Capabilities of the Boonton RTP5000 Series USB Real-Time RF/Microwave Power Sensors

Boonton RTP5000 Series

Product Demo: 

This demonstration highlights the capabilities of the Boonton RTP 5000 series of USB real-time RF/microwave power sensors.  A pulsed signal is provided either unmodulated or modulated with noise (simulating OFDM) is sampled (Ref Out) and provided to a DUT (amplifier) whose output power is being measured (Amp Out).   The pulsed signal can be of various types, including a basic ~500 ns,/100 kHz PRF signal, a 10 µs/1 kHz PRF (with and without a 600 ns dropout), an IFF simulating pulse, …  Measurements are synchronized between sensor through trigger I/O ports in a master/slave configuration.  

The RTP 5000 series sensors are controlled by Boonton Power Analyzer (BPA) software package; BPA can control up to 8 sensors.   The two sensors/channels can be treated separately or together (e.g. showing both time domain traces on the same plot).  

In this configuration, we demonstrate a number of key features and functionality:

• Measurement of a 6 ns rise time signal
• Display of 15 automatic pulse measurements
• Computation of crest factors (peak to average ratios) before and after amplification to monitor compression with a modulated signal.  Average power measurements alone do not give the complete picture for components used in systems utilizing wideband signals, such as OFDM for Wi-Fi and 5G.
  • Calculation and display complimentary cumulative distribution functions (CCDFs)
• Highlight Boonton Real-Time Power Processing™ demonstrating capture of pulse dropouts and superior trace update rate
• Measure and display a variable pulse with interrogate, friend or foe (IFF) waveform

Target Users:

Design, manufacturing, and field maintenance engineers and technicians working with pulsed and/or bursted signals (e.g., radar, WiFi, 5G signals) for wireless communications, radar, and satellite systems for commercial and military applications.

About RTP5000 Series Sensors

• Powerful, flexible, Boonton Power Analyzer PC software simplifies power measurements
• Leading RF performance
  • 3 ns rise time (>4x better than closest competitor)
  • 195 MHz VBW (>6x better than closest competitor) 
• 10 GS/s effective sample rate (10x better than closest competitor)
• 100 ps time resolution (10x better than closest competitor)
• 6, 18, and 40 GHz models
• VBW and frequency well suited for 5G applications
• Synchronized multi-channel measurements

Real-Time Power Processing™ Technology

• Unique parallel processing technology to capture, display and measure every pulse
• No measurement latency, no missed events, no gaps in data
• High speed analysis with 100,000 measurements per second

About Boonton

Boonton Electronics is a leader in high performance RF and microwave test equipment for radar, avionics, electronic warfare, satellite and wireless communications, and EMI/EMC applications. Used across the semiconductor, military, aerospace, medical and communications industries for more than 70 years, Boonton products enable a wide range of RF power measurements and signal analysis for RF product design, production, maintenance and system integration. The Boonton product portfolio is designed and manufactured in the USA and includes peak and average RF power meters, Real-Time USB Power sensors, RF voltmeters, modulation analyzers, and audio analyzers.

Boonton is subsidiary of the Wireless Telecom Group (NYSE: WTT), which also includes Noisecom, Microlab, and CommAgility.