News Briefs
-- Test & Measurement World, 10/1/2009 2:00:00 AM
Aeroflex wins Marine Corps contract for radio test systems
Aeroflex at Autotestcon 2009 (September 14–17, Anaheim, CA) announced that the US Department of Defense has awarded the company a five-year, $40.5 million contract to supply GRMATS (ground radio maintenance automatic test systems) equipment to the US Marine Corps. Aeroflex will supply the Marine Corps with its new 7200 CATS (configurable automated test set), a commercial off-the-shelf platform for testing software-defined radios and other high-technology devices.
“With its modular, standards-based design, the 7200 CATS makes radio testing future-proof,” said Jeff Gillum, VP and GM, Aeroflex Wichita. “We can test any radio standard today, and within the same benchtop box, change test capabilities for any radio or module technology planned for future deployment.”
The 7200 combines industry-standard hardware modules and multigigabit-per-second data buses with a plug-and-play software architecture. The test set is based on the Aeroflex Common Platform, which was designed to be compatible with the software communications architecture used by the JTRS (Joint Tactical Radio System). The 7200 supports the testing of existing and planned JTRS radio families. Its baseline configuration includes a 90-MHz instantaneous digitization and signal-generation bandwidth, better than –108-dBc/Hz phase-noise capability, 2.6-GHz frequency coverage, and packaging that meets MIL-PRF-28800F Class 3.
Per the contract with the Marine Corps, the test platform will be adopted for testing new digital and legacy radio systems. In addition to testing software-defined radios and modules such as JTRS, the 7200 CATS can test radar, avionics, and other devices. www.aeroflex.com.
IEEE ratifies 802.11n
In September, the IEEE announced that its Standards Board ratified the IEEE 802.11n-2009 amendment, which provides for improved data rates and ranges for WLANs. The amendment should help the data communications industry address the demands placed on WLANs by large file transfers and by next-generation multi-media applications.
The IEEE says that 802.11n, which has been in development for seven years, will permit the rollout of scalable WLANs that deliver tenfold-greater data rates than previous networks while ensuring co-existence with legacy systems. Publication of the 560-page amendment is scheduled for mid-October.
“This was an extraordinarily wide-ranging technical challenge that required the sustained effort and concentration of a terrific variety of participants. When we started in 2002, many of the technologies addressed in 802.11n were university research topics and had not been implemented,” said Bruce Kraemer, chair of the IEEE Wireless LAN Working Group. “The performance improvements achieved via IEEE 802.11n stand to transform the WLAN user experience, and ratification of the amendment sets the stage for a new wave of application innovation and creation of new market opportunities.” www.ieee.org.
NIST updates guide to radio-controlled clocks
NIST (National Institute of Standards and Technology) has updated its guide to radio-controlled clocks, which the organization says is among its most-requested publications, as it is downloaded about 100,000 times each year from the NIST site. In the US, the signals received by radio-controlled clocks originate from NIST radio station WWVB, located near Fort Collins, CO.
The updated guide—”WWVB Radio Controlled Clocks: Recommended Practices for Manufacturers and Consumers (2009 Edition)”—is intended to help manufacturers develop reliable radio-controlled clocks and to help consumers learn how products work and troubleshoot reception problems. The updated version contains revised rules for Daylight Saving Time, corrections in time zone tables, and several new recommendations for manufacturers.
The guide also lists the latest WWVB specifications, several of which have been changed to make radio-controlled clocks work better (for one example, the station’s broadcast power has been boosted). tf.nist.gov/general/pdf/2422.pdf.
Broadband amplifier powers EMI tests
Rohde & Schwarz has entered the broadband amplifier market through a joint engineering effort of its instrumentation and broadcast divisions. The new BBA100 broadband amplifier, when combined with an antenna, lets engineers at EMC test labs perform immunity tests. Its modular design lets you add amplifier modules when you need to increase power or widen bandwidth; you can remove or replace modules by taking off the amplifier’s front panel.
The BBA100 amplifier modules have frequency ranges that cover 9 kHz to 250 MHz and 80 MHz to 400 MHz with modules of 125 W, 250 W, and 500 W. Modules for the 250-MHz to 1-GHz range provide 70 W, 125 W, and 250 W. Power ratings are based on the 1-dB compression point rather than the 3-dB point. The instrument has a built-in Web server that emulates the screen and buttons of the instrument’s front panel, letting you operate it over a copper or optical Ethernet network. It also has a GPIB port for automated control in a lab or test rack. You can use the BBA100 with the company’s EMC-32 EMC test software.
Base price: $23,139. Rohde & Schwarz, www.rohde-schwarz.com.
Anritsu debuts E Platform handheld analyzers for wireless test
The recently launched E Platform family of handheld analyzers from Anritsu replaces the company’s D series of Site Master and Cell Master analyzers, extending functionality and enhancing performance over the earlier models. The new Site Master offers a cable and antenna analyzer frequency range of 2 MHz to 4 or 6 GHz, compared with 25 MHz to 4 or 6 GHz for the older model. The new version also offers a spectrum analyzer frequency range of 100 kHz to 4 or 6 GHz, up from 100 kHz to 3 GHz.
The new Cell Masters offer cable and antenna analyzer frequency ranges of 2 MHz to 4 GHz, vs. 25 MHz to 4 GHz for older versions, and offer a spectrum analyzer frequency range of 100 kHz to 4 GHz, compared to the previous 100 kHz to 3 GHz.
The E Platform add phase-measurement capability, dual measurement displays, and USB ports. The instruments include a 2000-trace internal memory (vs. 300 for older models) and support 4- to 18-GHz USB power sensors. And the 8.4-in. 800x600 touch screens improve upon the earlier 6.4-in. 640x480-pixel nontouch design.
Other enhancements include new marker, limit-line, and channel-scanning capabilities and support for WCDMA/HSDPA and fixed and mobile WiMAX. The instruments also offer improved sweep speeds (1 ms per data point, down from 2.5), DANL (–152 dBm, down from –135 dBm), dynamic range (better than 95 dB, vs. 65 dB), and phase noise (–105 dBc/Hz at a 100-kHz offset, vs. –75 dBc/Hz at a 30-kHz offset).
Base prices: Site Master—$7160; Cell Master—$14,950. Anritsu, www.us.anritsu.com.
Calendar
International Test Conference, November 1–6, Austin, TX. IEEE, www.itctestweek.org.
Vision 2009, November 3–5, Stuttgart, Germany.Messe Stuttgart, www.messe-stuttgart.de/vision.
Productronica, November 10–13, Munich, Germany. Messe München, productronica.com.
To learn about other conferences, courses, and calls for papers, visit www.tmworld.com/events.
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