SSPA/BUCs Boost Satcom Systems

Nov. 20, 2013

A pair of solid-state amplifiers boosts satellite-communications signals in X- and Ku-band systems.

Related To: Comtech Xicom Technology

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A pair of solid-state power amplifiers (SSPAs) with block upconverters (BUCs) on display at the recent MILCOM’13 event provide transmit levels needed for X- and Ku-band satellite-communications (satcom) systems. Model XTS-50X-B1 is the X-band unit, with an input frequency range from 950 to 1450 MHz and output range from 7.9 to 8.4 GHz. It provides +45-dBm minimum linear output power and +47-dBm output power at 1-dB compression. Model XTS-40KHE-B1 is the Ku-band amplifier/BUC. It has an input frequency range from 950 to 1700 MHz and output range from 13.75 to 14.50 GHz. It delivers +43-dBm linear output power and as much as +47-dBm output power at 1-dB compression. Both are supplied in a compact housing measuring 11.2 x 4.4 x 5.4 in. and weighing only 10 lbs. Designed for outdoor use, these outdoor units (ODUs) can handle hostile environmental operating conditions.

Comtech Xicom Technology Inc., 3550 Bassett St., Santa Clara, CA 95054; (408) 213-3000, FAX: (408) 213-3001.

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.