Siglent SSA3000X and SSA3000X-Plus Spectrum Analyzers

[DL4JY]

Thanks for the info! About as i thought. So due the price I think I'll wait 3 years when the guarantee has went out to flash it then, because I'm not that keen on to buy a new one if its goes south.

But what exactely do I earn in options when cross flashed compared to a fully optioned 3021X Plus? Have seen slightly different answers about this.

The answers are consistent.
cross flash: 3021x+ -> SVA1032  (when the 3032 option is applied)
No cross flash and you apply the option via python: SSA3032x+ with EMI etc. (all)

[tv84]

But what exactely do I earn in options when cross flashed compared to a fully optioned 3021X Plus? Have seen slightly different answers about this.

The VNA option.

[Mick B]

One good reason to crossover to a SVA is you don't need a bridge to do S11. I mean while you're there hacking the thing what's a few more steps. A good bridge is spendy.
just my 2 pennies.

[Mick B]

the VNA option ......that's funny.

[tautech]

But what exactely do I earn in options when cross flashed compared to a fully optioned 3021X Plus? Have seen slightly different answers about this.

The VNA option.

And DTF/TDR capability.
The SVA1000X Mode button menu attached.

SSA3000X-R models have another option in the Mode menu, RTSA.

[William_K]

And DTF/TDR capability.
The SVA1000X Mode button menu attached.

The answers I was looking for, thanks.

3000X-R series are unfortunately extremely expensive otherwise I would have take one of those instead since RTSA is sweet.

DTF/TDR is nothing I will ever use, and in honesty all with VNA is pretty much new ground for me since I have not really dealt with it before, SA I have some but not really that complex as the 3021X is. I have seen what a VNA can be used for and that is things I very, very rarely do, but who knows. But do reflection test without a bridge is cool, don't know how the VNA can do that though.

I see now that I missed some answers like that one that the VNA in the 1032 will have little worse bandwidth but that was normal but that the SA will be exactly the same as if I hadn't cross flashed it. And it was possible to do VNA even after you had done all the options for the 3032X+ as I understod, that's good.

So is there really any downsides at all to do VNA? Forget about guarantee and such.

[William_K]

All options done! Not VNA though, yet. Thanks to all involved to have made this possible!

------

Oh yea by the way, I just managed to totally lock it! And It was a really hard lock since not even the power switch worked. I was surprised to say the least.

I had gone through all the selections of all the choices of all the things in the mode menu, and was on the last "EMI" and went though all the button options there as well, but i did not change anything, just to see what it was. After that I pushed "mode" and SA, and the SA was about to lit up to say it was marked but at the same ms it all totally locked and that hard. I was really surprised to say the least. I had restarted it between every option.

[tautech]

I have seen what a VNA can be used for and that is things I very, very rarely do, but who knows. But do reflection test without a bridge is cool, don't know how the VNA can do that though.

That's what I thought too until getting a SVA1015X to complement my SSA3023X (before X Plus). Both later sold and replaced with SVA1032X.

After getting to know SVA  I found projects for the VNA capability some of which could've been done with a reflection bridge however not needing one with the inbuilt bridge in SVA is much more convenient and didn't have the directivity issues an external bridge can have.

Improving RF device performance by optimising antennae for me is SVA's greatest strength and being able to accurately measure antenna parameters and adjust/correct as required.
This gives a good idea of what they can do:
https://www.eevblog.com/forum/rf-microwave/antenna-project-log/

So is there really any downsides at all to do VNA?

No.

Attached is a screenshot of VNA mode, Measure Formats.
You will use several for antenna work and can overlay each using the 4 traces available for which I did many examples in this thread:
https://www.eevblog.com/forum/rf-microwave/what-really-is-this-antenna/

[William_K]

Good work! Interesting.

Ok, more leaning towards it, and even if you don't need it its no problems in any way to have it there I guess since well the 1015X is a VNA with the same HW and all as I have understood.


By the way, would it be better or worse to first update it before cross-flash or after it has been flashed or not at all?

[tautech]

Good work! Interesting.

Ok, more leaning towards it, and even if you don't need it its no problems in any way to have it there I guess since well the 1015X is a VNA with the same HW and all as I have understood.

SSA1015X Plus and SVA1015X share HW. SSA3021X Plus and higher BW models are slightly different spec and some share HW with SVA1032X, your target. 

FW updates have no impact on Siglent models.

[William_K]

I have now looked thought countless pages and I don't know how many comments during pretty much all day and night.

