HAROGIC has combined its HDA-200 Active Directional Antenna with PXE-200 Handheld Real-Time Spectrum Analyzer to develop a portable system for smart spectrum monitoring, hunting, and analysis of RF signals from 500 MHz to 20 GHz. This integrated solution addresses increasingly crowded electromagnetic environments where satellite communications, high-frequency wireless systems, frequency-hopping transmissions, and unidentified or unauthorized interference can make field monitoring difficult. By combining wide-frequency directional reception with real-time spectrum analysis and antenna-orientation information, the system is designed to help field operators detect and locate RF activity while avoiding the size and complexity associated with conventional monitoring setups.
Challenges in Modern Spectrum Monitoring
The frequencies that need to be monitored in the field are expanding beyond conventional sub-6 GHz spectrum. Point-to-point microwave links, modern wireless standards, satellite uplinks, and drone control and telemetry signals can extend into the Ku and K bands, requiring equipment capable of operating at frequencies as high as 20 GHz.
The nature of the signals themselves also presents a detection challenge. Frequency-hopping, intermittent, and burst transmissions may exist for only short periods, making them difficult for traditional swept receivers to capture reliably.
Conventional monitoring installations can also impose significant SWaP-C requirements through the use of multiple antennas, external power equipment, and benchtop spectrum analyzers. Such configurations can restrict mobility during tactical field operations. Signal hunting becomes more time-consuming when antenna azimuth, pitch, and roll must also be manually matched with the corresponding spectrum traces.
HDA-200 Active Directional Antenna
Designed for handheld microwave monitoring and signal tracking, the HDA-200 operates continuously across 500 MHz to 20 GHz. This frequency coverage allows a single antenna to span commercial frequencies below 6 GHz as well as higher-frequency satellite and defense spectrum.
An onboard Attitude and Heading Reference System (AHRS) measures the physical orientation of the antenna. It supplies azimuth across 0° to 360°, together with pitch and roll measurements of ±90°, and sends this information in real time to the connected analyzer or software.
The HDA-200 can also change its receive configuration according to signal conditions. Its Active Mode places an integrated wideband low-noise amplifier (LNA) in the receive path to improve sensitivity to weak signals. When RF levels are high, Passive/Bypass Mode removes the LNA from the path to reduce the possibility of overload.
Field-strength measurements are supported by a stored calibration table containing the antenna factors across the operating band. The appropriate correction is applied automatically, allowing measurements to be presented in dBµV/m or dBm/m.
Despite covering frequencies up to 20 GHz, the antenna has a weight of 680 g. Connectivity is provided through a standard N-type RF output, while USB Type-C handles orientation-data transfer and auxiliary power.
Combining the HDA-200 with the PXE-200
Connecting the directional antenna to the PXE-200 brings antenna orientation, RF reception, and continuous real-time spectrum analysis over a frequency range from 500 MHz to 20 GHz.
Capturing Fast and Transient RF Activity
With 100 MHz real-time analysis bandwidth, the PXE-200 can observe wideband transmissions and short RF bursts without depending solely on conventional swept acquisition. It provides 100% probability of intercept (POI) for transient events with durations extending down to the microsecond range.
For broader spectrum surveillance, panoramic sweeping can exceed 900 GHz/s, allowing activity over wide frequency spans to be examined rapidly.
The analyzer employs a superheterodyne receiver with preselection filtering and provides a DANL as low as -168 dBm/Hz, supporting measurements of low-level RF signals.
Using Antenna Telemetry to Determine Signal Bearing
The orientation information generated by the HDA-200 is transferred through USB and can be interpreted by either the PXE-200 or SAStudio software. Instead of requiring an operator to separately record antenna direction and signal level, the system associates the detected peak RF intensity with the antenna’s current azimuth.
To hunt for a source, the operator manually sweeps the HDA-200 through different directions. The resulting measurements are used to create a polar bearing plot, from which the Line of Bearing (LoB) toward the interfering transmitter can be determined.
Adjusting the Receive Path for Different Signal Levels
The combined system can be configured differently depending on the strength of signals in the surrounding RF environment. When searching for low-level emissions, the HDA-200’s LNA can operate together with the internal PXE-200 preamplifier, providing the sensitivity needed to detect signals close to the thermal noise floor.
When measurements are performed close to strong transmitters, the antenna can instead operate in Bypass Mode. Removing its LNA under these conditions helps protect the receive chain against receiver saturation and third-order intermodulation distortion (IM3).
Field Applications
For satellite uplink interference hunting, the system covers the Ku and K bands up to 20 GHz, allowing operators to search for unauthorized transmissions or adjacent-channel interference affecting earth stations.
In drone signal detection and monitoring, it can be used to determine directional bearings for drone control and video telemetry transmissions at 2.4 GHz, 5.8 GHz, and higher ISM frequencies.
Regulatory personnel can use the same monitoring capability to locate illegal broadcasts, unauthorized transmitters, and rogue micro-transmitters operating within congested urban spectrum.
The system can also be deployed for critical infrastructure security, where the objective is to find dynamic jamming signals affecting radar, navigation, or critical communications frequencies.
Conclusion
The combination of HAROGIC‘s HDA-200 and PXE-200 brings directional reception, real-time spectrum analysis, and orientation telemetry into a lightweight field configuration covering frequencies up to 20 GHz. Its 100 MHz real-time bandwidth, greater than 900 GHz/s panoramic sweep speed, switchable active/bypass antenna operation, and telemetry-assisted bearing measurements address both signal detection and subsequent source localization.
By automatically associating antenna direction with measured RF intensity, the system reduces the manual work involved in signal hunting. At the same time, selectable gain configurations allow the receive chain to accommodate environments ranging from signals close to the noise floor to high-field-strength conditions, providing a portable approach to locating complex RF activity across a wide frequency range.
Click here to learn more about HAROGIC’s HDA-200 active directional antenna.
Click here to learn more about HAROGIC’s PXE-200 real-time spectrum analyzer.