Used spectrum analyzer buyer's guide

[usagi]

Lots of spectrum analzyers can be found on the used market for great prices, especially if you know what to look for! A lot of test equipment such as "communication tester", "transmitter tester", "base station test set", "vector signal analyzer", or other similar description have quite decent basic spectrum analyzer functionality. This guide is intended for hobbyists looking for spectrum analzyers that can be found on the used market for around US$1000 or less.

Use "undesirable" options such as 75ohm input impedance as leverage for negotiating price.

Make/Model	Freq Range	Span	RBW	Avg Price	Notes
Advantest R3131A	9khz-3Ghz	Zero,50khz-Full	300hz-1Mhz	$700-$1600	TG is option 74
Advantest R3261A	9khz-2.6Ghz	Zero,1khz-Full	30hz-1Mhz	$900-$2000
Advantest R3361A	9khz-2.6Ghz	Zero,1khz-Full	30hz-1Mhz	$900-$2000
Advantest R3465	9khz-8Ghz		300hz-5mhz	$1000-$2000
Advantest R4131A	10khz-3.5Ghz	Zero,100khz-Full	1khz-1Mhz	$900-$2000
Agilent E4406A	10Mhz-4Ghz	10hz-10Mhz	0.1hz-1Mhz	$400-$1000	100M span with W-CDMA option. Pay attention to ser# for 12bit vs 14bit models
Agilent E4411B	9khz-1.5Ghz	1khz-5Mhz	0.1hz-1Mhz	$600-$1200	"undesirable" Option 1DP 75ohm input impedance. Option 1DR adds 100hz, 300hz RBW
Agilent E6380E	400khz-1Ghz,1.4-2Ghz	300hz,1khz,3khz,30khz,300khz	Full Span	$800-$1300
Agilent E7495A	10Mhz-2.5Ghz (usable to 500khz)	1khz-Full	10hz-1Mhz	$400-$1000	Portable, 18650 battery pack
Agilent E7495B	10Mhz-2.7Ghz (usable to 500khz)	1khz-Full	10hz-1Mhz	$400-$1000	Portable, 18650 battery pack
Agilent E8285A	800Mhz-1Ghz,1.7-2Ghz	300hz,1khz,3khz,30khz,300khz	Full Span	$350-$700	Option 102 required for Spectrum Analyzer
Agilent N9020A-503 MXA	10hz-3.6ghz	1Hz-8Mhz	Full Span	$1800	+30 dBm (1W) max input
Anritsu MS2711D	100khz-3ghz	Zero,10hz-Full	100hz-1Mhz	$900-$1600	Up to +43dbm input
Anritsu MS8604A	100hz-8.5Ghz	Zero,100hz-Full	10hz-3Mhz	$500-$1000
Anritsu MS8608A	9khz-7.8Ghz	Zero,1khz-Full	300hz-20Mhz	$1000-$1200	Option 02 adds 1hz-1khz RBW Option 04 adds 10hz-1Mhz RBW
Anritsu MT8802A	10Mhz-3Ghz	Zero-Full	300hz	$600-$800	ISTR option 7 required for spectrum analyzer
GW Instek GSP-810	150khz-1Ghz	Zero,2khz-100mhz	3khz,30khz,220khz,4Mhz	$300-$700	Unimpressive specs, probably best for classrooms. RBW limitations would hamper HF use.
HP/Keysight 8562A	1khz-22Ghz	Zero,2.5khz-Full	100hz-1Mhz	$100-$2000
HP/Keysight 8566B	100hz-22Ghz	Zero,100hz-Full	10hz-3Mhz	$700-$1400	140lbs!
HP/Keysight 8568B	100hz-1.5Ghz	Zero,100hz-Full	10hz-3Mhz	$700-$1400	140lbs!
HP/Keysight 8590A	10khz-1.5Ghz	Zero,50khz-Full	1khz-3Mhz	$800-$1200	Portable. Be wary of Option 001 (75ohm)
HP/Keysight 8591A	9khz-1.8Ghz	Zero,10khz-Full	1khz-3Mhz	$800-$1200	Option 130 adds 30,100,300hz RBW
HP/Keysight 8594E	9khz-2.9Ghz	Zero,10khz-Full	1khz-3Mhz	$1000-$1200	Portable. Option 130 and 140 adds 30,100,300hz RBW. Option 140 also adds internal OCXO.
Nex1 NS-30	9khz-3Ghz	100Hz/div-Full	300,1k,3k,10k,30k,100k,300k,1M,3M	$UNKNOWN
Rodhe & Schwarz CMU200	10Mhz-2.7Ghz	Zero-Full	10hz-1Mhz	$800-$1200	Up to +47dbm (50W) on RF1 input. Options CMU-B95 and CMU-B96 reduce this to 2W
Rodhe & Schwarz FSH3	100khz-3Ghz	Zero-Full	1khz-1Mhz	$1000-$1800	Portable. RBW 100hz, 300hz with option
Rodhe & Schwarz FSH6	100khz-6Ghz	Zero-Full	1khz-1Mhz	$1500-$2000	Portable. RBW 100hz, 300hz with option

