Jack Browne
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ED Online ID #16419 |
August 10, 2007
Microwaves & RF UPDATE | August 9, 2007
Jack Browne, Technical Director
Free Agilent White Paper: Perfecting Pulsed RF Radar
Measurements
This white paper discusses the measurements and test tools available to make fast,
accurate pulsed RF radar signal measurements such as spectrum analyzers, vector
signal analyzers and power meters. Click below to read the white paper and learn
how to order a copy of Agilent's Radar Fundamentals poster.
Radar systems were once synonymous with military applications. But with the rise of automotive
collision-avoidance/cruise-control radar systems at 60 and 77 GHz, and rear-looking radar
systems at 24 GHz, the military no longer has exclusive rights to radar designs. And with the
spread of radar technology comes the challenge to test the growing numbers of products. Radar
signals, of course, are pulsed waveforms, often with such complications as Doppler shifts, pulse-
to-pulse modulation, and even linear frequency modulation (FM), affectionately referred to as
"chirp" modulation because of its sonic similarity to the sound of birds chirping.
Fortunately, at least one measurement company has not been resting during this radar
renaissance. Agilent Technologies (www.agilent.com) has sponsored a timely White Paper on
measuring radar waveforms, "Perfecting Pulsed RF Radar Measurements." which is tucked into
each August 2007 issue of Microwaves & RF and also available from the Microwaves & RF
website at www.mwrf.com. Written by Agilent's John Barfuss, the White Paper explains the key
RF radar measurements and how most of them can be handled by just two instruments: a peak
power meter and a properly equipped spectrum analyzer. If you are working on radar electronics,
or just curious, don't miss the free education provided by this White Paper, in the August issue of
Microwaves & RF.
The Thermal Management Imperative in Defense Electronics
This is the one trend that can make or break your company.
Still testing thermal performance with cardboard mockups and duct tape? The most successful
Defense Electronics companies are making real thermal management expertise part of their
DNA. New technologies like upfront CFD software make it possible for every Engineer to
handle thermal issues early in the design process.
TriQuint Semiconductor has been named the fastest-growing company out of the top three
among GaAs device manufacturers in a report by Strategy Analytics. According to the report,
TriQuint's revenues grew 37 percent year-to-year for the year ending 2006. The research
company estimates that revenues for the total GaAs device market (merchant and captive
markets) grew 10 percent year-to-year for that same time period, to $3.1 billion. The report notes
that the GaAs market is now split between companies that target high volume markets and those
that have chosen to focus on high-value applications. TriQuint reported earnings growth of 433
percent in 2006 over 2005, supply production volumes to four of the top five cellular handset
manufacturers.
California Eastern Laboratories and LS Research have signed an exclusive global agreement to
design, manufacture, and market miniature transceiver modules for ZigBee and other low-cost,
low-power IEEE 802.15.4 wireless data applications. The companies have teamed on a fully
integrated drop-in module based on the MC13192 transceiver IC and MC9S08GT60
microprocessor from Freescale Semiconductor. The module features a 100-mW power amplifier
and offers as much as 4000 feet of range in line-of-sight operation. The module is ideal for
wireless office and factory automation, in security systems, and for automated heating, lighting,
and air-conditioning systems.
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