Radio-Link Subsystem Targets 71 To 86 GHz

Aug. 14, 2008

Ducommun Technologies has developed an E-band radio-link RF subsystem for use at 71 to 86 GHz. The millimeter-wave subsystem includes two complementary transceiver blocks, with block A transmitting at 71 to 76 GHz and receiving at 81 to 86 GHz and block B transmitting at 81 to 86 GHz and receiving at 71 to 76 GHz. Each block includes a transmitter, receiver, local oscillator (LO), and phase-locked dielectric-resonator-oscillator (PLDRO) modules. Typical transmitter performance includes 29-dB conversion gain and +15 dBm output power at 1-dB compression, using an open gain control loop. Typical receiver performance also includes 29-dB conversion gain and 9-dB noise figure. The typical power consumption for one block is about 6.8 W. The E-band radio-link RF subsystem is ideal for high-speed communications links, such as an E-band multi-gigabit wireless communications system that provides local area networks with data, voice, and video transmissions at rates of 1 to 10 Gb/s.

About the Author

Jack Browne

Technical Contributor

Jack Browne, Technical Contributor, has worked in technical publishing for over 30 years. He managed the content and production of three technical journals while at the American Institute of Physics, including Medical Physics and the Journal of Vacuum Science & Technology. He has been a Publisher and Editor for Penton Media, started the firm’s Wireless Symposium & Exhibition trade show in 1993, and currently serves as Technical Contributor for that company's Microwaves & RF magazine. Browne, who holds a BS in Mathematics from City College of New York and BA degrees in English and Philosophy from Fordham University, is a member of the IEEE.