Deployments

The N6841A RF Sensor has a

weatherproof and dustproof

IP67-rated (Standard IEC 60529

International Protection 67) enclosure

plus a wide operating temperature

range to withstand harsh environ-

ments without additional expensive

protective enclosures. The unit is

conductively cooled, silent and

contains no moving parts. It operates

over a temperature range of –15 °C

to 55 °C. The range can be extended

by use of commercially available

enclosures that provide heat and

ventilation as needed for extreme

temperature conditions.

This receiver has a small footprint

with no external switches or

status indicators making it extremely

discreet. The low-profile form factor

offers many mounting options,

including tripod, roof-top, pole-top,

rack-mount, vehicle-mount or man-

pack deployments. Relative to other

solutions, the N6841A RF Sensor

requires a minimum of installation

engineering, and is likely to gain easy

approval from building managers. It

is also very well suited to temporary

installations.

On-board diagnostics include

complete self-test of the internal RF

signal path and a watchdog reset

timer. This reduces the need for

on-site troubleshooting. Installation

and configuration of the RF sensor

is simple with only RF input, GPS

antenna (optional), power and

network connections.

More detailed information regarding

installation is provided in the N6841A

Installation Guide (Publication

Number N6841-90002).

Antennas

The N6841A RF Sensor can be used with

any passive or active antenna element. A

specific antenna is not stipulated for use

with the RF Sensor to ensure maximum

flexibility of the solution. The new Keysight

N6850A Antenna has excellent broadband

omni-directional characteristics and

provides good coverage to make the

measurements needed without excessive

expense or additional power.

Power Considerations

The N6841A RF Sensor is powered by DC

voltage ranging from 15 to 24VDC and it

draws less than 30W. Option SP1 provides

a 120/240 VAC power supply suitable for

indoor (protected) installations. Off-the-

shelf batteries are available from a number

of suppliers that can power the RF Sensor

for up to eight hours. There are also power

supplies rated for outdoor use available

commercially. The RF Sensor ships with

an extra power connector for use with an

alternate power source.

Network Connections

Many times, a wired Internet connection

is not possible for the ideal RF Sensor

location. In these cases, either a 3G or

4G modem, mesh radio network, or Wi-Fi

backhaul may be an option. Standard

Wi-Fi radios with directional antennas can

easily service the data connection to an RF

Sensor over 1 to 2 km. If greater distances

are needed, a cellular modem provides the

freedom to site the sensor anywhere in the

cellular coverage area. If wired Ethernet

is available for your installation, shielded

cable is highly recommended to reduce

the chance of interference.

Physical Mounting

The N6841A RF Sensor ships with a

complete mounting kit for attachment

to a rack, wall or pole. The mounting

bracket includes provision for security

locks, attachment of the GPS antenna

and the RF Sensor. Aside from the RF

Antenna, only one connection to the

pole is required for a new RF monitor-

ing station.

Multiple Sensors

One of the benefits of deploying

multiple sensors is improved RF detec-

tion range and the ability to make time

synchronous I/Q and spectral mea-

surements. This capability opens the

door to emitter location and direction

finding applications, propagation stud-

ies and other applications. N6841A RF

Sensors can be synchronized using two

different methods: GPS (for outside

deployments) and IEEE-1588 (for

indoor deployments or wherever GPS

may not be available).

04 | Keysight | N6841A RF Sensor for Signal Monitoring Networks - Data Sheet