Keysight N9010B EXA Signal Analyzer: A Full-band Test Solution from R&D to Production

In the research and development of RF and microwave products, signal analyzers are core tools for design verification, problem debugging and compliance fulfillment. However, test requirements differ significantly across different development stages: early-stage R&D demands high phase noise performance to capture weak signals, production lines prioritize measurement speed and repeatability, while maintenance and certification require wide frequency coverage and standardized measurement functions. How can you balance these often conflicting requirements within a limited equipment budget? As the "cost-effective" representative of the X-Series signal analyzers, the Keysight N9010B EXA Signal Analyzer offers a solution worth considering.

1. Product Series Overview: Six Frequency-band Options Available On-demand

The N9010B EXA belongs to the Keysight X-Series signal analyzer family, positioned between the entry-level (CXA) and high-performance (PXA) models, with its core focus on balancing measurement capability and purchase cost. The series is divided into six standard models based on maximum input frequency:

All of the above models share the same software and hardware architecture, with differences only in the front-end microwave components and local oscillator frequency multiplier chain. For most organizations working on civilian wireless communications (up to 26.5 GHz), the N9010B-526 is the option with the widest coverage and the most outstanding cost-performance.

II. Core Specifications: The Foundation of True Test Performance

The following technical specifications are extracted from the official Keysight specification guide (N9010-90071, Edition 1, 2025), and all data have been statistically verified at the factory.

2.1 Frequency and Scanning Performance

· Frequency Reading Accuracy: ±(marker frequency × frequency reference accuracy + 0.25% × span + 5% × RBW + 2 Hz + 0.5 × horizontal resolution)

· Counter Accuracy: ±(marker frequency × frequency reference accuracy + 0.100 Hz), with 0.001 Hz resolution

· Span Accuracy: ±0.25% × span in sweep mode; ±0.10% × span in FFT mode

· Number of Sweep Points: Programmable from 1 to 100,001 points

For applications requiring accurate measurement of carrier offset or adjacent channel spacing, the built-in frequency counter limits error to the 0.1 Hz level, which far outperforms conventional spectrum sweep modes.

2.2 Amplitude and Noise Floor

· Displayed Average Noise Level (DANL): Typical values (1 Hz RBW, 20-30℃, preamplifier off)

        10 MHz – 2.1 GHz: -150 dBm

        2.1 – 3.6 GHz: -149 dBm

        7 – 13.6 GHz: -147 dBm

        20 – 26.5 GHz: -140 dBm

· With preamplifier enabled (Option P26): 10 MHz – 2.1 GHz, typical value -165 dBm

· Absolute Amplitude Accuracy (10 dB attenuation, -10 to -50 dBm input signal, 1 Hz≤RBW≤1 MHz):

        At 20-30℃: ±0.27 dB (95% confidence level)

        Over full temperature range (0-55℃): ±0.43 dB + frequency response

This noise floor level means that an effective signal-to-noise ratio can still be maintained even when measuring weak spurious signals below -150 dBm. With Option NF2 (Noise Floor Extension), the effective DANL can be further reduced to -156 dBm (preamplifier off) or -170 dBm (preamplifier on) in the 1.8 GHz IF band — which is particularly critical for base station receiver sensitivity tests.

2.3 Phase Noise (1 GHz Carrier)

· 10 kHz offset: -107 dBc/Hz (typical)

· 100 kHz offset: -115 dBc/Hz (typical)

· 1 MHz offset: -134 dBc/Hz (typical)

Compared with competitors at the same price point, the close-in phase noise (<100 Hz) of EXA is not the best, but its phase noise performance at offsets above 100 kHz is very solid, which is sufficient for evaluating in-band spurious emissions and local oscillator leakage of most communication transmitters.

2.4 Dynamic Range and Distortion

· Third Order Intercept (TOI) (20-30°C, 400 MHz – 3.6 GHz, preamp off): +14 dBm (nominal)

· Second Harmonic Intercept (SHI): +65 dBm (nominal) for 1.8 – 7 GHz frequency band

· 1 dB Gain Compression Point (mixer input): +9 dBm (20 MHz – 26.5 GHz)

· Residual Response: Below -100 dBm (sweep mode)

The above specifications indicate that when measuring small spurious emissions near large signals (such as adjacent channel leakage ratio of power amplifiers), EXA can maintain a wide linear range and is less prone to generate spurious intermodulation products.

Section 3: Advantages of Our Recommended Model N9010B-526 (26.5 GHz)

For the vast majority of wireless communications, IoT, industrial RF and defense electronics applications, 26.5 GHz is a key dividing point — it covers Wi-Fi 6/6E (6 GHz), 5G Sub-6GHz (3.5-4.2 GHz), C-band satellite (3.7-4.2 GHz), X-band radar (8-12 GHz) and Ku-band (12-18 GHz). Choosing N9010B-526 offers the following practical benefits:

1.    Multi-purpose frequency range: It covers from low-frequency spectrum starting at 10 Hz (such as power supply noise and audio signals) all the way up to the 26.5 GHz millimeter-wave frontier, eliminating the need to purchase multiple instruments for different frequency bands.

2.    Optional microwave preselector bypass (Option MPB): For fast sweep and highly repetitive production line testing, you can bypass the YIG preselector, increasing sweep speed and extending attenuator service life.

