Keysight Technologies, Inc. launched a new four-channel vector signal generator, with frequency up to 54 GHz that offers up to 5 GHz of RF bandwidth and low phase noise in a single instrument.
Keysight's new M9484C VXG vector signal generator, expands the company's VXG series portfolio with real-time capabilities to support demanding wireless industry applications. The M9484C VXG signal generator, with a V3080A vector signal generator frequency extender, expands the frequency range up to 110 GHz to address the needs for the latest and evolving standards.
New 5G mobile communications, 6G research, satellite communications and radar applications use a wide range of frequencies, up to and including mmWave spectrum. Testing these applications requires signal generation equipment capable of creating mmWave signals at extremely high bandwidth. These new applications also adopt multi-antenna techniques, such as spatial diversity, spatial multiplexing and beamforming to achieve diversity, multiplexing and antenna gains for high-throughput and robust communications.
Keysight's new M9484C VXG signal generator enables customers to reduce test system setup complexity and achieve accurate and repeatable multichannel measurements in a single instrument. Key customer benefits include:
- A scalable architecture that enables the most demanding wideband and multichannel test signals with frequencies up to 110 GHz.
- Generates test signals with a RF bandwidth up to 5 GHz
- Covers frequency ranges from 9 kHz to 54 GHz and up to 110 GHz with a V3080A vector signal generator frequency extender
- Enables multi-antenna test applications such as MIMO and beamforming with precise phase coherence and timing synchronization
- A fully integrated, calibrated and synchronized signal generator that delivers low phase noise and minimizes measurement uncertainty
- Overcomes the excessive path loss experienced at mmWave frequencies with low error vector magnitude and distortion at high output power
- Delivers advanced RF performance with direct digital synthesis (DDS) technology for accurately characterizing device under tests (DUTs)
- Enables precise multichannel/multi-instrument synchronization and triggering test applications.
- Real-time signal processing and comprehensive signal creation that enables complex test scenarios and simplifies test complexity for receiver and performance tests
- Supports MIMO real-time fading for all 3GPP 5G new radio required base station conformance tests with PathWave Signal Generation software
- Streamlines complex receiver test scenarios with eight virtual-signal emulation per RF channel, up to 32 signals in one instrument
- Simplifies test workflow with pre-defined compliance test setups, auto-configuring signal analysis and graphic user interface.
Keysight's new M9484C VXG signal generator generates high frequency, wide channel bandwidth signals in multiple coherent channels. These capabilities enable engineers to:
- Innovate designs that enable higher frequencies, wider bandwidths and multichannel applications, and ensure they meet the latest and evolving standard test requirements.
- Simplify measurement setup and complex calibration routines associated with multi-box solutions with a one-box approach, saving time and reducing measurement errors related to changing equipment configuration and cabling.
- Eliminate signal impairments caused by traditional analog I/Q modulators with a new DDS architecture and deliver advanced signal fidelity for wideband signal generation.
We talked with Keysight VP, Joe Rickert, about the key features of the new VXG. The instrument uses impressive technology like DACs running at 8.5 GHz, 14 bit using direct RF conversion and DSPs wit 3 GSa/s with 8 real-time processing paths. The phase noise is excellent at -185 dBc/Hz at 10 kHz offset. Here is a link to the datasheet.