VNA_Salient_Characteristics_V1-7_FINAL.pdf

V1-7

NAVAIR METCAL IN-SERVICE ENGINEERING TEAM 2 Page 1

SALIENT CHARACTERISTICS

VECTOR NETWORK ANALYZER

1. SCOPE

1.1 Scope. The purpose of this salient characteristic description is to define the Vector Network Analyzer. For the purpose of this description, the Vector Network Analyzer along with other supporting devices for the operation, such as RF cables and a calibration kit, shall be collectively referred to herein as the VNA.

2. APPLICABLE DOCUMENTS

DFARS Defense Federal Acquisition Regulation Supplement

MIL-STD-130 Identification Marking of U.S. Military Property

3. REQUIREMENTS

3.1 Configuration. The VNA shall consist of one box commercial or modified commercial solution with test port cables, adapters, and a calibration kit. The main box with a separate display unit and/or control unit is considered a multiple box solution and is not acceptable.

3.1.1 Main Box. The VNA main box shall have two test ports. Either N, 3.5mm, or K is acceptable, but 2.4mm is not acceptable. It shall be free of the coupler roll-off effect, which limits the low frequency dynamic range. Either desktop, portable, or handheld equipment is acceptable.

3.1.2 Test Port Cables and Adapters. A pair of RF cables and adapters shall be used together to create a type-N measurement plane. Both insertable (male to female) and non-insertable (male to male / female to female) measurement planes shall be attainable.

3.1.2.1 Test Port Cables. The test port cables shall be of magnitude/phase-stable type designed for VNA use. The minimum bend radius shall be 2.5 inches. The maximum diameter shall be 0.4 inch. They shall be provided in two different lengths: a pair of 2 feet cables and a pair of 3 feet cables, for a total of 4 cables.

3.1.2.2 Adapters. The adapters shall be of metrology grade. If required to convert 3.5mm or K to type-N, the adapters shall be placed between the VNA test ports and the test port cables.

3.1.3 Calibration Kit. The calibration kit shall be of type-N connector type. Either a mechanical calibration kit or an electronic calibration kit is acceptable but ONLY ONE calibration kit shall be included in the configuration. The electronic calibration kit shall

NAVAIR METCAL IN-SERVICE ENGINEERING TEAM 2 Page 2 be of insertable type (male to female). A sliding load is not allowed in the mechanical calibration kit.

3.1.4 Through Standard. If the measurement calibration requires a barrel adapter, i.e., as an unknown through or for adapter removal, one N male-male and one N female-female adapters meeting reciprocity property shall be provided in the configuration. They may be provided as part of the calibration kit, or as part of the adapters in 3.1.2.2.

3.1.5 RF Connector Requirements. The connectors shall allow the use of torque wrenches for proper connection. In addition, all N male connectors shall also have knurled surfaces to ease finger connection.

3.2 Operator Controls. Operating controls and indicators shall be readily accessible to the operator from the front of the VNA. The readings presented on the controls and indicators shall be available to the operator without the need for conversion or calculation.

3.3 Self-Test. The VNA shall provide built-in self-test to ensure the functional integrity of the system. The result of a failed self-test shall be a diagnostic error message to alert the operator of a specific problem or failure. Self-test shall require no external standards or devices.

3.4 Electrical Power Sources. The VNA shall operate from a source of 103.5V to 126.5V at 50 Hz to 60 Hz single-phase input power. The maximum power for operation shall not exceed 450 W.

3.5 Enclosure Physical Characteristics (for desktop equipment only). The physical characteristics of the VNA equipment enclosure shall be in accordance with 3.5.1 through 3.5.5.

3.5.1 Stacking Provisions. The VNA enclosure shall have a geometric configuration that permits stacking without harm to the enclosure or its contents. Design shall permit the stacking of two VNAs minimum.

3.5.2 Dimensions. The maximum dimensions of the VNA without handles shall not exceed 18.5 inches (470 mm) in width, 11.5 inches (292 mm) in height, and 23.5 inches (597 mm) in depth.

3.5.3 Weight. The maximum weight of the VNA shall not exceed 68 pounds (30.8 kg).

3.5.4 Handles. The VNA has no requirement for handles if less than 4 inches (102

mm) in height. If more than 4 inches in height, the number and location of handles shall be such that the load distribution per handle shall not exceed 20 kg.

