• The HP 8590A, called the HP/Agilent 8590A after Agilent spun off Hewlett Packard, is a portable RF spectrum analyzer. Spectrum analyzers are able to read the frequency and amplitude of an electrical or acoustical waveform and perform some basic computations on those readings.
  
  

Physical

• The HP 8590A measures 14.4 inches wide, 18.1 inches deep and 8.4 inches high. The machine weighs in at 29.8 pounds. In order to function, the unit requires electricity between 86 and 127 volts or 195 and 253 volts. The power also needs to be between 47 and 66 Hz. The 8590A can be used in temperatures between 0 and 55 degrees Celsius, and can be stored in temperatures between -40 and 75 degrees Celsius.
  
  

Ports

• On the front face of the unit you will find a 50 ohm Bayonet Neill-Concelman, or BNC, connector that is used for cal output. You will also find a 13 volt probe power output and a 50 ohm BNC RF input. On the rear of the device you will find a 50 Ohm axillary video output port, a BNC high sweep connector, and a 5,000 Ohm sweep output connector. The is also a BNC monitor output that sends out video in NTSC format with a 19.2 kHz horizontal sync.
  
  

Signal Frequency

• The 8590A spectrum analyzer can read signal frequencies between 10 kHz and 1.5 GHz with a four-digit resolution. The readout is accurate to within 5 MHz +/- 1 percent of the signal's span. The 8590A has a frequency span range of 0 Hz and 50 kHz to 1.5 GHz with a four-digit resolution. The sweeptime range on the unit is from 20 milliseconds to 100 seconds.
  
  

Signal Amplitude

• The 8590A can handle signal amplitudes between -115 dBm to 130 dBm when using a 50 ohm calibration and the frequency is between 1 MHz and 1.3 GHz. The amplitude has an absolute variation of +/- 1.5 dB and a peak variation of +/- 1 dB. The 8590A amplitude reading has a maximum input power of 30 dBm and a maximum dynamic range of 70 dB.