Rohde & Schwarz announced their R&S FSW-B8001 option, extending the internal analysis bandwidth of the R&S FSW high-end signal and spectrum analyzer to 8.3 GHz. Covering an input frequency range of up to 90 GHz, the instrument can be equipped with the extended analysis bandwidth option and dedicated measurement applications. The signal and spectrum analyzer meets current and future test and measurement requirements for ultra wideband signal analysis across different industries, including pulse measurements of A&D radar systems, satellite payload testing and amplifier pre-distortion tests. The instrument also covers chirp analysis for automotive radar and research on the next generation of wireless communication.
Increased bandwidths are the norm also in wireless communications technology, with every new technology generation requiring ever higher data throughput. For instance, the IEEE 802.11ay standard for Wi-Fi supports channel bonding, which leads to signals with bandwidths greater than 8 GHz. Suitable wideband T&M equipment is also needed for upcoming gigabit communications sub-THz bands, such as D-Band and G-Band, which are often named as potential frequency ranges for a future 6G wireless communication standard. Future satellite systems will also operate with higher frequencies and wider bandwidths, as bandwidths are expected to increase to 3 GHz or 5 GHz at frequencies up to 90 GHz, e.g. for high-throughput satellites designed to support terabit connectivity.
Former approaches for ultra-wideband signal analysis made use of signal and spectrum analyzers as wideband downconverters. The downconverted signals were fed into an oscilloscope, digitized and fed back to the analyzer. A solution with the R&S FSW offers higher signal quality and sensitivity in a user-friendly, one-box solution, combined with fully-featured signal analysis capabilities that also offer spectrum analysis functionalities.