On Mon, Apr 27, 2020 at 11:50 PM, <erik@...> wrote:

Yes, ref level and attenuation are linked as you would expect so the noise floor comes up with increasing attenuation but signals stay on same level.

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Erik,

1. Very, happy to see selectable front end attenuation.? One of the best ways to determine if a signal is real or not is to add rf attenuation.? If the signal stays at the same level you know it is real but if it drops dramatically it was not.? I usually have to hunt down an external attenuator to perform this check on a low cost spectrum analyzer.

2. Any possibility of adding a menu for selectable display units (i.e. dBm, dBuV, uV)?

3. Average detector not an option but video averaging can be accomplished by setting video bandwidth lower than the resolution bandwidth.

4. I didn't see a sweep-time menu option on the wiki page to allow the user to manually adjust the sweep rate.? Sometimes necessary to capture some signals.

5. Can a external generator be selected for more accurate level calibration instead of the built in calibrator?? Not everyone has access to a calibrated rf generator, but it would be nice to allow those that have one to use it for extra accuracy.

6. Trace math - thumbs up!

7. Zero span - does x-axis change to time domain units?

8. Are the live and stored traces available for usb readout using the "data 0" and "data 1"? NanoVNA console commands?

I think you have struck a good balance between features and specifications.? Wish you and hugen much success.

- Herb

On Mon, Apr 27, 2020 at 11:39 PM, <erik@...> wrote:

The SA outputs its first LO from the high connector.
The tracking generator mixes the LO with a signal at the first IF and after an LPF you get the tracking signal

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That's pretty nifty.? Sort of like the old HP8445/HP8568 set-up.? The synchronous tracking should allow for additional depth when sweeping filters. I purchased a rf explorer and rf explorer? generator a couple of years back and the tracking feature could only be evoked by computer control, no stand-alone mode.? I can already envision a future tinysa model which includes the tracking generator inside the case rather than as a separate unit.

- Herb

- Herb

Kurt,
Can you confirm I'm doing the IIP3 measurement as it should be done?

I'm not able to create such an application but as the tinySA console commands are very similar to the nanoVNA a derivative of nanoVNA-saver becoming tinySA-saver should be not too much work.

Another measurement option is measuring phase noise. This of course is limited by the internal phase noise of the tinySA which is not world class.
In phase noise measurement mode a phase noise delta marker is set at the requested offset frequency and a delta noise level is displayed in dB/Hz to eliminate the impact of the selected RBW.
Below is the result of one tinySA measuring the phase noise of the high output at 250MHz of another tinySA. This level of phase noise defines the lower limit of effective phase noise measurements with the tinySA

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This shows the measurement option to measure OIP3 and it is used to measure the internal IIP3 at 0dB attenuation.
Two tones (6MHz and 7MHz) from fairly clean signal generators are used.
Bot the left and right IIP3 are shown.
Investigations are ongoing to further improve this and an IIP3 level of +25dBm could be possible.

See the wiki for the details


Yes, ref level and attenuation are linked as you would expect so the noise floor comes up with increasing attenuation but signals stay on same level.
Both ref level and attenuation can be set to automatic


Next to store and subtract (normalize) there is also waterfall

The SA outputs its first LO from the high connector.
The tracking generator mixes the LO with a signal at the first IF and after an LPF you get the tracking signal

Herb,
Asynchronous mode
independent transmitter, independent receiver

73, Gyula

On Mon, Apr 27, 2020 at 11:48 AM, <erik@...> wrote:

I am building a Windows SA application

Linux support, too?? Please!

On Mon, Apr 27, 2020 at 10:45 AM, <erik@...> wrote:

Using two tinySA, one as spectrum analyzer in low input mode and the other as tracking generator ...

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Erik,
? How does the tracking feature work?? From the picture you provided, there is no usb-usb connection so it is not a stepped sweep with one spectrum analyzer acting as the host and the other as the controller.? So how does the generator frequency in the first spectrum analyzer stay in sync with the sweep of the second for tracking purposes?

- Herb

Erik,
? ?Looking at the photos you have shown, some of the menu options look like a winner.? Store trace, subtract stored trace, maxhold (M:H) and simultaneous display of stored trace and live trace are features usually found in big box instruments.? What other detectors beside peak will be offered?

? Does the reference level automatically adjust with change in attenuation?

- Herb

Hi Eric
I offer myself as tester and has the following gear:
R&S CMU200 SA(10MHz-2.7GHz) with signal generator (0.1MHz to 2.7GHz) version CRTU-RU

HP8559A SA 0.1MHz to 18GHz

Signal generator HP8664A 0.1MHz to 3GHz

2xHP141T SA covering 0.1MHz and 18GHz and 1,6GHz tracking generator

and then some more handy stuff :)
Kind regards
Kurt?


?

Like the nanoVNA the tinySA supports full control over USB
I am building a Windows SA application with unlimited measurement points that can use the tinySA as it's measurement front end.
The console commands are very similar to the nanoVNA

Erik,
? ?Is the usb port only for charging or will it also support remote operation from a software application?? If so do you have a list of the commands that will be supported?

-? Herb

Using two tinySA, one as spectrum analyzer in low input mode and the other as tracking generator with external modulation input
The tracking generator can be set to a small offset so it is possible to do some tests on mixers.
The metal can is a 110MHz BPF

Using a smaller sweep to cover the 40 meter band gives a bandscope



A lot of digital traffic.
I still need to optimize the gamma a bit

And for those that want to see what happens over time a waterfall display

Karsten,

Thanks for the feedback. Typo corrected and phase noise spec added.?
Phase noise is -90dBc/Hz at 100kHz offset and -115dBc/Hz at 1MHz offset. This is a consequence of the balance between cost and functionality.
In this post?/g/tinysa/message/5? you can see a picture of a full 350MHz scan showing all the harmonics (and additional spurs) of a 30MHz signal.
As the VBW is bigger then the RBW given the 290 display points the tinySA inserts additional steps and takes the maximum of these steps for the display points.?