Electronics > RF, Microwave, Ham Radio
New RF multi-tool: RFExplorer Pro (early tests)
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mehdi:
This is the newest product from RFExplorer which is a very special and unique device in the current RF T&M market:
RFExplorer Pro, a new RF multi tool (spectrum analyzer, power meter, cable tester, signal/tracking generator, and Wi-Fi analyzer) covering 15MHZ up to 7.5GHZ.
It's running Windows. Display is 8 inches IPS touchscreen.
Comes with a protective carrying case.
It's very light at 570g (Siglent SHA852A is 3.2kg!)
One thing is clear: there's no competition in this price segment: tinySA is small and with many limitations, and portable devices from established brands (Rigol, Anritsu etc) cost a few times more.
Price for the base version: €1200
To unlock 7.5GHZ you need to buy a license. (cable tester also needs a license to activate)
I will be sharing my full review in future posts (about the design choices, build quality, accuracy, and also the software)
To my knowledge there's still no review of this device, so feel free to ask questions and I will try to test the device and answer them in the upcoming days.
Apart from UI/software, I'm particularly going to check the measurement accuracy, but for now I can say "DO NOT BUY IT"
My initial tests show the device is very inaccurate in the "spectrum analyzer" and "power meter" modes. Signal generator works good though.
I used a calibrated Anritsu MA24108A RF power meter, and a Signal Hound BB60D to compare.
As the first test, I simply connected the output of a 100MHZ OCXO (which is known to produce about 7dBm)
The Anritsu and BB60D read the signal very accurately (Anritsu reads 7.22dBm, BB60D reads 7.45dBm)
RFExplorer Pro measures 4.75dBm in the Power Meter mode!!
Also, in the Spectrum Analyzer mode, it measures the signal as -2dBm !!!
The phase noise is also awful.
I need to do more extensive tests in the entire frequency range, but for now and based on the initial tests I can say it's way out of spec, and I'm not sure if it will be fixed by future software updates.
radiolistener:
--- Quote from: mehdi on January 18, 2025, 03:01:57 pm ---One thing is clear: there's no competition in this price segment: tinySA is small and with many limitations, and portable devices from established brands (Rigol, Anritsu etc) cost a few times more.
Price for the base version: €1200
To unlock 7.5GHZ you need to buy a license. (cable tester also needs a license to activate)
--- End quote ---
Yes, tinySA Ultra which works up to 4.4 GHz with their price 100 USD is definitely in different price category.
tinySA Ultra Plus which works up to 7.3 GHz with their price 175 USD is also in different price category.
But I'm not sure if it worth to pay 1200 EUR instead of 100 or 175 USD, just to see graphs in 3D view on large display... :)
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