3.5.5 Connections and Controls. The operating controls shall be located on the instrument front panel. The test ports shall be located on the front panel; electrical

NAVAIR METCAL IN-SERVICE ENGINEERING TEAM 2 Page 3 power connections shall be on the rear panel; other connectors can be located on the front or rear panel.

3.6 Environmental Requirements. The VNA shall meet the environmental requirements as specified in 3.6.1.

3.6.1 Temperature and Humidity. The VNA main box shall meet the conditions below:

Temperature (°C) Relative Humidity (%) Operating 10 to 30 5 to 95 Operating 30 to 40 5 to 75

Non-Operating -20 to 60 Not Controlled

3.7 Marking and Identification. The VNA shall be marked and identified in directly readable texts in accordance with 3.7.1 through 3.7.5, as well as an IUID marking in accordance with 3.7.6.

3.7.1 Equipment Identification. The VNA main box and calibration kit equipment identification shall include, at a minimum: manufacturer, FSCM/CAGE number, model number including installed options at the time of purchase, nomenclature, and serial number. The test port cable equipment identification shall include, at a minimum:

manufacturer, model number, serial number, options if applicable, and “VNA use only” label.

3.7.2 Option Identification. The VNA shall be capable of displaying the list of the options on the front panel display upon the operator command.

3.7.3 Firmware Version Identification. The VNA shall be capable of displaying the FW version of the main box (as well as that of the electronic calibration kit if included in the configuration) on the front panel display upon the operator command.

3.7.4 Calibration Label. The contractor shall affix a calibration label to the VNA main box and the calibration kit. The label shall contain the date that the instrument was calibrated. The government reserves the right to incorporate a government-approved calibration interval (next due date) that may be different from the manufacturer-recommended interval. This will not impose any additional liability on the manufacturer.

3.7.5 Warranty Label. The contractor shall affix a warranty label to the VNA main box and the calibration kit specifying, at a minimum: contract number and warranty expiration date.

3.7.6 Item Unique Identification (IUID). The VNA shall have an IUID label.

3.8 Performance. The VNA shall provide the performance capabilities as listed below.

All performance specifications apply under the following conditions: warm-up period not to exceed 90 minutes; temperature of 18 to 28°C; relative humidity of 20 to 60%;

NAVAIR METCAL IN-SERVICE ENGINEERING TEAM 2 Page 4 coverage factor of 2 (95% confidence level); default input power; IFBW of no less than 10 Hz; no averaging; after measurement calibration using a calibration kit and a pair of 3-feet test port cables supplied.

3.8.1 Frequency Range. The minimum frequency range of the VNA shall be 1 MHz to 18 GHz.

3.8.2 Measurement Calibration. The measurement calibration shall allow exclusion of the isolation calibration. The measurement accuracies in 3.8.3 shall be based on performing a full 2-port measurement calibration excluding the isolation calibration.

3.8.2.1 Insertable and Non-insertable Devices Under Test (DUTs). The measurement calibration shall be available for both insertable (male to female) and non-insertable (male to male / female to female) DUTs. The through method chosen (flush through, unknown through, defined through, etc) shall meet the accuracy requirements of 3.8.3. Use of a barrel adapter as a zero-length through is not allowed.

3.8.3 Measurement Accuracy. After the measurement calibration in 3.8.2, the VNA shall meet the accuracy requirements of the following sub-paragraphs.

3.8.3.1 Transmission Magnitude Measurement Accuracy. When S11 = S22 = 0 for the DUT, the transmission magnitude measurement accuracy shall be within ±0.005 dB per dB, up to 60 dB, except that it shall be within ±0.05 dB for the first 10 dB. In other words, the VNA must meet the requirements below completely, both the range and the accuracy.

0.05

0.1

0.15

0.2

0.25

0.3

0 10 20 30 40 50 60

Accuracy (±dB)

Insertion Loss (dB)

Transmission Magnitude

NAVAIR METCAL IN-SERVICE ENGINEERING TEAM 2 Page 5

3.8.3.2 Reflection Magnitude Measurement Accuracy. When S12 = S21 = 0 for the DUT, the reflection magnitude measurement accuracy shall be within ±0.01 or within ±10% of DUT reflection coefficient, whichever is greater. In other words, the VNA must meet the requirements below completely, both the range and the accuracy.

