Deploying, maintaining, and troubleshooting wireless basestation equipment can be a considerable, expensive task requiring multiple pieces of specialized test gear. Now, Anritsu’s E platform handheld analyzers make it easier to provision new equipment, search for problems that cause dropped calls, or perform routine antenna and line maintenance. The Site Master, Spectrum Master, Cell Master, and BTS Master also can reduce costs and test times.

Each E series analyzer includes a bright 8.4-in. thin-film-transistor (TFT) color (800 by 600) icon-driven touchscreen plus three USB ports for flash drives, a USB power sensor, and a USB port for PC connectivity. Also, each analyzer has memory for 2000 traces. Eight operational languages are included as well, and two can be user-defined to fit any country or region. An SMA connector is provided for the external GPS antenna. And, each unit measures 273 by 399 by 91 mm and weighs between 2.71 and 3.71 kg, depending on the features selected.

The S331E, S332E, S361E, and S362E Site Master models are full-featured handheld analyzers for installing, provisioning, maintaining, and troubleshooting wireless basestation cable and antenna systems. With frequency coverage from 100 kHz to 6 GHz, they can be configured to include a cable and antenna analyzer, spectrum analyzer, interference analyzer, power meter, and GPS receivers. They’re great for transmission line sweeping, which is a key regular test in any basestation. They also can use a built-in bias T to test power amplifiers at the top of the tower. Measurements include return loss, power SWR, cable loss, distance to fault (measured within inches), and phase shift. The Site Master models offer typical sweep speed of 1 ms/data point and four hours of battery life.

The MS2712E and MS2713E Spectrum Master models also cover from 100 kHz to 6 GHz (Fig. 1). These spectrum analyzers do a superior job of interference analysis and can assess signal quality across a broad range of increasingly complex RF signals. They can locate difficult to detect interfering signals, including both intermittent and continuous ones, resulting from the proliferation of wireless systems and an ever-crowding RF spectrum. Also, they have dynamic range of less than 95 dB in 10-Hz resolution BW, displayed average noise level (DANL) of –152 dBm in 10-Hz RBW, and phase noise of –100 dBc/Hz max at 10-kHz offset at 1 GHz. Other features include GPS tagging with 50-ppb accuracy, three simultaneous display traces with max/min hold, six normal and six Delta markers, and 41 multi-segment limit lines to build envelopes and masks.

The Cell Master model MT8218E handheld multi-function basestation analyzer combines all the tools required to deploy, maintain, and troubleshoot wireless basestations in a lightweight, battery-operated package (Fig. 2). It includes the cable and antenna analyzer, the spectrum analyzer, and a power meter, all good to 4 GHz. Integrating all this functionality in a single instrument eliminates the need to buy separate equipment for new and legacy networks, which increases efficiencies and simplifies data acquisition. The Cell Master also features signal analyzer options for 2G and 3G cellular networks, backhaul, and WiMAX fixed and mobile networks.

The BTS Analyzer is a further extension of the Cell Master. It has signal analyzers for GSM, CDMA, EV-DO, WCDMA/HSDPA, TD-SCDMA/HSDPA, and Fixed and Mobile WiMAX. It can also perform backhaul analysis on T1, E1, and T3 lines. It provides 20-MHz demodulation capability for Long-Term Evolution (LTE) as well.

All of these products, which are made in the U.S., have to survive Anritsu’s brutal drop tests. U.S. pricing starts at $7160 for the Site Master, $8950 for the Spectrum Master, and $14,950 for the Cell Master. Delivery for the Site Master is two weeks ARO. Delivery for the Spectrum Master and Cell Master are three weeks ARO. Contact Anritsu for more BTS Master details.