Full-featured CW Microwave Counters
for Field, Factory or Lab
Product Overview
• Ultrawiderange,singleinput
(from50MHzupto46GHz)
• Simultaneouspowerandfrequency
measurementwithanalogpeaking
indicator
• GPIBandRS-232standard
• Lightweightandrugged
• Batteryoptional
Agilent53150A20GHzCounter
Agilent53151A26.5GHzCounter
Agilent53152A46GHzCounter
Highperformance
microwave counters:
at home, in the field,
bench or ATE environment
2
Convenience,portabilityand
outstandingperformance
Theinnovativedesignsofthe
Agilent53150Seriesmicrowave
counters offer an uncluttered, feature-
ladenfrontpanel.Thesedesigns
presentno-compromiseperformance
andqualityinasurprisinglysmall,
light,batteryoperatedproduct.
Theconvenienceofasingle
microwaveinput
TheAgilent53150Serieshasan
advancedsamplerthatintegratesa
separatezerobiasSchottkydiodefor
theaccuratemeasurementofinput
power.Thisallowsmeasurementof
bothfrequencyandpowerwitha
singleconnection.Nocompromise
infrequencycoverageisrequiredfor
thiscapability.Theultrawideband
microwaveinputcoverstheentire
RFandmicrowavespectrum,from
intermediatefrequenciesIFs)of
50MHztomillimeterwaves.
Thepowermeasurementaccuracy
andrepeatabilityofthesecounters
rivalspowermeterswithdiode
sensors.Sincefrequencyandpower
oftheinputsignalaremeasured
simultaneously, adjustment for the
diode’sfrequencyresponseisdone
automatically.Andlikethelatestin
diodesensors,compensationisalso
madefordeviationfromsquarelaw.
Fieldtoughbutreadyfor
benchtoporATE applications
TheAgilent53150Seriesisascomfort-
ableinthefieldasinthelaboratory.
Theruggedcasewithanintegrated
tiltinghandlecantoleratethevibration
andshockexpectedinfielduse.
ThebacklitLCDdisplayensures
visibility in all environments, from
darktofullsunlight,atdistances
exceeding15feet.
IfACpowerisunavailable,theinternal,
replaceablecamcorderbatteriespro-
videatleast2.5hoursofcontinuous
operation.Theunitcanalsobepowered
fromanexternal11-18VDCsource.
ForbenchtopandATEapplications,
theAgilent53150Seriesdeliversfull
functionalityandhighmeasurement
speed.Thefullyprogrammable
RS-232interfaceandhighspeed
GPIBinterfacearestandardfeatures.
Nocompromiseperformance
TheAgilent53150Seriesoffers
exceptionalsensitivitybyutilizinga
singleboarddesignwithlowphase
noisePLLcircuitry.Despitetheir
simpleappearance,thesecounters
retainallthepowerfulfunctionsone
expectsinprecisioninstrumentation:
measurementaveraging,arbitrary
aswellasnullingoffsetsforboth
frequencyandpower,displayof
powerineitherdBmorWatts.
Additionalcapabilitiesincludefull
controlofresolution,samplingrate,
andGPIBaddress,plusextensive
self-diagnostics,fastacquisition
timesandfullprogrammability.
Performancesurpassestheindustry
standardAgilent5350Series,in
virtuallyeveryaspect,inapackage
lessthanhalftheweightandsize.
3
MeasurementSpecificationsandCharacteristics
All measurement specifications are over the full signal and temperature ranges unless otherwise noted.
