Cleveland, Ohio—RF test equipment maker Keithley Instruments, Inc. is dishing up its handheld Model 3500 Portable RF Power Meter. Billed by the company as the first lab-quality portable RF power meter, it's designed to make RF measurements in both field and lab. The company claims its Model 3500 provides the accuracy of a benchtop low-power RF power meter with the convenience of a portable instrument— at half the cost of competing products.
With a frequency range spanning 10-MHz through to 6-GHz, the Model 3500 can be used to test mobile phone and cellular infrastructure gear, WLAN (wireless local area network) devices, RFID readers, WiMAX (Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access) devices, and wireless sensors. Ensuring accuracy, it maintains a low SWR (standing wave ratio) across its frequency range, as you can see from the curve.
The instrument's large dynamic range of -63-dBM to +20-dBM enables the Model 3500 to measure low-power RF, either directly from your DUT (device under test) or through layers of cabling and fixtures. Indications are in dBm and milliwatts. RF is fed into the meter via a 50-ohm N-type coaxial cable connector.
Built-In Sensor, Reference
The meter's built-in power sensor also eliminates the need to carry both an instrument and a separate sensor module. What's more, an internal power reference enables self-calibration, eliminating the need to perform an independent calibration.
The Model 3500 ensures absolute accuracy as good as ±0.21-dB. That spec gives you a way to precisely characterize devices, set tighter test limits, and ensure accurate fixture calibration.
When making measurements, a Hold command will also save a measurement made in a hard to reach area until the instrument can be retrieved. And, a backlight provides illumination when making measurements in poorly lit areas.
RF Datalogging
In the lab, the Model 3500 can also be used as an RF power datalogger. Using either a Normal or high-speed mode, it can capture and transfer data to your PC through a built-in USB (Universal Serial Bus) interface. This data can be used to perform trend or drift analysis. A number of averaging values can also be used when a measured signal varies significantly with time.
In Normal mode, the Model 3500 can operate at up to two readings/s. In its high-speed mode, the instrument can make as many as 34 readings/s.
It's Power Managed
The Model 3500 can be operated from batteries, or via an AC-to-DC converter module. It can also be powered from a computer via its USB interface.
To maximize battery life, the Model 3500 can be set up to turn off its backlight after a specific period of time. Moreover, once the instrument's utilities are set up, those states are saved for the next use.
Finally, an optional belt-loop holster carrying case with shoulder strap is also available.
Price And Availability
The Model 3500 is priced at $1500. Keithley says it's immediately available.
Click here for more details and a link to the datasheet.
For more information contact Keithley Instruments, Inc., 28775 Aurora Rd., Cleveland, Ohio 44139-1891. Phone: 800-688-9951 or 440-248-0400. FAX: 440-248-6168. E-mail: publisher@keithley.com
Keithley Instruments, 800-688-9951, www.keithley.com
