Products
der core provided in the FlexRAN SDK,
and offers up to 0.3 dB improved BLER
performance.
AccelerComm has demonstrated its
polar coding software running on an Intel
X-Series processor and a variety of Intel
and Xilinx FPGAs.
www.accelercomm.com
Automatic directionfinding
antenna
pinpoints rogue transmissions
quickly and accurately
Link Microtek has introduced an automatic
direction-finding (DF) antenna that
allows the source of unauthorised or
interfering transmissions to be located
rapidly and accurately, even in urban
areas where signal reflections can make
this a challenging task.
Recent drone activity at Gatwick and
Heathrow airports has served to highlight
the disruption that can be caused when
illicit transmissions continue unchecked,
and the new ADFA 1 antenna could be
used as part of a solution to help security
and communications professionals deal
with such situations as quickly as possible.
The device is also ideal for telecommunication
or defence applications.
Manufactured by Narda Safety Test
Solutions, the ADFA 1 antenna covers the
frequency range 200 MHz to 2.7 GHz and
is designed for use with the company’s
SignalShark portable real-time spectrum
analyser. There is no need for a laptop
computer. By means of a strong magnetic
mount, the antenna can be attached to
the roof of any normal vehicle to enable a
series of random bearings to be taken in
the suspected area.
Each bearing cycle achieves a typical
accuracy of 1 degree and takes just 1.2
milliseconds, thereby ensuring reliable
measurements even for pulsed signals or
transmissions of very short duration. The
results can be displayed by SignalShark
numerically or with live visualisation of the
transmitter location in the form of a heat
map. In addition, the ADFA 1 determines
the elevation angle of the signal bearing,
allowing the location of the source to
be narrowed down to an individual floor
level. Users of the new antenna can also
observe the broadband spectrum at the
same time as determining the signal
bearing, which enables them to continue
tracking a source that suddenly changes
channel.
At the heart of the ADFA 1 is an
array of nine antenna elements around
an omnidirectional reference element,
optimally arranged to achieve reliable
measurement results. The antenna works
on the principle of measuring the phase
difference between the nine elements and
the central reference.
As well as the vehicle mounting kit,
there is an optional tripod with quick-release
coupling and level indicators, which
allows easy set-up of the antenna for DF
measurements to trace interference from
a semi-fixed location, as is commonly
required in military applications. Housed
in a radome measuring 480 (D) x 219 (H)
mm, the ADFA 1 antenna weighs just
5.6 kg and is sealed to IP55 standard to
prevent the ingress of moisture and dust.
www.linkmicrotek.com
NR RF conformance test
system
wins first PTCRB certification
Anritsu Corporation has announced that
its ME7873NR New Radio RF Conformance
Test System has won world-first
PTCRB certification for spurious tests at
the 5G NR RF Conformance Test meeting.
Following GCF certification in February,
the ME7873NR was certified at the March
2019 PTCRB meeting for spurious tests
in the 5G NR Sub-6 GHz Non-Standalone
(NSA) mode. Consequently, with most
GCF certifications, followed closely by
PTCRB certifications, the ME7873NR is
now the leading RF Conformance Test
system for manufacturers in Asia, Europe,
and North America.
ME7873NR is an automated system for
3GPP TS38.521/TS38.533-defined 5G NR
RF/RRM tests. It supports both planned
5G NR Standalone (SA) and Non-Standalone
(NSA) modes, while combination with
Anritsu’s 5G over-the-air (OTA) chamber
(CATR) covers all 5G frequency bands,
including not only Sub-6 GHz but also
mmWave.
The flexible system configuration can
be customized easily for the measurement
conditions while also supporting
LTE, LTE-Advanced (LTE-A), LTE-A Pro,
and W-CDMA RF tests, as well as carrier
acceptance tests (CAT). An upgrade from
the LTE-Advanced RF Conformance Test
System ME7873LA to add 5G support
offers customers a cost-effective RF test
system meeting required test conditions.
www.anritsu.com
Low-power WiFi
components
Fujitsu Electronics Europe (FEEU) is
extending its low-power linecard portfolio
by closing a distribution contract with US
based company Innophase. Innophase
has developed a new radio architecture
for processing wireless signals by using
a new, advanced signal processing
technology. The first available product
is the IEEE 802.11b compliant Talaria
ONE, which equires only a fraction of the
power typically required. More products
will come out later this year, supporting
multiple standards in a single device.
The benefits of this new approach
include end product with a significantly
extended battery life, single chip multi-radio
support, and reduced PCB footprint
With their first product, the Talaria ONE
ULP WiFi Radio, Innophase offers the
industry’s lowest power 802.11 implementation
based on their proprietary
PolaRFusion Radio. The advanced WLAN
802.11b semiconductor radio processor
features an on-chip RF front-end circuit,
baseband, MAC, clock management, and
power management. The ultra-low power
level combined with the extensive feature
set of the Talaria ONE makes it a perfect
match for battery-powered remote nodes
– especially in combination with the ultralow
power MCUs from Ambiq Micro.
www.fujitsu.com/feeu
26 MW March - April 2019 www.mwee.com
/www.accelercomm.com
/www.linkmicrotek.com
/www.anritsu.com
/feeu
/www.mwee.com
