Tektronix adds 5G capabilities to its award-winning high-performance oscilloscopes

     Tektronix has announced the release of SignalVu 5G NR analysis software for the MSO6B oscilloscope. Engineers can now perform critical 5G NR measurements, develop and characterize new electronic designs in accordance with 3GPP specifications on the oscilloscopes they rely on. RF system designers prefer the MSO6B oscilloscope for viewing power rails, digital control buses and I/O signals as well as RF signals. Each channel has a digital downconverter that allows spectral analysis in synchronization with the time-domain waveform. Engineers can view the signal characteristics that make up a design in a time-correlated manner. 5G system designers can now add 5G NR signal analysis capabilities to Tektronix oscilloscopes to quickly diagnose problematic signal interactions on a single oscilloscope without the hassle of correlating multiple instruments.

     In addition to being able to view various signals simultaneously, the MSO6B provides the wide capture bandwidth and low inherent noise required for 5G signal analysis. Delivering this performance on an oscilloscope reduces the need for an expensive dedicated vector signal analyzer. "By integrating 5G NR, users can view the entire system in a single instrument to debug the most complex designs to meet future specifications," said Chris Witt, vice president and general manager of portfolio solutions at Tektronix. "We are very excited to see So far, the early reaction from customers using this technology to test new DUTs has been overwhelming.”

     The latest analysis software can perform pass/fail tests for the 5G NR physical layer and verify the quality of the transmitter design according to the 5G NR standard determined by the 3GPP version 15/16 test specification. It includes important signal quality measurements such as error vector magnitude (EVM), adjacent channel power (ACP), spectral emission mask (SEM), and power versus time (PVT). Tektronix developed the latest 5G NR analysis software using algorithms from NI (formerly National Instruments), a recognized market leader in automated test and measurement.

     "NI is very excited to partner with Tektronix to provide multiple ways to trigger, capture, analyze and diagnose complex 5G integration and design issues not typically found in traditional VSAs." Senior Vice President and President, Portfolio Product Line, NI "Integrating NI's 5G algorithms within SignalVu vector signal analysis (VSA) software running on Tektronix oscilloscopes and signal analyzers will create new value in customers' workflows," said Josh Mueller, manager.

     Tektronix MSO6B-based 5G NR physical layer solutions offer many distinct advantages over traditional signal analyzers, supporting comprehensive signal analysis capabilities up to 2 GHz with low instrument noise for accurate EVM measurements. For high frequency systems such as FR2, the 5GNR analysis option is also available with the DPO70000SX, which provides up to 70 GHz of bandwidth. For engineers using real-time signal analyzers, the 5GNR option is also available for the Tektronix RSA500 and RSA5000 series. The software works exactly the same way on an oscilloscope and signal analyzer, and there is no need to learn new tools.