3.    Large Dynamic Range Analysis: At 10 kHz RBW with noise correction disabled, the adjacent channel dynamic range is approximately -68 dBc (at 5 MHz offset), and can be improved to -73 dBc when noise correction is enabled — this meets the strict 3GPP ACLR testing requirements for base stations.

4.    Flexible I/Q Capture Capability: It comes standard with 25 MHz analysis bandwidth (option B25), and can be upgraded to 40 MHz (option B40). With a memory that supports up to 32 million IQ sampling points, it can completely capture 802.11ac 40 MHz waveforms for EVM analysis.

5.    Integrated Multiple Measurement Applications: By installing different application software, the same hardware can perform special tests such as Bluetooth, WLAN, LTE, GSM/EDGE, noise figure, phase noise, analog demodulation, etc., avoiding repeated investment in multiple dedicated instruments.

IV. Typical Application Scenarios and Solutions

Scenario 1: Transmitter Verification for IoT Modules

When a company develops LoRa/NB-IoT modules, it needs to measure output power, frequency error and adjacent channel power ratio. Using EXA's "One-Key Power Suite" for measurement (Channel Power, ACP, OBW), operators do not need to deeply configure RBW/VBW, and can obtain a specification-compliant test report within 5 seconds. The instrument's 10 ms-class ACP measurement transfer time (Fast method) also guarantees the tact time for mass production testing on production lines.

Scenario 2: Downlink Spurious Emission Investigation for 5G Small Base Stations

When a 5G small base station transmits at 3.5 GHz, its second harmonic falls at 7 GHz, which is exactly within the measurement range of EXA-526. With option P26 (preamplifier) and the high-order harmonic measurement function, harmonic components below -110 dBm can be read directly. Combined with automatic limit line comparison of the Spectrum Emission Mask (SEM), it can instantly determine whether the measurement exceeds the limit specified in 3GPP TS 38.141.

Scenario 3: Envelope Analysis of Radar Pulse Signals

For pulse-modulated radars, it is required to measure pulse rise/fall time, top flatness and in-pulse frequency modulation. EXA's zero-span mode, combined with video triggering and gated sweep, can capture a time span from 1 μs to 6000 s, with a time accuracy of ±0.01%. Meanwhile, option YAS (Y-axis screen video output) can output the demodulated envelope signal to an oscilloscope in the form of analog voltage, which facilitates joint debugging with radar system timing.

Scenario 4: Integrated Noise Figure and Phase Noise Measurement

In the past, noise figure measurement required dedicated noise sources and instruments. After EXA installs option NFE (Noise Floor Extension) and the N9069EM0E noise figure measurement application, it can complete full-band scanning of amplifier gain and noise figure through the built-in calibration process. Phase noise measurement (N9068EM0E) also does not require an external phase detector, and directly obtains high-sensitivity results based on the cross-correlation algorithm. The measurement accuracy is better than ±0.61 dB at 1 GHz carrier with 10 kHz offset.

5. Supporting Software and Accessories — Expand Value

The hardware front end also retains two practical physical interfaces: the probe power port (+15 V / -12.6 V) can directly drive active probes; the 28 V pulse output on the rear panel is specially designed for Keysight SNS series noise sources, enabling automated Y-factor measurement.

VI. Comparison Reference: Brief Differences from Equivalent Positioned Instruments

Since the specific specifications of products from different brands involve continuously updated technical parameters, this general comparison is based only on publicly available historical data (no specific competitors are named, and it is for technical consideration only). For entry-level spectrum analyzers in the same price range, the phase noise of competing products at 10 kHz offset usually ranges from -95 to -100 dBc/Hz, while the N9010B-526 achieves -107 dBc/Hz, which is more favorable for in-channel blocking tests. In addition, the 25 MHz analysis bandwidth that is standard on EXA, along with its upgradeable 40 MHz bandwidth, requires competitors to charge extra for optional accessories to achieve a similar instantaneous bandwidth. In terms of absolute amplitude accuracy, EXA's ±0.27 dB (below 3.6 GHz) at 95% confidence level is among the top performance of similar products, which is attributed to the long-term investment of Keysight in digital IF calibration algorithms.

Of course, there are also competing models that perform excellently in terms of UI operation habits or dynamic range in specific frequency bands. Therefore, the final selection should be comprehensively evaluated based on your own maximum frequency requirement, measurement speed requirement and compatibility with existing test systems.

7. Summary and Further Support

The N9010B EXA signal analyzer series, with its clear product hierarchy, factory-validated technical specifications, and the common measurement application ecosystem of the X-Series, helps engineers reduce errors and repeated learning costs caused by instrument changes from design verification to mass production testing. The N9010B-526 covers key frequency ranges from low-frequency control signals to the cutting-edge 26.5 GHz millimeter wave band, making it a reliable partner for most laboratories and production lines.

If you are currently evaluating signal analysis equipment, need a more detailed uncertainty analysis for specific frequency bands or measurement items, or want to experience a demo unit with actual options installed, please feel free to contact us. We can provide targeted configuration recommendations based on your device under test (DUT) type (such as 5G FR1, Wi-Fi 7, automotive radar or military frequency hopping radio), and help you understand the test conditions and limitations behind the specifications.