PicoVNA Accessories

VNA test leads and adaptors

Phase and amplitude-stable test leads

Two test cable types and grades are recommended and provided by Pico Technology. Both of high quality, with robust construction and stainless steel connectors, the main difference between them is the stability of their propagation velocity and loss characteristic when flexed; that is, the degree to which a measurement could change when the cables are moved or formed to a new position. Cables are specified in terms of flatness and phase variation at up to 6 GHz when a straight cable is formed as one 360° turn around a 10 cm mandrel. Standard test cables are highly flexible. The premium flex-form cables are also flexible but tend to hold their form until intentionally moved to a new position. This further enhances repeatability for bench measurements at fixed port locations or for test installations.

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	Standard 6 GHz phase stable test lead, female port, N(m) - SMA(f) TA337 Two test cable types and grades are recommended and provided by Pico Technology. Both of high quality, with robust construction and stainless steel connectors, the main difference between them is the stability of their propagation velocity and loss characteristic when flexed; that is, the degree to which a measurement could change when the cables are moved or formed to a new position. Cables are specified in terms of flatness and phase variation at up to 6 GHz when a straight cable is formed as one 360° turn around a 10 cm mandrel. Standard test cables are highly flexible. The premium flex-form cables are also flexible but tend to hold their form until intentionally moved to a new position. This further enhances repeatability for bench measurements at fixed port locations or for test installations.
	Standard 6 GHz phase stable test lead, male port, N(m) - SMA(m) TA336 Two test cable types and grades are recommended and provided by Pico Technology. Both of high quality, with robust construction and stainless steel connectors, the main difference between them is the stability of their propagation velocity and loss characteristic when flexed; that is, the degree to which a measurement could change when the cables are moved or formed to a new position. Cables are specified in terms of flatness and phase variation at up to 6 GHz when a straight cable is formed as one 360° turn around a 10 cm mandrel. Standard test cables are highly flexible. The premium flex-form cables are also flexible but tend to hold their form until intentionally moved to a new position. This further enhances repeatability for bench measurements at fixed port locations or for test installations.
	Premium 6 GHz Flex-form test lead, male port, N(m) - PC3.5(m) TA338 Two test cable types and grades are recommended and provided by Pico Technology. Both of high quality, with robust construction and stainless steel connectors, the main difference between them is the stability of their propagation velocity and loss characteristic when flexed; that is, the degree to which a measurement could change when the cables are moved or formed to a new position. Cables are specified in terms of flatness and phase variation at up to 6 GHz when a straight cable is formed as one 360° turn around a 10 cm mandrel. Standard test cables are highly flexible. The premium flex-form cables are also flexible but tend to hold their form until intentionally moved to a new position. This further enhances repeatability for bench measurements at fixed port locations or for test installations.
	Premium 6 GHz Flex-form test lead, female port, N(m) - PC3.5(f) TA339 Two test cable types and grades are recommended and provided by Pico Technology. Both of high quality, with robust construction and stainless steel connectors, the main difference between them is the stability of their propagation velocity and loss characteristic when flexed; that is, the degree to which a measurement could change when the cables are moved or formed to a new position. Cables are specified in terms of flatness and phase variation at up to 6 GHz when a straight cable is formed as one 360° turn around a 10 cm mandrel. Standard test cables are highly flexible. The premium flex-form cables are also flexible but tend to hold their form until intentionally moved to a new position. This further enhances repeatability for bench measurements at fixed port locations or for test installations.
	Standard test port adaptor, SMA(m-m) TA342 The TA342 is a standard SMA(m) to SMA(m) test port adaptor that allows a female test port to be changed to a male test port. Using test port adaptors to change the gender of the test port is an easy and economical way to interface with both male and female DUTs. Bear in mind, however, that adding an adaptor increases measurement uncertainties.
	Standard test port adaptor SMA(f-f) TA343 The TA343 is a standard SMA(f) to SMA(f) test port adaptor for changing a male test port to a female test port. Using test port adaptors to change the gender of the test port is an easy and economical way to interface to both male and female DUTs. Bear in mind, however, that adding an adaptor increases measurement uncertainties.
	Premium test port adaptor PC3.5(m-m) TA340 The TA340 is a premium PC3.5(f) to PC3.5(f) test port adaptor that allows a female test port to be changed to a male test port. PC3.5 connectors offer closer impedance tolerance than SMA.  Using test port adaptors to change the gender of the test port is an easy and economical way to interface with both male and female DUTs. Bear in mind, however, that adding an adaptor increases measurement uncertainties.
	Premium test port adaptor PC3.5(f-f) TA341 The TA341 is a premium PC3.5(f) to PC3.5(f) test port adaptor for changing a male test port to a female test port. PC3.5 connectors offer closer impedance tolerance than SMA.  Using test port adaptors to change the gender of the test port is an easy and economical way to interface to both male and female DUTs. Bear in mind, however, that adding an adaptor increases measurement uncertainties.

Cal and check standards

Calibration, reference and check standards

We offer a range of accessories to help you check and calibrate your VNA.

