MDO4000 Series vs. Spectrum Analyzers - Applications
Competitive Fact Sheet
When is an MDO a Better Solution?
Debugging / Verifying a System Under Test
Basic spectrum response
To simply see if a signal is present and at what
amplitude, having a spectrum analyzer built into an
oscilloscope is the ultimate convenience
When is a Spectrum Analyzer a Better
Solution?
Application-Specific Measurements
to Characterize Performance or
Prove Compliance to a Standard
 Modulation analysis of cellular communication
standards
 Modulation analysis of commercial wireless
standards
Correlating RF to other system signals
The most common application is making timing
measurements from control logic (often serial or
parallel bus commands) to when the RF output
changes.
Pre-compliance debugging
Pre-compliance debug work is much simpler with
the ability to find intermittent RF anomalies and
correlate them to signals / events in the time
domain.
Time varying or wide bandwidth RF
With 3 GHz of capture bandwidth and long RF
acquisition times, the MDO is the ultimate product
for debugging modern wideband, time varying RF
signals.
www.tektronix.com/mdo4000
 EMI compliance
 Radio compliance
 Stimulus / response measurements (enabled
with a tracking generator)
Traditional spectrum analyzers are generally
useful for narrow band, steady-state signals with
typical capture bandwidths of 1 MHz to 28 MHz.
Most modern RF signals are not steady state.
They are bursty, frequency-hopping, transient,
dynamically-changing signals that are
increasingly difficult to investigate with a
traditional spectrum analyzer.
MDO4000 Series vs. Spectrum Analyzers - Specifications
Competitive Fact Sheet
Tektronix
Agilent
Agilent
Agilent
R&S
MDO4000-3
N9000A-503 CXA
N9320B
N9322C
FSL3
50 kHz - 3 GHz
9 kHz - 3 GHz
9 kHz - 3 GHz
9 kHz - 7 GHz
9 kHz - 3 GHz
3 GHz
10 MHz
1 MHz
1 MHz
28 MHz
-101 dBc/Hz
(-104 dBc/Hz typical)
-102 dBc/Hz
(-104 dBc/Hz typical)
-100 dBc/Hz
(-102 dBc/Hz typical)
-97 dBc/Hz
(-99 dBc/Hz typical)
-98 dBc/Hz
(-105 dBc/Hz typical)
at 1 GHz w/ 100 kHz offset
at 1 GHz w/ 100 kHz offset
at 1 GHz w/ 100 kHz offset
at 500 MHz w/ 100 kHz offset
at 500 MHz w/ 100 kHz offset
-148 dBm/Hz
(-152 dBm/Hz typical)
-148 dBm/Hz
(-150 dBm/Hz typical)
< -127 dBm/Hz
-141 dBm/Hz
(-145 dBm/Hz typical)
-140 dBm/Hz
-55 dBc (-60 dBc typical)
-60 dBc typical
-60 dBc
-65 dBc
-60 dBc
2nd Harmonic Distortion at 1 GHz
(-30dBm input)
-55 dBc
(-60 dBc typical)
-72 dBc
-73 dBc
-65 dBc
Not Specified
3rd Order Intermodulation Distortion at
1 GHz (-20dBm input)
-60dBc
(-63 dBc typical)
-66 dBc
(-74dBc typical)
-60 dBc
(-66 dBc nominal)
-60 dBc
-60 dBc
(-76 dBc typical)
MDO vs. Spectrum Analyzers
Frequency Range
Capture Bandwidth
Phase Noise
DANL at 1 GHz w/o preamp
Spurious Response - Input Related
Residual Response
-78 dBm
-90 dBm
-83 dBm
-90 dBm (-98 dBm typical)
-90 dBm
Oscilloscope - Analog Channels
4
--
--
--
--
Oscilloscope - Digital Channels
16
--
--
--
--
Time Correlation
Between RF, Analog, Digital, and Buses
Standard
--
--
--
--
RF vs. Time Traces
(Amplitude, Frequency and Phase)
Standard
--
--
--
---
Serial Bus Decode
Optional
--
--
--
Trigger on RF Power Level Changes
Standard
--
--
--
--
Display Size and Resolution
10.4" XGA
8.4" XGA
6.5" VGA
6.5" VGA
6.5" VGA
9.0 x 17.3 x 5.8
7.0 x 16.8 x 14.5
5.2 x 12.6 x 15.7
5.2 x 12.6 x 15.7
6.2 x 16.1 x 18.3
11 lbs.
34 lbs.
18 lbs.
17.4 lbs.
15.4 lbs.
Dimensions (HxWxD in inches)
Weight
Warranty
3 years
1 year
1 year
1 year
1 year
Base Price (US MSRP)
$12,200
$12,935
$8,245
$11,413
$10,700
RF Specifications
MDO ‘Extras’
Price

Comparable with entry level spectrum
analyzers in traditional specifications

Addition of 4 analog and 16 digital channels
enable debug of entire system
An entry level MDO is in the same price range as
these spectrum analyzers but includes

Specifications more than adequate for
intended applications

Time correlation across all 21 inputs

A Tektronix MSO built-in

Huge capture bandwidth advantage vs.
traditional spectrum analyzers
Largest display, smallest bench footprint and
lightest weight


New capability the market has never seen
before!

Longest Warranty
www.tektronix.com/mdo4000
2/2013 © Copyright Tektronix 48W-28951-0