Rohde & Schwarz (R&S) this year celebrates 20 years of spectrum analyzer development, having introduced its first instrument in 1986. The company now offers 33 different spectrum analyzers, ranging from portable, battery-operated instruments for the field, to comprehensive microwave signal analyzers for characterizing the performance of wireless systems.
The company's first spectrum analyzer was the R&S FSA, introduced in 1986. At that time, the FSA set standards in RF performance and simplicity of operation, along with the first color spectrum analyzer display. The second-generation instruments (the R&S FSE family) made it possible for the first time to perform modulation analysis of digitally-modulated signals. The RMS detector redefined power measurement with modulated signals and was integrated into test specifications for measuring adjacent channel power. The R&S FSIQ was launched in 1998 and soon established itself in development environments for 3GPP FDD.
Today, Rohde & Schwarz covers spectrum analysis for any requirement and budget in five instrument classes ranging from its 3 GHz handheld instrument to its flagship 50 GHz bench-top unit.