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Shopping for an Spectrum Analyzer - RF Explorer

miguell2

By miguell2
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WiWavelength
WiWavelength

If we continue down this path, Robert is not going to need a spectrum analyzer.  He is going to need SONAR.   My time is up.  Thank you, folks.  You have been a great audience.  Goodnight...    

WiWavelength
WiWavelength

Normally, when we think resolution, we think high resolution (e.g. 1920 > 1280).  But RBW is the inverse.  The smaller the RBW, the greater the resolution.  The reason for this is that RBW represen

WiWavelength
WiWavelength

Asus makes great tablets and now great routers?  Why cannot Asus make a great handset?  PadFone, seriously?  Maybe Asus and HTC should merge.  Call it HateSeuss.     AJ

digiblur Member Level: LTE Advanced

digiblur

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Just built in. I'm guessing you could get directional antennas, but for city environment this is perfect!

That looks cool... Man.. Time to tempt the wife to let me get one.

 

I would get the directional stuff as it lets you isolate where the signal is coming from. Definitely not for pulling in a better signal but that is a plus too.

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WiWavelength Member Level: LTE Advanced

WiWavelength

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That makes sense

 

What we really need is for our tri band hotspot users to keep posting their engineering screen EARFCNs.  Robert did so in Denver, but he is practically the only one so far.

 

AJ

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milan03 Member Level: eHRPD

milan03

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That looks cool... Man.. Time to tempt the wife to let me get one.

 

I would get the directional stuff as it lets you isolate where the signal is coming from. Definitely not for pulling in a better signal but that is a plus too.

Not sure exactly where would I get the right antenna, definitely worth a look!

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digiblur Member Level: LTE Advanced

digiblur

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Not sure exactly where would I get the right antenna, definitely worth a look!

I used to use them back in the day when I was designing wireless systems to cover a building. I had a narrow beam width one that would hunt down a rogue access point in minutes.

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milan03 Member Level: eHRPD

milan03

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I used to use them back in the day when I was designing wireless systems to cover a building. I had a narrow beam width one that would hunt down a rogue access point in minutes.

Take my money :)

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WiWavelength Member Level: LTE Advanced

WiWavelength

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Not sure exactly where would I get the right antenna, definitely worth a look!

 

In one of your pics or videos, I saw that the antenna port is 50 Ω.  That is quite standard.  So, nearly any directional antenna with the right frequency range should work.  The minor issue is calibration, but I do not think that we are concerned with absolute amplitude accuracy.

 

AJ

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miguell2 Member Level: 3G EVDO

miguell2

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What we really need is for our tri band hotspot users to keep posting their engineering screen EARFCNs.  Robert did so in Denver, but he is practically the only one so far.

 

AJ

With this affordable analyzer we might start getting more users posting sweeps.

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miguell2 Member Level: 3G EVDO

miguell2

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In one of your pics or videos, I saw that the antenna port is 50 Ω.  That is quite standard.  So, nearly any directional antenna with the right frequency range should work.  The minor issue is calibration, but I do not think that we are concerned with absolute amplitude accuracy.

 

AJ

I can't imagine that for that price range you are expecting a precision tool but the software and algorithms that make it tick are being actively improved and anyone with the inclination can speak with the engineers behind this tool with ideas, they seem very receptive.

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WiWavelength Member Level: LTE Advanced

WiWavelength

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I can't imagine that for that price range you are expecting a precision tool but the software and algorithms that make it tick are being actively improved and anyone with the inclination can speak with the engineers behind this tool with ideas, they seem very receptive.

 

Calibration is between the analyzer and the antenna because the antenna does not have the same gain at all frequencies in its passband.  Calibration cannot be improved via a software/firmware update.  It requires comparison of the antenna against a known reference, then creation of a compensation data set.

 

AJ

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miguell2 Member Level: 3G EVDO

miguell2

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Calibration is between the analyzer and the antenna because the antenna does not have the same gain at all frequencies in its passband.  Calibration cannot be improved via a software/firmware update.  It requires comparison of the antenna against a known reference, then creation of a compensation data set.

 

AJ

I stand corrected. 

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milan03 Member Level: eHRPD

milan03

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So to the folks that have these...which one do we get if we want to scan the airaves of Sprint NV stuff and of course the Clearwire stuff?  Which store?

This is the one you want to get. https://www.gothamsound.com/product/3g-combo

 

The range is 15Mhz - 2.7Ghz. It's the most "expensive" model.

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WiWavelength Member Level: LTE Advanced

WiWavelength

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I stand corrected. 

 

Not so much of a correction as a clarification, just defining what I mean by "calibration."

 

My spectrum analyzer comes with calibration files for various antennas, including the directional antenna that I use.  However, I often forget to load my calibration file when I start up the analyzer software.  No matter.  I am not usually concerned with amplitude so long as I can see the airlink above the noise floor.  The same likely holds true for most usage with this less expensive spectrum analyzer.

 

AJ

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digiblur Member Level: LTE Advanced

digiblur

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I have to wait until the end of the month... stupid grown up obligations... :(

I made some side money on a gig and some Sprint discounts that offset the cost in my budget. So i guess I can say thanks to Sprint for this toy for their 9 month screw up on a site and the discount that came from it.

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