August 10, 2006 Newsletter

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Microwaves & RF UPDATE
MWRF - www.mwrf.com
August 10, 2006
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Greetings and welcome to your personal copy of PlanetEE's Microwaves 
and RF UPDATE e-newsletter. Please see below for address-change or 
subscribe/unsubscribe instructions.

Today's Table of Contents:

1. New Test Gear An Economic Indicator?                               
2. Boonton Extends Product Line To Spectrum Analyzers 
3. LabVIEW Celebrates 20th Anniversary With Version 8.20
4. Intersil Introduces RF Gain Blocks 
5. Study Predicts $4 Billion for New Service Delivery Platforms 
6. Times Microwave Bundles Cables For Smart Antennas
7. Modelithics Announces Vendor Partner Program 
8. Happenings - Conferences 

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1.  Viewpoint 
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New Test Gear An Economic Indicator?

Test equipment represents an investment. Unless it's a voltmeter, most 
measurement gear can be expensive, but it is essential. It is 
important to remember that developing a new instrument also requires 
massive resources on the part of the test equipment supplier, and new 
instruments usually signify optimism on the part of the suppliers in 
the markets they serve. 

The microwave industry has seen a recent surge in new instruments from 
a variety of suppliers, including Keithley Instruments 
(www.keithley.com), National Instruments (www.ni.com), Agilent 
Technologies (www.agilent.com), and Anritsu (www.us.anritsu.com).  
Anritsu, for example, recently unveiled an Economy Spectrum Analyzer 
(model MS2717A) with outstanding performance and features through 7.1 
GHz. Rohde & Schwarz (www.rohdeschwarz.com) announced the FSUP, a 
spectrum analyzer and phase-noise tester usable through 50 GHz. And 
Boonton (www.boontonelectronics.com) unveiled a line of 4-GHz spectrum 
analyzers (see below).

These companies invest when their customers report a need. The cycle, 
of researching markets and developing test gear to serve those 
markets, speeds when business improves. And the sudden rush of new 
equipment seems to indicate that things are on the upswing. 


JACK BROWNE
Technical Director

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2. News
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Boonton Extends Product Line To Spectrum Analyzers

Boonton Electronics, a Wireless Telecom Group Company, has added 
spectrum analyzers to its venerable instrument lines. The new 9100 
Series features frequency coverage from 10 kHz to 4 GHz with a 
displayed average noise level (DANL) of -135 dBm and 
resolution-bandwidth filters from 100 Hz to 1 MHz. The analyzers offer 
extensive automatic power-measurement capabilities, including channel 
power, occupied bandwidth (OBW), and adjacent-channel power ratio 
(ACPR) measurements. 
Boonton Electronics ---> http://news.mwrf.com/t?ctl=34AAB:49027F

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3. News
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LabVIEW Celebrates 20th Anniversary With Version 8.20

National Instruments has announced the 20th Anniversary issue of its 
famed LabVIEW software. The graphical design and test tool, which is 
favored by a wide range of measurements engineers, is used for a 
variety of applications, from audio to microwave. Version 8.20 of the 
software features open connectivity with MATLAB software from The 
MathWorks, a new modulation toolkit, the FPGA Wizard for creating 
custom data acquisition devices, and improved algorithm execution 
speeds. 
National Instruments ---> http://news.mwrf.com/t?ctl=34AAD:49027F
The MathWorks ---> http://news.mwrf.com/t?ctl=34AA8:49027F

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4. News
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Intersil Introduces RF Gain Blocks

Intersil Corporation has introduces six new RF amplifiers in its 
ISL550xx family for Industrial-Scientific-Medical (ISM) and 
satellite-communications applications. Model ISL55005, for example, is 
a 3.3-V gain block that operates from 0.9 to 2.5 GHz with 17-dB gain 
and +18 dBm output power at 1-dB compression. Available for both 50- 
and 75-ohm applications, the amplifiers are supplied in 
surface-mountable SC70 housings. Noise figures range from 3.6 to 3.9 
dB, while gain levels range from 14 to 17 dB. According to Sameer 
Vuyyuru, director of Intersil's Standard Analog products group, "Most 
RF gain blocks on the market do not specify an ESD rating. Intersil's 
ISL550xx family is tested and guaranteed to 3 kV." The rating makes 
the amplifiers ideal for satellite receivers and low-noise block 
downconverters (LNBs). 
Intersil Corporation ---> http://news.mwrf.com/t?ctl=34AAA:49027F

**********
5. News
**********
Study Predicts $4 Billion for New Service Delivery Platforms

A new study from ABI Research, "Next Generation Service Delivery 
Platforms," forecasts that fixed and mobile network operators will 
invest a total of $4 billion in service delivery platform (SDP) 
capital infrastructure over the next five years. The equipment will 
result in many new Internet-based services, including voice over 
Internet Protocol (VoIP) with instant messaging functionality. The 
study is part of three services researched by the group: mobile 
operators, IP networking, and wireless infrastructure. 
ABI Research ---> http://news.mwrf.com/t?ctl=34AA6:49027F

************************ ADVERTISEMENT**************************** 

     Agilent WiMedia UWB PHY Webcast - Aug 24, 1 p.m. EDT 

This FREE webcast by Agilent Technologies will review WiMedia's 
MB-OFDM PHY layer structure and discuss various MB-OFDM testing 
topics, including transmitter analysis, receiver stimulation and 
evaluation, and using simulations during circuit design to improve 
device immunity to interference. Click on the link for more 
information.
 
http://news.mwrf.com/t?ctl=34AAE:49027F
		 		 
******************************************************************


*********
6. News
*********
Times Microwave Bundles Cables For Smart Antennas

Times Microwave Systems now offers LMR(R) Bundled Cable with as many 
as nine component cables under a common jacket. This arrangement is 
ideal for smart antennas and other applications requiring large 
numbers of antenna feeder cables. The low-loss, 50-ohm flexible cables 
are available in standard bundles with 4, 7, and 9 runs of cables.
Times Microwave Systems ---> http://news.mwrf.com/t?ctl=34AA3:49027F
 
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7. News
*********
Modelithics Announces Vendor Partner Program

Device model specialist Modelithics has initiated a vendor partner 
program for component and device suppliers. Companies choosing to 
become a Modelithics Vendor Partner (MVP) can select their level of 
involvement (and reward) from the program, including Cooperative, 
Supporting, and Strategic. The program includes increased Internet 
visibility and coordinated marketing initiatives with Modelithics, as 
well as the benefits of working with highly accurate software models 
of their components and devices. 
Modelithics ---> http://news.mwrf.com/t?ctl=34AA7:49027F

*******************************
8.  Happenings - Conferences
*******************************

Signal Integrity From The Ground Up
August 14-16, 2006
San Jose, CA
http://news.mwrf.com/t?ctl=34AA2:49027F

International Electron Devices Meeting (IEDM)
December 11-13, 2006
Hilton San Francisco and Towers
San Francisco, CA
http://news.mwrf.com/t?ctl=34AA0:49027F

************************ ADVERTISEMENT****************************    

  		               For The Best In Test

Visit Microwaves & RF's RF Test Weblog, sponsored by Keithley 
Instruments (www.keithley.com), for the latest news on test 
instruments, test literature, and measurement techniques. You'll find 
the best in test at
                 
                 http://news.mwrf.com/t?ctl=34AA9:49027F 

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MICROWAVES AND RF (MWRF) UPDATE e-NEWSLETTER CONTACTS
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Technical Director: Jack Browne
mailto:[email protected]

Managing Editor: John Curley
mailto:[email protected]

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Paul Barkman at 1-908-704-2460 or
mailto:[email protected]

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