 | Microwaves & RF UPDATE | September 27, 2007
| Jack Browne, Technical Director
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Boonton announces the launch of the first two members of a new USB Power Meters series: the 52012 and 52018.
Extending its product portfolio with the 52000 series family, Boonton is now providing reliable entry level USB controlled CW Power Meters. The new meters offer a frequency range from 10.0 MHz to 12.4 / 18.5 GHz and allow accurate power measurements between -50 dBm to + 20dBm. Its VSWR is better than 1:1.25 at 50 Ohms impedance. For more information, click here.
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| | Viewpoint |
Technology Searching For A Fit
By Jack Browne, MWRF Technical Director
BitWave Semiconductor (www.bitwavesemiconductor.com) has developed one of the more intriguing technologies in this industry, with their software-defined RF integrated-circuit technology. Having been introduced on the front cover of Microwaves & RF magazine last year, the company is still in search of adoption for its proprietary approach to radio circuitry, and the hopes are that bringing Mike Farese on board as President and CEO may help. BitWave's innovative technology embeds the equivalent of varactor diodes into its IC designs, allowing the RF characteristics of a chip, such as filter and amplifier bandwidths, to be modified on the fly through programming. The performance of the chips can literally be programmed over a certain range of levels in order to match a single chip to a variety of different wireless communications standards, such as cellular and WiMAX systems. Farese joins a management team that includes co-founders Russ Cyr and Geoff Dawe. Farese sees the opportunity with the technology, noting "I'm extremely excited to join BitWave; with the Softransceiver RFIC, we have the opportunity to dramatically change the way consumer companies create and implement product strategies for wireless devices." But will the industry recognize the opportunity. | Improve Noise-Figure Measurement Accuracy
Use Agilent Technologies' PNA-X vector network analyzer with source-corrected noise-figure measurement capability to surpass the accuracy of traditional "hot-cold" Y-factor measurements with a noise-figure analyzer or spectrum analyzer. Read all about it in the White Paper, "Making Source Corrected Noise-Figure Measurements," sponsored by Agilent Technologies and written by Agilent's David Ballo, in the September issue of Microwaves & RF. Simply click here for a free copy.
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| | News |
National Adds To Amplifier Line
National Semiconductor has augmented its line of energy-efficient high-speed differential amplifiers with the LMH6552, LMH6515, and LMH6555 members of the company's PowerWise(R) family of products. The LMH6552 is a current-feedback amplifier with 1.5-GHz bandwidth and 0.1-dB gain flatness to 450 MHz. Harmonic distortion is only -74 dBc at 70 MHz making it ideal for boosting signals to 14-b ADCs at 70 MHz. Model LMH6515 is a digitally controlled variable gain amplifier (DVGA) with maximum gain of 26 dB and 31-dB gain adjustment range over a 3-dB bandwidth of 600 MHz. It allows gain to be adjusted in 1-db steps and provides a noise figure of 8 dB and output third-order intercept point of +40 dBm. Model LMH6555 is a differential driver optimized for DC-coupled, 8-b data-acquisition applications through 750 MHz. It features 53-dB spurious-free dynamic range (SFDR) at 750 MHz converting single-ended signals into differential outputs with 0.5-dB gain flatness through 330 MHz. For more information on these energy-efficiency amplifiers, visit the National Semiconductors website. National Semiconductor
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| BitWave Semiconductor Names CEO
Fabless semiconductor company BitWave Semiconductor has named Michael Farese as President and Chief Executive Officer (CEO). Formerly with Palm, Inc., Farese brings rich experience in new product development to a company trying to gain traction for its innovative software-defined-radio-frequency integrated circuits. BitWave Semiconductor |
| More News
Modelithics Enhances Nonlinear Device Library
Symmetricom Shrinks Atomic Clocks
AR Modular RF Adds T/R Switching To Amplifier
Johanson Manufacturing Launches 300-W Termination
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Don't Miss Your Favorite Show: Engineering TV
Sponsored by Analog Devices and National Instruments, these informative eight-minute video segments show cutting-edge technology in action and offer behind-the-scenes looks at the latest engineering developments. Sneak a peek here.
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| | Happenings - Conferences |
First-Pass System Success Application Workshops (Sponsored by Ansoft)
October 19, 2007
Newton Marriott Hotel
Newton, MA
http://www.ansoft.com/firstpass/boston2 ARMMS RF & Microwave Society Conference
November 5-6, 2007
Hotel Elizabeth Rockingham
Northhamptonshire, England
http://www.armms.org 70th ARFTG Microwave Measurement Symposium
November 27-30, 2007
Tempe Mission Palms Hotel
Tempe, AZ
http://www.arftg.org 2007 Asia-Pacific Microwave Conference
December 11-14, 2007
Grand Hyatt Erawan Hotel
Bangkok, Thailand
http://www.apmc2007.org 2008 IEEE Radio and Wireless Symposium (with WAMICON)
January 22-24, 2008
Orlando, FL
http://www.radiowireless.org 2008 IEEE International Solid-State Circuits Conference (ISSCC)
February 3-7, 2008
San Francisco Marriot Hotel
San Francisco, CA
http://www.isscc.org
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