Fast-Switching Synth Tunes To 18 GHz

One of the frequency synthesizers at the AOC was on display at the Plextek booth, a fast-switching unit intended for electronic-countermeasures (ECM) systems that can take advantage of its 5-microsecond switching speed. The compact unit measures just 19 x 16 x 2 cm and offers an output range of UHF through 18 GHz with intermediate-frequency (IF) range of 2.5 to 4.0 GHz. Based on direct-digital-synthesis (DDS) technology, the source cuts spurious levels to -80 dBc and phase noise to -125 dBc/Hz offset 19 kHz from the carrier. The fast-switching synthesizer consumes just 6 W.