2.7-GHz Spectrum Analyzers Travel Readily to Field Operations
If you’re interested in test-and-measurement gear that’s useful on the bench but isn’t anchored there, Saelig Co. now offers the Aim TTi PSA Series 4 handheld spectrum analyzers. These instruments are the latest in the Aim TTi line, introducing real-time signal capture alongside classic swept and fast-swept fast Fourier transform (FFT) modes.
Designed to meet the rapid pace of modern RF design, telecommunications debugging, and wireless field testing, the Series 4 lets bench techs and field personnel alike instantly and reliably identify transient, intermittent, and frequency-hopping signals that escape conventional swept analyzers. The three models in the series include: PSA1304 (1 MHz to 1.3 GHz), PSA2704 (1 MHz to 2.7 GHz), and PSA2704RT (1 MHz to 2.7 GHz real-time).
The key feature on the flagship PSA2704RT is its powerful real-time FFT analysis mode, which captures up to 80,000 FFTs per second for true real-time performance. Offering a 10.8-MHz real-time bandwidth and a frequency range of up to 2.7 GHz, the PSA2704RT analyzer delivers a 100% probability of intercept (POI) for transient signals lasting as briefly as 37.5 µs. This capability provides a gap-free, continuous observation window of the spectrum.
Furthermore, through advanced swept-FFT stitching, the Series 4 analyzers accelerate full-span coverage exponentially, completing a 100-MHz span with a precise 10-kHz resolution filter in roughly 70 ms. This represents a stark contrast to the 13.5 seconds required by traditional hardware.
The Series 4 instruments offer a comprehensive suite of highly visual display formats. Users can dynamically toggle between full, combined, or split-screen layouts incorporating live traces, waterfall plots, and 3D heatmaps. For complex signal tracking, the system supports advanced multi-mode, zero-span configurations, allowing for concurrent rendering of amplitude versus time, amplitude depth versus time, and frequency deviation versus time.
These visualization modes are augmented by AM/FM audio demodulation, seven distinct detector modes, and programmable Frequency Mask Triggering to automatically capture and log elusive spectral anomalies.
Engineered for field mobility and harsh operational environments, the PSA Series 4 comes housed in a compact (7.6 × 3.6 × 1.9 in.) enclosure weighing just 1.28 lbs.
The instruments are equipped with ruggedized integrated rubber bumpers, an internal lithium-ion battery supporting up to four hours of continuous cordless operation, and a multi-position tilt stand that transitions into a rigid screen protector and sun shield for optimal outdoor visibility. Their bright, 4.3-in. backlit color touchscreen is driven by an optimized menu architecture that supports effortless one-handed operation.
Typical applications include interference analysis, antenna alignment and optimization, signal-strength mapping, covert transmitter detection, spurious-emission checks, EMC site and pre-compliance survey, Wi-Fi setups, and more.
About the Author
David Maliniak
Executive Editor, Microwaves & RF
I am Executive Editor of Microwaves & RF, an all-digital publication that broadly covers all aspects of wireless communications. More particularly, we're keeping a close eye on technologies in the consumer-oriented 5G, 6G, IoT, M2M, and V2X markets, in which much of the wireless market's growth will occur in this decade and beyond. I work with a great team of editors to provide engineers, developers, and technical managers with interesting and useful articles and videos on a regular basis. Check out our free newsletters to see the latest content.
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About me:
In his long career in the B2B electronics-industry media, David Maliniak has held editorial roles as both generalist and specialist. As Components Editor and, later, as Editor in Chief of EE Product News, David gained breadth of experience in covering the industry at large. In serving as EDA/Test and Measurement Technology Editor at Electronic Design, he developed deep insight into those complex areas of technology. Most recently, David worked in technical marketing communications at Teledyne LeCroy, leaving to rejoin the EOEM B2B publishing world in January 2020. David earned a B.A. in journalism at New York University.