How to Select Your First Spectrum Analyze with Uni-T UTS3021B

[@Random-kq4pz]

Thanks for making this video, spectrum analyzers are great for RF work!

[@KissAnalog]

Thank you! Yes RF work is where Spectrums love to work;)

[@Amplified208]

Lots of great information, and I like the uni-t GUI. Touch screen is the way to go, but manual controls are a must for me as well. Great video.

[@KissAnalog]

Thanks so much! Their GUI is really easy;)

[@nickdavis4839]

Thanks for taking the time to make this informative video. I like your idea of making a playlist of spectrum analyzer videos.

[@KissAnalog]

Thanks so much!!

[@markuskeller9734]

Hi Eddie. Thanks for sharing this video. Cool stuff. I like it. I purchased a SA from OWON wich cost under 1,000 EUR but comes including the TG and a lot of the software measurement features which e.g. Siglent does not include in their base models and which need to be purchased for quite a lot of money afterwards. I think Rigol is quite outdated today with their line of SAs. Very old stuff actually. Siglent has nice SAs but very expensive and still come without the cool measurement features unless you buy them extra. My OWON has all those already fully available in their base models (XSA810-TG and XSA815-TG, both with 1 Hz RBW), however, the build quality is pretty decent and usability is great. Happy with my choice, but I don't need a 2.1 or 3.5 GHz model, so mine is 1.5 GHz ;)

[@KissAnalog]

Thanks for the great feedback! I'll have to take a look at the OWON. I think they are an up and comer;)

[@versace885]

Hi Eddie, thanks for the GREAT info,

[@KissAnalog]

Thank you!

[@mikemike7001]

Would be interested in your take on Tekbox's EMCview software for pre-compliance testing along with their seemingly low-priced LISNs, antennas, cables, etc.

[@willthecat3861]

Never heard much about Tekbox... but the probes and antennas for EMC are precision... but still cheap to make... it's the manufacturers field/calibration lab your paying for.

[@KissAnalog]

Thanks for asking! From what I can tell it looks nice. I wanted to show what comes with the EMC option on this SA but the license just expired:( Well, they have asked for it back so I can't really ask for the license renewal;) But it does look similar to what I saw on Tekbox.

[@KissAnalog]

Yes the lab is very expensive - but so are all the crazy current clamps and extra items that you seem to need. The lab has all that so they have spent a lot to get into business.

[@MrMersh-ts7jl]

I picked up a RS CMU200 for 400 bucks. Great SA, though no TG. But the audio analyzer feature is excellent as well. It's also a beast

[@willthecat3861]

It was a nice set for automatic radio testing (R&S called cell phones radios) They suffer from the CCFL backlight failing on them. It's not really a general purpose SA, or radio communications test set... limitations become apparent if your outside its intended use applications. But, for 400 USD... it's okay.... especially if it was 'fully loaded."

[@KissAnalog]

Wow that was a great deal!

[@KissAnalog]

Great feedback - thank you! @willthecat3861

[@MrMersh-ts7jl]

@@willthecat3861 On the audio testing portion of it as long as you have it set for the correct incoming frequency I found that it matches up nearly perfectly with my HP 8903A. And as a general purpose spectrum analyzer it's worked great. Especially when needing to align RF test equipment. And with a couple tweaks you can even use it as a power meter.

[@MrMersh-ts7jl]

​@@willthecat3861 thank you for the heads up about the screen. So far mine is very good. I was able to change the hard drive to a modern SSD with IDE connection. I'm working on getting the license for the FM option. I really love the unit but it's huge and being the communications receiver for cellular It does indeed have a lot of features that I just don't use or understand at this point. I think once I clean up a couple other projects I'm going to work on it degrading a aftermarket tracking generator solution that people make. If you have any other experience with the unit let me know!

[@AlanSanderson-u4t]

We used some very expensive Gore coax when we built automatic test systems. The entire signal path was carefully calibrated.

[@KissAnalog]

Thanks for your feedback. I'm using Gore on a project now;)

[@TheGmr140]

Rigol and siglent make good spectrum analyzer too and not too expensive 😊😊

[@KissAnalog]

Yes it looks like they do. The Uni-T seems to have better specs for what they have near the same price. I think the Uni-T might be a newer unit so it might have the advantage of getting better specs.

