Anritsu Co. introduced a new vector signal generator that can be used for testing high-speed data packet access, 3.5G signals and future 4G technologies. The test company also launched two turnkey solutions for the mobile handset repair market.

The MG3700A high-speed, an arbitrary waveform baseband generator, includes a built-in 20 Mbps bit error rate analyzer so manufacturers don't need to use two different test boxes and features a 1Gigabit ARB memory, which allows waveform patterns to be stored in memory rather than on the hard disk drive.

"Working on 4G is beyond the scope of most signal generators today," said Jack Landau, marketing communications manager at Anritsu.

Using its 250kHz to 3GHz frequency range and wideband modulation bandwidth of 120 MHz internal (150MHz external), users can test and evaluate all current wireless devices. The system also supports an optional 6GHz frequency range for researching 4G mobile communication modulation schemes such as VSF-OFCDM. Users can select an arbitrary waveform pattern to output a modulation signal that meets the requirements of most communications systems. Standard signal pattern files include W-CDMA, GSM, EDGE, 1xRTT, 1xEV-DO and AWGN (Additive White Gaussian Noise).

Anritsu built a software package called IQproducer, an option for the MG3700A, that allows for the generation of custom signal patterns such as HSDPA, OFDM, TDMA, WiMax and WPAN (802.15 wide personal area networking). IQproducer also can take a text file of IQ data generated by MATLAB of The MathWorks and convert that to a waveform file that can be downloaded to the MG3700A to be generated. An important feature of this new test gear is the dual ARB memory option, which can generate two separate signals simultaneously as well as combine memories to generate more complex signals. In addition to simultaneous Rx testing using different signals, this option can simulate Tx diversity or signal fading with two different complex signals, such as cdma2000 1x plus 1xEV-DO for CDMA handset testing.

The MG3700A price starts at $30,565 and will be available in 4 to 6 weeks.

"You can spend much more and get higher capacity, but the 3700 is the best balance of performance and value," Landau said.

Anritsu's new handset test and repair solutions, the MT8815A Radio Communication Analyzer and the MT8510B Service Testers, combine to provide manufacturers and third-party service centers with a simplified solution for diagnosing handsets for 2G, 2.5G and 3G technologies.

Anritsu claims that the MT8815A is the fastest and most accurate test instrument for diagnostic and repair applications thanks in part to its advanced digital signal processing. It performs all the fundamental measurements, including: power, frequency error, occupied bandwidth, spectrum emission mask, adjacent channel power, modulation analysis, bit error rate, and frame error rate.

It reduces the repair centers' most costly result, which is "no fault found" by improving the power accuracy to 0.5 dB (at ?25 to +35 dBm), 0.7 dB (at ?55 to ?25 dBm), and 0.9 dB (at ?65 to -55 dBm). In GSM/EDGE applications, power accuracy is 0.5 dB (at ?20 to +40 dBm) and 0.7 dB (at ?30 to ?20 dBm).

"Power accuracy is the single biggest cause of problems," Landau said. The MT8815A can be provided in a turnkey package that includes the MA8120C shield box/antenna coupler and MX880150B Computer-Aided Radio Communications Analyzer (CRCA) automation software. Anritsu's shield box provides 60dB isolation from 800 MHz to 2.5 GHz. The CRCA software provides plug-and-play compatibility so that the MT8815A can be integrated with Bluetooth and WLAN testers.