Short-open-load-through (SOLT) 4-piece, 5-port calibration kits are available in both genders and in standard or premium quality. These kits have high-performance, tight-tolerance stainless steel interface connectors and are supplied as an assembled five-port “Y” SOLT. They can be disassembled for individual usage, or for economical refurbishment should a calibration standard be damaged. Each SOLT is supplied with traceable calibration data linked to the kit serial number, and is supplied in a protective carry case.

Check standards are available in insertable and non-insertable forms. They can be used to validate the accuracy of a network analysis test setup and its calibration before, during or after measurements are made. These devices validate system measurement accuracy in the presence of high and varying mismatch and thus present a demanding validation on which to base confidence in a setup.

 

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Calibration Kits:

Calibration standards have particular significance to the overall performance of a VNA, so we recommend that you select your accessories carefully. Standards are often the weakest links in a VNA measurement, generally contributing significantly to measurement uncertainty despite their high cost. At the lowest levels of uncertainty, costs can be significant and measurements can be compromised by seemingly quite minor damage or wear. For these reasons, many customers hold both premium-grade items for calibration, reference or measurement standards, and standard-grade items as working or transfer standards. 

Pico Technology also offers two grades of 50 Ω short, open, load and thru (SOLT), 4-piece, 5-port calibration kits in both male and female genders. All kits have high-performance tight tolerance stainless steel interface connectors. Kits are supplied as an assembled five-port “Ò°” SOLT, either male or female.

They can be disassembled for individual usage, or for refurbishment should a calibration standard be damaged. Each SOLT is supplied with traceable calibration data linked to the kit serial number, and is supplied in a protective carry case


 

Product:	Order:
Standard 6 GHz SOLT calibration kit (SMA male) TA344	PLEASE CALL US TO ORDER
Standard 6 GHz SOLT calibration kit (SMA female) TA345	PLEASE CALL US TO ORDER
Premium 6 GHz SOLT calibration kit (PC3.5 male) TA346	PLEASE CALL US TO ORDER
Premium 6 GHz SOLT calibration kit (PC3.5 female) TA347

 

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Check Standards:

CHK-NON-F Noninsertable check standard SMA(f-f)
TA431

The TA431 CHK-NON-F is a check standard for use with a noninsertable DUT, with a female to female port that can be used to validate the accuracy of a network analysis test setup and its calibration before and during or after measurements are made. Akin to the Beatty line, each check standard is a short length of mismatched line (75 mm of 25 Ω) with a predictable, smooth and stable mismatch and transmission characteristic that spans the frequency range of the PicoVNA 106. These devices validate system measurement accuracy in the presence of high and varying mismatch and thus present a demanding validation on which to base confidence in a setup.

A comparison utility is provided in the PicoVNA 2 software to evaluate the comparison against a combination of specified measurement uncertainties for the device, test leads and instrument. Each check standard is supplied with Touchstone measurement data on USB memory. The data is traceable via PC3.5 standards to national standards. The supplied Touchstone measurement data is compatible with and can be used to manually validate a measurement of any manufacturer’s VNA.



Specifications:



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CHK-INS-MF Insertable check standard SMA(m-f)
TA430

 

RF and microwave test accessories

The accessories listed here are suitable for use with high-frequency test equipment such as the PicoScope 9000 Series of Sampling Oscilloscopes.
 

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	Dual-break torque wrench SMA / PC3.5 / K-type TA356	PLEASE CALL US TO ORDER
	Dual-break torque wrench N-type connector TA358	PLEASE CALL US TO ORDER

Calibration services

 

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	Calibration certificate and data for PicoVNA 106 CC046 The CC046 is a calibration service offered on the PicoVNA 106 vector network analyzer. If you plan to use your product in an industrial or scientific environment where it is necessary to have documented traceability, or you just want your Pico product to be fine-tuned to give the best possible performance, we can provide you with a calibration service referenced to national standards. This means that you will be given documented proof and data of the accuracy of your Pico product at the time it is despatched to you. This documented proof is in the form of a calibration certificate that has the errors recorded. For example, the product may have a published accuracy of ±3%, and after calibration the error might be –1%. You can then allow for this –1% error when taking measurements. For best accuracy, we suggest that a calibrated product is recalibrated yearly.  Pico products can also be calibrated by any accredited calibration provider
	SOLT-STD-M or SOLT-STD-F calibration data CC047 Each Pico SOLT calibration standard is supplied as new with traceable calibration data linked to the kit serial number. Select this option when recalibration of an existing standard SOLT, either male or female version, is required. Pico offers calibration only on its own SOLT standards. Calibration data is supplied on a USB memory stick. Please contact support for an RMA number to return the SOLT calibration standard to Pico.
	SOLT-PREM-M or SOLT-PREM-F calibration data CC048 Each Pico SOLT calibration standard is supplied as new with traceable calibration data linked to the kit serial number. Select this option when recalibration of an existing standard SOLT, either male or female version, is required. Pico offers calibration only on its own SOLT standards. Calibration data is supplied on a USB memory stick. Please contact support for an RMA number to return the SOLT calibration standard to Pico.