Tektronix (News - Alert), a supplier of test, measurement and monitoring instrumentation, recently launched SPECMON Spectrum (News - Alert) Analyzer, which is equipped to detect sources of RF interference in the field.

SPECMON features optimized technology like swept DPX technology, advanced triggering, wide capture bandwidth and three domain signal analysis capabilities. These help in detecting and capturing events even as short as 3.7 µs with 100 percent probability of intercept. This enables easy prevention of interference.

The ubiquitous nature of wireless applications makes it necessary for a good interference detector. This becomes imperative especially when safety concerns are more like in the case of airport radar and emergency communication channels. With advancement in technology interfering signals have also been developed to escape detection owing to the use of elusive hopping wideband signals.

Jim McGillivary, general manager of the spectrum analyzer product line at Tektronix said, “The growing use of frequency hopping technologies has made hunting down the resulting transient signals next to impossible in the field with conventional spectrum monitoring receivers and equipment.”

SPECMON is well equipped to handle noisy RF environments with better field hunting efficiency, said officials.

 “With SPECMON, we are giving spectrum managers the tool they need to keep interference issues under control with features like broader bandwidth, multiple integrated functions in a single box, and open data format compatibility to industry standards,” McGillivary added.

SPECMON is based on DPX technology that scans the entire frequency range in real time and detects transient interferers. Infrequent transients can be located with density and frequency mask triggers so that only required events are taken into consideration. It offers up to 110 MHz real-time bandwidth and captures events as short at 3.7µs with assured probability of intercept (POI).

Spectrum management applications such as time-saving mapping, interferer locator, signal demodulation and automated field measurements are also made possible. The field test parameters that are leveraged includes pulse, field strength, signal strength, EMI test, channel power, ACPR, OBW and spur search.

Tektronix recently launched Sentry Edge II, the offering from the company’s line of Sentry Video Quality Monitors. Sentry Edge II detects RF modulation and Transport Stream errors generated by equipment errors or failures. With Sentry Edge II, video service providers (VSPs) now have access to the information needed to proactively monitor RF, before issues affect subscribers.

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