FROM THE EDITOR'S DESK

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  IMS2013: Tech Trends You Don’t Want To Miss (Even If You’re Not Going)

  Like a restaurant with way too many appealing choices on its menu, IMS poses a particular dilemma to attendees and non-attendees alike. With so many educational opportunities available over such a short period of time, which ones should you attend (if you're going)? And with so much information coming out of the symposium in the days and weeks that follow, what’s worth paying attention to or investigating further (if you're not)? I caught up with IMS2013 Technical Program Chair Lenoard Hayden to get his advice.

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  5G Breakthrough? Samsung Develops mmWave Adaptive Array Transceiver

  Even though true 4G cellular is yet to arrive, Samsung claims to have already taken a major step toward 5G with the development of a new millimeter-wave adaptive array transceiver. The device, which operates in the Ka band (28 GHz), achieves data transmission speeds of up to 1.056 Gbit/s over distances of up to 2 km.

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  The Sequester, DARPA, And A New Reality For U.S. Defense R&D

  Sequestration was the dominant theme at SPIE Defense, Security, and Sensing (DSS) 2013 in Baltimore last week. Talk of U.S. budget cuts and their impact on the defense industry was almost omnipresent during the event, starting with Monday’s plenary keynote address by DARPA Director Arati Prabhakar, who explained how the agency will approach the development of new military capabilities amidst both fiscal and threat uncertainties.

• Microwave Ablation Devices Heating Up, But Competition Looms
• Cosmic Microwave Background Anomalies Challenge Principles Of Big Bang Theory
• Power Amplifier ‘Heals’ Itself After Laser Blasts

PRODUCTS TO SEE AT IMS2013

DC Thru 20 GHz Microwave Chip Resistor

MSI’s MSMW series, a thin film microwave chip resistor being manufactured using specialized Laser Trimming for Optimal Performance over Operating Frequency Ranges of DC to 20 Ghz. Standard case sizes starting at 0201.

Visit us at IMAPS Booth 613.

RF Transistor: 2729GN-500V

Microsemi’s 2729GN-500V RF transistor is based on GaN on SiC technologies and targeted at high-power air traffic control airport surveillance radar applications. The 2729GN-500V delivers unparalleled performance of 500W of peak power with 12 dB of power gain and 53% drain efficiency over band 2.7 to 2.9 GHz band.

AR’s Newly Redesigned “W” Series

Our newly redesigned “W” Series Class A solid state amplifiers have significantly increased their value to our customers.  We have superior gain flatness, better noise figure, improved linear power margins, better efficiency, and better harmonics measured at higher powers than in previous designs.  And if that wasn’t enough we reduced the size and weight by approximately  50%.

Low Phase Noise Reference Oscillator: XO5085

Low phase noise, high frequency reference oscillators improve signal-to-noise ratios in microwave radios, RF/EW/ATE,  radar systems, spectrum analyzers and more. The XO5085 covers the 50 MHz to 160 MHz range, has very low phase noise and comes in a 1” sq. package.

Broadband VNA: VectorStar ME7838A

Anritsu’s VectorStar ME7838A Broadband VNA is the first millimeter-wave system with stable real time leveling of power without the need for calibration software correction tables. The broadband system may be configured to include a full range of banded millimeter-wave modules extending the frequency range to 750 GHz and beyond.

Low Cost Attenuators With Ethernet/RS-232 And Manual Control

The 50BA-series from JFW Industries is an all-new line of variable attenuator systems. These plug-and-play modules come complete with Ethernet/RS-232 interfaces as well as manual control (via Momentary Lever Actuator Switches with 7-segment digital display).

