WLAN RF TEST - RF Cafe Forums

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biff44

Post subject: WLAN RF TEST

Posted: Sat Apr 11, 2009 11:42 am

Colonel

Joined: Wed Apr 08, 2009 11:07 am
Posts: 37

Hase anyone found a relatively cheap way to make WLAN RF measurements (802.11 a/b/g). I need to measure EVM, clipping, phase errors, phase noise, etc. There seem to be a lot of $70K solutions out there. Anything worthwhile in the $5 K range.

It would also be nice if it could do other measurements, such as data demod for FSK and DSSS ISM band links.

I do have a TEK MSO4104 and was wondering if I could downconver into it, and interface it to Matlab and do the RF measurements?

_________________
Rich
Maguffin Microwave Consulting
www.MaguffinMicrowave.com

LM317

Post subject: Re: WLAN RF TEST

Posted: Tue Apr 14, 2009 11:49 am

Captain

Joined: Tue May 20, 2008 8:13 pm
Posts: 8

If you're looking to do meaningful measurements, then really nothing short of a communications analyzer will do the job. Trying to sample with MS4104 will probaly introduce errors because it is impossible to discern how successful your downconversion is (introduction of intermods and other nonlinearities).

Have you looked into renting a piece of TE from a place like Test Equipment Connection, Alliance Test Equipment, etc. (there are a lot of companies listed on this website)? For a couple grand, you can get one for a month.

biff44

Post subject: Re: WLAN RF TEST

Posted: Tue Apr 14, 2009 1:03 pm

Colonel

Joined: Wed Apr 08, 2009 11:07 am
Posts: 37

I am looking at used test equipment. My concern is that things change SOOOO fast nowadays, and communications gear software becomes obsolete and non-supported in a wink of an eye. I was wondering if the best way was to 1)get a dedicated piece of gear, like a VSA, and make sure it is current enough to still be supported, and add the measurement personalities as needed, or 2)i/Q downconvert the signal myself, and import it into Matlab or NILabview, and do the processing there.

I am a consultant, and therefore need low cost but also the flexibility to work with anything a customer throws at me. For instance, if I had a dedicated VSA, and I got a number of LTE test jobs, I would have some trouble upgrading unless the VSA was one of the latest models.

_________________
Rich
Maguffin Microwave Consulting
www.MaguffinMicrowave.com

Posted 11/12/2012

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