Com-Power PAM-118A Preamplifier 500 MHz – 18 GHz

• Description
• Features
• Specifications

Description

The PAM-118A is a wideband, high gain, bench top microwave preamplifier. The PAM-118A has a fre-quency range of 500 MHz to 18 GHz. This preamplifier is primarily intended for EMC applications; however, it may be used for other applications that require low noise and high signal amplification.

The simple front panel consists of two 50 Ohm matched precision N-connectors for input and out¬put. The preamplifier was designed to have flat gain with minimal variation over the entire frequency range. The flat gain helps in taking fast adhoc read¬ings during troubleshooting, R&D phase. The high gain and low noise figure of PAM-118A increases system sensitivity of effectively all measurement systems. It is very effective in measuring low level signals during Electromagnetic Interference (EMI) testing. It has low VSWR and high reverse isolation.

Each preamplifier is individually calibrated using equipment traceable to National Institute of Stan¬dards and Technology. The PAM-118A is battery powered to avoid any noise effects of power cables. It can also be powered by 15 VDC, 500 mA power adapter (provided with the unit).

Features

• Ultra Wideband - 500 MHz to 18 GHz
• High Gain - 40 dB minimum
• Flat Response - + 2.5 dB
• Low Noise Figure - 3 dB max
• P1dB Gain Compression - +12 dBm
• Battery Powered

Com-Power PAM-118 A Application

The PAM-118A preamplifier increases system sensitiv­ity enhancing the capability of measurement system to measure low level signals. It also provides input isolation to your spectrum analyzer or receiver.

During EMC measurements the antennas are usu­ally placed at a distance of 1 to 10 meters from the equipment under test. Most antennas operating above 1 GHz typically have high antenna factors. In addition, the long interconnecting cables, espe­cially operating in the microwave frequencies have high cable loss. These factors make it difficult to distinguish low level signal from the noise floor of the spectrum analyzer / receiver. The preamplifier improves system sensitivity by amplifying the signals before they reach the spectrum analyzer / receiver input thereby improving the signal to noise ratio.

The system sensitivity can be further improved by connecting the preamplifier as close as possible to the the antenna output. This eliminates the at­tenuation of the signal due to long cable length before the preamplifier gets a chance to amplify it. The reduced cable length from antenna output to preamplifier input drastically improves the overall system sensitivity. The battery powered PAM-118A allows placing the preamplifier very close to the receiving antenna without possible introduction of interference from power cables.