See also: Used multimeter buyer's guide

[usagi]

Keysight Product page: E4406A VSA Transmitter Tester, 7 MHz to 4 GHz

image courtesy of sglabs.it


Models with 14-bit IF appear to have better performance

Does my E4406A VSA Series Analyzer have a 14-bit digital IF or a 12-bit digital IF? (archive.is)

All instruments that were manufactured in Malaysia were originally built with 14-bit Digital IF assemblies. Instruments manufactured in the US that have Serial numbers US41513009 and later were also originally built with 14-bit Digital IF assemblies. Also, U.S. instruments that have serial numbers that start with US4136 and have the following suffixes were also originally built with 14-bit Digital IF assemblies: 2964, 2977, 2982, 2986, 2987, 2988, 2989, 2990, 2991, 2992, 2993, 2998, 3000, 3003, 3004, 3005, 3006, 3007. All other instruments with serial numbers US41362959 and prior were originally built with 12-bit digital IF assemblies. The date at which instruments started to be manufactured with the 14-bit Digital IF was approximately January 15, 2002.

You can also determine which digital IF assembly you have by looking at the Show System menu which is accessible by pressing the following key sequence on your instrument: . The part numbers of the major assemblies in the instrument will be given shown under this menu. The part numbers of the two revisions of the 14 bit Digital IF assembly are E4440-60025 and E4440-60195. The 12-bit Digital IF assembly is part number E4406-60006.

Option B7C IQ baseband option is highly desirable but rare.
Option BAF W-CDMA option allows for span up to 100mhz

agilent e4406a span concatenator
http://ve2zaz.net/InstrCtl/InstrCtl.htm

HP E4406A remote control

Topic: Agilent E4406A Vector Signal Analyser

[usagi]

Product Page: R&S®CMU200 Universal Radio Communication Tester


Be aware of the following options. If installed, they reduce the max input power on RF 1, which may be undesirable:
if R&S CMU-B95 is installed, RF 1 continuous input power = max 2 W
if R&S CMU-B96 is installed, RF 1 continuous input power = max 2 W

Topic: Enabling options for R&S test equipment

Topic: Rohde & Schwarz CMU200

Topic: CMU200 almost tracking generator



Controller is a standard PC architecture running MS-DOS. CPU upgrades and SSD conversions are possible.

FMR5 motherboard uses AMD K6-2/300 CPU (Socket 7).
FMR6 motherboard uses Celeron Mobile CPU
FMR6Plus motherboard uses Celeron Mobile CPU (socket 495), BIOS 1.00 supports Pentium III 933

[usagi]

Anritsu MT8802a Product Page



Anritsu MT8802A (MT8801C) service tips

Topic: Anritsu MT8801A/B/C & MT8802A

ISTR Option 7 required for spectrum analyzer functionality

[usagi]

True spectrum analyzer. Vector display. Introduced in 1980!

Huge and heavy - 140lbs. Shipping can easily run several hundred $ even in the US.