Inputcharacteristics Agilent53150A Agilent53151A Agilent53152A
Frequency range
Channel1(Normalmode)
(Lowpassfilterenabled)
Channel2
10Hz-125MHz
10Hz-50kHz
50MHz-20GHz
10Hz-125MHz
10Hz-50kHz
50MHz-26.5GHz
10Hz-125MHz
10Hz-50kHz
50MHz-46GHz
Sensitivity
Channel1
10-30Hz
30Hz-125MHz
40mVrms
25mVrms
40mVrms
25mVrms
40mVrms
25mVrms
Channel2
50-300MHz
0.3-12.4GHz
12.4-18GHz
18-20GHz
20-26.5GHz
26.5-40GHz
40-46GHz
–20dBm
–33dBm
–33dBm
–29dBm
N/A
N/A
N/A
–20dBm
–33dBm
–33dBm
–29dBm
–25dBm
N/A
N/A
–20dBm
–33dBm
–30dBm
–27dBm
–27dBm
–23dBm
–17dBm
Maximum input
Channel1 2Vrms 2Vrms 2Vrms
Channel2
50MHz-2GHz
2-46GHz
+5dBm
+13dBm
+5dBm
+13dBm
+5dBm
+13dBm
Damage level
Channel1 120V(DC+ACpk)linearly
deratedto5Vrmsat125MHz
120V(DC+ACpk)linearly
deratedto5Vrmsat125MHz
120V(DC+ACpk)linearly
deratedto5Vrmsat125MHz
Channel2 +27dBm +27dBm +27dBm
Impedance
(Nominal)
Channel1 1MΩ/60pF 1MΩ/60pF 1MΩ/60pF
Channel2 50Ω 50Ω 50Ω
Connector
Channel1
Channel2
BNCfemale
SMA/APC-3.5
compatiblefemale
BNCfemale
SMA/APC-3.5
compatiblefemale
BNCfemale
2.92mmremovable,
SMA/APC-3.5compatiblefemale
SWR (Typical)
Channel2
50-300MHz
0.3-10GHz
10-20GHz
20-26.5GHz
26.5-46GHz
1.5:1typical
2.0:1typical
3.0:1typical
N/A
N/A
1.5:1typical
2.0:1typical
3.0:1typical
3.0:1typical
N/A
1.5:1typical
2.0:1typical
3.0:1typical
2.5:1typical
2.5:1typical
Coupling
Channel1
Channel2
AC
AC
AC
AC
AC
AC
Emissions (Typical)
(“kickbacknoise“)
Channel1
Channel2(measuring/noinput)
N/A
–40dBm/<–70dBm
N/A
–40dBm/<–70dBm
N/A
–40dBm/<–70dBm
Resolution
Channel1/Channel2 1Hzto1MHz 1Hzto1MHz 1Hzto1MHz
4
MeasurementSpecificationsandCharacteristicsContinued...
Input characteristics Agilent 53150A Agilent 53151A Agilent 53152A
Accuracy
Channel1/Channel2
(LSD=resolutionselection)
±1LSD±residualstability
±(timebaseerrorxfrequency)
±1LSD±residualstability
±(timebaseerrorxfrequency)
±1LSD±residualstability
±(timebaseerrorxfrequency)
Residual stability*
Channel1
Channel2
*Counter and source tied to same timebase
N/A
0.6LSDrms
N/A
0.8LSDrms
N/A
1.25LSDrms
Measurement time
(Typical)
Channel1
Channel2
1/Resolution+20ms
1/Resolution+
Acquisitiontime+20ms
1/Resolution+20ms
1/Resolution+
Acquisitiontime+20ms
1/Resolution+20ms
1/Resolution+
Acquisitiontime+20ms
Acquisition time
(Typical)
(1MHzFMrate,powermeasurementoff)
Channel1
Channel2(FMAuto/FMOff)
N/A
125ms/100ms
N/A
125ms/100ms
N/A
140ms/115ms
FM tolerance
Channel1
Channel2(FMAuto)
(FMOff)
N/A
20MHzp-pmax@10MHzrate
1MHzp-p@10MHzrate
N/A
20MHzp-pmax@10MHzrate
1MHzp-p@10MHzrate
N/A
20MHzp-pmaxto26.5GHz,
12MHzp-pmaxabove26.5GHz
@10MHzrate
1MHzp-p@10MHzrate
AM tolerance
Channel1,Channel2 Anyindexprovidedminimum
signallevelisnotlessthan
sensitivity
Anyindexprovidedminimum
signallevelisnotlessthan
sensitivity
Anyindexprovidedminimum
