Suggestions for Spectrum Analyzer

[Danish]

I have a need for a spectrum analyzer that is capable of resolving 120dB at 1MHz. It should also cover the audible range, i.e. 20-20000Hz. A built in signal generator would be nice to have but not a must. Any suggestions for a good name brand piece of equipment?

[bobcat1]

Hi
professional Spectrum analyzer cost lot of money
From your post I can learn that you mostly needed it for audio design (low noise) and - 120Db is a very sensitive device at this frequency's
Whether you need it for work I recommend you buying one from Keysize(agilent) for this frequency range or find refurbished or used one in Ebay
There is lot to offer not sure you find one with 120db in 1Mhz range

[th_sak]

If you are looking for a brand like Tektronix or Agilend , then prepare to spend lots of $. If you are interested in just measuring with a good tool (but without a TEK or Agilent sticker on it) then get a Rigol. Have a look at batronix.com, they have a lot of good tools you can get for a reasonable price.

[Gallymimu]

a used one on ebay might be a good bet as well.

[Danish]

I finally bought an HP 3577B and it seems to have the required resolution and accuracy.

[dezso]

I have a ESA L1500A going in to ebay next week for ~$1000USD if I'm lucky, maybe lower if not.

1MHz to 1.5GHz, no generator installed, great condition, with some minor scratches.

If anyone interested let me know, maybe we can get some donation going to Sonsivri as well help me recovering from my Oscilloscope purchase..

Dezso:


"picture is for reference only, not actual unit"

[zac]

You may want to look into these:

http://www.aaronia.com/products/spectrum-analyzers/NF-5030-EMC-Spectrum-Analyzer/

I forgot I have 2 of the NF5035's and am planning to sell one.  If you're interested, please pm me and I'll send you the options on it.  Thanks.

http://www.testequipmentdepot.com/kaltman/spectrum-analyzers/nf-5035.htm

[b555b]

Maybe the Signalhoud USB-SA44B?
A very nice device, works as advertised.
And an impressive measurement range that goes down to 1Hz, which nowadays is something not so usual.

 

[ravenfeather]

I recently saw this https://www.sparkfun.com/products/13001.I don't know if it can be used as spectrum analyzer.

[dikris]

Rigol's DS815 is a good entry level SA for EMI prescans. Its AVG detector is a crap but if scanning with low VBW one can get realistic AVG measurements. The QP detector seems to be working fine. The price is just a fraction of Agilent's, so good value for money.

[fantomex]

+1 for the rigol ds815

[ChristosSDR]

Old thread, still though the question of what spectrum analyzer to choose remains.

Got a DSA815-TG, best bang for the buck. SSA3000X could be another good recent choice.

[PICker]

I agree with @zac; aronia sells great products:
http://www.aaronia.com/products/spectrum-analyzers/

[sarah90]

Several reviews on youtube indicate that the Siglent SSA3021X is better choice than the Rigol 815. And it can be easily hacked to be a SSA3032X (3.2 GHz).

[crahak]

And it can be easily hacked to be a SSA3032X (3.2 GHz).

Exactly. That alone is easily worth the extra $300. The DSA815 is quite limited. It might be ok for ham radio stuff (which is not so popular nowadays) but beyond that it's just not enough. All the "fun" RF stuff (plain old BT and BLE, WiFi, BigBee, etc) are in the ISM band 1GHz above what it can do, as well as all the interference. Sure, you can mix down but that (the extra LO and mixer) has its share of disadvantages, and at that point there's zero savings too. It's also kinda limited for emissions pre-testing.

I mean, even my 20yo HP 8594E (yes, from the mid 90's -- an old CRT clunker with a GPIB port) can do 2.9GHz...

[Pavos]

Two additional options:

GW Instek GSA9300/9330 (sweep time 204 us !!!)
Owon XSA1015  (new product, quite cheap)

[Gallymimu]

Exactly. That alone is easily worth the extra $300. The DSA815 is quite limited. It might be ok for ham radio stuff (which is not so popular nowadays) but beyond that it's just not enough. All the "fun" RF stuff (plain old BT and BLE, WiFi, BigBee, etc) are in the ISM band 1GHz above what it can do, as well as all the interference. Sure, you can mix down but that (the extra LO and mixer) has its share of disadvantages, and at that point there's zero savings too. It's also kinda limited for emissions pre-testing.

I mean, even my 20yo HP 8594E (yes, from the mid 90's -- an old CRT clunker with a GPIB port) can do 2.9GHz...

Actually, the 815 serves it's exact purpose VERY well.  EMC.  It isn't intended for radio work.  There are few cheaper ways to do EMC conducted and radiated pre-compliance.

[vern]

got me a Rigol DSA815TG  and played around with it a bit: wow! Thats a lot of Spectrum Analyzer for the money.
Very intuitive to use, very nice Dispay.
I want to start development with LORA, so 1.5GHz is enough for me, I can even test my antennas with the tracking generator.
It also has several software options which are enabled for testing for 30 hours, however the timer can be disabled very easily, see attachment.
You have to open the Analyzer anyway because one thing really sucks about it: the fan is really loud! You have to replace it with a better one, I also put in a resistor to slow it down a little bit.
But the Analyzer has a seal, if you open it you might loose your guarantee.
Since I can't remember when I had something with a guarantee failure I don't usually care.

[Pavos]

I made a mistake. Correct GW Instek model is GSP-9300/9330 and GSP-9300B. TG is optional for all models.

[Pavos]

On the following lin you can see very interesting information.
https://www.eevblog.com/forum/testgear/comparison-rigol-dsa815-tg-with-siglent-ssa3021x-spectrum-analyzer/

[hef4015]

The Siglent SSA3000X seem to have a good hardware design. There is a good video on eevblog. Additionally there is a 'free' upgrade available: bandwidth up to 3.1 GHz and all other options can be unlocked easily:

just telnet to SSA3000X with
user root and  password ding1234

here are the commands to unlock everything:
cd /   
mount -o remount,rw /dev/ubi2_0 /usr/bin/siglent/firmdata0
cd /usr/bin/siglent/firmdata0
mv NSP_sn_bandwidth.xml NSP_sn_bandwidthx.xml
mv NSP_trends_config_info.xml NSP_trends_config_infox.xml   
mv nsp_data_b nsp_data_bx   
cd /usr/bin/siglent/usr/backup   
mv NSP_sn_bandwidth.xml NSP_sn_bandwidthx.xml
mv NSP_trends_config_info.xml NSP_trends_config_infox.xml
mv nsp_data_b nsp_data_bx
cd /
sync   
logout

[bobcat1]

Hi
You can buy a working :
Agilent E7495A Wireless Base Station Test Set
for about 600 USD in Ebay this instrument include a spectrum analyzer usable from 10Mhz to about 3GHz

All the best

Bobi