One question:

Can the option RT40 be completely removed when flash so it will never been shown? I saw that someone said it was seen and could even be started but since it doesn't contain a RT so will it of course not show anything.


Edit: found after hours of digging valid answers, I think, to all of the others but not to the one above.

[DL4JY]

Do you have a Siglent SA or not?

This sounds to me like theoretical analysis only.
Get one and you will see.

[William_K]

I very recently got home my SSA3021X Plus and immediately upgraded it to a 3032. On to a 1015 later on? I don't know yet, think I'll get a little cozy with this one first.

[tautech]

On to a 1015 later on?

Certainly not ! Different HW.

[DL4JY]

Can the option RT40 be completely removed when flash so it will never been shown? I saw that someone said it was seen and could even be started but since it doesn't contain a RT so will it of course not show anything.

and ? are you seeing the RT40 option being enabled in your SA ?

[William_K]

I'm talking about the cross-flash to a SVA1032.

I of course don't see in it mine 3032 but I was just wondering about it if I do an future cross-flash so it then is the "virtual" SVA1032 just to get the VNA option, where it seem to be like RT40 is installed automatically if I have understood it right.

[DL4JY]

and you will not see it in the SVA unless you use the factory mode to enable the options. Which makes no sense anymore as the Python script is available.

[William_K]

When cross-flash 3032 to 1032 all available options is put into the 1032 incl RF40 which cant be used but allegedly is shown anyway. I assume the RT40 option in the 1032 would be greyed out instead until you enable that option with the pyton script?

[tautech]

When cross-flash 3032 to 1032 all available options is put into the 1032 incl RF40 which cant be used but allegedly is shown anyway. I assume the RT40 option in the 1032 would be greyed out instead until you enable that option with the pyton script?

RT40 has never been an option for SVA whereas it is a SSA3000X-R option.

[William_K]

No of course not but it is enabled never the the less according to the bottom of post 1619 with the install instruction and also a picture of bottom post with it enabled:

SVA1032X now has all options permanently enabled (including RT40 which does not work in this HW version). Model name is SVA1032X, serial number shows XXXX.

Post 1619 and 1628

These are 2 years back so I don't know it ifs still the same today, and thus the question about this. Cross-flashed 1032 does not support RT40 as we all know because it doesn't have RT, but it is seen and can be started never the less as it seem but doesn't show anything and thus the question if it can be totally removed from the installation instead.

[tautech]

SVA and X-R are different HW at 3.2 GHz and below.
Datasheets clearly show this.

[DL4JY]

No of course not but it is enabled never the the less according to the bottom of post 1619 with the install instruction and also a picture of bottom post with it enabled:

SVA1032X now has all options permanently enabled (including RT40 which does not work in this HW version). Model name is SVA1032X, serial number shows XXXX.

Post 1619 and 1628

These are 2 years back so I don't know it ifs still the same today, and thus the question about this. Cross-flashed 1032 does not support RT40 as we all know because it doesn't have RT, but it is seen and can be started never the less as it seem but doesn't show anything and thus the question if it can be totally removed from the installation instead.

you pointed it out , this is antique.
That method was called  factory mode.


Full stop

[tv84]

No of course not but it is enabled never the the less according to the bottom of post 1619 with the install instruction and also a picture of bottom post with it enabled:

SVA1032X now has all options permanently enabled (including RT40 which does not work in this HW version). Model name is SVA1032X, serial number shows XXXX.

Post 1619 and 1628

These are 2 years back so I don't know it ifs still the same today, and thus the question about this. Cross-flashed 1032 does not support RT40 as we all know because it doesn't have RT, but it is seen and can be started never the less as it seem but doesn't show anything and thus the question if it can be totally removed from the installation instead.

@William_K, once and for all try to understand this:

Post 1619 was never an endorsed and/or "official" way of doing the licensing. It had the correct mechanics of the crossflash but that's all. The way some people, at that time (and some still today), were doing the licensing was by removing (renaming) the license files.

That method would cause the program to behave erraticaly, because once it didn't find the files, it DISPLAYED ALL OPTIONS that the software contain in it's code (because the code is mostly shared between all the SSA, SVA families, so IT CONTAINS ALL POSSIBLE OPTIONS from all these various equipments).

The fact that it displayed the options didn't mean "sheet". Some of them are useless for that specific HW combination.

SO, if you do a proper crossflash AND a proper licensing (with the license keys) you will never see any unintended option in the model that you are running.

[William_K]

Finally the answer I was looking for, thanks!

[DL4JY]

Finally the answer I was looking for, thanks!

which was re-iterated numouros times