Broadband testers gain fast RAID storage option

Aeroflex has developed an ultrafast storage capability for its Celerity CS35000 broadband signal analyser (BSA) and CS25000 broadband signal generator (BSG) systems.

Aeroflex has developed an ultrafast storage capability for its Celerity CS35000 broadband signal analyser (BSA) and CS25000 broadband signal generator (BSG) systems.

The new option extends Aeroflex's market-leading ability to generate, record, analyse and play back the most complex communications signals.

The enhanced capability can be added to any new or existing BSA or BSG test system.

The high speed RAID storage capability can optionally provide more than 1Tbyte of disk storage space to the BSA and BSG systems with data transfer rates of 250Mbyte/s.

These RAID systems can be used to store data files for fast download to BSGs for playback or for uploads from BSAs.

Aeroflex's BSA and BSG families offer up to 16Gbyte of high-speed signal memory making them the deepest memory instruments available today.

The RAID system option can transfer a 250Mbyte file to the BSA or BSG in 1s or a 4Gbyte file in 16s - an improvement of 20 times the transfer rate over systems without this option.

This is ideal for applications where capture and playback of long data sequences is required for stimulus and measurement of bit-error rate (BER) or to monitor a spectrum for the occurrence of a signal of interest over a long period of time.

Two modes of RAID operation are available.

The streaming mode allows the BSA/BSG to act as a streaming recording or playback system, achieving sustained record or playback rates of 250Mbyte/s for up to an unprecedented 2h.

The data file mode creates a data disk with file names, which can be loaded to the BSA or BSG signal memory 20 times faster than loading files from the standard system disk.

Applications for this new option include: frequency-hopped radio test; joint tactical radio system (JTRS) radio development; wideband RF recording; RF environment capture; radar test; and electronic countermeasures (ECM) design, development and test.

"Aeroflex is continuing its market leadership in performance by extending the BSA and BSG capabilities".

"When we encountered customers who needed multiple minutes or even hours of sample times or high-speed data downloads, we looked at viable solutions", said Sue Guzman, General Manager, Aeroflex Cupertino.

"We realised in certain high speed and long recording time applications, that it was impractical to use semiconductor memory".

"This additional capability allows us to solve that problem with our new RAID offerings and new high speed interfaces to the BSA and BSG".

The broadband signal analyser and generator families are modular test systems designed to generate, capture and analyse broadband signals.

The CS25000 broadband signal and environment generator (BSG) family is the widest bandwidth and deepest memory RF/baseband signal source available in the market today.

The BSG combines very high speed signal memory with depths to 16Gbyte, high performance D/A convertors with sampling rates to 1300MHz, and broadband RF up-convertors to create complex broadband signals and environments.

The BSG systems have instantaneous bandwidths up to 500MHz and full bandwidth signal memory capable of signal generation times of 13s (4Gbyte memory option) without repeating.

The bandwidth, memory depth and dynamic range make the BSG a powerful tool for stimulus applications in broadband satellite communications, frequency-agile radio communications, software defined radio (SDR) communications, broadband wireless network communications, ultrawideband communications and radar testing.

An open, software-defined instrument architecture allows easy imports of user-created waveforms.

Aeroflex's Vector Signal Simulator (VSS) software, which is shipped with BSGs, can create signal files for commercial wireless standards, as well as generic nPSK, nQAM, nFSK, MSK, CW, tone combs and notched noise signals.

Any of these generic signal types can be gated or bursted in time, as well as hopped in frequency.

Impairments can be added to the signals, including thermal noise, phase noise, CW and cochannel interference.

VSS supports the generation of very complex waveforms and even full environments involving virtually any combination of waveform components.

The CS35000 broadband signal analyser and recorder (BSA) family combines broadband RF down-convertors, wide bandwidth high dynamic range A/D convertors with sample rates to 1500MHz, and up to 16Gbyte of high speed memory to record and analyse complex broadband signals and environments using powerful DSP-based signal analysis software.

The BSAs have instantaneous bandwidths of up to 600MHz and full bandwidth signal memory providing continuous signal recording of up to 13s for a 4Gbyte memory configuration.

Pretrigger record modes allow full bandwidth of recording while analysing, enabling the capture of signals that occur prior to the trigger event.

Captured signals can be analysed without gaps over the entire recorded memory, or stored to hard disk, DVD disks, or to the new RAID storage system.

The bandwidth, memory depth and dynamic range make the BSA an essential tool for broadband satellite communications, frequency-agile radio communications, software-defined radio communications, broadband wireless network communications, ultrawideband communications and radar testing.

BSA analysis software includes digital spectrum analysis and plotting, time-frequency (waterfall) plotting, time plotting, adjacent channel power (ACPR) measurements, digital signal measurements, and parametric data logging.

Fast RAID storage capability for the CS35000 broadband signal analyser and CS25000 broadband signal generator systems is available now.

Delivery is 12 weeks after receipt of order.

The price varies depending upon capability requested by the customer.

A typical configuration of the fast RAID storage option with 576Gbyte of storage is US $49,995.

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