[@tvepaddler]

Is a SA useful for packet radio stuff? Or is there something more useful? I mean FSK, BPSK, LoRa, maybe also WiFi modulations QAM... from 140Mhz to 2.4Ghz, mostly 868/915/2.4 . Yes, the SA is useful to get the RF components on the board tuned in and ensure the emissions are what they ought to be. That happens with steady-state measurements. But then comes all the modulation stuff. I suppose that's what the modulation add-on software pack is supposed to help with? What does that do? And after the modulation come things like packet format where I fear the SA is useless. Or with LoRA the spreading and hopping. And when doing something other than point-to-point there are questions about timing between say RX and reply TX and other devices interfering or not with their TX (i.e. in a network of nodes). Again, SA is useless there? I think I want an RF logic analyzer equivalent, not an RF scope equivalent? What does one use when one doesn't have a 5-6 figure budget?

[@KissAnalog]

Great questions! There are the demod options that you can turn on with a license. I haven't used them so I can't answer you - yet;)

[@willthecat3861]

Maybe you are talking about an HP 3582A, which was a late 1970s low noise, high performance= expensive, audio spectrum analyzer (1 Hz to 25 KHz or so) A very nice instrument, which was before digital electronics made dynamic signal analyzers really doable. A monster though (65 pounds plus) ...and noisy fan. Full of plug in cards, and analog green screen monitor. An extremely well made instrument. Dead giveaway was the two channels had banana jack connectors.

[@willthecat3861]

There was also, the "poor" man's audio spectrum analyzer, an HP 3580A, which was much smaller, and had the footprint of a typical HP oscilloscope of the time. Still expensive, but not the same performance as a 3582A.

[@KissAnalog]

Yes you are right, I was referring to the HP3582 and HP3580, but its been awhile and I wasn't sure I was remembering the part number right so I decided not to spit it out;) Thanks for reminding me;)

[@Oogobuk]

Got a new SIGLENT 3021X Plus.. Its nice, but only goes to 2.1 Ghz...I'll probably put on the Demod features.. (Made a Video of it on my channel).. long time ago I use to work on ones that went all the way up to 30GHZ.. Anyhow, I enjoy your videos... keep them up... (also, I know it was a while back, but wanted to say sorry about your brother; I think it was...)

[@KissAnalog]

Thanks so much! I appreciate you!

[@caltech-wirewizard]

Hi Eddie, nice video. Have you ever looked at the "TinySA" or "TinySA Ultra" Spectrum Analyzer? They're cheap $139 for the 6GHz "Ultra" model. And I gotta tell ya, the "Ultra" has many features that the "Big Boys" have. I would love to get your opinion on either of those models.

[@willthecat3861]

The problem... I believe is the noise floor, and generated system noise... along with the sma connectors, and the calibration kit. If you've got a good VNA + cal kit, or a very good SA (with a tracking gen) then you can sort most of that out. Otherwise, the software is great... data not so much. But, the price gets a lot of people into the game.

[@KissAnalog]

Thanks for this great feedback! Yes I do have a TinySA, but I want the Ultra;)

[@KissAnalog]

Thanks for this feedback! I have to work with this TinySA more. I did take it to a EMI facility to see if I could get useful data - and I could;)

[@7emezzo]

Hi Kiss, amazing video, my respect. Please could you tell me the utility of TG function? The model UTS 3036B have not TG instead UTS1032T yes. I'd like to buy UTS1032T for TG function, but, if is not necessary I prefer UTS3036B because of 40000 point. Thanks.... PS, I just subscribe!

[@KissAnalog]

Thanks for the great question! The TG function is big - it is so useful. Please see this video for one use case: kzbin.info/www/bejne/j2i1eoqPrZKljKs Please use my link to help support this channel: amzn.to/3XvckfV

[@7emezzo]

@@KissAnalogIt's not perfectly clear for me if in this video there is the TG or not, because in the UNI T manual the only model with TG is with final letter T. thanks.

[@ac4nl]

Greetings... Darn, you missed one of the most important specifications.. Phase noise. Also, analyzers that have both Sweep and Real-Time Displays, like 40Mhz, are kinda the norm today, and more have some VNA capability, on level with high end NanoVNA's, for like 2K dollars, if you keep the upper bandwidth low, like 1.5 - 3 Ghz.

[@KissAnalog]

Yes - thanks! Great points!

[@MrMersh-ts7jl]

What we need is aodern dynamic aignal analyzer!

[@KissAnalog]

Thanks but what did you mean by aodern?

[@MrMersh-ts7jl]

@@KissAnalog my mistake. Modern!

[@garthhowe297]

Oh man, you missed my top criteria for bench equipment...screen size! Lol These old eyes have limitations.

[@willthecat3861]

I'm not sayin my age But I'm using a 30 inch LCD TV, as my monitor. A lot of the 'low cost" (and very low cost) SAs, have at least USB (some HDMI, ethernet, or wireles) connectivity so that you can get the screen to show on a much larger display.

[@KissAnalog]

I agree;) Thanks!