Interference in the 900 MHz band appears to produce random errors in a gas station price sign. Spectrum analyzers help track it down. I received a call recently from a former client who manufactures electronic signs. A gas station was experiencing intermittent loss of wireless control of its signs, which displayed the price of various […]
wireless
What is intermodulation, and is it good or bad? Part 2
A mixer can upconvert and downconvert a modulated signal with no loss of baseband information. Part 1 of this series described intermodulation resulting from the combining of two or more sinusoidal signals through a nonlinear device such as the mixer in Figure 1. The mixer’s output is the product of its two inputs, and its […]
What is intermodulation, and is it good or bad? Part 1
Sinusoidal inputs applied to a nonlinear system produce an output containing different frequencies, and the results can be good, bad, or ugly. According to the dictionary definition, intermodulation is “the production in an electrical device of currents having frequencies equal to the sums and differences of frequencies supplied to the device.” In the literature of […]
What is phase noise and how can I measure it? part 2
Phase noise requires more than one instrument unless you use a phase-noise analyzer.
AOC 2023: Exhibits show the latest in military wireless
Washington — The Association of Old Crows (AOC) held its 60th annual convention in Washington during the week of December 11, 2023. EE World was there on December 12. Here is some of what we saw in the exhibit hall. AOC is a defense-oriented conference that focuses on military wireless communications. In addition to product […]
Test methods for mmWave AiP designs bring tradeoffs
Engineers have several mmWave over-the-air test methods available for evaluating phased-array antennas used in antenna-in-package designs. Each has pros and cons.
Is there such a thing as a catenary antenna?
A conic section is formed by the intersection of a plane that cuts though a cone, usually with the circle at the top and the hyperbola at the bottom. Between them lie the ellipse and the parabola. The parabola has distinctive properties when rotated in space to make a concave surface. The parabola can be […]
Wireless system supports Wi-Fi 6, 6E OTA tests
ETS-Lindgren’s EMQuest software now supports the most current versions of Wi-Fi while maintaining backward compatibility.
Waveguide Gunn diode oscillators are mechanically tunable
A new line of waveguide Gunn diode oscillators are candidates for electronic warfare, electronic countermeasures, microwave radio systems, military and commercial communications systems and more. Pasternack’s new mechanically tunable waveguide Gunn diode oscillators cover WR-90, WR-42 and WR-28 waveguide sizes and support X, K and Ka bands. All models in this line operate at 50 […]
Wireless test sets support Wi-Fi 6E UE, chipsets, modules
A hardware option extends the frequency of the TRX Test Module MU887002A for Universal Wireless Test Sets MT8870A and MT8872A from 6 GHz to 7.3 GHz to address emerging Wi-Fi 6E designs. With the hardware option, the wireless test sets support RF tests of the 6 GHz band (5.925 to 7.125 GHz) specified by the […]