Keysight Product Page: 8566B Spectrum Analyzer, 100 Hz to 22 GHz

Keysight Product Page: 8568B Spectrum Analyzer, 100 Hz to 1500 MHz

image courtesy of sglabs.it


HP 8568 Resources (also covers HP 8566B) @ hpmemoryproject.org

HP 8566B User's Manual

HP 8568B User's Manual

EB5AGV's Workbench: HP-8566A repair

[usagi]

Keysight Product Page: E7495B Base Station Test Set



Topic: Agilent E7495 linux root account

Service manual and firmware

Battery pack rebuild

Hidden Tetris and Snake games on your Agilent 

Replace background screen image

Battery drain while "standby" or "off" can be significant. Agilent recommends removing batteries when not in use for extended periods.

Noise floor below 375mhz is significantly higher is a known issue due to preamp design (archive.is)

Rubber gasket MP29 (P/N E7495-40023) coming loose from screen bezel appears to be a common issue.

Quite a sturdy beast, case is magnesium. Designed for field use at cellular transmitter towers.

At 20lbs (9.1kg), it is "portable" in exactly the same way the Osborne 1 was "portable".

[razberik]

There are few Advantest R3261, R3361, R4131 out there. These are quite simple, made of generic components and all schematics available.
I repaired my R3361A, topic here.
And the amber CRT is incredible, so perfectly fits with yellowed plastic and so good and comfortable to read.

[usagi]

Topic: Advantest R3361A [FIXED]



Advantest R3261 / R3361 Operating Manual [EN]

[usagi]

Advantest R4131 Manual [EN]

image courtesy of sglabs.it

[usagi]

Keysight Product Page: 8594E Portable Spectrum Analyzer, 9 kHz to 2.9 GHz

HP 859x Series User's Guide

[usagi]

Anritsu MS8604A Product Page

[usagi]

Anritsu MS8608A Product Page



Thread: Anritsu MS8609A 9kHz - 13.2GHz Spectrum/Signal Analyzer - Short Review (not an MS8608A but similar)

[JPortici]

excellent

[nctnico]

I'm missing the Advantest R3131 (320x240 monochrome display) and R3132 (640x480 color display) from the list. They are both not terribly expensive and not very heavy. Also an Advantest R3477 Signal Analyser may turn up on Ebay every now and then which is a PC based spectrum analyser with 1Hz RBW, 15.4GHz range and good performance at the price of being big and noisy.

[usagi]

I'm missing the Advantest R3131 (320x240 monochrome display) and R3132 (640x480 color display) from the list. They are both not terribly expensive and not very heavy. Also an Advantest R3477 Signal Analyser may turn up on Ebay every now and then which is a PC based spectrum analyser with 1Hz RBW, 15.4GHz range and good performance at the price of being big and noisy.

is the average ebay price for working R3131, R3132, and R3477 under $1000? i was unable to find any. i am sure they can be had for bargain price compared to original MSRP but once you go north of $1200 you might as well start looking at a brand new siglent ssa3021x.

[innkeeper]

HP 8560A 50hz-2.9ghz can be had very often in the $400 dollar range without the tracking generator.

(corrected model number mistakenly said 8650a)

[usagi]

HP 8650A 50hz-2.9ghz can be had very often in the $400 dollar range without the tracking generator.

i dont see any ebay auctions for hp 8650a. can you find any? if any are sold anymore, it looks extremely rare.

[DaJMasta]

Are you including portable versions in your list?

The Anritsu Sitemaster 331 variants (and occasionally 332) could be worth listing as they come up around this pricepoint.  Maybe also the BK Precision 2650 series could also show up (though not the newer A variants).  The R&S FSH3 series handheld units occasionally go for under $1000 US, but it's not super common.  I don't think the R&S FSEA/FSIQ series benchtop analyzers typically sell under $1000, but you can find some under that needing repair or occasionally a working base model for not too much more.

[usagi]

Are you including portable versions in your list?

yes, see the agilent e7945a/b.

