High-Precision PXI Frequency Reference Module

20 November 2012 – Agilent Technologies introduced a high-precision PXIe frequency reference. The Agilent M9300A generates clean 10-MHz and 100-MHz signals for high-performance RF systems. Agilent designed the M9300A for applications that require a low phase noise, 100-MHz local oscillator, such as those in a wide variety of wireless and aerospace/defense test systems.

The new frequency reference is packaged into a one-slot PXIe module and uses a fractional-N design which minimizes phase noise and spurs. The M9300A features the ability to lock to an external reference from 1 to 110 MHz and provide flexibility with multiple outputs all with excellent performance:

• Five 100-MHz outputs each with nominal phase noise performance of < -166 dBc/Hz at 10 kHz offset and > 10 dBm output amplitude.
• One 10-MHz output.
• One 10-MHz OCXO timebase output with phase noise of < -158 dBc/Hz at 10-kHz offset.

Engineers can use the M9300A PXIe frequency reference with the Agilent M9380A CW Source or the M9381A PXIe vector signal generator to achieve its high-performance specifications, including greater speed. As the M9300A conforms to the PXI standard, it can be used in any PXI system where PXIe or PXI-H slots are available, regardless of the vendor.

Instrument control is provided through a soft front panel and programmatic interfaces tuned to the customer’s application development environment of choice. The Agilent IO Libraries Suite enables fast and easy integration into existing test environments.

Additional Information

The Agilent M9300A PXIe is available now. One M9300A module can be shared between multiple modular instruments.