Premium 8.5 GHz SOLT calibration kit (PC3.5 female)

The Premium 8.5 GHz SOLT Calibration Kit, PC3.5 Female, order code TA347, is designed for precision VNA calibration in RF laboratories, production facilities, research centres, telecom development teams and measurement-controlled environments.

It is a manual calibration kit containing mechanical short, open, load and through standards. Each standard must be connected during the calibration sequence requested by the VNA software.

The kit includes:

• Short standard
• Open standard
• 50 Ω load standard
• Through adaptor
• Precision PC3.5 female interfaces
• Four-piece, five-port assembled construction
• Serial-number-specific traceable calibration data
• Stainless steel connectors
• Protective carrying case

Pico Technology supplies the kit as an assembled five-port SOLT unit. It can be disassembled for individual use, inspection, cleaning or refurbishment if one calibration standard becomes damaged.

Manual Two-Port SOLT Calibration

SOLT calibration uses four reference conditions:

• Short
• Open
• Load
• Through

These standards allow the vector network analyser to calculate correction terms for systematic errors such as:

• Directivity
• Source match
• Load match
• Reflection tracking
• Transmission tracking
• Forward measurement-path errors
• Reverse measurement-path errors

Unlike an electronic calibration module, the TA347 does not switch between standards automatically. The operator connects each standard manually according to the VNA calibration workflow.

Precision PC3.5 Female Interfaces

The TA347 uses precision PC3.5 female connectors rather than standard SMA female connectors.

PC3.5 interfaces are mechanically compatible with correctly specified SMA male connectors, but they are manufactured to tighter tolerances for improved RF measurement repeatability.

The female configuration is suitable for calibration setups terminating in:

• PC3.5 male test leads
• SMA male test leads
• Male-ended RF fixtures
• Male connectorised devices
• PC3.5 male port adaptors
• Male calibration reference planes

The corresponding premium male kit is the TA346.

300 kHz to 8.5 GHz Coverage

The TA347 standards are characterised across a frequency range of 300 kHz to 8.5 GHz.

This supports calibration for measurements involving:

• RF filters
• Amplifiers
• Antennas
• Attenuators
• Couplers and splitters
• Cables and connectors
• Matching networks
• PCB transmission lines
• Wireless modules
• Cellular components
• Wi-Fi and Bluetooth devices
• GNSS equipment
• RFID and IoT systems

Serial-Number-Specific Calibration Data

Each TA347 kit is supplied with traceable calibration data linked to its individual serial number.

The data represents the measured frequency-dependent behaviour of the:

• Short standard
• Open standard
• Load standard
• Through adaptor

Using the supplied characterisation allows the VNA to compensate for the real electrical behaviour of the standards rather than treating them as ideal components.

The data can support:

• PicoVNA calibration-kit configuration
• Traceable laboratory workflows
• Measurement verification
• Quality-controlled RF testing
• Compatible third-party VNA systems

Premium-Grade Construction

Pico Technology offers standard and premium SOLT calibration kits. The TA347 is the premium female version and uses tight-tolerance stainless steel interface connectors.

Premium calibration standards are suitable where connector repeatability and measurement uncertainty are particularly important, including:

• Reference laboratory measurements
• Precision RF development
• Network metrology
• Production validation
• Measurement assurance
• Calibration-controlled testing

Load Standard Performance

The load standard provides the following published performance:

Corrected performance applies when the supplied characterisation data is used.

Open Standard Performance

The supplied calibration data accounts for the open standard’s frequency-dependent capacitance and connector behaviour.

Short Standard Performance

The short-standard characterisation accounts for its actual delay, loss and inductive behaviour.

Through-Adaptor Performance

The through adaptor provides:

• Insertion loss of no more than 0.20 dB
• Operation up to 8.5 GHz
• Precision PC3.5 female interfaces
• Serial-number-specific transmission characterisation

It is used to calculate forward and reverse transmission corrections during two-port calibration.

Typical Calibration Process

A standard calibration procedure includes:

1. Allow the VNA, test leads and standards to reach a stable temperature.
2. Inspect and clean the RF connectors.
3. Load the TA347 serial-number-specific calibration data.
4. Select the required SOLT calibration procedure.
5. Connect the short standard when requested.
6. Connect the open standard.
7. Connect the load standard.
8. Connect the through adaptor between the two ports.
9. Apply the recommended connector torque.
10. Complete and save the calibration.
11. Verify the setup using an appropriate check standard.
12. Connect the device under test without moving the calibrated cables.

Applications

The TA347 is suitable for:

• Vector network analyser calibration
• Antenna measurements
• RF filter testing
• Amplifier characterisation
• Cable and connector analysis
• Coupler and splitter testing
• PCB transmission-line measurements
• Wireless product development
• Telecom component validation
• RF production testing
• Research laboratory measurements
• Engineering education
• Network metrology
• Measurement assurance
• Precision reference calibration