TSP

In this episode Shahriar reviews the newly released Siglent SVA1032X:
siglentna.com/product/sva1032x/
The SVA series instrument spectrum & vector network analyzers are powerful and flexible tools for broadcast and RF device / system testing. With a wide frequency range covering 9 kHz to 3.2 GHz, the analyzer delivers reliable automatic measurements and plenty of features including a tracking generator and multiple modes of operation. This review is organized as follows:
00:09 - Introduction and instrument overview
02:25 - Complete teardown and detailed analysis of the instrument hardware
23:36 - Basic instrument GUI operation and overload detection limitations
28:38 - Tracking generator signal purity and performance
30:06 - Instrument internal phase noise performance
33:01 - VNA operation and amplifier impedance tuning experiment
39:28 - Amplifier characterization using built-in functions
44:20 - Digital demodulation experiments
49:30 - Distance to fault experiments using built-in functions
49:16 - Concluding remarks
The Signal Path
www.TheSignalPath.com
/ thesignalpath
www.Patreon.com/TheSignalPath

[@saintfather7757]

Ok, I am done. Watched all videos on this channel, put thumb up everywhere. It took about 2 months but I am absolutely satisfied. Thank you for your work)

[@MIsam-fv9kb]

Great video 👍 D.shahriar , I like the detailed analysis of the circuit , pls keep upload videos regularly .

[@ellisjsimon]

I just bought one of these for amateur use, and your video was a great way to see what some of the less basic functions do. Many thanks for your efforts in this.

[@Peter-nf3wp]

Thank´s for the review it´s always interesting to hear from a pro that you are about cheaper up coming these hardware.👍

[@guilhermetheis4902]

I have to say, this is probably the best circuit explanation I have heard from you. This is truly amazing! Thank you!

[@saintfather7757]

Guilherme Theis thats why we watch this channel))

[@SKARTHIKSELVAN]

Thanks for sharing your knowledge.

[@linuxaos]

Very nice job! I am really thinking about purchasing this instrument. Also, the 10MHz reference input is a nice touch. Thank you for doing this!

[@jimm2099]

Absolutely fantastic videos as always!

[@9874482354]

very very helpful to understand spectrum analyzer. thank you for sharing such videos.

[@TheDefpom]

Siglent are doing well and getting better and better, when I do reviews on their instruments I am finding fewer and fewer issues with them.

[@marijntopgear]

I really love your work! Thank you for your effort!

[@yTb2801082331]

Great, beautiful and very useful video ! Thank-you very much !

[@stevewithnell911]

Great presentation and fantastic content. I do have one of these, I got the VNA licence included in the base price. All the other functions are subject to 128 hours trial use, which is substantial. I've had to use the DTF function just once - I had a bad match on a 1296Mhz antenna. The DTF took me right to a kink in the feeder. Really good piece of kit. I had hoped you might have commented on the noise floor of the VNA function, but maybe another time. Thanks for a great video.

[@stevekoehn1675]

Thank You, I can enjoy things I cant afford. Wonderful

[@sebastianpartzsch9102]

Nice! just Nice! looks like the SVA1032X is basically a modified or enhanced SSA3012X where the modification is the reflection bridge on the TG an, of course, the receiver board modified accordingly. I really like your tutorials... on the spot, easy to listen to, not too much information but just enough to stay connected to the subject. hence very good to follow. Thank you very much for the time you take to share your findings. It really helps a lot. Thank you! P.S.

[@additudeobx]

Excellent Review. Thanks!

[@dominicschaub2342]

Wow, great review!

[@dalmolima8862]

Thank you for the very informative review (as ever). It does help a lot on the purchase decision. I did know about all the features of this instrument, looks nice. Once again congratulations!

[@RyanUptonInnovator]

A very nice instrument.

[@James-uy4xc]

at 35:05, the flat line in Smith chart is a low frequency responce, and interpolated to origin point. Because the AMP is a 10M -2.7G while you used 100k start, then from 100k to 10M almost OPEN, so the first few points went to a flat line.

