Test System Eyes Medium- To High-Power Amplifiers

In conjunction with the MS462xC Scorpion Vector Network Measurement system, special software, and its MS4782A test set, the ME7840A power amplifier test system provides real-time simultaneous tuning of various power-amplifier parameters, including intermodulation distortion (IMD) and Hot S22. The heart of the system is the MS462xC, which is available in bandwidths of either 10 MHz to 3 GHz or 10 MHz to 6 GHz. The MS4782A test set acts as an interface between the system and the amplifier under test and the software allows PC control of the measurements. Capable of measurements between 800 MHz and 2.4 GHz for applications up to 100W, the system is well suited for analyzing next-generation high-power amplifiers. It can perform sweeps as fast as 150 µs/point vs. frequency and 1 ms/point vs. power. Other features include a 125-dB dynamic range, the ability to measure output power, gain compression, phase distortion, third, fifth, and seventh IMD products (USB and LSB), drain, current, and power-added efficiency. Pricing starts at $79,000.