10 April 2024

Keysight Technologies has launched a new compact, four-channel vector signal generator (VSG) capable of signal generation up to 8.5GHz with 960MHz of modulation bandwidth per channel.

The N5186A MXG is the next-generation high-performance VSG in Keysight’s X-Series signal generator portfolio, offering the multiple, individually complex signals needed for dense wideband multichannel applications.

Evolving technologies in wireless communications and radar applications demand higher frequency coverage using complex modulation schemes like MIMO, beamforming, and multiplexing to maximise data throughput. Testing these applications requires signal generation instruments that maintain excellent modulation quality when working with greater bandwidths. To achieve higher frequencies, greater bandwidths, and more complex modulation schemes, network and design engineers typically need more bench space for additional test equipment and fixtures.

The Keysight N5186A MXG addresses this challenge by simplifying complex setups with reduced external connections and up to four channels in a compact 2U form factor. As the world’s first signal generator to feature an embedded reflectometer, the N5186A MXG delivers extremely accurate signals to the device under test (DUT).

By providing consistent and repeatable results, the N5186A MXG vector signal generator is an ideal solution for a broad range of applications. The MXG’s custom DAC application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs) use DDS to deliver precise signals to minimise distortion and meet the evolving standards for component and module design. In addition, the embedded reflectometer expedites the setup process to correct for the match of the DUT, enabling a faster time-to-test.