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Spectrum Analyzers

K

krush99

Hi All,

I had a post on this board in one of the other possible worlds, but the gatekeeper met the keymaster and I don't remember what happened between then and now. Somebody said something about turning into a dog... ;)

Anyway, I was asking for any suggestions for a cheap spectrum analyzer. I was looking at some used analog ones.

Does any one have any experience with the DSA815-TG? There are tons of videos on youtube about it. I'd love to hear your opinions. I don't have the bank to buy an Agilent. Donations are always appreciated!

Thanks
JR
 
Yeah, I answered that one too. :mad:

Ok, I have an IFR 7550 as you mentioned in your last post. It's OK for a 1 Gig analyzer. It gets most jobs done. But it has no capacity to save traces other than a serial cable to a PC and their software. And I can't get mine to work on a laptop- only a desktop. Very unhandy. And it's really heavy too!

I also have an IFR 2399B (Aeroflex). I have liked that a lot, and I think you can pick those up fairly inexpensively. The big drawback to mine is that you can only save traces to the built in 1.44 MB floppy drive. I got a USB 1.44 diskette reader for that purpose, and that's.. OK.

And I know you said you can't afford an Agilent, but I have to say the 9340B is the bomb. Very small and portable but with a great screen! We had one in another market that I just left. USB port to download your pictures. Also saves the trace itself- not merely the pic, so you can change settings to look at the saved trace different ways. Has an HD radio option with the mask built in. I got it decked out for around $14K.
 
I'm getting tired of lugging my 500lb Tek 495P out to the middle of a cornfield in Indiana to do an NRSC and I'm about THIS far from getting one of the Rigol units. I've heard other folks who are in the know talk about them and say they are good units. The fact that they weigh only 10 lbs and I can do an NRSC proof without leaving the driver's seat of my Jeep is very attractive.
 
Out of curiosity, what is a ball park price for the Bird? I didn't find any pricing info on their site.

On a related topic, I recently purchased a Velleman PC-Lab 2000LT. I don't know how accurate it is, but it seems to do the job (and many others) for general troubleshooting. It connects to a PC and gives you Spectrum Analyzer, Oscilloscope, Function Generator, Bode Plotter and Transient Recorder functions. It even comes with a probe. It can be had for less than $150, you supply the laptop.
 
Chuck said:
Out of curiosity, what is a ball park price for the Bird? I didn't find any pricing info on their site.
Click to expand...

They're right around $4K street price. Yes - still a lot of money, but not in the world of analyzers.
 
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