• Frequency: 500 MHz to 40 GHz
• Amplitude re-correction to (typically): ±0.05 dB
• Phase re-correction to (typically): ±1.5 °
• Directivity re-correction to (typically): -38 dB
• Operates in thermal-vacuum environments
• 2.92 mm connectors
• PNA Firmware Options 302 and 304 are no longer required for use with TVAC CalPods

CalPods provide a new and unique way to quickly and easily refresh a network analyzer calibration, at the push of a button and without removing the DUT or re-connecting standards. Very useful in thermal-vacuum chamber testing, where it is desired to remove the thermal effects of the test cables and connectors from the DUT’s response, and where it is impractical to stop the testing to perform a normal re-calibration.

CalPods operate with the following PNA family of network analyzers: PNA-X N524xB, PNA N522xB, and PNA-L N523xB, and PXIe vector network analyzers: M937xA. Operation of the CalPods requires specific CalPod firmware for the PNA or M937xA, an 85523B CalPod Controller, and to control more than four CalPods the 85556A fan-out cable splitter is required.

The 85542B temperature characterized and thermal-vacuum environment CalPods provide accurate re-correction capabilities over the temperature range of -30 °C to +80 °C. Up to 48 CalPods can be controlled, but only four CalPods at a time can be recorrected.

The CalPods can be characterized with an ECal module to function as an ECal module in the measurement environment. This capability is particularly useful when making multi-port and multi-path measurements, as it greatly simplifies calibrations for these types of measurements. The CalPods as ECal feature allows a one-port calibration to be performed on each port of a multi-port DUT. Then with any two one-port calibrations, and one unknown thru path measurement, the corresponding full two-port 12 term error correction model can be determined for that corresponding thru path.