The Anritsu Sitemaster 331 variants (and occasionally 332) could be worth listing as they come up around this pricepoint.  Maybe also the BK Precision 2650 series could also show up (though not the newer A variants).  The R&S FSH3 series handheld units occasionally go for under $1000 US, but it's not super common.  I don't think the R&S FSEA/FSIQ series benchtop analyzers typically sell under $1000, but you can find some under that needing repair or occasionally a working base model for not too much more.

the sitemaster 331 prices seem to be all over the place. $700 - $3000. what's up with that? there seem to be like 41,000 variants of the 331.

[usagi]

Product Page: R&S®FSH3 Spectrum Analyzer

[DaJMasta]

the sitemaster 331 prices seem to be all over the place. $700 - $3000. what's up with that? there seem to be like 41,000 variants of the 331.

Yeah, I would focus on the 331D variant, it seems to be around that $1000 pricepoint pretty commonly and is usually sold with a color screen (which is actually an option on most 331 models... oddly).  The pricing variation is probably partly due to the number of variants and options for them, but just the confusion around all of the versions - I think it's been in production in one model or another for quite some time.

Maybe the Anritsu MS2711 is worth adding too, seems to be sold around the same price.

[nctnico]

I'm missing the Advantest R3131 (320x240 monochrome display) and R3132 (640x480 color display) from the list. They are both not terribly expensive and not very heavy. Also an Advantest R3477 Signal Analyser may turn up on Ebay every now and then which is a PC based spectrum analyser with 1Hz RBW, 15.4GHz range and good performance at the price of being big and noisy.

is the average ebay price for working R3131, R3132, and R3477 under $1000? i was unable to find any. i am sure they can be had for bargain price compared to original MSRP but once you go north of $1200 you might as well start looking at a brand new siglent ssa3021x.

AFAIK you should be able to get an R3131 for much less than $1000 all day long. R3132 will take some haggling and the R3477 is probably closer to $2000. All these SAs work to at least 3GHz where with the Siglent SSA3021X you have to see if they remain hackable or not (and the firmware doesn't seem to be finished yet anyway). Still the Siglent SSA3021X is mighty tempting when spending around $1500 on a spectrum analyser.

[tautech]

I'm missing the Advantest R3131 (320x240 monochrome display) and R3132 (640x480 color display) from the list. They are both not terribly expensive and not very heavy. Also an Advantest R3477 Signal Analyser may turn up on Ebay every now and then which is a PC based spectrum analyser with 1Hz RBW, 15.4GHz range and good performance at the price of being big and noisy.

is the average ebay price for working R3131, R3132, and R3477 under $1000? i was unable to find any. i am sure they can be had for bargain price compared to original MSRP but once you go north of $1200 you might as well start looking at a brand new siglent ssa3021x.

AFAIK you should be able to get an R3131 for much less than $1000 all day long. R3132 will take some haggling and the R3477 is probably closer to $2000. All these SAs work to at least 3GHz where with the Siglent SSA3021X you have to see if they remain hackable or not (and the firmware doesn't seem to be finished yet anyway). Still the Siglent SSA3021X is mighty tempting when spending around $1500 on a spectrum analyser.

Qualify this remark please.

[nctnico]

I'm missing the Advantest R3131 (320x240 monochrome display) and R3132 (640x480 color display) from the list. They are both not terribly expensive and not very heavy. Also an Advantest R3477 Signal Analyser may turn up on Ebay every now and then which is a PC based spectrum analyser with 1Hz RBW, 15.4GHz range and good performance at the price of being big and noisy.

is the average ebay price for working R3131, R3132, and R3477 under $1000? i was unable to find any. i am sure they can be had for bargain price compared to original MSRP but once you go north of $1200 you might as well start looking at a brand new siglent ssa3021x.

AFAIK you should be able to get an R3131 for much less than $1000 all day long. R3132 will take some haggling and the R3477 is probably closer to $2000. All these SAs work to at least 3GHz where with the Siglent SSA3021X you have to see if they remain hackable or not (and the firmware doesn't seem to be finished yet anyway). Still the Siglent SSA3021X is mighty tempting when spending around $1500 on a spectrum analyser.

