The Agilent 8920B RF Communications Test Set is a full-function RF test instrument designed for testing land mobile radios, cellular telephones, and other communications systems. Operating from 400 kHz to 1 GHz, the 8920B integrates the functions of multiple stand-alone instruments — including RF and AF signal generators, AM/FM modulation analyzer, RF/AF power meter, spectrum analyzer, oscilloscope, signaling encoder/decoder, function generator, AC/DC voltmeter, SINAD/SNR meters, and a high-stability reference — into a single bench platform optimized for manufacturing test environments.

The 8920B is used for testing AM, FM, ΦM, and SSB radios, trunked radios (LTR and EDACS protocols), cordless phones, data terminals, short-range transceivers, and analog cellular phones (AMPS, EAMPS, NAMPS, TACS, ETACS, JTACS, and NTACS). With the addition of the Agilent 83206A TDMA Cellular Adapter (Option 800), the platform extends to digital cellular phone test for DAMPS (IS-54B) and DCCH (TIA/EIA-136), supporting analog and digital measurements including error vector magnitude, 10-burst EVM, magnitude error, phase error, burst amplitude droop, I/Q origin offset, carrier frequency error, adjacent channel power, and bit error rate loop-back test.

Brand Heritage

The 8920B was originally developed by Hewlett-Packard's test and measurement division and carried the HP name through much of its production life. HP spun off its T&M business as Agilent Technologies in 1999, and the 8920B family is shown in this datasheet under the Agilent brand with the 'Innovating the HP Way' tagline. In 2014, Agilent's electronic measurement business was transferred to Keysight Technologies, which is the current corporate successor for products of this lineage. The 8920B itself is no longer in active production, and ValueTronics supports the installed base through pre-owned inventory.

Compare Other Models in This Series

The 8920B platform is configured through a combination of internal options ordered with the test set and external companion units that extend its measurement reach into specific radio standards. The base 8920B covers AM, FM, ΦM, and SSB radio test from 400 kHz to 1 GHz, with cellular and trunked radio protocols added via the signaling option. Digital cellular capability for TDMA standards is added by attaching the 83206A TDMA Cellular Adapter, and PCS band coverage is added by attaching the 83236A/B PCS Interface.

The configuration model — a single base instrument plus targeted options and adapters — lets a test bench be tailored to the specific mix of analog cellular, trunked, cordless, digital cellular, and PCS work the lab performs, rather than committing to a separate instrument for each radio standard.

Each configuration variant of the 8920B that ValueTronics carries is listed as its own product page with pre-owned-matched pricing. The base 8920B, the 8920B with Option 800 / 83206A TDMA Cellular Adapter, and the 8920B with PCS interface configurations each appear as separate listings so the inventory you see for one variant is specific to that exact configuration.

The 8920B distinguishes itself within the family by serving as the host platform for all configuration options — every additional measurement capability (TDMA cellular, PCS, spectrum analyzer, radio interface card, high-power input, low-power range, true-average power) is added on top of the same base 400 kHz to 1 GHz transceiver test architecture.

Configuration differences in the 8920B family center on which options are installed and which external adapters are attached. The base 8920B with Option 004 signaling encoder/decoder covers AM/FM/ΦM, trunked (LTR and EDACS), cordless, and analog cellular (AMPS/NAMPS/TACS/ETACS) test. Adding the 83206A TDMA Cellular Adapter (Option 800) extends the platform to DAMPS (IS-54B) and DCCH (TIA/EIA-136) digital cellular test with EVM, 10-burst EVM, BER loop-back, and π/4 DQPSK modulation analysis. Adding the 83236A/B PCS Interface (Option 801) translates the DCCH measurement capability into the PCS band for dual-band, dual-mode systems.

Internal options affect input range and measurement features: Option 102 adds the spectrum analyzer and tracking generator with adjacent channel power test; Option 007 shifts the input range for low-power cordless and short-range transceiver test (reducing maximum continuous power to 2.4 W); Option H08 extends high-power input to 100 W continuous / 125 W intermittent; Option 006 extends the ±5% power measurement range down to 50 µW and enables true-average power measurements with the 83206A; Option 020 adds the radio interface card with sixteen parallel data lines and two interrupts for automated DUT control.

Additional differences in specifications beyond the few shown above are not listed here — see each model's full specifications below.

Product Core & Specifications

About this used unit

• Warranty included
• Functional verification included
• Standard Calibration Upgrade Options: No Calibration Required, NIST Traceable, Z540.1 or ISO 17025 with Data, Z540.3 Guardbanding with Data.
• Note that unnecessary accessories may not be included (contact Test Architect to confirm).

Please review the Manufacturer's Data Sheet to verify published specifications. Feedback on this webpage is always welcome — please reach out to your Test Architect at any time for questions or concerns. Thank you, we truly appreciate you being our customer.