Antenna Analyzer vs Spectrum Analyzer with Tracking Generor

[mzypt]

I'm planning to purchase some new equipment. What I need is mainly an antenna analyzer for tuning antennas and feed loss measurements on HW and VHF frequencies
But I want to leave an option also for higher frequencies as well that's why the 3GHz range.
So far I have narrowed down to two possible candidates around same price range

---RIGOL DSA1030A-TG 9KHz - 3GHz Spectrum Analyser with Tracking Generator

---ANRITSU S332D SITE MASTER Antenna and Spectrum Analyzer

The Anritsu has both features on one nice package. But I could consider also the Rigol
Any thoughts what would be a better choice? Pros and Cons?
Or maybe something else?

Thanks!

 

[prcguy]

The Rigol is a low cost entry level spectrum analyzer and will need more pieces like a return loss bridge and extra software to make single port antenna measurements. On the other hand Anritsu makes very professional test equipment and the site master series will make single port measurements like antenna analysis without any additional equipment.

If your considering something like the Anritsu you might check out the HP/Agilent/Keysight FieldFox series of portable spectrum analyzers. I'm using one now and its the absolute best portable spectrum analyzer/antenna analyzer on the market. You can also pimp it out as a full blown 2-port vector network analyzer, power meter and many other things depending on how deep your pockets are.
prcguy

I'm planning to purchase some new equipment. What I need is mainly an antenna analyzer for tuning antennas and feed loss measurements on HW and VHF frequencies
But I want to leave an option also for higher frequencies as well that's why the 3GHz range.
So far I have narrowed down to two possible candidates around same price range

---RIGOL DSA1030A-TG 9KHz - 3GHz Spectrum Analyser with Tracking Generator

---ANRITSU S332D SITE MASTER Antenna and Spectrum Analyzer

The Anritsu has both features on one nice package. But I could consider also the Rigol
Any thoughts what would be a better choice? Pros and Cons?
Or maybe something else?

Thanks!

 

[cmdrwill]

prcguy, model number?

 

[AK9R]

FieldFox and HSA Handheld Spectrum Analyzers | Keysight (Agilent)

 

[wb6uqa]

I like the Rig Expert AA -54 . Great analyzer more than most hams need. E ham ratings a perfect 5. Gigaparts has it for around $300.

 

[mzypt]

The Rigol is a low cost entry level spectrum analyzer and will need more pieces like a return loss bridge and extra software to make single port antenna measurements. On the other hand Anritsu makes very professional test equipment and the site master series will make single port measurements like antenna analysis without any additional equipment.

If your considering something like the Anritsu you might check out the HP/Agilent/Keysight FieldFox series of portable spectrum analyzers. I'm using one now and its the absolute best portable spectrum analyzer/antenna analyzer on the market. You can also pimp it out as a full blown 2-port vector network analyzer, power meter and many other things depending on how deep your pockets are.
prcguy

I was also voting for Anritsu...do you have any specifis models on HP/Agilent/Keysight FieldFox series of portable spectrum analyzers?

 

[prcguy]

I have a Keysight N9915A rental unit at the moment and it probably has more options than most people need or are willing to pay for. The basic N9912A unit goes up to 4GHz comes with a spectrum analyzer and a single port antenna analyzer then you can add a TDR, 2 port S-parameter vector network analyzer, 1 port S-parameter vector network analyzer, RF power meter and more.

As a spectrum analyzer its one of the best I've ever used and I was married to an HP 8563EC and Anritsu MS2724B for many years. The FieldFox units have an RBW that go down to 1Hz and other features that are only found on expensive top of the line models. The battery life is also very good and much better than the Anritsu.
prcguy

I was also voting for Anritsu...do you have any specifis models on HP/Agilent/Keysight FieldFox series of portable spectrum analyzers?

