UTS3021B 2.1GHz Performance-Series Spectrum Analyzer

A Short Review of the UTS3021B 2.1GHz Spectrum Analyzer:

I was looking for a spectrum analyzer for my home electronics bench, for development of my own RF circuits as well as the repair of older gear, including amateur radio & shortwave radio and various communications related circuitry. I came very close to purchasing a Rigol DSA815-TG, but the design is about 12 years old and though modestly priced - it seems dated today. I also looked at the Siglent SSA3021X and the SSA3021X Plus. The former being about 10 years old, and the latter an apparent minor update of that same unit. Worse, to outfit this with most of the options will set you back a tidy sum (just three options total to what I paid for the UTS3021B with all of these options combined). Before making the purchase, I took another look around and came discovered the UNI-T UTS3000B/T series, and in particular the UTS3021B; the more I looked the more excited I became. The user interface of the UTS3021B is fantastic, I find it very well thought out and intuitive. The screen is big and bright with lots of detail, processing and updates are fast, and they really got the touch-screen right. I purchased this unit on sale, priced midway between the Rigol and the Siglent plus model. At the time of writing this, UNI-T is offering a free software bundle, which includes 4 of the 5 options: Tracking generator, Analog demodulation measurement, Advanced measurement kit and the EMI Measurement option. This is a feature rich package for an amazing price, and outstanding overall value. There was a minor delay when I tried to use their website to download the keys to unlock these features. But less than 24 hours after a phone call to their Bellingham (Washington State) office I had all of my license keys waiting in my email inbox. This was very good customer service. I should also note that their specs state that the tracking generator starts at 10 MHz. This almost caused me to back away from this purchase, as some of the work I hope to do with this is to align radio IF in the 455 KHz range, as well as the 160m/80m/40m HAM bands - which are all below 10 MHz. It seems that UNI-T decided to list this starting frequency due to a less-than-flat response and higher noise level as you drop to a few MHz and below. But I am very happy to state that it appears to be very usable in these ranges for my needs; the tracking generator seems to run the full range that the analyzer is rated for: 9 KHz to 2.1 GHz. The build quality and overall impression that I get with this is very good. I am very happy with it so far, and I would recommend this unit to anyone looking for the features this unit offers at this price level. Again, outstanding value.