The Power To Reduce: ADRF5740 Attenuator

By: David Kruh

Today I will be writing about the ADRF5740 attenuator, one of the newest solutions from Analog Devices designed for 10 MHz to 60 GHz communication systems. The ADRF5740 does what its name suggests, it attenuates – lowers - the strength of incoming and outgoing RF signals. I was, at first, confused with the idea of ever wanting to lower the power of a radio. You see, my first job after college was at a small AM radio station in New Jersey. (The station was VERY small - as was the pay - but oh, the glamour of being in showbiz…) Anyway, considering the station’s night-time 500-watt signal barely made it to the county line, the last thing on the owner’s mind was lowering power. Yet, as I learned, attenuation is critical to the operation of base stations, satellites, test equipment, radar and other applications.