Keysight Technologies has expanded its FieldFox line of handheld analyzers with a new model that has more than 20 options including vector network analyzer, spectrum analyzer and cable and antenna tester, which are available to download.
The N9912C FieldFox Handheld Analyzer (or FieldFox-C) is a “truly software-defined instrument,” the company said, because it lets engineers mix and match various testing capabilities on one handheld device. The license key determines the activated maximum frequencies, bandwidths, analyzer types and software applications that can be accessed on the device. The device can provide spectrum and network analysis between 3 kHz to 10 GHz.
“When engineers are in the field, they need flexible test solutions that can address challenges on the fly,” said Vince Nguyen, VP and GM of Keysight’s aerospace, defense and government solutions group. “With the truly software-defined FieldFox-C, engineers can quickly respond to new needs with a single, handheld analyzer that can be easily configured through software license keys covering frequency ranges, multiple analyzer types, and other software applications.”
In other test news:
-ICYMI: 5G’s advanced capabilities require a higher level of network performance expectations, from latency to the radio frequency environment. One aspect of where requirements are tightening up is in timing and synchronization. Read more on that here.
–Anritsu said this week that it has expanded expanded the measurement functionality for its MS9740B optical spectrum analyzer to support testing of pulsed laser diode (LD) chips, speeding up testing by eliminating the need for a trigger signal. The test company said that the production of high-power LD chips is increasing due to higher communications bit rates and longer LiDAR detection ranges.
-The Biden administration and the Federal Communications Commission are working on a cybersecurity product labeling system that would be similar to Energy Star, and Keysight Technologies is one of the companies supporting the effort. Full story is here.
-There are still many questions that have to be answered about how the RAN Intelligent Controller will make decisions in live network environments, said Owen O’Donnell, marketing manager for TeraVM and the wireless business unit at VIAVI Solutions. Check out our story on three types of RIC benchmarking that will help answer some of those fundamental questions.
–Rohde & Schwarz has a new software option for its BBA300 radio frequency amplifiers, which allows fine-tuning of the signal and remote operation. Michael Hempel, product manager for amplifier systems at R&S, said that the option allows engineers to “fine-tune the test signal as they need. And because we use industry standards, control can be operated from any location using the ethernet to manage and measure results.”
Rohde said that the software allows the operating point to be shifted between Class A and Class AS, as well as the ability to choose between maximum RF output power and higher tolerance to mismatch at RF output.
-Operators need a new, more real way of understanding network performance in order to fully leverage the speed and agility of the networks being built; the answer, according to Viavi Solutions CTO Sameh Yamany, is to use real world network data to build a digital twin of the network, then train artificial intelligence to conduct continuous testing.
