Signal generator addresses 5G, 6G satcoms testing

This expansion to the company’s VXG series has been developed for demanding wireless industry applications which use a wide range of frequencies up to and including millimetre wave (mmWave) spectrum. These include new 5G mobile communications, 6G research, satellite communications and radar applications.

Testing these applications requires signal generation equipment capable of creating millimetre-wave signals at extremely high bandwidth. These new applications also adopt multi-antenna techniques, such as spatial diversity, spatial multiplexing, and beamforming to achieve diversity, multiplexing and antenna gains for high-throughput and robust communications.

Keysight says that the M9484C VXG signal generator, with a V3080A vector signal generator frequency extender, expands the frequency range up to 110 GHz to address the needs for the latest and evolving standards.

Product Manager Kimberley Cassacio cites the ability of users to access one, two at up to 100GHz with a frequency extender or four channels on a single instrument up to 20 GHz or multiple channels using two instruments up to 54GHz. This enables multi-antenna test applications such as MIMO and beamforming with precise phase coherence and timing synchronisation

Keysight’s new M9484C VXG microwave signal generator enables customers to reduce test system setup complexity and achieve accurate and repeatable multi-channel measurements in a single instrument.

Key customer benefits include:

• A fully integrated, calibrated, and synchronised signal generator that delivers low phase noise and minimises measurement uncertainty.
  • Overcomes the excessive path loss experienced at mmW frequencies with low error vector magnitude (EVM) and distortion at high output power.
  • Delivers advanced RF performance with direct digital synthesis (DDS) technology for accurately characterising device under tests (DUTs).
  • Enables precise multi-channel / multi-instrument synchronisation and triggering test applications.
• Real-time signal processing and comprehensive signal creation that enables complex test scenarios and simplifies test complexity for receiver and performance tests.
  • Supports MIMO real-time fading for all 3GPP 5G new radio (NR) required base station conformance tests with PathWave Signal Generation software
  • Streamlines complex receiver test scenarios with 8-virtual-signal emulation per RF channel, up to 32 signals in one instrument.
  • Simplifies test workflow with pre-defined compliance test setups, auto-configuring signal analysis and graphic user interface.

Keysight’s new M9484C VXG signal generator generates high frequency, wide channel bandwidth signals in multiple coherent channels.

These capabilities enable engineers to:

• Innovate designs that enable higher frequencies, wider bandwidths and multichannel applications, and ensure they meet the latest and evolving standard test requirements.
• Simplify measurement setup and complex calibration routines associated with multi-box solutions with a one-box approach, saving time and reducing measurement errors related to changing equipment configuration and cabling.
• Eliminate signal impairments caused by traditional analogue I/Q modulators with a new DDS architecture and deliver advanced signal fidelity for wideband signal generation.