Jack Browne
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ED Online ID #17141 |
September 28, 2007
Microwaves & RF UPDATE | September 27, 2007
Jack Browne, Technical Director
Boonton announces the launch of the first two members of a new USB Power
Meters series: the 52012 and 52018.
Extending its product portfolio with the
52000 series family, Boonton is now providing reliable entry level USB
controlled CW Power Meters. The new meters offer a frequency range from 10.0
MHz to 12.4 / 18.5 GHz and allow accurate power measurements between -50
dBm to + 20dBm. Its VSWR is better than 1:1.25 at 50 Ohms impedance.
BitWave Semiconductor (www.bitwavesemiconductor.com) has developed one of the more
intriguing technologies in this industry, with their software-defined RF integrated-circuit
technology. Having been introduced on the front cover of Microwaves & RF magazine last year,
the company is still in search of adoption for its proprietary approach to radio circuitry, and the
hopes are that bringing Mike Farese on board as President and CEO may help.
BitWave's innovative technology embeds the equivalent of varactor diodes into its IC designs,
allowing the RF characteristics of a chip, such as filter and amplifier bandwidths, to be modified
on the fly through programming. The performance of the chips can literally be programmed over
a certain range of levels in order to match a single chip to a variety of different wireless
communications standards, such as cellular and WiMAX systems.
Farese joins a management team that includes co-founders Russ Cyr and Geoff Dawe. Farese
sees the opportunity with the technology, noting "I'm extremely excited to join BitWave; with
the Softransceiver RFIC, we have the opportunity to dramatically change the way consumer
companies create and implement product strategies for wireless devices." But will the industry
recognize the opportunity.
Improve Noise-Figure Measurement Accuracy
Use Agilent Technologies' PNA-X vector network analyzer with source-corrected noise-figure
measurement capability to surpass the accuracy of traditional "hot-cold" Y-factor measurements
with a noise-figure analyzer or spectrum analyzer. Read all about it in the White Paper, "Making
Source Corrected Noise-Figure Measurements," sponsored by Agilent Technologies and written
by Agilent's David Ballo, in the September issue of Microwaves & RF.
National Semiconductor has augmented its line of energy-efficient high-speed differential
amplifiers with the LMH6552, LMH6515, and LMH6555 members of the company's
PowerWise(R) family of products. The LMH6552 is a current-feedback amplifier with 1.5-GHz
bandwidth and 0.1-dB gain flatness to 450 MHz. Harmonic distortion is only -74 dBc at 70 MHz
making it ideal for boosting signals to 14-b ADCs at 70 MHz. Model LMH6515 is a digitally
controlled variable gain amplifier (DVGA) with maximum gain of 26 dB and 31-dB gain
adjustment range over a 3-dB bandwidth of 600 MHz. It allows gain to be adjusted in 1-db steps
and provides a noise figure of 8 dB and output third-order intercept point of +40 dBm. Model
LMH6555 is a differential driver optimized for DC-coupled, 8-b data-acquisition applications
through 750 MHz. It features 53-dB spurious-free dynamic range (SFDR) at 750 MHz
converting single-ended signals into differential outputs with 0.5-dB gain flatness through 330
MHz. For more information on these energy-efficiency amplifiers, visit the National
Semiconductors website.
Fabless semiconductor company BitWave Semiconductor has named Michael Farese as
President and Chief Executive Officer (CEO). Formerly with Palm, Inc., Farese brings rich
experience in new product development to a company trying to gain traction for its innovative
software-defined-radio-frequency integrated circuits.
Sponsored by Analog Devices and National Instruments, these
informative eight-minute video segments show cutting-edge
technology in action and offer behind-the-scenes looks at the
latest engineering developments.
First-Pass System Success Application Workshops (Sponsored by Ansoft)
October 19, 2007
Newton Marriott Hotel
Newton, MA
http://www.ansoft.com/firstpass/boston2
ARMMS RF & Microwave Society Conference
November 5-6, 2007
Hotel Elizabeth Rockingham
Northhamptonshire, England
http://www.armms.org
70th ARFTG Microwave Measurement Symposium
November 27-30, 2007
Tempe Mission Palms Hotel
Tempe, AZ
http://www.arftg.org
2007 Asia-Pacific Microwave Conference
December 11-14, 2007
Grand Hyatt Erawan Hotel
Bangkok, Thailand
http://www.apmc2007.org
2008 IEEE Radio and Wireless Symposium (with WAMICON)
January 22-24, 2008
Orlando, FL
http://www.radiowireless.org
2008 IEEE International Solid-State Circuits Conference (ISSCC)
February 3-7, 2008
San Francisco Marriot Hotel
San Francisco, CA
http://www.isscc.org
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