Last fall, I wrote an article titled “Copper Mountain Technologies Takes 1-Port VNAs to the Next Level,” which focused on the company’s R180 1-port vector network analyzer (VNA). Introduced last year, the R180 covers a frequency range of 1 MHz to 18 GHz, and is well suited for measuring cables, antennas, and more.
I recently had the chance to spend some time with Copper Mountain Technologies’ C4409 4-port VNA, so we’ll continue that previous article’s theme here by taking a closer look at this instrument (Fig. 1). The C4409 is part of the Cobalt Series of VNAs, which operate in conjunction with a laptop or desktop computer. Specifically, a Cobalt VNA connects to a computer via a USB cable, and that computer is used to display all VNA measurements. This functionality differs in comparison with traditional benchtop VNAs, which have a built-in measurement display.
1. The C4409 4-port VNA is a member of Copper Mountain Technologies’ Cobalt series.
General Overview
The C4409 VNA covers a frequency range of 100 kHz to 9 GHz. Of particular note is the C4409, as well as three other Cobalt VNAs, can be used in conjunction with the CobaltFX millimeter-wave (mmWave) frequency extension systems. Using these frequency extenders together with a Cobalt VNA allows measurements to be performed at mmWave frequencies, thereby creating a measurement solution suitable for higher-frequency applications like 5G communications.