[@YDKMPablo]

Very great review. And very great machine for 5K bucks. The same from another 1st division brands start from the double.

[@btouw8558]

And as always : Thanks voor making.

[@PrincipalAudio]

32:30 - As a sound engineer, it makes me happy to see this unit has Auto Tune built in. 5/5 stars.

[@zvpunry1971]

1:56 is a better timestamp for this. ;)

[@MrJef06]

Yeah... "Auto Tune button that nobody ever uses"... on spectrum analyzers maybe, certainly not in the music industry nowadays 😉

[@zvpunry1971]

Don't call them "music industry", this would imply that they produce music. ;)

[@IxIVVI]

Thanks!!!!

[@nikmilosevic1696]

Looks very similar to the SSA3032X, another great review.

[@tautech8196]

Yes it's the same form factor and physical UI but the menu structure is deeper to allow for the greater capabilities of a VNA. FYI the SSA3000X series has recently been updated to Plus models that now also feature touch display and keyboard/mouse support and the Modulation Analysis the SVA range has. It's a bit of a shame Siglent didn't add an additional rear USB-A port or 2 to accommodate a mouse or keyboard.

[@nikmilosevic1696]

@@tautech8196 That I understand, but looking at both RF boards, you can see strong similarities. Definitely looks like a update of the old SSA3000X series.

[@Narwaro]

Well, the mouse support is a pretty nice touch. ;) I really like to see that you can use an instrument with all buttons or touchscreen or mouse and keyboard. That way everybody can decide for themselves which they want to use.

[@tamaseduard5145]

nice job sir 👍 🙏

[@jameswilson3849]

How does it compare against the R&S FPC1500?

[@cnick6]

Sadly I cannot afford this "low-cost" SA at this time but I picked up a NanoVNA-F last week and it's been quite fun to use. I don't have a true reference comparison but the NanoVNA-F seems very accurate relative to its cost. If you have time to check one out I'd love to hear your review!

[@anthon5504]

HAHA, i just did a curious Teardown of my rigol dsa 1000 and this Siglent is almost a complete rip of! Just a view differences but overall the same components and signal flow. Nice job Signal Path!

[@dtiydr]

Or the opposite, but the way to make the PCB of a frequency analyzer is pretty much identical, it can pretty much only be done in one way and the most optimal way might two companies very well figured out by them self and thus very similar to each other.

[@akosbuzogany2752]

Did I get it correctly? The output of the TG is switched back and forth to an internal 50 Ohm load and the DUT on the connector, and the difference of the two measurements is the reflected part?

[@johnkeates9434]

The 'Auto Tune' button is frequently used in 'popular music' if I'm not mistaken.

[@MoraFermi]

Friday, friday....

[@jacek7178]

Very impressive. But what I missed is to pointing out which of the features are optional, not included in the standard configuration. Regards.

[@stargazer7644]

All of the automatic measurements will cost extra.

[@hendersonroger]

The line on the smith chart is because the 1032 is measuring a very poor RL of the amp at very low freq. The first sample is at 100kHz and is poor. The freq steps are large and so the second sample is closer to the middle of the chart, and the 1032 just draws a line between the two samples. It is just visible on the S11 return loss graph at the extreme left, close to 100kHz, where the trace turns sharply upwards. Perhaps it is a limitation of the 1032X at that freq.

[@tautech8196]

We'll known soon enough as I think my one arrives tomorrow. I'll flick it your way for a look over the moment I can.

[@friedmule5403]

Dear Shahriar may I please ask you what the différance is between a vector signal analyzer and a vector network analyzer? I have used several weeks to try to find out, but it does not look like anyone is writing about it. I hope to start learning about component and board impedance and what does what and what it means for the signal. :-)

[@gacherumburu9958]

👍👍

[@stevekoehn1675]

3000 Dollars ?!? I thought it was 30,000, 50,000. Amazing new technology and products

[@MrJosiahCochran]

Can you do a video on the operating principle of this tuner and how to use it to find the L and C to match your amp? Also, is it possible to use it to match over a wider frequency? That seems to be just for one frequency.

