ISSUE DATE: DECEMBER 2005  OPTIONS
Communications

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December 2005 - In This Issue

[Cover Story]
Portable VNA Tests Two Ports To 6 GHz
Vector network analyzers (VNAs) represent one of the "standard" test tools for RF and microwave engineers. Their capability to provide error corrected amplitude and phase characteristics of active and passive components make them invaluable in the research lab and on the production floor. But unless one was willing to bring a rack of equipment outdoors, VNAs have not been known as "on-site" test tools. That is, until the introduction of the 2-MHz to 4-GHz model MS2024A...  — Jack Browne

[News]
Emerging Markets Drive RF Technologies
Technology and customer demand are intertwined in this and many other industries. Although it is often uncertain which of the two is driving the other, technology advancement is an essential part of the economic health of the high-frequency industry. As a review of some of the key RF/microwave technology areas will show, improvements in a wide range of device, component, and materials sciences are making tomorrow's products possible and today's products affordable. Markets that...  — Jack Browne

[Design Features]
NPR Specification Aids Wireless System Analysis
Noise power ratio (NPR) has been used to characterize communications systems since the onset of frequency-division-multiplexing (FDM) systems. Traditionally, NPR has been used to test noise and intermodulation distortion (IMD) in 4-kHz voice channels. It is also useful in modern systems for evaluating analog-to-digital converters (ADCs) for wideband applications. It represents a relatively easy ADC test method based on Gaussian noise input to simulate a broadband...  — Walt Kester , et al.

[Design Features]
Resistive Loading Enhances LNA Stability
Designing an effective low noise amplifier (LNA) requires a high-performance transistor. But most suitable devices are potentially unstable at microwave frequencies, leading to oscillation. Fortunately, resistive loading at the input or output of the transistor can prevent oscillation at the frequency of interest for all passive source and load terminations, 1- 4 but stability at other frequencies remains problematic, and out-of-band oscillations ...  — John E. Post

[Design Features]
Real-Time Spectrum Analyzers Show Complex Waveforms
Wireless technology has become much a part of everyday business and personal lives, with networks, gaming, entertainment, and communications relying on wireless devices. Wireless users want to eliminate wires and achieve communications with mobility. Digital RF technology is making possible a growing number of affordable wireless products for consumer, commercial, and industrial applications that combine wireless communications capability with memory and processing...  — Rick King

[Product Technology]
Top Products of 2005
Market pressures generally speed product developments, and that trend was evident across the wide range of high-frequency products introduced in 2005. The list of Top Products of 2005 (see table) , as selected by the editors of Microwaves & RF, represents a fairly accurate sampling of the effects of those market pressures for companies to continue to improve existing products and develop new ones, be they components,...  — Jack Browne

[Editorial]
Technology Calls for An Investment
TECHNOLOGY DOESN'T COME CHEAP. It is not surprising that the firms that consistently remain at the forefront of technology are the same ones earmarking a significant portion of each year's budget to research and development. And these investments come in many forms, including people, test equipment, and software. But perhaps the most important investment is a willingness to devote time and effort to new developments, which may or may not bring a return on investment. A...  — Jack Browne