Qualify this remark please.

AFAIK the last firmware update fixed the wonky results some people got from using the tracking generator but that also made the sweeps a lot slower (see: https://www.eevblog.com/forum/testgear/siglent-ssa3000x-spectrum-analyzers/msg1071366/#msg1071366 ). This is at least one issue that needs attention.

[usagi]

the sitemaster 331 prices seem to be all over the place. $700 - $3000. what's up with that? there seem to be like 41,000 variants of the 331.

Yeah, I would focus on the 331D variant, it seems to be around that $1000 pricepoint pretty commonly and is usually sold with a color screen (which is actually an option on most 331 models... oddly).  The pricing variation is probably partly due to the number of variants and options for them, but just the confusion around all of the versions - I think it's been in production in one model or another for quite some time.

Maybe the Anritsu MS2711 is worth adding too, seems to be sold around the same price.

looks like the S331D is an antenna analzyer only - only SWR, cable loss, TDR, etc. there is no spectrum analyzer feature in the documentation and there does not appear to be an SA option for the S331D.

[DaJMasta]

looks like the S331D is an antenna analzyer only - only SWR, cable loss, TDR, etc. there is no spectrum analyzer feature in the documentation and there does not appear to be an SA option for the S331D.

Looks like you're right, my mistake.  That probably explains the price difference....

[cncjerry]

I paid $750 fo my R3131a with TG.  Perfect condition.

[Johncanfield]

I've been looking on eBay for a spectrum analyzer for several months,  finding one with a tracking generator for under $2,000 was almost impossible.  Finally I decided to buy a new Siglent,  I bought the tracking generator license and with the EEVblog discount I spent about $1500. Having said that, I love vintage equipment and have some HP and Agilent gear.

Thanks for a great topic and your research efforts.

[usagi]

Advantest R3131a User's Manual

image courtesy of sglabs.it


TG is option 74.

Topic: Advantest R3131A Spectrum Analyzer 9KHz-3GHz

xdev: Advantest R3131 SA manuals and photos added

[mmagin]

HP 8562A   
range 1 KHz - 22 GHz (plus reasonably easy to find 11971 external mixers)
span zero, 2.5 Khz to full (but broken into a low and high band at 2.75 GHz)
RBW 100 Hz to 1 MHz
$1-2k in good condition.

Resolution bandwidth doesn't go as low as the rackmount beasts of the era, but is portable (in a 1980s sense). 

[cncjerry]

The display bezel started to turn yellow on my R3131A and I let it sit in hydrogen peroxide in the sun for a few hours and it cleared it all up.  Nice and white now.

That analyzer is really nice by the way.  It doesn't have the noise levels, SFDR, etc, etc, etc of my HP 8568 or 8566 but the integration with the TG really works well.  The other thing is the RBW I think only goes down to 300hz but again, works well within the specs.

The guy I bought mine from, really nice guy by the way, had two of them and wanted $2,500 each.  I kept bugging him over a year, we became email friends, and finally he parted with it for $750. I have to change my battery before it runs out and I lose my features including the TG but I can't get the damn thing apart.  I know it sounds silly, but there is something hung-up in it preventing the back cover from being removed.

Highly recommended for anything under 1k with the TG and under $750 without.  My 8568B though blows its doors off up to 1.8G but the 3131A goes to 3G with very predictable results.


By the way, we have needed this thread for a while.  I had also suggested some type of common plot output should be added for each to give people a view of what you get for the money.  Something simple like just the lowest RBW VBW of the calibrate signal at a common span for instance.

[innkeeper]

HP 8650A 50hz-2.9ghz can be had very often in the $400 dollar range without the tracking generator.

i dont see any ebay auctions for hp 8650a. can you find any? if any are sold anymore, it looks extremely rare.

OOPS! I meant hp 8560a

[nctnico]

The display bezel started to turn yellow on my R3131A and I let it sit in hydrogen peroxide in the sun for a few hours and it cleared it all up.  Nice and white now.
I have to change my battery before it runs out and I lose my features including the TG but I can't get the damn thing apart.  I know it sounds silly, but there is something hung-up in it preventing the back cover from being removed.

