FS: Advantest R3477 9kHz to 13.5GHz Spectrum/Signal Analyzer - $2000

[DaJMasta]

Selling my Advantest R3477 13.5GHz Signal Analyzer.  It is used and is fully functional but does not have a current calibration, and is in good cosmetic condition.  There are some scratches on the chassis and front protectors, a screw missing (one of 6 that hold on the outer shell, though the others are all in place), and while it may not be visible, there is a small area of the screen that appears glossy, though the finish is mostly matte.  Those minor blemishes aside, the front panel is fully functional, the screen is bright, the touchscreen is responsive, and the performance of the unit is quite good.  The fans in the CPU unit have been switched with quieter, higher performance ones, the backup battery for the RTC has been replaced, and the compact flash card has been replaced with a faster 1GB card (the original is included as a backup) The unit passes all self tests and self calibration.  I'm asking $2000 for it shipped and insured to the continental US.

It features:
9kHz to 13.5GHz full bandwidth with >5 full span sweeps per second at 3MHz RBW/VBW (Extended, unspecified from 0Hz to 15.4GHz, see posts below)
Windows XP embedded OS with support for other software and connected peripherals
Preamplifier from 100kHz to 3.3GHz, 75dB mechanical attenuator, maximum +30dBm input
Signal analysis features for specific modulation schemes and for measuring AM depth, channel power, harmonic power, and many more
Down to 1Hz RBW/VBW and an advertised -168dBm/Hz DANL with preamp enabled @1GHz
Ultra high stability internal rubidium reference oscillator

Installed options:
23 - High stability rubidium reference
50 - 3GPP Modulation analysis software




http://www.medpants.com/r3477/r3477%20system.jpg
http://www.medpants.com/r3477/r3477%20self%20test.jpg

http://www.medpants.com/r3477/PM%20test.jpg
http://www.medpants.com/r3477/FM%20test.jpg

Screen captures:
http://www.medpants.com/r3477/r3477%20noise%20floor.png
http://www.medpants.com/r3477/r3477%203mhz%20noise%20floor.png
http://www.medpants.com/r3477/r3477%20FM.png - the FM measurement pictured above, but without the washed out color my camera captures
http://www.medpants.com/r3477/low%20level.png this is a -144dBm tone measured with a 1Hz RBW, but with auto-attenuation enabled, it also has a 10dB attenuator switched in

Also worth noting that for all of these pictures taken, the analyzer is operating solely off of its own internal time reference, whereas the SMIQ06 is referenced to an external GPS disciplined rubidium standard, so you can see how stable and how precise the option 23 rubidium reference is (and its frequency was calibrated several months ago).

Included with the unit itself is a power cable and the original compact flash card with the operating system as a backup.

Asking price is $2000 US.  I will ship the analyzer to the continental US via FedEx Ground and insured for the purchase price for free, if shipping elsewhere there will be an extra charge, so please ask me for an estimate ahead of time.  Feel free to ask any questions.

[DaJMasta]

a bump

[nctnico]

I've got one of these myself. Very nice units!
Dajmasta: you forgot to mention that the upper frequency you can set is 15.4 GHz.

[DaJMasta]

Forgot, or didn't know? 

Well I checked, and not only does it go to 15.4GHz, it goes down to 0Hz too, probably usable down to 260-270, though of course all these extended ranges aren't in the spec.

I was very pleased with using it, though in the lowest RBW modes the sweep speed was a little less than I hoped for, but I came across a R3671 that had a boot issue and have upgraded    The R3671 is a beast of a machine at something like 80 pounds, but it's a bit faster, a bit lower noise, has finer RBW steps, more analysis features, the TG option, etc... too bad it also uses the same CPU board as the R3477 so it's a bit slow to respond with much of the analysis stuff open.

[DaJMasta]

I don't really feel like dealing with ebay fees yet, so how about a nice little price reduction and a bump.

$2550 shipped free to the US with insurance.

[DaJMasta]

Still have it sitting around, so while I'm surprised no one has bit yet, I'll drop the price again to give someone a deal.  Asking $2300 shipped and insured free to the continental US.


You get a hell of a lot of spectrum analyzer for that price, I don't know of another SA at a similar pricepoint new or used that can touch the bandwidth/features/performance.

[DaJMasta]

Bump, price reduced to $2100 shipped to the continental US.

[DaJMasta]

Had some interest which hasn't panned out, and ebay hasn't thrown me a bone in the form of a discount to selling fees, so the unit is still available.  A recent quote to ship to Germany was a little over $300 insured via USPS Global Express Guaranteed.

[IDEngineer]

Been lightly watching for an SA that goes to at least 6GHz.

Is that "75dB mechanical attenuator" a physical pad that plugs into the 50 ohm input on the front panel? What concerns me is that it might be a semi-permanently installed option within the enclosure, making the input 75 ohms regardless of what the front panel is labeled.

Also, it appears not to have the tracking generator. Are those available on the used market and reasonable to install in the field?

[DaJMasta]

The mechanical attenuator is like an internal one in a signal generator, you can have it auto-configure based on reference level or you can set it in software and it switches it in between the front panel input and the frontend.  It can be turned off in manual mode, but if left in automatic mode, has 10dB switched in automatically as a protection mechanism.  This instrument's input is 50 ohms, it has no 75 ohm pad, and the attenuator is entirely internal matched to the 50 ohm system impedance - the front connector is 50 ohm terminated.

There are tracking generators available, but as with most high bandwidth spectrum analyzers, they do not span the full frequency range.  The TGs I've seen for the R3477 are internal and go up to 3GHz, so it would be an involved process to install, and may require a software hack to enable.  That said, since the machine runs Windows and has GPIB and USB connections, writing a script to control a regular signal generator wouldn't be a difficult task.  While you could connect the trigger output from the SA to the input of a signal generator to trigger the step increment for a sweep and build up a Bode plot with a persistent trace, you could also control a RF gen directly from the GPIB or USB ports as well, and the reference output from the R3477 can ensure frequency accuracy between instruments.

[IDEngineer]

it would be an involved process to install, and may require a software hack to enable.

Hmm... this is one of those cases where I need to remind myself that I'm looking for a tool, not a hobby. {grin} I could enjoy getting pretty deep into a project like that, but then I wouldn't be working on the stuff I'm already committed to doing.

The TG isn't an absolute (nor immediate) requirement, and it doesn't have to match the full bandwidth, but it's a big piece of the value of an SA for me. Yours is also about 2X the bandwidth I'm likely to need.

Thanks!

[DaJMasta]

I'll try once more, $200 in ebay fees is still not appealing 

Dropped the price to $2000 flat, free shipping to the continental US, some additional cost to ship elsewhere.