I never thought about starting a thread here on SA's, but I stumbled across a thread here 5 years ago regarding SA's that got a little out of hand, but was interesting;
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Spectrum Analyzer ShowdownI want to use this for something other than this forums purpose, wireless ISP's, but there appears to be some very learned members here I hope can shed some user input.
I have looked at a number of models, eliminating some for one reason or another. Here is what I am down to in no specific order;
Agilent N1996A, Agilent N9320B, Agilent N9912A
Anritsu MS2712E
Rigol DSA1030A
I have kinda ruled out these;
Agilent N9340B, Hameg HMS-X/3010, R&S FSH4, LP Tech LPT-3000, Atten GS4063
My use;
75% bench, 25% portable (field, not necessary battery operated)
OTA (Over The Air) Broadcast and 2-way radio monitoring, testing components (cables, splitters, receive dist. amps & preamps etc.)
Requirements;
3GHz
Tracking generator,
Preamp,
High input level capability without overload,
Conventional Spectrum Analyzer menu layout,
Demo or used in very good condition.
I just recently stumbled across the 1996, I was not aware of this until now. That seems to be to my liking, but cost seems to be a issue. The same goes for the FieldFox.
I also like the MS2712E, but I'm concerned about sweep speed; what is shown does not reflect what I have seen on screen.
The same goes for the cheapest of the bunch, the 1030A. Manually entering in sweep speed, does not always reflect what the display shows.
I has a Aeroflex 2399A that I recently sold and wished I didn't. This had no issue with the problem. I have seen the problem on a few You Tube videos with some other scopes. I prefer the fast sweep to detect small variations in signals.
For those with experience with any of these, please post you take on any, or any that I didn't list. Good, not so good, performance and the user interface.