signallevelisnotlessthan
sensitivity
Amplitude discrimination
Channel1
Channel2
below300MHz
above300MHz
N/A
N/A
Automaticallymeasuresthelarg-
estsignalpresentprovidedsignal
is>10dB(typical)aboveanysig-
nalseparatedbylessthan75MHz;
>20dB(typical)aboveanysignal
separatedbymorethan75MHz
N/A
N/A
Automaticallymeasuresthelarg-
estsignalpresentprovidedsignal
is>10dB(typical)aboveanysig-
nalseparatedbylessthan75MHz;
>20dB(typical)aboveanysignal
separatedbymorethan75MHz
N/A
N/A
Automaticallymeasuresthelarg-
estsignalpresentprovidedsignal
is>10dB(typical)aboveanysig-
nalseparatedbylessthan75MHz;
>20dB(typical)aboveanysignal
separatedbymorethan75MHz
Power measurement
Channel1
Channel2
N/A N/A N/A
Range
Accuracyatinputconnector**
(0dBmto–20dBm)
0.05-12.4GHz
12.4-20GHz
20-26.5GHz
26.5-46GHz
Resolution
Display
Countersensitivityto+7dBm
±1.5dB
±1.5dB
N/A
N/A
0.01dB
dBmormillwatts/microwatts
Countersensitivityto+7dBm
±1.5dB
±1.5dB
±2.0dB
N/A
0.01dB
dBmormillwatts/microwatts
Countersensitivityto+7dBm
±1.0dB
±1.5dB
±1.5dB
±2.0dB
0.01dB
dBmormillwatts/microwatts
**see graphs for typical data
5
Frequency in GHz
Agilent 53150A/151A
Agilent 53152A
±dB Uncertainty
0.8
0.7
0.6
0.5
0.4
0.3
0.2
0.1
0
0.25 1 2 4 6 8 10 12 14 16 18 20 22 26.5 30 35 40 46
Frequency in GHz
Agilent 53150A/151A
Agilent 53152A
±dB Uncertainty
0.8
0.7
0.6
0.5
0.4
0.3
0.2
0.1
0
0.25 1 2 4 6 8 10 12 14 16 18 20 22 26.5 30 35 40 46
Figure 1. –10 dBm input level at 25 °C
Typical*powermeasurementuncertaintyat25°Cforvariousinputlevels
*Typical means approximately 2/3 of all units will meet these characteristics.
Figure 2. 0 dBm and –20 dBm input level at 25 °C
6
Figure 3. –25 dBm input level at 25 °C
Typical*powermeasurementuncertaintyat–25dBminputlevel
*Typical means approximately 2/3 of all units will meet these characteristics.
Figure 4. –25 dBm input level from 0 to 55 °C
Frequency in GHz
Agilent 53150A/151A
Agilent 53152A
±dB Uncertainty
1
0.9
0.8
0.7
0.6
0.5
0.4
0.3
0.2
0.1
0
0.25 1 2 4 6 8 10 12 14 16 18 20 22 26.5
Frequency in GHz
Agilent 53150A/151A
Agilent 53152A
±dB Uncertainty
1.8
1.6
1.4
1.2
1.0
0.8
0.6
0.4
0.2
0
0.25 1 2 4 6 8 10 12 14 16 18 20 22 26.5
7
Timebase
Frequency:10MHz
Output:10MHzsinewave,1Vrmsinto
50Ω
Externaltimebaseinput:1,2,5,10MHz;
1to5Vrmsinto50Ω
Connector:BNCfemalelocatedonrear
panel
Internaltimebasestability
TCXO
(Standard)
Oven
(Option001)
Agingrate
Perday — <5x10–10
Permonth <1x10–7 <1.5x10–8
Shortterm <1x10–9 <2x10–10
(1savg.time)
Line variation <1x10–7 <1x10–10
(±10%)
Warm-up — <1x10–8
within5min.
after turn-on
at25°C
Temperature
stability(0-55°C) <1x10–6 <1x10–8
Generalinformation
Saveandrecall:Upto9complete
instrumentsetupsmaybesavedand
laterrecalled.Thesesetupsare
retainedwhenpowerisremoved.
