Specifications

6
Near-field antenna measurements
In near-field applications, the probe is located very close to the antenna under test
(AUT), so sensitivity and dynamic range are not as important a performance consider-
ation as in a far-field antenna range. The user selectable bandwidth feature can be used
to optimize the measurement speed vs. sensitivity tradeoff. By selecting the widest
bandwidth available (600 kHz), the measurement speed is maximized. The PNA-X ana-
lyzer is mixer based, with fundamental mixing to 26.5 GHz, providing a 24 dB increase
in sensitivity and dynamic range over sampler based analyzers. This more than makes
up for the sensitivity reduction realized when the IF bandwidth of the PNA-X is opened
up to its maximum to maximize measurement speed. Therefore, the PNA-X can achieve
faster data acquisition speeds with increased sensitivity in near-field applications over
legacy configurations. See Figure 2.
Figure 2. Typical near-field antenna measurement configuration using a PNA/PNA-X.
In addition, PNA-L with direct receiver access can be used.
Pin
switch
Pin switch
control
LAN