test&measurementZONE Products for the week of July 10, 2006

Agilent Technologies Says . . .
GS-8210: Low-Cost Wireless Communications Test System
Designed To Reduce Mobile Phone Manufacturing And Service Costs

Agilent Technologies Inc. introduced a low-cost mobile-phone functional test system designed for the wireless communication market. The GS-8210 system includes a mobile station tester, test software and RF shield box with build-in antenna coupler.

The Agilent GS-8210 tester is designed for the low-cost mobile phone testing market. The RF shield box offers the environment to simulate call operation, provide reliable test results and avoid conflicts with real networks. Its software automates the user's testing program.

The mobile communication industry is experiencing a huge technology shift with the evolution to 3G. Manufacturers and service providers are continually pressured to deliver cheaper and more affordable handsets in order to attract more users. As the number of subscribers increases, the demand for easy-to-use and cost-efficient test equipment grows significantly stronger. Agilent's GS-8210 system addresses these needs, allowing users to perform functional testing on the manufacturing line, fault diagnoses and adjustments on the manufacturing QA and repair lines, and "go/no-go" test at service shops.

"In the last several years, we have had a tremendous opportunity to work closely with some of our strategic customers around the world," said Amir Aghdaei, vice president and general manager of Agilent's Measurement Systems Division. "They have clearly articulated their need for a solution that meets their price/performance requirements with Agilent's premium support and quality standards. The GS-8210 is aimed at setting a new standard in the market to meet and exceed customers' needs for a just-enough test solution."

EN-Genius Says...

I think the neatest thing about this low-cost, readily-usable test system is the RF shielded test chamber that comes with it. Unlike other offerings such as from Azimuth Systems, Agilent has achieved a very reasonable RF isolation of 60 dB using just a single clasp. The body is made of steel with a powder coating while the lid and rear panel are both aluminum. RF gaskets are fitted to both the lid and the rear panel -- which has two N connectors, with USB and D-Sub 25 connectors optional.

The shielding is guaranteed up to 2 GHz and the built-in antenna coupler operates over the range of 800 MHz to 2 GHz with an insertion loss of 10 dB to 18 dB and a VSWR of 1:1.7 and better.

The tester has an option for quad-band GSM/GPRS/EDGE operation at GSM850, GSM900, DCS1800 and PCS1900 and also for W-CDMA for Bands I through VI. Peak transmitter power measurements and power ramp range from -10 dBm to +39 dBm with an accuracy of ±1.0 dB and a resolution of ±0.1 dB. The display on the tester offers a vertical range of 80 dB and a horizontal scaling, with and without zoom, of -8.00 bits to +156.25 bits.

Phase error measurements cover a range from -20° to +20° with a resolution of 0.1° and an accuracy better than ±1.5°rms. EVM for EDGE 8PSK can be measured from 0% to 10% with a resolution of 0.01% while ORFS can be measured from less than -57 dB 400 kHz above and 400 kHz below center frequency with a resolution of 0.1 dB. Sensitivity/BER, ACLR, OBW, frequency error and modulated power measurements are also available. The internal RF signal generator is very comprehensive with frequency steps in 0.1 kHz and levels from -110.0 dBm to -20 dBm in 0.1 dB steps.

As Agilent defines it this system has a "just enough" test mindset that I applaud. It should be affordable by all the players in the test and repair of mobile phones, even at the store level. It will be a huge success and a worthy replacement for the earlier GS-8200.

Data Sheet