Samplerate:User-selectable
Fast(nominally20msbetween
readings),Medium(nominally
250msbetweenreadings),Slow
(nominally1sbetweenreadings)
andHold.
Selftest:Internalmemoryandcount
circuitry automatically tested at
startup,viamenuselection,or
remotely.Errormessagesdisplayed
toindicatefailedtests.
Size:213mmWx88.5mmHx300mmD
Operatingtemperature:0-55°C
Withbatteryoption:0-40°C
Weight:4kgwithoutbatteryoption,
6.4kgwithbatteryoption
Warranty: 1year
Programming:GPIB(IEEE-488.1-1987,
IEEE488.2-1987)orRS-232C
Language:SCPI-1992.0(Standard
CommandsforProgrammable
Instruments)
RS-232Crates:User-selectable2400
to19200baud
Powersupply:
AC:90-132Vac;47.5-66Hzor360-
440Hz216-264Vac;47.5-66Hz
line selection: automatic
 powerrequirements:75VAmax.
 (25Wtyp.)
DC:(Option002only):11-18Vdc;
2Amax.
Battery(Option002):
Type:VHScamcorder,leadacid
(2each)
Chargetime:8hoursinunit
Capacity:2.5hoursmin.at25°C
Math functions:
Offset: Lastreadingand/or
enteredoffsettoreadingforeither
powerorfrequency
Averaging:1to99measurement
runningaverage
Cablelosscompensation: Offsets
powerreadingvialinear
interpolationofuser-entered
attenuationswithupto9
independentfrequencypoints.
Display:BacklitLCD.Backlightcanbe
turnedonoroffviafrontpanelcon-
trol.
Sleepmode(Option002only):
Automaticallyactivatedifnoinputis
presentfor5minutes.
Safety:Designedincompliancewith
IEC-1010,CAN/CSA1010.1
EMC:Designedincompliancewith
IEC-11,EN50082-1,IEC801-2,-3,-4.
Accessoriessupplied
Operating,programming,andservice
manuals and ACpowercord.
Orderinginformation
Agilent53150A 20GHzcounter
Agilent53151A 26.5GHzcounter
Agilent53152A 46GHzcounter
Options
Option001 OvenTimebase
Option002 BatteryandDCinput
Option1CM
(53150-67001)Rackmountkit
53153A(Option007)Softcarryingcase
for
5315xAmicrowavecounters
OptionA6J ANSI7540Compliant
Calibration
OptionW30 ThreeyearsofReturnRepair
Service
OptionW50 FiveyearsofReturnRepair
Service
FormoreinformationonAgilent
Technologies’products,applicationsor
services,pleasecontactyourlocalAgilent
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Europe & Middle East
Belgium 32(0)24049340
Denmark 4570131515
Finland 358(0)108552100
France 0825010700*
*0.125€/minute
Germany 49(0)70314646333
Ireland 1890924204
Israel 972-3-9288-504/544
Italy 390292608484
Netherlands 31(0)205472111
Spain 34(91)6313300
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UnitedKingdom 44(0)1314520200
For other unlisted countries:
www.agilent.com/find/contactus
Revised:June8,2011
Productspecificationsanddescriptions
inthisdocumentsubjecttochange
withoutnotice.
©AgilentTechnologies,Inc.2011
PublishedinUSA,December5,2011
5966-3118E
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