3.8.4 1-Port DUTs. The VNA shall be capable of measuring 1-port DUTs (e.g., terminations) with either 1-port measurement calibration or 2-port measurement calibration. There shall be no difference in the measurement accuracy.

3.8.5 Time Base. The VNA shall have internal 10 MHz time base, and also shall be capable of utilizing external time base.

3.8.5.1 Aging Rate. The VNA internal time base aging shall not exceed 1 x 10-6 per year.

3.8.5.2 Reference Output. The VNA shall have a connector to output 10 MHz internal time base of at least -5 dBm. This connector shall have an impedance of 50 Ω nominal.

3.8.5.3 Reference Input. The VNA shall have a connector to accept 10 MHz external time base of at least -5 dBm. This connector shall have an impedance of 50 Ω nominal.

3.8.6 Marker Functions. The advanced marker functions shall include filter BW measurement.

0.01

0.02

0.03

0.04

0.05

0.06

0.07

0.08

0.09

0.1

0 0.1 0.2 0.3 0.4 0.5 0.6 0.7 0.8 0.9 1

Accuracy (±)

Reflection Coefficient

Reflection Magnitude

NAVAIR METCAL IN-SERVICE ENGINEERING TEAM 2 Page 6

3.8.7 Trace Functions. Trace averaging and smoothing shall be available, as well as trace memory/math.

3.8.8 Limit Lines. Limit lines shall be available to aid pass-fail decision.

3.9 Accessories. All accessories necessary for self-sufficient operation of the VNA, including but not limited to the components listed below, shall be supplied.

Torque wrenches Spanner / Open-ended wrenches (to hold the other side from spinning while using the torque wrench) Antistatic wrist strap

3.10 Accessory Case. A hard case(s) shall be provided with a foam cutout for the calibration kit, test port cables, and adapters, as well as each accessory component listed in 3.9, to provide protection against damage. The accessories may be grouped and stored in any order/combination, except that the test port cables shall be stored separately from other accessories.

3.11 CD/DVD Drive. The VNA shall be equipped with a disk drive with read/write capability to a CD and DVD. The disk drive may be internal in the VNA, or external to the VNA. The VNA shall be capable of controlling the disk drive for the tasks in the following sub-paragraphs, without using an external controller or network connection.

3.11.1 Firmware Updates. Loading the firmware updates from a disk.

3.11.2 Calibration Kit Definitions. Loading the calibration kit definitions from a disk if required for the VNA operation.

3.11.3 Screenshot. Saving a screenshot of the VNA in a disk.

3.12 Digital Interface. The VNA shall provide an ANSI/IEEE-STD-488 interface and/or an LAN interface that conforms to LXI standard.

3.13 Remote Programming Requirements. All modes, functions, and inputs/outputs of the VNA shall be remotely programmable over the digital interface specified in 3.12, using the command syntax in compliance with the specifications of Standard Commands for Programmable Instruments (SCPI).

3.13.1 Local and Remote Modes. The VNA shall go into remote mode upon receiving any remote command. During this state, operation through the front panel shall be disabled. The VNA shall be reset to manual mode from the front panel, and also via a remote command. When switching from remote to local mode, all parameter values shall remain unchanged.

3.14 Uncertainty Specifications. The manufacturer shall provide the VNA uncertainty specifications as a software solution described in the following sub-paragraph. The

NAVAIR METCAL IN-SERVICE ENGINEERING TEAM 2 Page 7 measurement conditions shall remain the same as described in 3.8 and its sub-paragraphs, including the choice of the measurement calibration method(s).

3.14.1.1 Uncertainty Calculator. It shall be capable of generating transmission magnitude uncertainties at various transmission values with known S11 = S22, and reflection magnitude uncertainties at various reflection values with known S12 = S21. It shall be available as a commercially available software platform to be run on a PC running Windows operating system. The proposal shall include description on how the uncertainty calculator handles the insertable vs. non-insertable measurement calibration, as well as omit isolation calibration.

3.15 Calibration/Repair Site. The manufacturer calibration and repair facilities/support shall be located within the continental United States.