The R&S ZVAX-TRM extension from Rohde & Schwarz will debut at this year’s European Microwave Week. It is an extension unit for high end R&S R&S ZVA network analyser family. The R&S ZVAX-TRM can be combined with the R&S ZVA to yield a powerful, compact and highly customizable system. It conditions the signals from the network analyzer as required for a given task and either returns them to the analyzer or outputs them via its integrated high-power test ports. It also enhances the test set of an R&S ZVA network analyzer to cover these complex measurements for applications up to 67 GHz. The R&S ZVAX-TRM conditions the stimulus and measured signals as required for a given task, enabling measurements at high power levels as well as pulsed signal or group delay measurements.
The combination of an R&S ZVA and an R&S ZVAX-TRM enables users in development and production to measure parameters such as compression, noise figure and group delay even on three-port T/R modules, with the DUT having to be connected only once (single-connection device characterization). When combined with a four-port R&S ZVA with four internal sources, it allow users to perform intermodulation measurements on modules with two conversion stages without the need for external signal generators. Such measurements require up to four signals (RF1 and RF2, LO1 and LO2), which are delivered by the above combination in significantly less time, since only internal sources are used.
The R&S ZVAX-TRM base unit allows bidirectional high-power measurements up to +43 dBm. Diverse hardware options are available to tailor the unit to user requirements. Optional output amplifiers can be inserted into the measurement paths to compensate for internal losses. Via switch-selected access points, users can access reference signals or insert external components such as power amplifiers or attenuators into the generator or receiver path. When equipped with optional combiners, the R&S ZVAX-TRM can be used to deliver two tone signals for intermodulation measurements as well as for special group delay measurements on frequency-converting T/R modules with an internal LO. The optional pulse modulators allow bidirectional, pulsed signal measurements. It generates the pulsed signals and feeds them to the DUT, and then performs the measurements, e.g. pulse profile, point-in-pulse, pulse average.
The R&S ZVAX-TRM is available in different models with frequency ranges up to 24, 40, 50 & 67 GHz to match all the R&S ZVA models. It can also be used with network analyzers from the R&S ZVT family.
