Aeroflex Spectrum Anaylzers - Page 1
Forum section: electronics / testgear

author: LabSpokane
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: July 06, 2017, 08:27:42 pm
content: There's a post in the classifieds for what are some incredibly low prices on Aeroflex spectrum analyzers. I know nothing about the brand. I only see it sold in North America to avionics related clients.Can anyone tell me anything about general quality and usability? I know they must be cheap for a reason, but the prices are hard to ignore. I'd be buying this as a general purpose instrument.https://www.eevblog.com/forum/buysellwanted/up-to-85-off-high-performance-spectrum-analysers/

author: abraxa
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: July 06, 2017, 08:34:39 pm
content: Judging fromhttps://mcs-testequipment.com/resources/Datasheets_Downloads/Aeroflex/3250%20Series%20Spectrum%20Analyzers%20Data%20Sheet.pdfthey seem to be good quality and used to perform quantitative analysis of wireless communication equipment. Those are options, though, so if they come without any of those then they'll indeed only be usable as a general-purpose spectrum analyzer. Not like many people would have use for those options in the first place

author: ataradov
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: July 06, 2017, 09:03:28 pm
content: I've only used their portable analyzers that cost about as much as those advertised at 75% discount, but they were decent, did everything spectrum analyzer should do and seemed well-built.

author: jpb
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: July 07, 2017, 09:10:39 am
content: Quote from: LabSpokane on July 06, 2017, 08:27:42 pmI was wondering about these too (in fact I posted the same question as you a bit earlier but no one in the UK responded).They have very good specs for the price (much better than Rigol/Siglent) & come with a 12 month warranty.My main thoughts on the down sides are:They are physically quite large.They are based on Windows XP and I'd guess there may be problems replacing the disk drive in future as it may be IDE and even if it is SATA the bios may not cope with a modern replacement.I'd guess they are end of line so future maintenance may be expensive or difficult.the TG has quite high harmonic content from the spec sheet.

author: videobruce
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: July 07, 2017, 11:36:59 am
content: 1. They are very heavy, 25+lbs (aka boat anchors) by todays standards,2. They are power hogs, well over 100 watts (again by todays standards), especially with the HDD & associated circuity,3. They us a M$ O/S (XP their really last 'useable' O/S) which is almost enough NOT to buy them.

author: wraper
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: July 07, 2017, 12:27:17 pm
content: Quote from: videobruce on July 07, 2017, 11:36:59 amMost of high end test equipment is windows based.

author: videobruce
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: July 07, 2017, 12:44:04 pm
content: A mistake. Adds cost & complexity.I'm sure Linux would be more than sufficient.

author: G0HZU
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: July 07, 2017, 06:18:05 pm
content: It's not a 'mistake' to have Windows as an OS. A lot of our RF test gear at work is Windows based and it is easy to use and manage. File management and data transfer is easy and you can run your own Windows based apps within the instrument to improve throughput in an ATE environment for example. My VNA here at home is Windows based and so is one of my spectrum analysers. I much prefer a Windows environment to Linux.Sure, 'you can do all the same on Linux' but most will prefer to use Windows here and Windows is still the mainstream OS for the major (defence?) companies that buy test gear like this in high volume.

author: videobruce
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: July 07, 2017, 08:21:21 pm
content: I understand all of that and I can't really dispute that,butthere are two other factors; license fees & security. Since M$ is greedy and hackers love to 'hack' M$ due to it's popularity.It's just it's such a HUGE O/S compared to what is normally used in devices (TE in this case), it just seems real overkill.Admittedly, Aeroflex was the 1st piece of TE I came across that used a M$ O/S, I didn't realize many others did also until a short time ago since most of that equipment is out of my price league.

author: Astrodev
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: July 07, 2017, 08:39:12 pm
content: Apparently they did a deal for around 150 of these units in various specs from 3 to 26GHz and quite a large number also have the tracking generator.The main problem is that they do not appear to have them on the website so it looks like there were only a few and they have already gone but as I found when I spoke to them yesterday that is not the case, as I have already got mine allocated since the bulk of them are not due in until next week.But as they are effectively selling new units at a price you would expect to pay for a used piece of kit and you get it with a warranty it is worth accepting that it is quite a weighty bit of bench kit, but did Marconi ever go in for making equipment light and this seems to have carried through.The base capability of the instruments seem to cover most requirements with a few useful extras that the low end units lack so I think for the money they are a worthwhile investment (I was going to get the Rigol until these came up).

