Signal Hound, a developer of highly optimized modular solutions for RF signal test and measurement, has announced the SM200A 20 GHz headless RF spectrum analyzer and monitoring receiver for applications ranging from IoT and 5G cellular, to military, aerospace, spectrum management, automotive, and radar. Optimized for performance, flexibility, space, and cost, the SM200A lowers the cost of entry to high-end spectrum analysis while delivering precisely what’s required for the most demanding production-line and spectrum monitoring RF analysis applications. The analyzer is priced at $11,900.
Customers are under constant pressure to both meet the needs of rapidly evolving signal-analysis
requirements, while also needing to reduce test time and cost and make maximum use of available test
space. The SM200A is designed from the ground up to provide only what’s needed in today’s test environment and spectrum monitoring deployments, with maximum performance and speed, at a much lower cost.
The SM200A operates from 100 kHz to 20 GHz, has an instantaneous bandwidth of 160 MHz, a high dynamic
range of 110 dB, a sustained sweep speed of 1 THz/s, a built-in sub-octave preselector from 20 MHz to 20
GHz, and ultra-low phase noise-introducing less than 0.1% error to EVM measurements. This low
level of phase noise rivals the most expensive spectrum analyzers on the market. Its system noise ranges
between 13 dB and 19 dB between 700 MHz and 15.2 GHz.
The SM200A analyzer is available in a small form-factor making it ideal for remote-monitoring installations. The unit measures 10.2 x 7.2 x 2.15 inches (259 x 183 x 55 mm) and weighs 8.67 lbs. (with passive cooling, AC desktop adapter, and power cord).
Architecturally, the SM200A distributes its digital signal processing requirements for high-speed RF signal
analysis across an on-board Altera Arria-10 FPGA and an external PC with an Intel Core i7 processor. This
provides users with the flexibility to scale to any current or future configuration. The analyzer can be
accessed remotely over a network via the PC to which it’s connected, and it also includes a built-in GPS for
automatic time and geolocation stamping of the received signals.
The SM200A offers a fully-documented API supporting features such as spectrum sweeping, setting
record-on-event triggers, real-time analysis, and streaming of calibrated I/Q data.
The SM200A is shipping now, with a U.S. retail price of $11,900. Signal Hound builds-to-stock as opposed
to building-to-order, resulting in same-day or next-business-day shipping. However, significant pre-orders have created a backlog up to April 15, 2018. New orders will start shipping towards the end of April. Click here to place an order.