 

[mzypt]

Even the basic N9912A model is a bit over my budget. I found some units on Ebay around 4.5k used.
I can get Anritsu S332D for aroud 3k used, this might barely fit to my budget. It also has a spectrum analyzer and a single port antenna analyzer and does to 4GHz.
If compared these two units, what can I get for the extra 1.5kUSD

 

[N5TWB]

The guy who builds most of the repeaters in this area has an Anritsu and I've watched him use on repeater sites to evaluate feedlines/antennas. I like what it does and the reports it can generate. Pricey for sure but it just flat works.

 

[prcguy]

I've used a portable 20GHz Anritsu spectrum analyzer for years and I forgot about a portable Rohde & Schwarz FSH4 analyzer I also used for several years. In comparison the Anritsu was quite an upgrade in display size and features over the R&S, especially in saving and storing the display.

Comparing the Anritsu to the FieldFox is a similar upgrade, many more features and improvement in accuracy and features, the FieldFox is a very high end instrument while the Anritsu is very good, its an older design, eats batteries and is just not as refined.

When you buy a stripped down FIeldFox most all the hardware is there for all features, meaning if you want the S-parameter vector analyzer or some other option in the future its just $$ and a key code to enable that feature.

I just returned from a job site that needed a spectrum analyzer for peaking a new satellite uplink dish and a scaler network analyzer for sweeping some LMR cables I made, which is usually about 150 lbs of equipment to ship and wrestle around. Instead I carried a FieldFox under my arm in a case about the size of a laptop case and quickly did all the work and exported the spectrum analyzer and cable insertion/return loss plots into a report and was out of there in record time. The portable Anritsu spectrum analyzer I used several years ago was only a spectrum analyzer and could not do cable testing and I'm not familiar with the Anritsu Site Master series.
prcguy

Even the basic N9912A model is a bit over my budget. I found some units on Ebay around 4.5k used.
I can get Anritsu S332D for aroud 3k used, this might barely fit to my budget. It also has a spectrum analyzer and a single port antenna analyzer and does to 4GHz.
If compared these two units, what can I get for the extra 1.5kUSD

 

[mm]

I use the Signal Hound USB-SA44B spec analyzer with the USB-TG44A TRACKING GEN and a suitable mini ckts or similar directional coupler at work, commercial avionics RF design lab, and at home.

This setup makes a nice S11, S21 measuring system which spans 9 khz to 4.4 GHZ, very capable spectrum analyzer with great sensitivity monitoring receiver with a very capable tracking generator.

Of course It needs a PC but even the PC requirements aren't to much.

There are even DLL'S to turn the spec analyzer into a very nice SDR receiver with the HDSDR SDR program and the SPIKE interface program with various built in digital demods makes it a very capable system.


I use my SigHound for RF receiver, transmitter,HIGH power AMP and antenna design and measurement at work and at my home work bench and as a HF TO MICROWAVE SDR RECEIVER.

https://signalhound.com/products/usb-sa44b/

 

[ElroyJetson]

Get an Anritsu Sitemaster S331 or even an S330. It won't cost much and it'll do the job just fine.

Even an S332A, B, or C. The D model moves you up to a color screen but a C model is nearly the same machine with a monochrome display.


A spectrum analyzer with a tracking generator is NOT suitable as an antenna analyzer. For starters that's missing the return loss bridge.

In the past I've made that comparison, SA with TG vs. an antenna analyzer, both being used to analyze the same antennas. The antenna analyzer is clearly the right tool for the job, while the SA/TG combination is of VERY limited utility. You can see that something's connected, but you can't really get much in the way of useful data.

 

[mm]

I said that the SigHound has a proper mincircuits return loss bridge or any other capable bridge WILL WORK with it which makes it capable of S11, S21 measurement.

This along with the SDR receiver capabilities was the selling point for me.

