Anritsu, a leading test and measurement Company recently introduced the MT8222A BTS Master, a lightweight, handheld base station analyzer that provides wireless field technicians with a single test solution for installation and maintenance of wireless networks. The instrument weighs around 8 pounds.

The MT8222A BTS Master contains the tools for the following:

• Cable and antenna analysis,
• spectrum analysis,
• power meter,
• WCDMA/HSDPA and GSM/GPRS/EDGE RF and demodulation,
• WCDMA/HSDPA Over the Air (OTA),
• interference analysis, and
• Bit Error Rate Tester (BERT)

The instrument uses Anritsu’s industry-leading Site Master™ cable and antenna analysis based on frequency domain reflectometry (FDR) technology, and also capable of providing very accurate return loss/VSWR, cable loss, and distance-to-fault (DTF) measurements. To measure overall tower top performance, the MT8222A BTS Master can conduct essential 2-port measurements, such as gain, isolation, and insertion loss, to verify sector-to-antenna isolation. These measurements are critical due to the proliferation of diplexers, duplexers, and tower mounted amplifiers (TMAs) in many of today’s cellular and 3G base stations. An optional built-in bias tee places +12V to +24V, eliminating the need for an external power supply. To measure channel power in AMPS, iDEN, GSM, and TDMA networks, the MT8222A BTS Master has a channel scanner option that allows the power of multiple transmitted signals to be measured. Up to 20 channels can be scanned simultaneously, with either the frequencies or channel number of the scanned data displayed.

The MT8222A BTS Master also has unprecedented spectrum analysis capability typically found only in benchtop instruments. It has a wide frequency range of 100 kHz to 7.1 GHz, low phase noise of typically -100 dBm/Hz at 10 kHz offset, low displayed average noise level (DANL) of typically -153 dBm at 1 GHz in 10 Hz RBW, and wide dynamic range of >80 dB.

Recognizing the need for ease of use in the field, the MT8222A BTS Master has dedicated routines for smart measurements of field strength channel power, occupied bandwidth, Adjacent Channel Power Ratio (ACPR) and Carrier to Interference (C/I) ratio. Capturing intermittent interference signals is also simplified because the MT8222A BTS Master is the only handheld spectrum analyzer that automatically sweeps as fast as possible for the chosen setting, while maintaining high accuracy.

Measurement Flexibility
A number of options are available with the MT8222A BTS Master so that the analyzer can be customized to suit specific field test requirements. WCDMA/HSDPA RF measurements, WCDMA demodulation and WCDMA/HSDPA demodulation options allow the MT8222A BTS Master to be connected to any Node B for accurate RF and demodulator measurements. The MT8222A BTS Master can also be configured to demodulate GSM, GPRS, and EDGE signals, as well as conduct RF measurements on those signals.

Technicians who must locate unwanted interference can configure the BTS Master with an interference analyzer, which is maximized by the MT8222A’s built-in low-noise preamplifier. The result is that interfering signals down to -154 dBm can be identified and located, allowing technicians to better address quality issues that affect user service. A spectrogram, which creates a three-dimensional display of frequency, power, and time of a spectrum, makes it easy to identify intermittent interference and track signal levels over time. Other tools to identify interfering signals include a received signal strength indicator (RSSI) that can be used to observe a single frequency’s signal strength over time and a signal strength meter that measures an interfering signal’s strength and facilitates locating the source.

A GPS option provides exact location data that is saved with each measurement, in addition to date and time, for confirmation of the proper location. It also enhances the frequency accuracy of the MT8222A BTS Master’s internal OCXO oscillator to specifications beyond the 50 ppb required by 3GPP.

Anritsu has also developed comprehensive data management and analysis software called Master Software Tools for use with the MT8222A BTS Master. Windows® 2000/XP compatible, Master Software Tools provides a simple, easy method of managing, archiving, analyzing, printing, and reporting system performance.