Diplexers And Multiplexers

Diplexers are three port devices that are used to combine or split signals that are at different frequencies. A diplexer is designed with two fixed bandpass filters that are connected to a common port. Multiplexers are passive devices used to split or combine signals, usually of different frequencies. Once several frequencies are combined, a single transmission medium is used to send or receive the signals

RECENT ARTICLES

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  How To Localize Interference In The High Frequency Range Using smartDF®

  Are you impacted by an illegal transmitter? …or a legal transmitter not operating within specifications? … or an industrial controller causing fizzle on an adjacent band? … or just crackle from a poor contact in the building’s wiring?

GUEST COLUMNS

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  RF Switch Matrix/Signal Conditioning Challenge: Reverse Engineering And Updating Your Legacy Test System

  Almost every company has an old test system in the corner of their lab that provides a test capability that they require. Perhaps it is related to a government program or a commercial product line that has been around forever. Sometimes the system has been mothballed and they need to get it to run again. This is the third in a series of guest columns by Bob Alman of SenarioTek.

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  Military Satellite Trends And Outlook: Part 1

  The use of space is increasing and becoming an essential component for infrastructure in communications, navigation and timing, agriculture and weather monitoring, and disaster relief efforts. From a military perspective, space assets provide necessary resources to support troops, including the provision of imagery, supporting communications, improving targeting, and conversely reducing collateral damage. As a force multiplier, space assets can provide advanced capabilities and compensate for reductions in other conventional assets. By Asif Anwar, Director, Advanced Defense Systems (ADS) Service, Strategy Analytics

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  Patterned Ground Shields For Silicon RFICs – Part I: What Happens In The Silicon?

  This is part of a series of guest columns by Dr. James C. Rautio of Sonnet Software, Inc.

RECENT NEWSLETTERS

• 05.23.13 -- MIT Researchers Make Frequency Hopping Radios Practical
• 05.21.13 -- How To Localize Interference In The High Frequency Range
• 05.16.13 -- What Disrupts Radio Waves? NASA To Find Out
• 05.14.13 -- What's The Worst That Could Happen? RF Communication Disasters
• 05.09.13 -- First Transistors Using GaN-On-Diamond Wafers Produced

FEATURED PRODUCTS

S and C Band Solid State Power Amplifier: NW-SSPA-15W-2.5-6.0

This power amplifier operates in the S and C band. It features 15 Watts minimum RF output power, high efficiency GaN technology, a single power supply, over-voltage/reverse-voltage protection, thermal protection, 0 dBm nominal RF input, and a compact size (3.15” x 2.00” x 0.50”).

3D Signal Integrity Analysis of Complex Cable Structures

CST CABLE STUDIO® is dedicated to the three-dimensional analysis of signal integrity (SI), conducted emission (CE), radiated emission (RE), and electromagnetic susceptibility (EMS) of complex cable structures in electrically large systems.

AR Multistar™ Radiated Immunity System

The AR AR Multistar™ Radiated Immunity System has all of the instruments needed to perform radiated immunity testing for IEC 61000-4-3 specifications. Included in the system is AR's MT06000 Multistar™ Radiated Immunity System. The multi-tone design of the MTO6000 systems allows for faster testing of RD radiated immunity.

Phase Locked Dielectric Resonator Oscillator (PLDRO): EDPLO-2200

Exodus Dynamics, a world leader in microwave and mm-wave Phase Locked DROs, introduces EDPLO-2200 series Ultra Low Noise, Dual Frequency Phase Locked DRO.

EM.GRID™

EM.GRID™ is EM.CUBE's flexible data visualization and analysis module. GRID is an acronym for Graphical Representation of Input Data. You can call EM.GRID at the end of a simulation from any one of EM.CUBE's computational modules to plot output data graphs. EM.GRID can also be used as a stand-alone application to visualize any data files with acceptable formats. You can plot graphs of data, customize the graphs and print them or copy them to other applications such as word processors, spreadsheets or presentation software.

High Power Bandpass/LC Filter: JDLLF06U12

This 100W bandpass/LC filter covers the 350-600 MHz frequency range and has a 0.8dB insertion loss (Max). It also has a >50dB@700 MHz-1800 MHz rejection, a -20⁰C to 60⁰C operating temperature range, an N-Female port connector configuration, and 50W impedance. Different dimensions are available, depending on the user’s requirements.