author: Astrodev
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: July 07, 2017, 08:54:52 pm
content: Sorry I forgot about the O/S part, from what I have seen these are no different from a lot of higher end gear in that they use embedded Windows to handle the real world interface and connectivity of the instrument this is common from manufacturers such as R&S, Anritsu, Agilent(Keysight) and others, I even have an Agilent bench meter that uses Windows CE as its OS and admittedly Linux would appear to be a lower cost option but at the price point of this gear I don't think that comes into the equation.And with the embedded versions being stripped back to the bare essentials of the Windows O/S they are not that vulnerable, however I did note that Aeroflex do actually ship the analyzers with a Kaspersky AV license.

author: LabSpokane
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: July 07, 2017, 09:12:59 pm
content: Astrodev,Did you call or email? I emailed, but no response. I'm guessing that they will be all scooped up by the time I can call on Monday. I got totally balled up this morning and forgot to call. :-/==================I could care less about WinXP. I thought it was a great OS. As long as I can image the hard drive and make a spare or two, no worries. I have no plans to hang my SA off the internet anyway. My prime concerns are usability, and that I don't have seemingly any access to Coban for service here in the USA as all its affiliates seem to exclusively contract with the US government.Off the cuff, the specs on these don't look much different than an HP handheld, particularly with the DANL, but the TG and available bandwidth blow away any competition at the price.What's sad about this is that Aeroflex was a US company who was formerly Marconi in the UK and is now Coban back in the UK. The US has successfully driven another company offshore thanks to stupid ITAR regulations.

author: Astrodev
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: July 07, 2017, 09:40:59 pm
content: I have a direct email for one of the sales guys there I will drop him a line and see if he is OK with giving it out as that may make things easier.As regards the imaging of the drive as far as I am aware it is removable by undoing a couple of thumb screws on the rear and does contain a recovery partition to reimage back to the factory shipped drive image.

author: tautech
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: July 07, 2017, 09:45:33 pm
content: I can't see past theonly1 year warrantymaybe that's why they've dropped the price so far.

author: jpb
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: July 08, 2017, 08:44:09 pm
content: Quote from: tautech on July 07, 2017, 09:45:33 pmThe original warranty was 2 years - I guess they reduced it as they are end of line.You would normally expect 3 years.But compared to say buying used from keysight on ebay where you only get 30 days, 12 months is ok.

author: nctnico
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: July 08, 2017, 08:45:47 pm
content: Quote from: tautech on July 07, 2017, 09:45:33 pm1 year is common for business-to-business sales but when dealing with consumers a 2 year warranty is mandatory due to EU regulations. Ofcourse this is assuming that doesn't change after Brexit but it would put UK based webshops at a serious disadvantage if the UK decides to shorten the mandatory warranty period after they left the EU.

author: jpb
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: July 08, 2017, 08:47:55 pm
content: Quote from: Astrodev on July 07, 2017, 08:39:12 pmThey were on the web site when I looked - you need to scroll down a bit and they have their own banner box.https://mcs-testequipment.com/aeroflex-3250-spectrum-analysers-special-offer/

author: jpb
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: July 08, 2017, 08:56:17 pm
content: Quote from: LabSpokane on July 07, 2017, 09:12:59 pmComparing specs with the keysight N9344C they seem quite a bit better, eg typical phase noise @ 100kHz is -99dBc/Hz on the keysight handheld vs -115dBc/Hz on the Aeroflex. As you might expect comparing a large bench instrument to a compact handheld.The DANL normalised to 1Hz are much closer but the keysight has a min RBW of 10Hzwhilst the Aeroflex is 1Hz so DANL at min RBW is about 13dB or so better.

author: Wuerstchenhund
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: July 09, 2017, 05:53:44 pm
content: Quote from: LabSpokane on July 07, 2017, 09:12:59 pmCobhamQuoteITAR isn't just something US business have to consider, the same rules apply for kit that is made in other countries if sensitive US technology is involved, and even if not then most countries have similar regulations to protect sensitive national technology. And while I agree there are instances where the rules are silly (i.e. for pilot helmets) in many cases there are reasons why certain technology is protected.However, that doesn't really apply for standard test gear like the 325x spectrum analyzers, which don't even make it onto the CCL.Quote from: nctnico on July 08, 2017, 08:45:47 pmNot much of a problem if you buy now as Britain will still be an EU member at least until May 2019.

author: LabSpokane
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: July 09, 2017, 06:37:34 pm
content: Quote from: Wuerstchenhund on July 09, 2017, 05:53:44 pmDamn autocorrect....Aeroflex / Cobham got nailed for ITAR just prior to the exit. I'm sure it wasn't the only reason, but it is a reason. I'm not talking about spec analyzers. Cobham's primary business is high-end aviation/space/military as I'm sure you're aware. I understand and appreciate the reasons/sentiments for ITAR, but ITAR as now implemented is an economic albatross that hasn't prevented anything, and at best, merely delayed the inevitable.