Tek Spectrum Analyzers Use DPX to Spot Transients

Tracking down interference with conventional spectrum analyzers can be difficult if the interference is intermittent. This week Tektronix announced the H500 and SA2500 handheld spectrum analyzers with its DPX waveform image processor technology that should make it easier to locate transient signals and those that use time varying transmission techniques to evade detection.

The DPX technology in the H500 and SA2500 analyzers display live RF spectrum perform more than 2,500, or more than 10,000 measurements per second, respectively, using dedicated, real-time hardware to process incoming signals. DPX also provides an intensity-graded persistence display the holds anomalies until the eye can see them to show the history of occurrence for dynamic signals. The H500 provides 100 percent probability of detection for transients with event durations as short as 125 microseconds. The SA2500 provides 100 percent probability of detecting events as short as 500 microseconds.

The analyzers cover 10 kHz to 6.2 GHz, have a 20 MHz real-time bandwidth, and −163 dBm displayed average noise level (DANL), matching the performance of many benchtop analyzers. The new devices weight slightly more than 12 pounds.

“The H500 and SA2500 combine benchtop spectrum analyzer performance with ruggedized packaging resulting in a powerful and versatile tool ideal for almost any spectrum management assignment, but what makes these instruments truly revolutionary is our unique real-time DPX live RF spectrum display technology,” said Jim McGillivary, general manager of Tektronix’s source analyzer product line. “No other instrument or technology offers such a practical, fast and easy way to discover unknown, randomly occurring digital RF events.”

Prices for the handheld analyzers start at $24,000 for the SA2500 and $43,400 for the H500.

Doug Lung

Doug Lung is one of America's foremost authorities on broadcast RF technology. As vice president of Broadcast Technology for NBCUniversal Local, H. Douglas Lung leads NBC and Telemundo-owned stations’ RF and transmission affairs, including microwave, radars, satellite uplinks, and FCC technical filings. Beginning his career in 1976 at KSCI in Los Angeles, Lung has nearly 50 years of experience in broadcast television engineering. Beginning in 1985, he led the engineering department for what was to become the Telemundo network and station group, assisting in the design, construction and installation of the company’s broadcast and cable facilities. Other projects include work on the launch of Hawaii’s first UHF TV station, the rollout and testing of the ATSC mobile-handheld standard, and software development related to the incentive auction TV spectrum repack.
A longtime columnist for TV Technology, Doug is also a regular contributor to IEEE Broadcast Technology. He is the recipient of the 2023 NAB Television Engineering Award. He also received a Tech Leadership Award from TV Tech publisher Future plc in 2021 and is a member of the IEEE Broadcast Technology Society and the Society of Broadcast Engineers.