Suggest some good quality N male-N male VNA cables up to 8 GHz

[AL0117]

Hello fellows,

Could you suggest some good quality N male-N male VNA cables up to 8 GHz ?
The price is also an importand issue.

Also, I am looking for some calibration kitt for 75 ohm F connectors (open/load/short/thru). Could you suggest a vendor for these (other then Agilent)?

10x in advance.
Al

 

[sergio mariotti]

Re: VNA questions

Hello fellows,

Could you suggest some good quality N male-N male VNA cables up to 8 GHz ?
The price is also an importand issue.

Also, I am looking for some calibration kitt for 75 ohm F connectors (open/load/short/thru). Could you suggest a vendor for these (other then @gilent)?

10x in advance.
Al

Cables assemblies:
What does it means "good quality" ?
For VNA use, "good quality" means extremally low phase change and loss variation. Also connectors shoul'd be "precision type". Precision type N connectors are rated up to 18 Ghz while the usual N type is rated to 12.4 GHz.
So, in order to get a cable assembly with precision type N connectors i suggest to look at to 18 GHz cables.
Times, Harbour, Huber+Suhner produce and sell lower cost alternative to the most expensive GoreTex calbes.
It's important that the cable assemby be rated "for VNA".

CalKit:
Rosemberger sell an european alternative to US made CalKit.
Maury Microwave can sell "economical" and customer tilored CalKit, you may buy a plastic suitcase instead expensive wood made one. Also, you may buy exactly (and only) the standards you need. Remember that often CalKit suitcases contains some expensive standard/adapters never used.

For usual measurements, up to moderate uncertainty, up to 8 GHz, and used by 1 or max 2 technically educated peoples, your cheapest need may be the following:
1) 1 Short male
2) 1 short female
3) 1 open male
4) 1 open female
5) 1 load male broadband
6) 1 load female broadband
7) 1 male-female transition of electrical lenght L
8) 1 male-male transition of electrical lenght L
9) 1 female-female transition of electrical lenght L

Note: electrical Lenght must be the same!

That configuration allow SOLT and SOLT/adapter swapping Calibration techniques.

No need for slidings loads, TRL kits, Gages, adapter to 7mm, air lines and other exoctic standards.

 

[AL0117]

Re: VNA questions

Hi Sergio,

Thankx for your prompt reply. You are right, I am looking for some stable phase cables. I will check the manufacturers you mentioned. The ideea is that I don't want to spend more money for the cables then I should.

Regarding the calkit, I am looking exactly for the calibration standards that you mentioned. The problem is that I need them for 75 ohm F type connectors, and till now the only vendor I found is @gilent, and is quite expensive. My budget is limited somehow. I know that Maury, Anritsu and maybe others has 75 ohm calkits, but they are moust for N (75 ohm) connectors. I used the "swap-equal-adapters"method for my 50 ohm N calkit and SMA adapters, but for the 75 ohm measurements some N-to -F adapters are at least so hard to find as the F calkit.
So, my question is, if someone faced the same problem, maybe he knows where to find the mentioned F calkits.

Your input is welcomed.

10x,
Al

 

[sergio mariotti]

Re: VNA questions

Rosenberger sell type F CalKits

**broken link removed**

 

[g579]

Re: VNA questions

Do you know what would this F calkit of Rosenberger cost ?
Thanks

 

[Element_115]

Re: VNA questions

Try MegaPhase, they are inexpensive and have good performance.
They can make most connector type per your request too.
I think MegaPhase VNA Cables to 8GHz are ~$300 USD each, and
comparable R&S or Gore cables are (I THINK)~$1000 USD each.

Cheers

 

[Bouli]

Re: VNA questions

You don't have to buy call kit. Rosenberger sells also separetly standards. So you can buy for eg. only SHORT or what do you need. I did this for SMA call kit and it is the cheapest solution. One standard for SMA call kit cost about 100$.

 

[AL0117]

Re: VNA questions

Hi all,

I just received some quotation and the prices are as follows:

Megaphase N-N cable 4GHz 24 inch long 520 USD
Megaphase N-N cable 8GHz 24 inch long 580 USD

Rosenberger N-N cable 26 GHz 1 m long 1200 EUR

Rosenberger F calibration kit 2000 EUR
Rosenberger SMA calibration kit 9000 EUR

SMA calibration standards (O/S/L) about 200-250 EUR each

If someone has additional information, please post it here.

rgds,
Al

 

[biff44]

Re: VNA questions

You can often get cal cables at great discount on Ebay. Usually the cal kits go high, though.

 

[g579]

Re: VNA questions

If somebody is interested just listed on ebay
Agilent/HP 85036B 75 Ohm N Calibration Kit, for USD 1000 and 0 bids
( hxxp://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=25399&item=7508441977&rd=1&ssPageName=WDVW )
g579

 

[hcseu]

VNA questions

how about tucker, there are many new and refurbished instruments and the price is not very expensive
www.tucker.com

 

[sergio mariotti]

Re: VNA questions

i would write my opinion about new, used, refurbished VNAs.

For my opinion the "commercial" life of a VNA, from it's appearing on the market to the obsolescence, is very long, 15 to 20 years are usual. So a refurbished VNA may be a cheaper solution. Take in considaration the risk of lack of spare parts. I.e. Agilent stop to sell spare parts 5 years after stop production. But VNA are robusts instruments and except for the connectors, a broke is rare.

Different is the opinion about CalKits.
The life of the CalKits span from 0 to "infinity" years depending only on the care applied by the users. Clean the dirty and gaging the standards in not enough. There is no possibility to check the mechanical condition of the "tulipan" female contact (how the female slots are good).
A bad female contact give an extra (and unknown) inductance or capacitance.

Because the uncertainty of VNA measurements are dominated by CalKit accuracy, my suggestion is buy a new one Cal Kit and eventually a refurbished VNA.