You have to remove the screws/bolts for the connectors as well.

[usagi]

HP 8562A   
range 1 KHz - 22 GHz (plus reasonably easy to find 11971 external mixers)
span zero, 2.5 Khz to full (but broken into a low and high band at 2.75 GHz)
RBW 100 Hz to 1 MHz
$1-2k in good condition.

Resolution bandwidth doesn't go as low as the rackmount beasts of the era, but is portable (in a 1980s sense).

added. congratulations you now own stewardship of this entry. 

[usagi]

GW Instek GSP-810 Product Page

Very cheap. Currently (Feb 19 2017) lots on ebay, apparently ITT bankruptcy surplus.

[usagi]

TBD

[CJay]

Topic: Rohde & Schwarz CMU200

Controller is a standard PC running MS-DOS. Motherboard is FMR6 with Award BIOS. CPU upgrades and SSD conversions are possible.

Motherboard is either FMR5 or FMR6, it is not a standard motherboard.

Edited after receipt o0f new info, there's an FMR6+ and an FMR7 as well apparently, still non standard form otherboards though

[cncjerry]

By the way, I bought all my analyzers on Craig's list for less than the going price in eBay.  Also, don't buy an 8568 or 8566 piecemeal or without cables.  Setup a Craig's list notification and you can find an analyzer usually pretty quickly.  There is an 8568A for sale in Boise, for instance and he is going to haul it to the Sacramento area on an upcoming trip.  I have dibs on it if he doesn't sell it sooner.

[technogeeky]

Note:

I would amend the entry for the HP 8594E to state that option 130 and option 140 include the small RBW entries, but option 140 also includes an internal OCXO.

For instance, this link is to one such device.

[usagi]

TBD

[usagi]

TBD

[usagi]

TBD

[usagi]

w2aew - #51: Basic Spectrum Analyzer Do's and Dont's ...
(includes footage and discussion of E4411B)

[charliedelta]

What would be addition to the comparison  is to show if any of the spectrum analyzers listed have  EMC options such  as EMC bandwidths and Quasi peak etc etc.

[Relaxe]

What would be addition to the comparison  is to show if any of the spectrum analyzers listed have  EMC options such  as EMC bandwidths and Quasi peak etc etc.

I agree.
Most have the Quasi-peak detector as an option... would be nice to have a column with detector types and option# if they are optionnal.

It's a very nice guide usagi ! Thanks for your time!

[PaulAm]

Also, don't buy an 8568 or 8566 piecemeal or without cables.

Although this is very good advice and something I'd also recommend, for completeness, I have to add that if you buy them piecemeal and build your own cables, it is often significantly cheaper than buying a complete set.  The trade off is you have to make the cables, which is not trivial.  Parts for the d-sub coaxial rf cable will be at least $50 and the bus cable is not wired 1:1.  Not surprising you often see the cable set offered for more than either of the 2 electronic pieces.

[usagi]

Anritsu MS2711D Product Page

[innkeeper]

HP 8560A can be had very often in the $400 dollar range without the tracking generator.
range 50 Hz to 2.9 GHz (dc-coupled); 100 kHz to 2.9 GHz (ac coupled) ,  span 0 Hz, 100 Hz to 2.9 GHz,  RBW 10hz-2mhz

ones with tracking generators built in go for significantly more money.

now inexpensive external tracking generators that emulate the hp generators can be had as designed by BG7TBL, so the ones with the built in tracking generators are not necessarily worth the extra money.

