The Hercules II from Filtronic is an E-band Transceiver Module that operates from 71 to 76 (Tx) GHz and 81 to 86 GHz (Rx). It combines Filtronic’s Morpheus II transceiver and a Cerus SSPA module. Each Morpheus module contains all the transmit and receive functions necessary for the RF section of an E-band link and provides a simple connection to a high data rate full duplex modem. The integration of a Cerus power amplifier significantly increases the available transmit power. Morpheus and Cerus modules are designed for easy incorporation into ODUs for rapid time to market with minimal customer engineering resources. This transceiver module is ideal for long range terrestrial and non-terrestrial applications and high-power private networks.
The Hercules II supports spectrally efficient modulation techniques, optimizing the use of available bandwidth and ensuring higher data throughput. On the Tx side, it provides an output power of more than 35 dBm with sideband suppression of -40 dBc while on the Rx side, it provides a gain of up to 28 dB with a noise figure of 5 dB. It supports up to 512QAM modulation and has a phase noise of -112 dBc/Hz (at 1 MHz offset). This module has a single Tx/Rx port for the antenna and has an integrated diplexer that connects directly to an antenna of choice via a standard WR12 interface. It requires a DC supply and consumes less than 10 A of current.
The internal, low phase noise VCOs of this module are settable via an SPI interface in 31.25 MHz steps to support ECC/ITU channel arrangements. It is designed for easy incorporation into ODUs for rapid time to market with minimal customer engineering resources. The Hercules II is ideal for high-performance, low latency private networks, for applications as diverse as high frequency trading, and for inter-platform links for High Altitude Pseudo Satellites and Unmanned Aerial Vehicles.
