Signal Hound SM200C/B 100kHz – 20GHz Real-Time Spectrum Analyzer Review - Page 1
Forum section: electronics / testgear

author: Hugoneus
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: June 15, 2020, 11:51:16 pm
content: In this episode Shahriar reviews the long awaited Signal Hound SM200C/B Real-Time 100kHz – 20GHz Real-Time Spectrum Analyzer:The SM200C is a high-performance spectrum analyzer and monitoring receiver with a 10 Gigabit Ethernet SFP+ port, enabling the SM200C to communicate with a PC over long distances using a fiber optic cable. Designed for remotely-located accurate RF data analysis at the lowest cost possible, the SM200C features:160 MHz instantaneous bandwidth I/Q streaming over 10GbESFP+ port for fast, long-distance communication with a PC using an optic cableDevice control and data transfer occurs via SFP+ connection, not USBTunes from 100 kHz to 20 GHzSweeps at 1 THz/sec at 30 kHz RBW110 dB of dynamic rangeUltra-low phase noiseGPIO port antenna switchingThe SM200B offers a USB 3.0 PC interface with 40MHz of instantaneous I/Q streaming. Furthermore, the SM200B includes a full 2-second of internal memory at 160MHz of capture bandwidth which an be accessed through the API.The review is organized as follows:00:00 – Introduction00:49 – Overview, build quality and detailed specifications05:51 – Full teardown, analysis and system architecture18:00 – 10GbE PC interface using M.2 Key to PCIe converter19:22 – Experiment #1: FMCW signal analysis, GUI overview & 160MHz capture capabilities31:33 – Experiment #2: Interfering hunting, FM-versus-time, frequency hopping & advanced triggering41:32 – Experiment #3: Digital demodulation, phase-noise & equalization46:02 – Other GUI capabilities, mask & EM compliance, API47:20 – Concluding remarksYou can watch the review here: [48 Minutes]youtu.be/NxDpIDaryFM

author: wn1fju
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: June 16, 2020, 11:18:01 am
content: I would like to offer some positive comments about my experience with Signal Hound. I am not connected in any way to the company.A couple of years ago, I was designing a data acquisition system that required a microwave receiver, with a very large IF bandwidth (~50 MHz), and a digitizer supporting that bandwidth. Signal Hound had just released their SM200B and it looked like the perfect solution - a spectrum analyzer that could simply be configured as a high BW receiver plus digitizer.I obtained the SM200B and mated it via USB-3 to a Dell M6600 laptop (one of the faster laptops at the time). My code was written in MS Visual Studio (C++) using Signal Hound's Software Development Kit. Their Spike software, which is the spectrum analyzer application, was very nice, but not needed in my application.Being a relatively new piece of kit, I expected a few bugs. And, sure enough, the data acquisition would go continuously for an hour or two, then seem to grind to a halt with the front panel LED turning red (indicating an internal error).Signal Hound was extremely responsive to my issues. In fact, when I told them which laptop I was using, they promptly went out and purchased one from Dell, at their own expense, to run tests. Within a few days after they received the laptop, they had repeated my experiments, isolated the problem, and issued me a custom driver to fix the issue (while they readied a more formal release of the software). Never had a single problem with the SM200B after that.Now that is what I call product support!

author: Merlysys
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: September 06, 2020, 04:33:52 pm
content: Since this thing costs as much as a car I am wondering what inside it makes it so costly.The manufactuer likely has to spend at least half of the $16K selling price, so about 8K.Are there any thosand dollar chips in it they have to purchase from a big name chip maker?I think most of the expense is in R&D and paying the patent holders, right?

author: KE5FX
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: September 06, 2020, 05:13:41 pm
content: Quote from: Merlysys on September 06, 2020, 04:33:52 pmSee the post immediately above yours.QuoteNo thousand-dollar chips needed, although thatiswhat it'll take to reach the next level of real-time bandwidth, and I doubt there's any third-party IP that has to be paid for on a per-unit basis. They might have to license a JESD204B core, I suppose. Something like an SM200 isn't a high-volume product, but it costs as much to bring to market as a higher-volume product, if not more.I've heard that old-school HP wouldn't build anything they couldn't sell for at least 4x the cost of goods. Again, that's not as excessive as it sounds at first when you're talking about something that might sell a hundred or so units per year after tying up two or three $250K/year-class engineers for a couple of years.Right now those same engineers are probably ordering those kilobuck-class ADCs from DigiKey and spinning prototypes of their next-generation spectrum analyzer... more than one of which they'll probably end up throwing away, just like last time. It's a slow way to get rich, at best!

author: Hugoneus
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: September 06, 2020, 05:50:22 pm
content: Quote from: Merlysys on September 06, 2020, 04:33:52 pmThe FPGA I think breaks a thousand dollar per chip. There is also IP, lots of software development, support, etc.The bang per buck of this instrument is actually very good.