Anritsu has introduced the MS27101A Remote Spectrum Monitor. This interference detecting tool can be used with Anritsu’s Vision™ software to create a highly accurate remote solution for government regulators and university lab researchers to identify interference patterns, record spectrum history and geo-locate the sources of problem signals to mitigate interference issues and identify illegal or unlicensed signal activity.
The MS27101A Remote Spectrum Monitor addresses the market need for an accurate remote solution for white space monitoring, harm claim threshold detection, in-building interference monitoring, positive train control system protection and locating illegal/unlicensed signal sources or similar interference. Housed in a half-rack enclosure, the remote spectrum monitor is ideal for spectrum monitoring where a small footprint is required. It is capable of sweeping at rates up to 24 GHz/s, allowing capture of intermittent signals, including periodic or transient transmissions as well as short “bursty” signals. High dynamic range of >106 dB normalized to 1 Hz BW, 20 MHz instantaneous bandwidth, high sensitivity and low spurious signals allow the MS27101A to reliably monitor low-level signals. Power consumption is typically less than 11 Watts, which allows the MS27101A to be powered by solar cells in remote locations.
When used with the optional Vision software, the MS27101A Remote Spectrum Monitor can record spectrum history and geo-locate the signal of interest. Three or more MS27101A monitors are needed to approximate the position of the interfering signal. Vision software provides complete command and control of all spectrum monitoring probes deployed in the field. The software operates on Windows-based PCs/servers, communicating with the MS27101A via Gigabit Ethernet or a USB cellular modem.
Similar to the other remote spectrum monitors available from Anritsu, the MS27101A is designed for robust field deployments, with capabilities for remote power cycling, automated system recovery protocols and secure firmware updates “pushed” to the monitor remotely. In the event of an application error or power fluctuation that causes an interruption in monitor communication, a re-boot policy is implemented to reset the remote probe to its previous state.
An integrated web server is embedded into the MS27101A that allows the Remote Spectrum Monitor to be accessed by users anywhere in the world via an Internet browser. After logging in, full control is possible. Simultaneously, trace data, spectrograms and other measurements can be viewed inside the browser window.
The Remote Spectrum Monitor family from Anritsu also includes the MS27102A and MS27103A. The MS27102A is an IP67-rated full-featured platform designed for outdoor applications. Capable of sweep rates up to 24 GHz/s, the probe allows many signal types to be captured. The MS27103A is specifically designed to identify and locate interfering signals, so cellular companies, DAS operators and operators of land mobile networks can act quickly to protect their multi-billion dollar network investment and maintain data capacity.