[kirill_ka]

I recently acquired HP8561E on ebay for $600. It's not trouble free, but mostly usable.
One interesting discovery is a thing called "AN/USM-489A" which is some kind of HP856X series. You can find schematic and other useful documentation for that.
http://radionerds.com/index.php/AN~USM-489

[innkeeper]

I recently acquired HP8561E on ebay for $600. It's not trouble free, but mostly usable.
One interesting discovery is a thing called "AN/USM-489A" which is some kind of HP856X series. You can find schematic and other useful documentation for that.
http://radionerds.com/index.php/AN~USM-489

The AN/USM-489A may be a HP 8562A - as i found a cal procedure document labeled hp 8652a and AN/USM-489A

I also found some maintenance and tools document for the AN/USM-489A that was amazing. had great tear-down instructions.
i've had a new crt for my HP 8560A but even after doing some work on it in the past and having the service manual instructions, it seemed like a huge hassle replace the CRT tube.
the AN/USM-489A tools and mantenance manual described how to get the crt out to it with ease. and it is not how it is explained in the service manual at all.

Gotta love military documentation!

[SaabFAN]

The HP8922G (The "G" is important, as there are a ton of versions available and only a handful have Spectrum Analyzer-Capability, which is also called Option 006) might also be worth looking into.

They are priced at about 350€ from resellers in germany (Price with 6 months warranty), but are quite heavy.
Occasionally they appear for a lot less or similarly priced but with a big second unit.

Spectrum Analyzer-Capabilities:
- Bandwidth: 10 - 1000MHz
- Span: 5kHz - 4MHz (Manual states that with Overrange its possible to set Span to 10MHz)

The instrument has iBASIC, so it should be possible to do something similar to the Full Spectrum-Script for the E4406.

Big Plus: It has Audio-Oscilloscope, Audio-Signal Gen, RF Signal-Gen (10 - 1000MHz) and a lot of other stuff.
Also Agilent seems to have built these beasts for quite a long time. The manuals are clean OCR-PDFs instead of simple scans.

[Bicurico]

Hi,

I recently posted on the REPAIRS forum about my attempt to repair a Keysight E4403B spectrum analyser. What I thought would be an easy repair, turned out to be a nightmare:

The device would not turn on. No LED, nothing. That was the description.

I figured that the cause would be one of this:

1) Burned fuse -> extremly easy to "repair"
2) Dried electrolytic capacitors -> easy to repair, just swap them for same spec new ones
3) Some other component that could be visually identified for being dead, burned, exploded -> possible to repair as long the replacement part can be obtained

Well, turns out that the fault is neither of the three cases and:

1) The PSU is extremly complex
2) No documentation has EVER been published by HP/Agilent/Keysight
3) The PSU has many unobtainable components (including a microcontroller with software and EEPROM with data)
4) The only second hand replacment PSU are either sold BROKEN for 150 Euro + shipping, second hand and "working until removal" for 600 Euro + shipping or refurbished for 1500 US$ + shipping + trade in  of the broken PSU

Why am I posting this here?

Because:

1) The E440x series is fairly popular on eBay and looks fairly modern (LCD screen, etc.)
2) It is from a reputable brand (HP/Agilent/Keysight - in this chronological order)
3) These devices are still sold for high prices on eBay

Yet: a simple failure on the PSU and you probably won't get it back working EVER!

So the question is: is it really that much better than a brand new Siglent SSA3021X or wouldn't it be better to spend a little more and get a brand new Rohde & Schwarz FPC1000?

If you are buying a second hand premium spectrum analyzer, make sure you will be able to repair it and that you have access to service manuals and spare parts!

Regards,
Vitor

PS: Yes, I am very frustrated right now and the device isn't even mine...

[BravoV]

Use "undesirable" options such as 75ohm input impedance as leverage for negotiating price.

For negotiating mine, I used the leverage that the company (used to be Korea LG subsidiary) which is now making military weapons only, and totally abandoned all their T&M business. Probably sold to Aeroflex. Scored for slightly less than 200 bucks.

Nex1 NS-30 , 9KHz-3GHz, full specification -> PDF

This model also Oem-ed to popular brand Aeroflex with model number IFR-2399.



Few photos when unpacking.

[tecman]

I recently picked up an Advantest R3465 for $ 400.  Front bezel had some areas broken and a knob missing.  Made a temp knob, but the bezel was more of a challenge.  The side flanges (stick out to protect the face) were both badly damaged.  Solution was to just cut them off.  Other areas were cracked or broken.  Several rounds of repair with epoxy and a dremel resolved them.  The plastic of the bezel seems to crack easily due to age, and a replacement was impossible to find, so epoxy repair was the only practical option, and it worked and is not visible to the user for the most part.

