Feature Articles

  1. GPS Receiver Testing
    5/18/2010
    As GPS technology becomes more commonplace on the commercial market, many designers are working to improve characteristics such as lower power consumption, the tracking of weak satellites, faster acquisition times, and more accurate position fixes. In this article, learn how to make a variety of GPS receiver measurements including sensitivity, noise figure, position accuracy, time to first fix (TTFF), and position deviation. The goal of this document is to provide engineers with a thorough understanding of GPS measurement techniques.
  2. Meeting The Demand For Complex Communications Design
    5/7/2010
    Communications engineers today must design to accommodate changing missions, shorter product lifecycles, and increasing computer power. As a result, they create hybrid systems that include RF, high-speed signal processing, lower-speed signal processing, and controls logic and control systems. To address challenges in the initial stages of the design process, communications engineers have adopted model-based design. This approach enables them to find errors early in the process, when errors are easier and less expensive to fix.
  3. The Next Big Thing For Discrete RF Semiconductors: Health Care
    5/4/2010
    This article is part of a series of quarterly guest columns by Rick Cory, Applications Engineering Manager, Skyworks Solutions, Inc. In this installment, Cory focuses on the growing use of discrete RF components in healthcare applications. He discusses how devices and systems that employ RF technology have been suggested, and in some cases already employed, to improve the lives of those afflicted with vascular disease, heart disease, glaucoma, and diabetes.
  4. A Plethora Of Ports: Making Sense Of The Different Port Types Within EM Simulators
    4/28/2010
    Electromagnetic (EM) simulation technology software has come a long way since it first became popular for microwave and RF circuit design back in the 1980s. As with all software, the increased capacity of today's simulators, and the features they support, has been accompanied by an increased sophistication in their use. This article will examine, in particular, how the use of ports in these simulators has evolved and matured over the years to make real-world design simulations practical. The goal here is provide a foundational understanding of ports leading to an intuitive skill in their proper selection and use in conjunction with circuit simulation.
  5. WiMAX And The IEEE 802.16m Air Interface Standard
    4/27/2010

    This article provides an overview of the enhancements incorporated in the IEEE 802.16m amendment and subsequently, WiMAX System Release 2. Completion of the IEEE 802.16m specification is expected in the third quarter of 2010 with ratification soon thereafter. Initial availability of WiMAX System Release 2 products based on 802.16m is anticipated in the 2012 timeframe.

  6. Coherent Multi-Channel RF Synthesis
    4/7/2010
    Holzworth Instrumentation is a provider of high-performance, multi-channel RF synthesizers that are known for ultra low phase noise performance. In addition, these non-PLL based synthesizers have unique phase characteristics, which add great value to certain applications. This article addresses some frequently asked questions about multi-channel synthesis and provides insight to the engineering trade-offs that go into a synthesizer design.
  7. How To Properly Design An In-Building DAS: Part II
    3/24/2010
    RF in-building coverage has become a fast growing market in recent years. A typical in-building coverage system consists of two major components, a bi-directional amplifier (BDA, or signal booster) relaying and amplifying the RF signal traffic between the remote base station and the portable or mobile radios, and a network to distribute the signal to every corner of the desired coverage area. The most common type of the distribution network is a system of coax cables and indoor antennas called a Distributed Antenna System or DAS. This 2-part series of articles is an effort to outline a simple process of designing a DAS in order to achieve the most efficient RF coverage distribution. Part I talks about the Use of Directional Couplers in DAS and Part II covers the DAS Design Process.
  8. How To Properly Design An In-Building DAS: Part I
    3/24/2010
    RF in-building coverage has become a fast growing market in recent years. A typical in-building coverage system consists of two major components, a bi-directional amplifier (BDA, or signal booster) relaying and amplifying the RF signal traffic between the remote base station and the portable or mobile radios, and a network to distribute the signal to every corner of the desired coverage area. The most common type of the distribution network is a system of coax cables and indoor antennas called a Distributed Antenna System or DAS. This 2-part series of articles is an effort to outline a simple process of designing a DAS in order to achieve the most efficient RF coverage distribution. Part I talks about the Use of Directional Couplers in DAS and Part II covers the DAS Design Process.
  9. Basic Analog Circuits
    3/22/2010
    A wide range of systems and applications incorporate analog devices and signals, so advancing your analog fundamental knowledge is important for mastering many of today's test and measurement applications. This tutorial introduces and explains the basic fundamentals of analog circuits. It covers analog circuit concepts explaining Ohm's law, capacitance calculations, inductance calculations, series and parallel configurations for capacitance and inductance, and RC filters.
  10. Understanding Available Tools For RF System-In-Package And Multi-Chip-Module Design And Optimization
    3/17/2010
    RF system-in-package (SiP) and multi-chip-module (MCM) designs present engineers with the challenge of integrating complementary metal oxide semiconductor (CMOS) integrated circuits (ICs) for digital circuits and gallium arsenide (GaAs) or silicon germanium (SiGe) devices for RF and microwave circuits with soft-board laminates and low-temperature co-fi red ceramic (LTCC) packages. Software used to design these complex circuits must seamlessly bring together synthesis, simulation, and verification solutions via a single interface in order to ensure optimum component design and placement in each technology. It must also construct schematics and perform physical design entry for any technology in the SiP using uniform commands and menu options.

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