Looking to get a spectrum analyzer in December. But which one? - Page 1
Forum section: electronics / testgear

author: Housedad
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: June 08, 2019, 01:48:26 am
content: As the title says, I'm looking to get a spectrum analyzer in December. That's when the budget will allow it.Now, I'm almost complete Noob as far as Spectrum analyzers go, but I do see how it would be useful to me in my studies of ham and RF and then carry me for 4 or 5 years. My experience so far has been books and my scopes. (DSOX1204G and DS1054Z)I do not feel experienced enough yet to tackle a used unit that may have problems. I also do not know if I could calibrate the unit with the test equipment that I have. So I'm looking at either new or a used item that is known to be good. My budget is around $1,500 to $2,000. I'm hoping to stay at $1,500 or below. Above that starts to be a painful stretch.Is there any thing that might fit the constraints? Thanks.

author: vk6zgo
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: June 08, 2019, 02:26:36 am
content: Old is usually the cheapest!One thing, some of the earlier "digital" ones interpret a RF carrier which rapidly changes frequency over a large range as a series of carriers across that range.As an example, in an ISM application, we had a PLL which had a default output frequency of 470MHzIt was controlled by a PIC which "told it" to go to 433MHz.Every now & then, the connection between the two would fail, & the PLL would rapidly revert to 470Mhz.Our "you beaut" "all singing & dancing" SA would interpret this as a bunch of spurious carriers across the frequency range between the desired & default frequencies.Until recently, some companies in the PRC produced "cheap & nasty" analog SAs, & it was only when we double checked, using one of these, that we saw the true nature of our fault.We could wiggle the control data connector on the PLL board, & watch the frequency rapidly, but smoothly slide up to 470MHz.We spent a lot of time chasing non-existent spurii in the RF Amps before we realised our usual SA was lying to us!

author: xrunner
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: June 08, 2019, 02:36:32 am
content: Quote from: Housedad on June 08, 2019, 01:48:26 amGet one with a tracking generator - you will not regret it!As far as brands I have a Rigol DS815-TG (4 years old) but I do not know what the current generation of choices are best. This one has served me well for all I've asked of it.

author: maginnovision
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: June 08, 2019, 02:38:00 am
content: The Siglent SSA3021X looks pretty good for that price. Dave did a video on it. Tracking Gen is included at no price(for now).

author: kj7e
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: June 08, 2019, 02:46:08 am
content: The Siglent SSA3021x is really good for the price and it fits your budget well.

author: Mechatrommer
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: June 08, 2019, 03:06:02 am
content: Quote from: Housedad on June 08, 2019, 01:48:26 amBANDWIDTH? as ham and RF can be from few MHz to tens of GHz... for up to 500MHz, it can be done with PC processing FFT from DS1054Z data. for 1-2 GHz there's mentioned Rigol and Siglent. for the same BW, but more prominent brand like Rohde & Schwarz, there's working used unit. for 3+ GHz new unit, there are pretty big jump in the price even for Rigol, so it will not fit your budget unless you want to spare brain cells and time of possibly repairing the used unit.

author: tautech
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: June 08, 2019, 03:20:32 am
content: Diving into the RFfieldrabbit hole is pretty daunting for the average hobbyist and the SSA3000X’s have been pretty popular at the OP’s price point as it’s not hard to hack them to the higher BW and get the options free too.However if 1.5 GHz is enough for your needs the SVA1015X is another really nice option for the VNA it is too.I own SSA and SVA and if I had to pick only one it would be the SVA.For the novice either is a good choice as with their modern design they offer quite reasonable input protection unlike some of the old legacy SA’s.Whatever you choose you need some cables and adapters too and the higher you go with BW the more these will cost you.Happy hunting.

author: DaJMasta
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: June 08, 2019, 07:19:46 am
content: Rigol and Siglent are top contenders for new SAs on a budget, but if you're also considering used, there's a few other options that don't carry too much of a price premium, and I'd probably start with Advantest (benchtop) or Anritsu (Handheld) for top value-for-money in the up to a couple thousand dollars range. If you're willing to consider USB instruments, take a look at Tek's offerings and SignalHound's.Others can certainly be had, and there's all sorts of variants and options - I'd agree that a TG will probably be something you want if you're doing much Ham or similar stuff, though you can get similar analysis features with a signal generator or a broadband noise source, too. There's a thread floating around here that goes over the entry level used spectrum analyzer market, I'd definitely take a look. Bandwidth will be a big determining factor here, if you want more than a couple GHz, you start paying for it quickly.In the mean time, maybe a primer on using SAs? I'm sure Keysight and Tek have something, the ARRL should be able to point you towards a more Ham-specific version. You want at least a basic grasp of what the instrument does and the things it can be used for to be able to pick what suits your needs best. Given that, maybe after a primer you should take of one of TheSignalPath's videos on repairing or reviewing an SA - it will include a tour of the block diagram, some shots of the internals, and a series of use-case experiments verifying features and showing it in use.

author: Housedad
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: June 08, 2019, 12:31:45 pm
content: Thank for the replies. The Siglent SSA3021X that you folks mentioned a few times does have impressive specs. Also, thanks for the info on TheSignalPath videos. I will watch them tonight. I have a lot to learn.

author: BravoV
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: June 08, 2019, 12:41:36 pm
content: On used SA, other reference in this forum ...https://www.eevblog.com/forum/testgear/used-spectrum-analyzer-buyer_s-guide/

author: jmw
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: June 10, 2019, 07:53:53 pm
content: TEquipment has refurb FPC-1000 units going for $1000. They look a bit limited with no options but everything is a software unlock, and R&S is a nice badge when it comes to RF gear. You can do the math of whether it's a better deal than the FPC-COM1 promo with the options and frequency range you expect to use.https://www.tequipment.net/Rohde-&-Schwarz/FPC1000-Refurb/Spectrum-Analyzers/