As for the analyzer, 10K~8 gHz, LCD screen and it works great, and a great bargain.

paul

[Mechatrommer]

i guess Advantest R3465 (9KHz - 8GHz, 300Hz - 5MHz RBW) can be added to $500 - $2000 list. i got mine for $600 due to its advertised as "as is" and some defects (dead battery and out of cal). you still can find a working R3465 at a bit more than $1000 sold in ebay, and one seller selling it at nearly $2000. i guess it will depends on how long the seller want to keep it in their shelf (the higher the price the longer it will be before it find its buyer).

few other Advantest SA units (3GHz - 8GHz) also still sold at around $1K in ebay, some are $500. there is currently one Advantest R3267 (100Hz - 8GHz, 1Hz - 10MHz RBW) sold as "as is" (keyboard controller fault) at $500. if you are lucky, the power to it got shorted or disconnected due to some passive burnt out, if you are unlucky, the keyboard controller chip is dead, and if you are unlucky unlucky, the chip is unobtanium. i cant take the risk, maybe you can communicate further with the seller on the situation.

One thing about R3465 is its a "Modulation" Spectrum Analyzer, i'm not entirely sure what is, but from the spec sheet http://www.testequipmenthq.com/datasheets/ADVANTEST-R3465-Datasheet.pdf it can do constellation and eye diagram plot and some other measurements in "Transient" mode (normal SA function is "CW" mode), i guess it has something with radio communication CDMA, GSM etc. i dont know how to use it (its there) and have no proper signal for it to test the function. so i believe it can add values to the SA functions.

and edited ps: esp for new kids familiar with modern gadgetries, this thing is a 17kg relic, it can wear out your backbone pretty soon if you keep moving it, like what i feel right now... thought you may get warned from this... the heaviest in my arsenal right now, but not the most expensive.. fwiw, ymmv.

stock photo...

[usagi]

updated nex and advantest

[0culus]

*snip*
One thing about R3465 is its a "Modulation" Spectrum Analyzer, i'm not entirely sure what is, but from the spec sheet http://www.testequipmenthq.com/datasheets/ADVANTEST-R3465-Datasheet.pdf it can do constellation and eye diagram plot and some other measurements in "Transient" mode (normal SA function is "CW" mode), i guess it has something with radio communication CDMA, GSM etc. i dont know how to use it (its there) and have no proper signal for it to test the function. so i believe it can add values to the SA functions.

*snip*

"Transient" might mean some kind of limited real time capability. Sweep tuned analyzers are great for narrowband carrier work, but they have poor probability of intercept for digital spread spectrum protocols.

[usagi]

Product Page: R&S®FSH6 Spectrum Analyzer

[usagi]

Agilent/Keysight N9020-503 MXA are now showing up on ebay from chinese sellers for about $1800.

https://www.keysight.com/us/en/product/N9020A/mxa-signal-analyzer-10hz-26-5ghz.html

[Sighound36]

Agilent/Keysight N9020-503 MXA are now showing up on ebay from chinese sellers for about $1800.

https://www.keysight.com/us/en/product/N9020A/mxa-signal-analyzer-10hz-26-5ghz.html

(Attachment Link)

There are two sitting on ebay for what seems like a bargin ($1800)for many months now. I would suggest caution here. If it seems to good to be true.............

[Mechatrommer]

Agilent/Keysight N9020-503 MXA are now showing up on ebay from chinese sellers for about $1800.
https://www.keysight.com/us/en/product/N9020A/mxa-signal-analyzer-10hz-26-5ghz.html
(Attachment Link)

There are two sitting on ebay for what seems like a bargin ($1800)for many months now. I would suggest caution here. If it seems to good to be true.............

its seem not, they are 3.6GHz model (not 26.5GHz).. and sellers got some rating... i got 13.2GHz Anritsu for half the price..