With a small tablet and the Spike software this combo makes a smaller lighter package compared to the Rigol and Field Fox which I also have at work along with a Copper Mountain full 2 port VNA,

Out all 4 of these capable instruments the SigHound with a tablet is my favorite portable and Engineering lab setup as I can e-mail any screen shot, be it a gps LNA, an antenna sweep, a transmitter harmonic analysis, a transmitter phase noise plot and numerous onsite specan plots in less than a minute whereas I have to save the plots and then transfer them to a pc with the other equipment I have.

 

[mzypt]

Get an Anritsu Sitemaster S331 or even an S330. It won't cost much and it'll do the job just fine.

Even an S332A, B, or C. The D model moves you up to a color screen but a C model is nearly the same machine with a monochrome display.


A spectrum analyzer with a tracking generator is NOT suitable as an antenna analyzer. For starters that's missing the return loss bridge.

In the past I've made that comparison, SA with TG vs. an antenna analyzer, both being used to analyze the same antennas. The antenna analyzer is clearly the right tool for the job, while the SA/TG combination is of VERY limited utility. You can see that something's connected, but you can't really get much in the way of useful data.

I have been looking for S332D model since I need also the Spectrum Analyser option.. although the S332C would be much cheaper.
But I'm a bit worried how it performs on lower HW bands since the specs says the analyzer spectum starts from 25MHz.

Analyzer 25 MHz to 4000 MHz Frequency Range.
Spectrum Analysis Range: 100 kHz to 3 GHz

Although I do have the backup workhorse MFJ analyser

 

[mzypt]

I use the Signal Hound USB-SA44B spec analyzer with the USB-TG44A TRACKING GEN and a suitable mini ckts or similar directional coupler at work, commercial avionics RF design lab, and at home.

This setup makes a nice S11, S21 measuring system which spans 9 khz to 4.4 GHZ, very capable spectrum analyzer with great sensitivity monitoring receiver with a very capable tracking generator.

Of course It needs a PC but even the PC requirements aren't to much.

There are even DLL'S to turn the spec analyzer into a very nice SDR receiver with the HDSDR SDR program and the SPIKE interface program with various built in digital demods makes it a very capable system.


I use my SigHound for RF receiver, transmitter,HIGH power AMP and antenna design and measurement at work and at my home work bench and as a HF TO MICROWAVE SDR RECEIVER.

https://signalhound.com/products/usb-sa44b/

The tracking gen and analyzer are two different devices? It needs a lot of cabling, right?

 

[prcguy]

The SigHounds looks like an interesting toy, but if the OP or anyone else wants to perform professional measurements for paying customers, I would question its calibration and accuracy.

I'm at a job site in a Latin American country as I'm typing this with a FieldFox N9915A under my arm to run S11 and S21 measurements on microwave cables plus spectrum analyzer plots from a new Ka band satellite uplink system for a customer. I feel very confidant about the results from a FieldFox and using it in a final report to the customer, where the same info from a SigHound would probably not end up with a repeat customer.

prcguy - ¡En la carretera de nuevo!

I said that the SigHound has a proper mincircuits return loss bridge or any other capable bridge WILL WORK with it which makes it capable of S11, S21 measurement.

This along with the SDR receiver capabilities was the selling point for me.

With a small tablet and the Spike software this combo makes a smaller lighter package compared to the Rigol and Field Fox which I also have at work along with a Copper Mountain full 2 port VNA,

Out all 4 of these capable instruments the SigHound with a tablet is my favorite portable and Engineering lab setup as I can e-mail any screen shot, be it a gps LNA, an antenna sweep, a transmitter harmonic analysis, a transmitter phase noise plot and numerous onsite specan plots in less than a minute whereas I have to save the plots and then transfer them to a pc with the other equipment I have.

 

[mm]

I have no issue with calibration, I used mine recently for designing an ADS-B/UAT TRANSMITTER recently, a ADS-B RECEIVER F antenna, a GPS/GLONASS LNA.

