Mwrf 9095 0615ims Ancortek Promo
Mwrf 9095 0615ims Ancortek Promo
Mwrf 9095 0615ims Ancortek Promo
Mwrf 9095 0615ims Ancortek Promo
Mwrf 9095 0615ims Ancortek Promo

SDR Modules Offer Head Start to RF/Microwave Radio Design

June 15, 2018
A line of SDR-based radio modules on display at the 2018 IMS exhibition covers various bandwidths at S-, C-, X-, and K-band frequencies.

System designers visiting the 2018 IMS exhibition found at least one company booth with something that made their lives much easier: Ancortek (booth 2316) was showing its low-power radio modules based on software-defined-radio (SDR) technology. Available for S-, C-, X-, and K-band frequencies, these compact modules (see figure) can cover wide bandwidths for numerous applications, including communications, monitoring, and radar systems. They include the essential components for a radio that’s operated under software control for ease of modifications.

This compact SDR radio module can be supplied for use at various bandwidths at S-, C-, X-, and K-band frequencies. (Courtesy of Ancortek Inc.)

The SDR modules operate on a single +5-V dc power supply, with SMA connectors for antennas, and a 24-pin FFC cable connection between the RF module and the processor module in a full system. The modules provide automatic correction of nonlinearities in a radio’s voltage-controlled oscillator (VCO), but maintain low power consumption. They can work with a variety of waveforms, including continuous-wave (CW), frequency-modulated-CW (FMCW), and frequency-shift-keying (FSK) waveforms. In the SDR form, the modules can quickly change their operating modes, waveforms, and bandwidths for use in multiple-purpose applications.

The firm also displayed its SDR System Evaluation Kits, which are basically starting points for Doppler radar system designers. They include the essential transmit and receive functions for a radar and are implemented with fractional-N phased-lock-loop (PLL) frequency synthesizers for linear tuning. Kits are available with dual receiver channels for advanced radar system designs. Each kit includes an RF module, a processor module, an ac-dc power converter that supplied as much as 3 A at +5 V dc, a copy of the SDR graphical-user-interface (GUI) software, antennas, cable, and an enclosure.

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