[@f4fei344]

Thanks for this great video! Unfortunately, I burnt the RF input of my SSA1032x. I suspect the input switch HMC1118, but may be also the other IC's U3 and/or U5 marked 959Q. Impossible for me to find the relevant datashhet. Do you know what are these IC's and their commercial reference? Thank you in advance.

[@DarkoObretan]

Hi, it would be very interesting to see how SVA1032X compares to new Rigol RSA3000N. I'm slowly gathering info which one is better to buy :)

[@ligius3]

i love your videos but sometimes I find it hard to track the explanations. May I suggest using a bigger mouse cursor and perhaps the magnifier function in Windows. The best option would be to set a tracking viewport of 720p in which to do the tracing, but the magnifier option is easier to use. Looking forward to seeing more great analysis videos!

[@Thesignalpath]

Thanks, I will look for some other method.

[@tommihommi1]

@@Thesignalpath take a look at how buildzoid / actually hardcore overclocking does PCB reviesw, using Gimp and zooming around in a high res picture

[@Zerobrain]

Had the same idea - it was hard to follow the cursor.

[@tommihommi1]

@@Zerobrain nice to see you here :D

[@linuxaos]

Dear Signal Path, please do a review of the NanoVNA-f or the NanoVNA-SSA2N (N-Connector version). We need someone with professional instruments to get an exact idea of limitations and performance. Thank you in advance.

[@czorgormez]

what is the substrate material at top layer of the pcb ?

[@ernestb.2377]

Thanks for this interesting and extended review. What is your general opinion on these combined instruments? Are there major drawbacks compared to separate instruments? Of course, keep in mind the same price class. Would similar price class Siglent VNA have better specifications? Cheers

[@PapasDino]

If you have the Rigol VSWR bridge from your 1030A days does it fit the input ports of the Siglent? I'd hate to have to buy that accessory all over again!

[@tautech8196]

Being a VNA much reduces the need for a RLB however pics I've seen of the Rigol RLB suggests it's exactly the same as the Siglent one. I've never used my Siglent RLB on the SVA1015X that I've had for a year or so. Anyways you can check it out here: siglentna.com/product/reflection-vswr-measurement-kit/

[@enojelly9452]

Apologies if this comes up later in the video, but why are we upconverting to above 3.2GHz? Simply because it's easier to filter such high frequencies (in which case I guess because of the smaller capacities and inductances, making the distributed element filters take less space)? Or something else entirely?

[@KX36]

I think it's more because it allows the use of a fixed low pass filter instead of a tuning band pass filter. I don't really remember though.

[@ghlscitel6714]

You mentioned you can measure S(1,2) and S(2,1). Can you also get S(1,1) and S(2,2)? Would be great to have for measuring the port impedances, e.g. the mismatch.

[@ramanmohamed1619]

I think you need to rotate the dut

[@filtercoffee1]

At 27:11, we see the noise figure degrade (noise floor goes up), the harmonic tones are still almost at the same power, it is probably not the VNA which produced it.

[@Thesignalpath]

Look more closely, the third harmonic goes away and the second harmonic becomes smaller. (The DANL goes up, that is of course from the VNA).

[@filtercoffee1]

@@Thesignalpath it decreases a bit, that was noticable. I will take your word for it. Please keep making these videos, they're very very helpful and good!

[@mDeltaKilo]

This is a very small comment, not important at all, but it’s really easy to hide the toolbar in Windows when you’re capturing your screen. Might increase your production value the smallest amount for very little effort. But if you think “who cares”, that’s cool too. 🙂

[@Thesignalpath]

Will do, thanks.

[@dtiydr]

The fact that the trace is not completely straight but slightly twisted, is that normal at a frequency analyzer and in that case why?

[@mbroijl]

Thx for the review, solid as always. What is your opinion comparing SVA1032x vs R&S FPC1500. Officially optioned up (w/ current R&S offer) current pricing does not differ that much.

[@xDevscom_EE]

Previous board overview was better indeed :) Otherwise still very nice video!

[@Thesignalpath]

Why? This was so much more detailed.

