21 April 2020

For over-the-air (OTA) tests on 5G base stations in the FR2 range, there’s a solution based on the FE44 front-end modules, which support signal generation and analysis in the lower-frequency intermediate frequency (IF) band.

This enables low-loss transmission of 5G signals and the use of cost-effective T&M instruments by avoiding the need for equipment designed for the mmWave range. The SMW200A vector signal generator generates the 5G signals and the FSVA3000 provides the right analysis functions.

In the transmit direction, the 5G signals generated in the IF band by the R&S SMW200A are up-converted to the FR2 range up to 44 GHz.

This ensures that the high output power is generated exactly where it is needed. On the receive side, the FE44A converts the FR2 signal at the antenna inputs down to the IF band and sends it with low attenuation losses to the R&S FSVA3000 for analysis.

This solution is suitable for test systems in production.

For speed-optimized production tests of 5G base stations, Rohde & Schwarz has developed a scalable, high-performance server based testing analysis platform.

The SMBV100B vector signal generator and the FSVA3000 spectrum analyser are used as RF test solutions.

The QuickStep test executive software is used to automatically control the test setup and verify test results.

The solution is using a 10 gigabit ethernet network, where the combination of the server based approach and parallel processing is said to enable high measurement speeds. The infrastructure consists of commercially available components.

Last but by no means least, there’s a new test solution for base stations and small cells that enables cross-channel measurements up to 4x4 MIMO on 5G transmissions in the FR1 range.

www.rohde-schwarz.com