Analyzer combines four tools in one device

Carlsbad, Calif.-based AEA Technologies unveiled the VIA Echo analyzer, a device that offers several test-and-measurement instruments in one handheld tool.

The device weighs about two pounds and contains four instruments, including a vector impedance analyzer that tests a single frequency or a frequency sweep in an antenna, cable, component or circuit, said Paul DeWinter, the company’s vice president of sales and marketing. The second component is a spectrum analyzer that illustrates which signals an antenna receives over a user-selected frequency range.

In addition, the device contains a frequency domain reflector meter that transmits and measures user-selected frequencies over a length of cable. The final component is a power meter that pinpoints a specific frequency or frequency range and indicates the overall signal power in dBm and watts, for either analog or digital signals.

DeWinter said mobile technicians are the primary users of the analyzer, either at cellular or land- and marine-mobile wireless sites. “It is for those people who have to climb towers, do testing and need a portable application to test radio frequency interference,” DeWinter said.

Such users can deploy the device to gather digital measurements and graphical sweep displays of impedance, RF power gain or cable quality, he added. The device has a 2-sweeps-per-second measurement speed and offers log, linear, phase and group delay gain formats. The unit’s interface displays two separate plots with different scales, meaning the user can view different types of measurements all on one screen, DeWinter said. It also offers an automatic calibration and self-test mode, as well as 250 memory slots for plot storage and setup data.

The device is powered by eight nickel-metal hydride AA cells that offer up to four hours of operation at full charge. An AC wall charger is included, or users can purchase an optional DC charger. The analyzer is available now and starts at $2995.

Test and measurement equipment vendors

AEA Technology ▪ Aeroflex ▪ Agilent Technologies ▪ Andrew Corp. ▪ Anritsu ▪ Avcom ▪ Berkeley Varitronics Systems ▪ Bird Technologies Group ▪ Comprod Communications ▪ Doppler Systems ▪ EMR Corp. ▪ Fluke Corp. ▪ General Dynamics ▪ Kaltman Creations ▪ L-3 Communications ▪ Link Communications ▪ Motorola ▪ Sunrise Telecom ▪ Tektronix ▪ Telewave ▪ Times Microwave Systems ▪ Z Technology ▪ Zetron ▪ For complete listings of test-and-measurement vendors, visit the MRT 2008 Resource Guide at www.mrtmag.com.