[@xDevscom_EE]

@@Thesignalpath I meant from the view, you used different drawing tool before, made it bit easier to watch. But I see the challenge here, board is square and does not quite fit the usual aspect FHD aspect ratio of the monitor. The explanations and analysis are top notch as usual.

[@Ziferten]

@@Thesignalpath It was hard to see the LO and TG path drawings while I was viewing it on my phone. I realize that it would be easier from a PC, but zooming in to the particular section that you're describing would help significantly, too.

[@bfx8185]

Yes agree, try to use irfanview there is pretty good zooming and drawing also. But explanation excellent as always!

[@tommihommi1]

what does the auto button even do on a spectrum analyzer?

[@SiglentVideo]

It measures the RF input and attempts to configure the analyzer such that the signal is displayed clearly. It is a quick way to get the signal on screen.

[@KX36]

Auto Tune button on spectrum analyser uses T-Pain voice as intermediate frequency.

[@zullottrocker]

When the amplifier gets saturated during the EVM / demodulation measurement ( kzbin.info/www/bejne/iqC5e4eBeN58i5o ) the constellation points start to move OUTWARDS instead of INWARDS. It looks like the I and Q components become larger then what they are during non compression. For me this is counter intuitive. I thought the low energy symbols remain (more or less) intact and the high energy symbols at the perimeter of the constellation diagram can't reach their nominal location so their distance from the origin is smaller then during non-compression. Please tell me why did the instrument displayed what it displayed!

[@ShinyMajor]

It looks like there's either no AGC in the modulation analysis, it got maxed out, or it's based on the level after the amplifier that is saturating. Once that happened, as the input amplitude went up, the higher power outside points can't move any further out, while the inner points aren't compressing, so they continue outwards. It's kind of a perspective thing, as they were staying intact, just getting bigger while the outer bands compressed together.

[@KD0CAC]

Thanks again I do have issues with your showing the board , I would like to see a closer up view for 2 reasons . I would frequently loose you curser when jumping to other points , very frustrating . And would also like to see the components closer up . Better than anyone else , just my issues ;)

[@stargazer7644]

I don't understand the problem. Don't you watch this on a 45 inch cell phone like I do? :D

[@gglovato]

The purple cursor was very very hard to follow on mobile I had to pause and go back several times to see what where you highlighting

[@saintfather7757]

Alter Kater I dont have a monitor too. Yellow color would be better instead purple

[@gglovato]

@Alter Kater mobile is not a laptop, it's a cellphone...

[@gglovato]

@@saintfather7757 or bright blue

[@janbrittenson210]

The source output is fixed? So this means it can't do amplitude sweeps, so no IP or compression measurements? It would also be interesting to see if or how the impedance of port 2 changes during the internal switching during a sweep.

[@espenlyngaas9502]

5:12 ..or so that Siglent can charge you over 2000 dollars to replace the whole input section. Caveat emptor.

[@kisho2679]

which spectrum analyzer is recommended for identifying chemical elements of a material (by optical, by thermal, ...)?

[@pentachronic]

A Mass Spectrometer is what you are thinking about. It's a totally different instrument and works in a totally different way.

[@johnevans2186]

Using such a tiny little dot to point out around the board during you excellent explanation results in having to concentrate on "find the dot" rather than what you are saying. Lines OK but dots not.

[@Thesignalpath]

This has been solved in future videos.

[@_GunWi_]

I would be so happy if this would make a German channel ... in German ;-)

[@antoniobregoli9305]

Hello . Dove è il gatto? Best regards

[@marcin_szczurowski]

I wonder if RF labs all over the world will be getting rid of some of their older but better specked analyzers when 5G race will force them to make room for a new hardware ;)

[@jimmysyar889]

Can't believe you can get this for $1500 with hacking

[@mpm990]

Hello, You produce very good video topic, with devices measuring always very good .. but you speak far too fast I have a lot of trouble understanding you, I'm French, and even the automatic translator does not understand everything. Can you speak less quickly thank you.

[@companymen42]

You talk really fast