Product Name: Rohde & Schwarz FSWX

Manufacturer: Rohde & Schwarz

Product Category: Test, Measurement, Sensors and Software

Supporting Documentation (if available)

The Rohde & Schwarz FSWX is the first multichannel signal and spectrum analyzer to combine multiple RF input ports with a novel internal multi-path architecture—a fundamental rethinking of how signal and spectrum analyzers are designed and what they can measure. For design engineers, systems integrators, and end users working in RF component characterization, 5G/advanced wireless, automotive radar, aerospace and defense, and satellite applications, the FSWX introduces capabilities that were previously either impossible or required multiple separate instruments.

Architecture: Multi-Path Design with Broadband ADCs and Filter Banks
At the core of the FSWX is a multi-path internal signal architecture in which each analog signal path is terminated by high-resolution, high-speed analog-to-digital converters (ADCs). This design delivers 8 GHz of internal analysis bandwidth—sufficient for comprehensive analysis of complex wideband waveforms and high-order modulation schemes encountered in modern RF systems.
Traditional microwave spectrum analyzers rely on YIG (Yttrium Iron Garnet) filters for preselector functionality in the microwave frequency range. YIG filters are effective for image rejection but introduce challenging frequency response behavior and must typically be bypassed for wideband signal analysis, forcing engineers to choose between preselector protection and wideband measurement capability. The FSWX eliminates this tradeoff. In place of swept YIG preselector filters, the FSWX employs filter banks with independent highpass and lowpass filters spanning the entire operating frequency range. This approach delivers highest-level amplitude accuracy across the full frequency range, enables preselected I/Q analysis, and significantly reduces the risk of signal images contaminating measurement results. For users who do require narrowband preselector performance, a YIG filter can still be added as an optional configuration.

Multiple Input Ports and Cross-Correlation
The FSWX is offered in models with one or two RF input ports, with a maximum frequency coverage of up to 26.5 GHz or 44 GHz depending on the model configuration. Each analog signal path provides 4 GHz of analysis bandwidth, and the two paths can be combined to deliver the full 8 GHz internal analysis bandwidth.
Dual-port architecture enables a new capability in signal and spectrum analysis: hardware cross-correlation. Cross-correlation uses both signal paths simultaneously to cancel the analyzer's own inherent noise floor, giving engineers an unobstructed view of the device under test (DUT). The practical impact is significant: noise floor, phase noise, EVM, and spurious measurements can be pushed closer to the physical measurement limit, revealing signal characteristics that would be obscured by analyzer-induced noise on any single-path instrument. For example, spectral regrowth from an amplifier under test that would be invisible on a conventional analyzer becomes clearly resolvable with cross-correlation enabled.
This is not a software post-processing approximation. It is a hardware-level noise cancellation technique made possible only by the FSWX's internal multi-path architecture.

Multichannel Signal Capture
Beyond cross-correlation, the multiple input ports enable genuine multichannel signal acquisition. The FSWX can capture wideband, phase-coherent signals across both channels simultaneously, at the same or different frequencies. This opens measurement scenarios that traditionally required multiple synchronized instruments:
• Comparing the output signal of an amplifier or mixer directly against the modulated reference signal at the input
• Capturing and correlating signals from two separate antennas or ports in a phased array or MIMO system
• Measuring multiple signal sources simultaneously, regardless of whether they operate at the same or different frequencies
For systems integrators building automated test equipment (ATE) or multi-channel RF test benches, this multichannel capability can reduce rack space, system complexity, synchronization overhead, and total cost.

CrossACT Firmware: Synchronized Multi-Channel Measurement
The FSWX includes the CrossACT (Cross Application Control and Triggering) firmware feature, which synchronizes measurements across different input channels and allows simultaneous analysis using multiple measurement tools. A single operator can, for example, examine the higher harmonics of a radar signal on one channel while simultaneously measuring the EVM of a 5G NR signal on the other—determining directly whether and how those harmonics affect modulation quality. This kind of correlated, multi-domain analysis in a single instrument session represents a meaningful productivity gain for engineers debugging complex RF systems.

RF Performance
The FSWX is designed to deliver class-leading RF performance across its key figures of merit:
• Low phase noise for high signal purity
• Wide spurious-free dynamic range (SFDR)
• Outstanding residual EVM performance
These characteristics make the FSWX suited to demanding measurement tasks including active RF component testing (amplifiers, mixers, frequency converters), automotive radar development and characterization, airborne radar and satellite payload testing, and advanced 5G/6G waveform analysis.

Operating System and Security
The FSWX runs on a Linux-based operating system, providing long-term support, enhanced security for use in sensitive environments, and a flexible software foundation for future firmware expansion. For defense contractors, government labs, and regulated industries, a secure and stable OS is not a secondary concern. The Linux base addresses this directly while enabling remote access, scripting, and automation via standard interfaces.

Target Applications
The FSWX is purpose-built for engineers and organizations that regularly encounter the limits of conventional single-path signal analyzers:
• 5G/Advanced Wireless: Analysis of wideband 5G NR waveforms, high-order modulation (1024-QAM and beyond), and multi-carrier signals with demanding EVM requirements
• Automotive Radar: FMCW radar signal characterization, wideband capture, and multi-path analysis for 77/79 GHz radar DUT testing
• Aerospace and Defense: Airborne radar, satellite payload testing, and electronic warfare applications requiring low noise floor and high dynamic range
• Active RF Component Test: Amplifier linearity and spectral purity characterization where analyzer noise would otherwise limit measurement fidelity
• Research and Advanced Development: Any application requiring simultaneous capture of phase-coherent signals across two independent RF paths

The FSWX is a platform-level innovation. By replacing swept YIG preselector filters with broadband ADC-based filter banks, introducing hardware cross-correlation through a true multi-path architecture, and enabling genuine multichannel phase-coherent signal capture in a single instrument, the FSWX extends what is measurable for RF engineers working at the frontier of modern wireless, radar, and electronic systems. The FSWX is a single-instrument solution to measurement challenges that previously required complex, multi-instrument setups.