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Microwaves & RF UPDATE
MWRF - www.mwrf.com/
October 19, 2006
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Greetings and welcome to your personal copy of Microwaves and RF
UPDATE e-newsletter. Please see below for address-change or
subscribe/unsubscribe instructions.
==============================
Today's Table of Contents:
1. Trying To Eliminate The RF
2. Study Sees Smart Antennas Poised For Growth
3. Boonton Adds Pair of Power Sensors
4. Rockwell Collins Delivers 10,000 GPS Engine
5. Palomar Receives ISO 9001:2000 Recertification
6. Modelithics Expands Active Device Libraries
7. Xilinx Showcases SDR Kit at MILCOM
8. Happenings - Conferences
************************ ADVERTISEMENT****************************
Taking Performance To a New Peak - 4500B
Boonton introduces the new 4500B Peak Power Analyzer, totally
redesigned from the inside out. This peak power meter is changing the
way the industry views and analyzes RF data. Some of the key features
include 8.4-inch TFT color LCD display, 100 ps timebase resolution,
automatic peak-to-peak, delay-by-time and delay-by-events triggering,
and much more.
For more information, visit the Boonton web site at:
http://news.mwrf.com/t?ctl=3CE7A:49027F
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1. Viewpoint
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Trying To Eliminate The RF
An expansive report on wireless markets from research specialist Frost
& Sullivan (www.frost.com, see story below) recently pointed to
tremendous opportunities for certain components in wireless systems,
including smart antennas. One of the points of emphasis in the report
detailed the need for increased digital content in wireless systems,
nominally to overcome the shortcomings of the RF components.
For years, military contractors have envisioned the ultimate digital
receiver, essentially an antenna connected to an analog-to-digital
converter (ADC) for the receiver and digital-to-analog converter (DAC)
for the transmitter. The Joint Tactical Radio System (JTRS) program
supported the design of this type of radio design, in the form of a
software-defined radio (SDR) with behavior that could be readily
programmed according to the needs of a situation or available
frequency.
As a story in the last newsletter indicated, DACs (in the form of
arbitrary waveform generators) are getting faster and can now handle
many of the waveforms needed for an SDR. But the ADCs still have room
to grow. Even so, even with extremely fast ADCs, wireless systems and
even SDRs still must work with wideband RF components for a system to
be viable. As good as the digital gets, the RF will not be replaced,
at least for now.
JACK BROWNE
Technical Director
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2. News
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Study Sees Smart Antennas Poised For Growth
Smart antenna technologies are emerging as an innovative way to meet
the growing demand for more powerful, cost-effective and highly
efficient wireless systems. With the potential to tremendously impact
the performance of wireless systems in terms of data rates, coverage
and range, smart antennas are poised for growth. A key to this growth
is increased use of digital signal processors (DSPs) in smart antennas
to support and enhance performance. Smart antennas are one of the many
wireless technologies covered in a new market study by Frost &
Sullivan. According to Frost & Sullivan Research Analyst Ashwini
Meena, "While techniques such as lower noise amplifiers and wider
bandwidths can enhance the performance of wireless systems to some
extent, they cannot match the huge benefits offered by smart
antennas. They offer specific benefits such as greater coverage and
range, improved building penetration, higher data rates and
capacity, as well as reduced multipath and co-channel
interference."
Frost & Sullivan ---> http://news.mwrf.com/t?ctl=3CE7D:49027F
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3. News
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Boonton Adds Pair of Power Sensors
Boonton Electronics has announced two high-speed peak power sensors
for use with its 4500B line of precision power meters. The type 56006
power sensor has a rise time exceeding 7 ns and an 80-dB dynamic range
extending from -60 to +20 dBm. It is usable at frequencies to 6 GHz.
