Designed with the user in mind, Berkeley Nucleonics Corp. releases a new real-time spectrum analyzer (RTSA) that has all of the capabilities of the big brand units but at a cost that prompts the question “Why not buy four?” The issue with most commercial spectrum analyzers is that when it comes to signals of shorter pulse durations or fast frequency hopping signals, the analyzers are blind. The data from this is unclear and unusable so cannot be easily interpreted.
One option, originally the only option, is to spend $100K or more on a heavy, bulky, and benchtop RTSA or that consume large amounts of power and bench space. The RSTA7500 from BNC weighs in at only 6 lbs. (2.7 kg) and has a smaller footprint than a standard sheet of paper, making it the perfect solution for both benchtop and the field (portability) with available rechargeable battery options.
Becoming a universal solution for the signal analysis market was no simple task. This required an extremely broad frequency range as well as a large instantaneous bandwidth. With the frequency range of 100 kHz to 27 GHz and a real-time bandwidth of up to 100 MHz and a 100% POI of only 1 µs, the RTSA7500 is the best solution for wider dynamic signals.
Not everyone desires a real-time bandwidth, but would rather utilize a scanning function and set the appropriate resolution bandwidth. For such applications the RTSA7500 soars, with a sweep speed of 200 GHz/s, a spurious free dynamic range that reaches 100 dBc, and a resolution bandwidth as fine as .62 Hz the low cost spectrum analyzer from BNC is the solution.
"The industry is moving towards PC-controlled instruments that lower the cost and increase the accessibility of updates to users. The majority of our customers are addressing multiple instruments with a single soft-panel. The Model 7500 Series eliminates some mechanical elements to the interface, resulting an even more reliable design. Users appreciate the cost savings as well," comments company president David Brown. The interface is designed and operated on as an easy to use and intuitive GUI; other APIs are available for the more integrated user including LabVIEW, MATLAB®, SCPI commands, C/C++ based, and Python based platforms. With this users can utilize real –time graphs and plots of the spectrum, spectrogram, persistence spectrum, as well as I and Q plots interpreted through the display of their choice.
Berkeley Nucleonics offers a real time spectrum analyzer solution that is incredibly cost effective while at the same time proving that large size, fragile parts, and heavy pieces are not required to have a quality product in either the lab or the field. With pricing starting at just under $4K for the model 7500 with a 10 MHz real-time bandwidth and just about $6K for 100 MHz Real Time Bandwidth BNC is sure to come up as a contender.
For additional information please visit www.berkeleynucleonics.com or call (800)234-7858.