October 19, 2006 Newsletter

Oct. 19, 2006
============================== Microwaves & RF UPDATE MWRF - www.mwrf.com/ October 19, 2006 ============================== Greetings and welcome to your personal copy of Microwaves and RF UPDATE e-newsletter. Please see below for address-change or ...
==============================
Microwaves & RF UPDATE
MWRF - www.mwrf.com/
October 19, 2006
==============================

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

******************************************************************


***************
1.  Viewpoint 
***************
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


*************
2. News
*************
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


*********
3. News
*********
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

 
*********
4. News
*********
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

 
**********
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 
		 		 
******************************************************************


*********
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 


*********
7. News
*********
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

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


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

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details on complex digital RF measurements? Come join us for a series 
of 10 free seminars in 8 cities starting on October 31. Learn about 
serial measurements for debug, validation and compliance applications, 
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Seating is limited so register today. 

Enter for a chance to win a Tektronix TDS2012B oscilloscope.
http://news.mwrf.com/t?ctl=3CE71:49027F

******************************************************************

======================================================
MICROWAVES AND RF (MWRF) UPDATE e-NEWSLETTER CONTACTS
======================================================

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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Copyright 2006 Penton Media Inc. All rights reserved.

Microwaves & RF
Penton Media Inc.
45 Eisenhower Dr., 5th Floor
Paramus, NJ 07652
USA

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