Keysight Technologies (Agilent HP) — Fiber Optics Communications Test Equipment

Keysight’s fiber‑optic test instruments in this set are grouped by measurement function rather than a single continuous product family. The 86140-series covers optical spectrum analyzers in benchtop and portable variants (examples include the benchtop 86140A/B and 86142B, and the portable 86145A/B and 86145B which offer benchtop‑grade capability in a smaller footprint). The 86146B is an OSA variant that uses a double‑pass monochromator and specifies tighter wavelength accuracy for narrow‑line sources. Attenuation and signal conditioning are represented by dedicated programmable attenuators (8156A, 8158B) and integrated power‑monitored units (N7751A/N7752A). Switching and routing are handled by half‑ and full‑width lightwave switches (86060C, 86062C). Polarization instruments include motorized controllers (8169A, 11896A) and a legacy analyzer (8509B). The E6000C is a modular OTDR mainframe for field and installation work.

Use an OSA when you need wavelength, spectral shape, channel power or OSNR measurements. Models in this set span bench and portable form factors and different tradeoffs:

• For benchtop WDM and component characterization with options for high accuracy and fast sweep rates, consider the 86142B or the 86146B; the 86146B documents wavelength accuracy to ±10 pm (with an internal calibrator option) and a minimum resolution bandwidth as small as 60 pm, with a noise floor down to about -90 dBm in the 1250–1610 nm region.
• The 86140A/B and the portable 86145A/B provide a broad 600–1700 nm coverage and practical RBW choices (many 86140-series models list minimum RBW around 0.06–0.07 nm) and documented power ranges and level linearity suitable for lab or manufacturing throughput.
• Watch maximum safe input power: some 86140-series portable/benchtop models list +20 dBm or +10 dBm limits, while the 86146B specifies up to +30 dBm total safe input power.

For precise optical power control the 8156A and 8158B are programmable attenuators with a 60 dB range; the 8156A documents very fine resolution down to 0.001 dB and continuous attenuation ranging, while the 8158B lists 0.01 dB display resolution and 0.04 dB repeatability. When you need closed‑loop power setting and meter readout in one instrument, the N7751A/N7752A combine a power‑monitored attenuator with extra power meter channels, with a power‑meter range of -80 dBm to +10 dBm (1250–1650 nm), low polarization dependence and a maximum safe input for the meter channel of +16 dBm. These instruments expose LAN/USB/GPIB for automation and are half‑width 1U instruments suitable for rack integration.

Choose switching hardware by channel count and routing topology: the 86060C family covers half‑rack lightwave switches in smaller 1/2‑rack configurations (1 or 2 inputs, 4–8 outputs), while the full‑width 86062C addresses large 1xN channel counts from 20 to 100 with documented crosstalk below -80 dB and a long switching lifetime. For polarization control and measurement, motorized controllers such as the 8169A (operating near 1475–1575 nm) and the four‑loop 11896A (1250–1600 nm, low insertion‑loss variation and PDL) provide repeatable SOP synthesis; the 8509B is a calibrated polarization analyzer covering 1200–1600 nm if you need Poincaré/DOP measurements. For OTDR tasks and fiber‑plant commissioning, the E6000C serves as a modular mainframe that accepts optical modules for different wavelengths and dynamic ranges.

Match instrument selection to the measurement objective and the key specs: wavelength coverage and minimum RBW for spectral resolution (86146B and 86140‑series values), sensitivity/noise floor and maximum safe input for handling strong sources, and attenuation range and resolution where power control is required (8156A/8158B). For automated test racks choose half‑width or full‑width form factors and confirmed remote interfaces (GPIB, LAN, USB, RS‑232 are documented across these models). When polarization fidelity is critical, compare insertion‑loss variation, PDL and provided wavelength range (for example, 11896A lists ±0.002 dB insertion‑loss variation and PDL < 0.01 dB). For field OTDR work select a modular mainframe such as the E6000C to adapt pulse widths and distance ranges via optical modules.