Astronics Adds Vector Channel Analyzer to Digital Suite

June 26, 2023
The VCA has been added as a virtual instrument in the arsenal of Astronics' ATS-3100 radio test set for mission-critical RF testing.

This video is part of our IMS 2023 coverage.

We spent some time at IMS 2023 with Tom Costello, Senior Signal Processing Engineer at Astronics Test Systems, to get an up-close look at the new vector channel analyzer (VCA) capability that the company added to its ATS-3100 radio test set. The ATS-3100 is a PXIe-based, benchtop, software-defined test platform with a chameleon-like facility to take on the roles of multiple instruments for test of legacy and modern radios, both airborne and ground, from multiple OEMs.

The VCA software now available on the ATS-3100 joins a roster of other virtual instruments that perform many of the measurements typically made on general-purpose benchtop test instruments. The VCA takes S21 S-parameter measurements of transfer function in a standard format of gain, phase, and group delay. In the demo shown in the video above, the VCA is used to characterize a typical RF bandpass filter.

For more information, visit the company's website

For more IMS 2023 coverage, visit our digital magazine.

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