Inline sensor

Anritsu has introduced the MA24104A inline high power sensor that can conduct accurate measurements on the transmitter output power of wireless base stations.

The sensor employs a unidirectional coupler at the front end of a diode sensor with dual path architecture that provides true-RMS measurements over a broad frequency range of 600 MHz to 4 GHz and a dynamic range of 2 mW to 150 W (+3 to +51.76 dBm), allowing users to conduct average power measurements on CW, multi-tone and digitally modulated signals during base station installation, maintenance and troubleshooting.

Precise average power measurements of high power signals to 150 W (~52 dBm) are achieved due to the sensor design, which stores all calibration data directly in the sensor so all necessary corrections, such as frequency and temperature, are done inside the microprocessor of the sensor.

Also, the return loss and directivity of the instrument are optimised to maintain high accuracy. All standards used to calibrate the sensor are directly traceable to NIST.

The device has a good match of \>29 dB and low insertion loss of \<0.2 dB, making it suitable for continuous power monitoring of transmitter systems and antennas. A data logging function in the power meter software application allows users to record measured power over time data on external media, so that long-term drift measurement analysis, environmental testing and trend analysis can be conducted.

The sensor adds high power inline measurement capability to the company’s handheld analysers, including the Site Master, BTS Master, Cell Master, Spectrum Master and VNA Master.

It is also compatible with the MS271xB economy microwave spectrum analysers and can be used as a standalone test solution when connected to a Windows-based PC.