Directional Coupler 10-67 GHz

Frequency: 10 to 67 GHz
Coupling (with respect to output): 16 ± 1.1 dB and frequency sensitivity ± 2.0 dB
Directivity: 7.25 dB
Max VSWR (any port): 2.0
Insertion Loss: <1.95 dB
Max. Power Rating (Input): 20 W Average 3 KW Peak
Standard Connectors: 1.85mm Female
Operating Temperature: -54 to +85 deg C

Horn Antennas: K-Band, V-Band, And X-Band

These microwave antennas from Microsemi are designed for commercial applications as a low-cost method for transmitting microwave energy. These antennas utilize high-gain properties and shaped-beam patterns that are suitable for most applications.

FEATURED SUPPLIERS

Anaren Microwave, Inc.

Based in Syracuse, NY with five facilities and approximately 1,200 employees worldwide, Anaren, Inc. is a 40+-year worldwide supplier of custom and standard high-frequency technology for the space, defense, commercial wireless infrastructure, consumer electronics, and medical device sectors.

X-COM Systems

Headquartered near Washington D.C. in Reston, Virginia, X-COM Systems designs, manufactures, and sells advanced products and solutions to all branches of the Department of Defense (DoD) and to commercial technology companies worldwide.

Skyworks Solutions, Inc.

Skyworks is the industry’s leading wireless semiconductor company focused on RF and complete semiconductor systems for mobile communications applications...

RLC Electronics, Inc.

Since its inception in 1959, RLC has been the leading designer and manufacturer of high quality, state-of-the-art coaxial switches, band-pass filters, precision attenuators and other transmission line components for the microwave industry.

CURRENT HEADLINES

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  Pasternack Adds All New Line Of RF Coaxial Test Cables

  Pasternack Enterprises, Inc., an industry leading ISO 9001:2008 certified manufacturer and global supplier of RF and microwave products, adds new line of SMA and N-Type Test Cables, ideal for testing applications requiring low insertion loss and operating frequencies up to 26.5 GHz.

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  Low-Power Wireless Projected To Make Waves In Remote Controls

  Nearly one-fifth of all remote controls will feature wireless radio frequency (RF) technology by 2018 that enable many advanced technologies not available with current remotes, including voice and gesture control,  according to insights from IMS Research, now part of IHS.

• Epiq Solutions Announces The Matchstiq™ Z1 Handheld Software Defined Radio

  Epiq Solutions, an engineering firm specializing in the development of flexible wireless communications systems, has announced the Matchstiq™Z1, the latest addition to the company's small form factor software defined radio (SDR) product line.

• TriQuint Accelerates Gallium Nitride Offerings, Releases Significant New Products And Foundry Services

  TriQuint Semiconductor, Inc., a leading RF solutions supplier and technology innovator, recently announced 15 new gallium nitride (GaN) amplifiers and transistors along with two new GaN processes.

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  Centennial Airport To Install New Surveillance System That Combines Liteye And Blighter Systems To Enhance Facility Security

  Centennial Airport, (Centennial, Colorado, USA), announced today that it will be deploying a new facility security system that combines the Aquila thermal pan & tilt camera system, from Liteye Systems Inc., (Centennial, Colorado, USA), and the Blighter B400 series electronic -scanning ground radar system from Blighter Surveillance Systems, (Cambridge, UK), to deliver a fortress-like ring of security over their facility.

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  NXP Delivers Industry's First Ultra-Wideband Doherty Amplifiers

  NXP Semiconductors N.V. (NASDAQ: NXPI) today announced the availability of its ultra-wideband Doherty reference design using the BLF884P and BLF884PS -- the industry's first wideband Doherty power amplifiers capable of broadband operation (470 to 806 MHz).