PAM-118H

The Com-Power PAM-118H is a high-gain, battery-powered wideband preamplifier covering 500 MHz to 18 GHz, designed for radiated emissions test scenarios where a standard 30–40 dB preamplifier isn't enough. With 50 dB of typical gain, ±2.5 dB flatness, and a noise figure below 4 dB, it is purpose-built for ultra-low-level emissions measurements, long test distances in large chambers, and setups where heavy path losses from cables, preselectors, attenuators, or RF switches significantly degrade system sensitivity before the receiver front end.

Key specifications include an output power of +9 dBm at 1 dB compression, +17 dBm at the 3 dB intercept point, greater than 50 dB of reverse isolation, an input VSWR of less than 1.7:1, and an output VSWR of less than 2:1. Maximum RF input level is 0 dBm. The unit uses precision 50 Ω N-type female connectors at both ports. Battery operation via an internal 6V / 2 Ah NiMH pack allows direct antenna-side placement for up to 13 hours, pulling signals out of the ambient noise before cable attenuation can degrade them further. An external +12 VDC / 2 A regulated adapter is also supported.

The PAM-118H is particularly effective for 10-metre radiated emissions work where field strength drops sharply with distance, pre-scan and debug sessions requiring lower RBW or faster sweeps on marginal emission lines, and setups using small-aperture or low-gain horn antennas above 1 GHz. It is a receive-only device and should not be inserted into transmitter or immunity injection paths. It pairs directly with the PAM-840H for complete 500 MHz to 40 GHz coverage.