Copper Mountain’s Planar R54 vector reflectometer, demonstrated by MW&RF Technology Editor Jean-Jacques DeLisle at IMS 2014, measures 117 by 39 by 19 mm and weighs 8.8 oz. As a result, it can hook onto an antenna’s coaxial feed, probing the antenna directly. The reflectometer also features USB interconnectivity—USB 2.0 connectors can be connected from the reflectometer to any computer platform that supports the software. On top of that, the instrument can interface with a ruggedized computer and connect directly to the test device port, eschewing the need for a test cable and enabling calibration directly at the port.
The reflectometer is designed for S11 parameter measurements. It outputs high-accuracy measurements for magnitude and phase in frequencies ranging between 85 MHz and 5.4 GHz. Measurement time per point is 200 µs, with up to 10,001 measurement points per sweep. Frequency-setting resolution is 10 Hz.