwidth at 3.6 Ghz,but many of us ?still have the ?old HP/Agilent 856x/859x series analyzers going to multi Ghz.Combinedwith the 3.6 Ghz MXA it¡¯s a great combo as the vsa 89600 sofware have an inbuilt up/down converter mode.The MXA come standard with a digital bandwidth of 25 Mhz!!! Hardy ? ? ? Here's the datasheet for the N9020A? MXA analyser
It may be the case that the 28V hardware for driving an external noise source is standard equipment. It might therefore be possible to measure noise figure by adding a suitable licence code. Maybe Hardy can advise about this.
The analyser would also need a preamp to cover up to 3.6GHz or an external (homebrew or HP) preamp could be fitted. The noise figure of the internal preamp isn't that great, so I'd recommend making an external preamp, especially for use below about 1GHz.
A noise source would also be needed and this could be homebrew or something like an HP 346A/B. A homebrew noise source would be a lot cheaper but it won't be as stable or as accurate.
The noise figure GUI will probably be similar to that used in other Agilent/Keysight analysers. It's a really nice feature to have on a modern spectrum analyser.?
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Re: 5342A: sometimes counts, sometimes not
PD: self-check doesn't show 75000000, only zeros
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Re: 5342A: sometimes counts, sometimes not
Alright guys, I'll check that first. It also seems to me that there is a problem with the frequency reference.?I didn't know that the processor itself depended so much on the time base, but seeing how it has behaved other times, I'll check that and the int/ext switch.
Thank you ;)
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Hi Just an extra note The preamp are inbuilt all MXA`s One of the very nice features are a package named EDP..enhanced display package¡ª its also an ?software option and works wonders-it simply lets you make normal sweeps at your own choise¡and have a split screen with a spectrogram¡. If one buy from the seller I earlier have linked to,you simply ask Hong for the options you want..and the analyzer can use!! ? ? Hi Jeremy et all The MXA have both a preamp and electronically attenuator as option.All MXA have inbuilt 28v dc for noise sources. The phase noise and noise figure options works even better than the one used in the old PSA. Regarding vsa 89600 software¡.all MXA` used to come with ?version 12.02 and version 14 preinstalled.works great in my MXA`s -and of course one can use this software from a pc as well. There exist ?cracks for version 12.02 and version 22.21. Only two of the sellers at ebay can offer the units with-a lot- of options¡have made a link. I have collected most info about these nice systems.If interested I can share!! The only caveat are the bandwidth at 3.6 Ghz,but many of us ?still have the ?old HP/Agilent 856x/859x series analyzers going to multi Ghz.Combinedwith the 3.6 Ghz MXA it¡¯s a great combo as the vsa 89600 sofware have an inbuilt up/down converter mode.The MXA come standard with a digital bandwidth of 25 Mhz!!! Hardy ? ? ? Here's the datasheet for the N9020A? MXA analyser
It may be the case that the 28V hardware for driving an external noise source is standard equipment. It might therefore be possible to measure noise figure by adding a suitable licence code. Maybe Hardy can advise about this.
The analyser would also need a preamp to cover up to 3.6GHz or an external (homebrew or HP) preamp could be fitted. The noise figure of the internal preamp isn't that great, so I'd recommend making an external preamp, especially for use below about 1GHz.
A noise source would also be needed and this could be homebrew or something like an HP 346A/B. A homebrew noise source would be a lot cheaper but it won't be as stable or as accurate.
The noise figure GUI will probably be similar to that used in other Agilent/Keysight analysers. It's a really nice feature to have on a modern spectrum analyser.?
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Hi Jeremy et all The MXA have both a preamp and electronically attenuator as option.All MXA have inbuilt 28v dc for noise sources. The phase noise and noise figure options works even better than the one used in the old PSA. Regarding vsa 89600 software¡.all MXA` used to come with ?version 12.02 and version 14 preinstalled.works great in my MXA`s -and of course one can use this software from a pc as well. There exist ?cracks for version 12.02 and version 22.21. Only two of the sellers at ebay can offer the units with-a lot- of options¡have made a link. I have collected most info about these nice systems.If interested I can share!! The only caveat are the bandwidth at 3.6 Ghz,but many of us ?still have the ?old HP/Agilent 856x/859x series analyzers going to multi Ghz.Combinedwith the 3.6 Ghz MXA it¡¯s a great combo as the vsa 89600 sofware have an inbuilt up/down converter mode.The MXA come standard with a digital bandwidth of 25 Mhz!!! Hardy ? ? ? Here's the datasheet for the N9020A? MXA analyser
It may be the case that the 28V hardware for driving an external noise source is standard equipment. It might therefore be possible to measure noise figure by adding a suitable licence code. Maybe Hardy can advise about this.
The analyser would also need a preamp to cover up to 3.6GHz or an external (homebrew or HP) preamp could be fitted. The noise figure of the internal preamp isn't that great, so I'd recommend making an external preamp, especially for use below about 1GHz.
A noise source would also be needed and this could be homebrew or something like an HP 346A/B. A homebrew noise source would be a lot cheaper but it won't be as stable or as accurate.
The noise figure GUI will probably be similar to that used in other Agilent/Keysight analysers. It's a really nice feature to have on a modern spectrum analyser.?
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RubenRubio