First PXI System Emerges For RF/Wireless Testing

Aeroflex's new PXI 3000 series RF test system is a flexible, modular pre-lab test system designed for mobile phone and general-purpose wireless testing. It has four key test modules that plug into a PXI-based frame. PXI, of course, is a derivative of the popular PCI bus widely used in PCs. The 3010 RF synthesizer module has an output in the 1.5- to 3-GHz range, with extremely low-noise and phase-noise floors. It can be stepped in 1-Hz increments, and has a settling time of 200 µs. This module is also used to supply the local oscillator input for the RF signal generator and RF digitizer. The 3020 RF generator module provides I & Q outputs over the 250-MHz to 2.5-GHz range. It includes software to develop signals for the most common cell-phone protocols with their varying modulation schemes. A general RF digitizer module, the 3030 down converts signals in the 330-MHz to 3-GHz range to a 46-MHz IF with a 15-MHz bandwidth. It outputs the digital I & Q signals that are phase and amplitude corrected.

The 3060 RF combiner module has four ports for combining up to three signals into one over the 300-MHz to 2.5-GHz range. Also available are the GSM/EDGE and WCDMA/UMTS 3G and cdma2000 cell phone measurement suites. Aeroflex is taking orders now for delivery in January, 2004. Prices are $4000 for the 3010 synthesizer, $7000 for the 3020 generator, $11,000 for the 3030 digitizer, $2500 for the combiner, and $3500 for each measurement suite.