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VSA vs USRP

Hello

 

i want to understand something about RF products i.e VSA (for e.g PXIe-5665/7) vs USRP ( e.g 2955) before choosing a product for my application such as spectrum sensing.

 

VSA is a pricey product, USRP is a cheaper (un-calibrated version)

 

In terms of sensitivity, both are comparable (5665: -165 dBm/Hz, USRP 2955 NF: 5-8 dB implies sensitivity of around -166 dBm/ Hz), although i tend to think is sensitivity of USRP really that good? unless i am missing something.

 

In terms of phase noise: 5665 is considerably better, -127 dBc vs -88 dBc  but does that really matter?

 

In terms of ADC, 5665 is slightly better (16 vs 14 bit), so better SFDR

 

In terms of calibration, USRP does give certain specifications so they must count or atleast we can say product is certified for performance to certain extent, whereas VSA is classed as an instrument.

 

So my question is in terms of product specs and reliability, can we not say that both products are comparable??? as un calibrated USRP does not mean it will not perform, or is there something i do not understand technically while comparing both products. My application involves detection RF sensing and demodulation etc.

 

Can anyone who understands RF applications please help me?

 

Thanks

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Hey buddy,

Both of devices are certifies so no need to worry about that, and as per my knowledge both of them can be reliable for RF spectrum sensing and demodulation. Now, which one to choose? That depends on your requirements and needs. The VSA is nearly 3 times the price of the USRP.

The PXIe‑5665 can perform measurements for a broad range of communications standards such as GSM, EDGE, WCDMA, WiMAX, LTE, Bluetooth, WLAN, DVB‑C/H/T, ATSC, and MediaFLO. Because all measurements are software defined, you can reconfigure the measurements using standard-specific toolkits. With these toolkits, the PXIe‑5665 provides a low-cost solution to high-performance RF measurements.

Whereas the USRP-2955 provides an integrated hardware and software solution for rapidly prototyping high-performance wireless receiver systems. It is designed for over-the-air signal acquisition and analysis. It features a two-stage superheterodyne architecture with four independent receiver channels and shares local oscillators for phase-coherent operation. It also offers a Kintex-7 FPGA programmable with the LabVIEW FPGA Module. With these features, the USRP-2955 has the RF and processing performance for applications such as spectrum monitoring, direction finding, signals intelligence, wideband recording, and radar prototyping. The USRP-2955 is equipped with a GPS-disciplined 10 MHz oven-controlled crystal oscillator (OCXO) Reference Clock, which improves frequency accuracy and synchronization.

If you found your needed information in this answer kindly mark it as solution or If you're still not sure which one suits your needs, let me know more about your required specification, and I will help you choose the best device for you.

Thank you!

 

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