The type 58318 power sensor, with a rise time of 10 ns, is usable to
18 GHz.
Boonton Electronics ---> http://news.mwrf.com/t?ctl=3CE7A:49027F
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4. News
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Rockwell Collins Delivers 10,000 GPS Engine
Rockwell Collins has delivered the 10,000th Global Positioning System
(GPS) engine for the US Army's GPS receiver application module
(GB-GRAM) program. Under the GB-GRAM contract, which began in 2003,
Rockwell Collins is providing its low cost 12-channel Miniature
Precision Lightweight GPS Receiver (PLGR) Engine Selective
Availability Anti-Spoofing Module (SAASM) (MPE-S), a small,
lightweight, third generation GPS receiver. The MPE-S offers
geolocation and precise positioning capabilities for military
navigation, tactical communications, battlefield computing and other
C4I (Command, Control, Computers, Communication and Information)
equipment. GB-GRAM is a NAVSTAR GPS Wing initiative to migrate towards
an open system architecture for ground-based embedded military
applications and is in communications and weapons platforms across the
military.
Rockwell Collins ---> http://news.mwrf.com/t?ctl=3CE7E:49027F
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5. News
**********
Palomar Receives ISO 9001:2000 Recertification
Palomar Technologies has been recertified as meeting the requirements
of ISO 9001/ANSI-ASQ Q9001:2000 and is registered by SGS. Palomar was
assessed and certified as meeting the requirements of ISO 9001:2000
for design, manufacturing, sales, servicing, and marketing of
automated assembly equipment serving the communications, microwave and
RF, semiconductor, optoelectronic, wireless, disk drive, automotive,
aerospace and defense, and medical industries. According to Michelle
Taylor, the company's Marketing Services Manager and ISO management
representative, "Following the principles of ISO 9001:2000 system
implementation has given us an even better knowledge and understanding
of our customers' needs and expectations."
Palomar Technologies ---> http://news.mwrf.com/t?ctl=3CE73:49027F
************************ ADVERTISEMENT****************************
Keithley's Powerful New RF Vector Signal Generator
Keithley's Model 2910 RF Vector Signal Generator features exceptional
signal generation capability at an economical price and fast signal
tuning for faster test execution. Software adapts as test requirements
change, reducing test time with fast amplitude settling and waveform
switching. Units are ideal for production testing of mobile communications
equipment.
For more information go to http://news.mwrf.com/t?ctl=3CE76:49027F
******************************************************************
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6. News
*********
Modelithics Expands Active Device Libraries
Software model specialist Modelithics has released major enhancements
to its nonlinear diode (NLD) and nonlinear transistor (NLT) model
libraries. The libraries include several updates, such as models for
devices from Advanced Power Technology, Avago, Freescale,
Micrometrics, Philips, and Sirenza. The models are ideal for users of
computer-aided-engineering (CAE) tools working on high-power and
low-noise amplifiers as well as diode-based circuits such as limiters.
Modelithics is offering a free trial of the NLD or NLT libraries
available at the company's website.
Modelithics ---> http://news.mwrf.com/t?ctl=3CE78:49027F
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7. News
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Xilinx Showcases SDR Kit at MILCOM
Programmable logic device (PLD) specialist Xilinx will be unveiling a
design kit for the Joint Tactical Radio System (JTRS) software-defined
radio (SDR) at next week's Military Communications (MILCOM) 2006
conference (October 23-25, 2006, Washington, DC). The kit is based on
the company's Virtex-4 FX60 field-programmable-gate-array (FPGA)
technology and was jointly developed by Xilinx and ISR Technologies.
The firm will also be showing the Nova Stingray, one of the smallest
SDR radios available today, running on a Xilinx Virtex-4 LX60 FPGA and
operating from 200 MHz to 2 GHz.
Xilinx ---> http://news.mwrf.com/t?ctl=3CE7B:49027F
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8. Happenings - Conferences
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ARMMS RF and Microwave Society
November 6-7, 2006
Harben House
Buckinghamshire, England
http://news.mwrf.com/t?ctl=3CE7C:49027F
International Electron Devices Meeting (IEDM)
December 11-13, 2006
Hilton San Francisco and Towers
San Francisco, CA
http://news.mwrf.com/t?ctl=3CE72:49027F
2007 IEEE/MTT-S International Microwave Symposium
June 3-8, 2007
Hawaii Convention Center
Honolulu, HI
http://news.mwrf.com/t?ctl=3CE79:49027F
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Enter for a chance to win a Tektronix TDS2012B oscilloscope.
http://news.mwrf.com/t?ctl=3CE71:49027F
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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]
Advertising/Sponsorship Opportunities:
Paul Barkman at 1-908-704-2460 or
mailto:[email protected]
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Microwaves & RF
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