In the SigHound user group you would be suprised at the number of American and even some Canadian Engineering Firms that use SigHounds in design n development, think avionics P25 radio Co's in US/CANADA, GPS Co's in the Pacific Nortwest the midwest US and Texas, U.S. drone Mfg's in Cali,

In the field I have used my Sighound to trace down a Phase noise issue from a P25 radio popping squelch in a 118-152 MHZ AM comm radio on a USDA aircraft.

For me having multiple Sighounds running live at the same time, in various labs, two in the Pacific Northwest and one in the midwest working in parallel all with the ability to send analyzer video shots via WiFi with the SPIKE SOFTWARE was a plus and this is a feature not easily done with my R&S or Keysight equipment.

As previously mentioned I use various KEYSIGHT(Agilent), R&S analyzers and the SigHound and all are capable but I still prefer the Sig Hound for portability, convenience and features.

Connecting the SigHound analzer and tracking generator is the simplest setup I have used.

You only need one bnc cable from the tracking gen to the analyzer and one cable from the TG to the return loss bridge and the same from the return loss bridge to the analyzer.

3 short 50 ohm cables and 2 usb cables to your pc and you are all set.

For my decision it was buying American,

The Sighound is engineered/designed and assembled in Hood River Washington/Oregon.

Rigol is Headquartered in Beijing China.

I have meet the SigHound engineers, a great group of young Engineers that stay in touch with their customers weekly via e-mail, the support is great.

If Elroy/Chris want's to buy china that's his choice and I'll respect it but for me even though Rigol has a US office here in Oregon I still want 100% American.

 

[K5MPH]

The tracking gen and analyzer are two different devices? It needs a lot of cabling, right?

It covers (1Hz to 4.4 GHz) it got HF covered....

 

[prcguy]

Not sure how the SigHound is the easiest setup for portable operation when you need to connect the tracking gen to the SigHound then cables to a return loss bridge then fire up a laptop, etc. For the FieldFox you just turn it on and everything is there and built inside and no PC needed.

I've been on both sides of the fence as a customer and the guy in the lab or field. If you brought me data from a SigHound for my critical and expensive direct to home satellite LNB endeavor or similar that will result in tens of millions of LNBs sold I would probably send you packing unless the data came from something more industry standard.
prcguy

I have no issue with calibration, I used mine recently for designing an ADS-B/UAT TRANSMITTER recently, a ADS-B RECEIVER F antenna, a GPS/GLONASS LNA.

In the SigHound user group you would be suprised at the number of American and even some Canadian Engineering Firms that use SigHounds in design n development, think avionics P25 radio Co's in US/CANADA, GPS Co's in the Pacific Nortwest the midwest US and Texas, U.S. drone Mfg's in Cali,

In the field I have used my Sighound to trace down a Phase noise issue from a P25 radio popping squelch in a 118-152 MHZ AM comm radio on a USDA aircraft.

For me having multiple Sighounds running live at the same time, in various labs, two in the Pacific Northwest and one in the midwest working in parallel all with the ability to send analyzer video shots via WiFi with the SPIKE SOFTWARE was a plus and this is a feature not easily done with my R&S or Keysight equipment.

As previously mentioned I use various KEYSIGHT(Agilent), R&S analyzers and the SigHound and all are capable but I still prefer the Sig Hound for portability, convenience and features.

Connecting the SigHound analzer and tracking generator is the simplest setup I have used.

You only need one bnc cable from the tracking gen to the analyzer and one cable from the TG to the return loss bridge and the same from the return loss bridge to the analyzer.

3 short 50 ohm cables and 2 usb cables to your pc and you are all set.

For my decision it was buying American,

The Sighound is engineered/designed and assembled in Hood River Washington/Oregon.

Rigol is Headquartered in Beijing China.

I have meet the SigHound engineers, a great group of young Engineers that stay in touch with their customers weekly via e-mail, the support is great.

If Elroy/Chris want's to buy china that's his choice and I'll respect it but for me even though Rigol has a US office here in Oregon I still want 100% American.