US : Agilent Technologies introduced a series of new capabilities for its PSA Series high-performance spectrum analyzers that make the instruments the first to characterize components and systems for base and mobile stations based on the TD-SCDMA (time division synchronous CDMA) and 1xEV-DV (1x evolution, data and voice) wireless access methods. These new capabilities, together with Agilent's existing standards-based measurement personalities, give the PSA Series the most comprehensive wireless signal analysis capabilities available in a single instrument.

TD-SCDMA, the wireless access method developed in China, has the potential to double the traffic-carrying capacity of a wireless network. It uses the same frequency band for both the uplink and downlink transmission paths for greater efficiency, and can allocate resources for either one as needed. It also takes advantage of smart antenna technology and can simultaneously detect multiple parallel signals.

1xEV-DV is the latest revision to the cdma2000 3G access method. It increases network capacity and data rates by allowing bandwidth to be allocated on demand, and supports voice and data traffic on the same device. Wireless network equipment manufacturers are currently conducting interoperability testing and field trials for 1xEV-DV.

The TD-SCDMA measurement personality (Option 211) for the PSA Series spectrum analyzers allows designers to fully characterize the transmitted signals of TD-SCDMA base stations with a single instrument. It is equally suited to both design and development environments and has an intuitive user interface that makes the process fast and simple. The standards-based power measurements for both uplink and downlink signals include power versus time, transmit power, adjacent channel power, multi-channel power (up to 12 channels), as well as spurious emissions and spurious emissions masks.

The user has numerous choices within each measurement. For example, when measuring transmit power the user can display the minimum, maximum and mean values of a single burst or complete 10-ms frame, and can select either RMS or log averaging. When using spectrum emission masks (which measure spurious emissions within specific frequency bands), the designer can simultaneously display both spectrum and tabular results. Average or peak detection can be selected, and the offset frequency, reference bandwidth and limit values can be specified.

In addition, the Agilent 89601A vector signal analysis software, which includes troubleshooting tools for analyzing many types of signals, now can demodulate TD-SCDMA signals as well. This allows the PSA Series, in combination with 89601A analysis software, to troubleshoot a broad array of modulation problems in addition to the TD-SCDMA power measurements provided by Option 211.

To allow 1xEV-DV components and systems to be characterized, Agilent has created new composite rho and code-domain tests that support code-domain 8PSK and 16QAM modulation techniques. The new measurement personality is available as Option 214 for the PSA Series analyzers.

The 1xEV-DV measurement personality provides powerful measurements for troubleshooting many kinds of modulation. The modulation accuracy capability shows signal quality via parameters such as composite rho, error vector magnitude, frequency error and pilot offset for one-slot signal data. For more in-depth evaluation, code-domain analysis allows signal capture of up to 32 slots. In addition, symbol-based EVM with IQ symbol constellations and other results of magnitude error, phase error, and symbol power versus time trace can reveal the root cause of signal problems. Demodulated bits can be obtained in both binary and hexadecimal format.