Top News Stories of the Week (25 to 31 July 2016)

DARPA Challenges Developers to Make Machine Learning Radio Systems to Optimize Spectrum Usage

In March, DARPA officials publicly floated plans for the Spectrum Collaboration Challenge, an initiative designed to ensure that the exponentially growing number of military and civilian wireless devices will have full access to the increasingly crowded electromagnetic spectrum. Today, with the Agency release of detailed postings about the competition’s architecture, rules, and two participation options for seeking one of the up to 30 available slots, SC2 is officially on.

The competition will unfold in three year-long phases beginning in 2017 and finishing, for those teams that survive the two Preliminary Events, in a high-profile Championship Event in late 2019. Read more

Mission Microwave to Develop High-Efficiency Ka-Band SSPAs for US Air Force

Mission Microwave Technologies, a manufacturer of compact, highly efficient Solid State Power Amplifiers and Block Upconverters, have been selected through the U.S. Air Force SBIR Program for a Phase II contract to develop highly efficient and linear high-power Ka-Band Solid State Power Amplifiers (SSPAs). The award is under SBIR program topic (AF151-150) for “Ka-Band Efficient, Linear Power Amplifiers for SATCOM Ground Terminals,” and aims to deliver over 70 watts of RF Power between 30-31 GHz, with more than 35% efficiency.

In Phase I of this SBIR program, Mission Microwave demonstrated the potential to meet aggressive program goals, targeting >35% SSPA system efficiency at linear operation, by combining multiple innovations in SSPA design, utilizing advanced GaN semiconductor technology, and end-to-end system architecture optimization. Read more

Doodle Labs Introduces Transceivers for 4.9 GHz Public Safety Band

Doodle Labs, a developer of wireless soluitions for Industrial IoT applications has introduced a family of 4.9 GHz Wireless Broadband Interface Cards that allow System Integrators to rapidly develop wireless routers that provide integrated, wireless WAN or LAN capabilities in the licensed 4.9 GHz band. These routers can provide public safety, homeland security, and transportation organizations with a mobile networking platform that extends the edge of the IP network out to mobile workforce in vehicles, trains, or airplanes. Read more

Linear Technology Introduces I/Q Demodulator to Improve Receiver Performance

Linear Technology (Which was recently acquired by Analog Devices) introduced a new high linearity I/Q demodulator, the LTC5586, with more than 1 GHz, -1 dB flatness bandwidth, supporting next-generation 5G wireless infrastructure equipment such as DPD (digital predistortion correction) receivers for base stations, microwave backhaul and software-defined radios (SDR), as well as other broadband receiver applications. It is matched to 50 Ohms from 500 MHz to 6 GHz, covering all the LTE bands as well as the emerging 4.5G and 5G bands at 3.6 GHz and 5 GHz. Read more

Study Demonstrates Improved Geo-Targeting Accuracy for Wireless Emergency Alerts

Comtech Telecommunications has announced the release of the Wireless Emergency Alerts (WEA): Geo-Targeting Using Cell Radio Frequency (RF) Propagation Algorithm, research study. Sponsored by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Science and Technology Directorate (S&T), this study demonstrates how Comtech’s recently acquired subsidiary, TeleCommunication Systems, developed a new algorithm that utilizes area footprints associated with radio frequency (RF) coverage to significantly improve geo-targeting granularity and accuracy for the delivery of WEA messages.

This research included the modification of WEA software using new and enhanced geo-targeting algorithms that were tested in both laboratory and real-world environments with the help of ClearTalk Wireless. Read more

Murata Introduces New Standalone LoRa Module

Murata has announced the launch of a compact low cost, low power wide area network (LPWAN) wireless module that supports the LoRa WAN long range wireless protocol.

This standalone compact module is available in a metal shielded package that measures 12.5 x 11.6 x 1.76 mm. It consists of the Semtech SX1276 ultra long range spread spectrum wireless transceiver and an STMicro STM32L0 series ARM Cortex M0+ 32 bit microcontroller (MCU). An integrated TCXO that has robust low drift thermal characteristics provides an accurate clock source for the RF transceiver. Read more

New Research to Prevent GPS Jamming in Potential Cyberattack

The University of Nottingham and Royal Norwegian Naval Academy (RNoNA) are investigating how to prevent shipping Global Positioning Signals (GPS) being jammed in potential cyberattacks that may cause vessels to go off course and collide or run aground. Big, modern ships are highly automated with networked navigational systems, including differential GPS (DGPS) which offers more accurate positioning (to one metre) over conventional GPS.

However, previous research has found that these highly-sensitive maritime DGPS receivers, are easy to disrupt, using a easily available £50 jammer. Read more

New Navigation Technology Keeps Soldiers on Track Without GPS

A picture may truly be worth a thousand words to Soldiers who lose GPS while on patrol. The Army Materiel Command's Communications-Electronics Research, Development and Engineering Center (CERDEC), is using miniature cameras to create vision-aided navigation capabilities in GPS-denied situations.

Vision-aided navigation works by using cameras with rapid frame rates to take pictures of objects in view and then comparing the object's features in each frame to determine how far, and in what direction, the camera has moved in relation to the object. Read more

Infinite RF Holdings Acquires L-Com

Infinite RF Holdings has announced the acquisition of L-com, a manufacturer of wired and wireless connectivity solutions with significant custom manufacturing capabilities. Headquartered in North Andover, Massachusetts, with global manufacturing, sales and distribution operations, L-Com serves the wireless engineering community with short lead time design and product solutions. Their products include wireless components, cable assemblies, antennas, specialized Military/Aeronautics connectivity solutions, electrical connectors and wireless sensors for IOT applications through the branded product lines L-com, HyperLink®, MilesTek®, Aiconics and Point Six Wireless. Read more

Keysight Joins the White House Advanced Wireless Research Initiative

Keysight Technologies has outlined their commitment to the Platforms for Advanced Wireless Research (PAWR) Initiative, an industry consortium led by US Ignite and focused on creation of four, city-scale testing platforms. Keysight also confirmed their participation as a member of the PAWR board. As announced by the White House on July 15, PAWR is part of the Advanced Wireless Research Initiative, which is led by the National Science Foundation (NSF).

“In the race to 2020, our people and products are ready to help the consortium innovate across new and existing technologies as it transforms ideas into reality,” said Ron Nersesian, Keysight president and CEO. Read more

JLT Introduces World's First Galileo-Enabled Multi-GNSS Disciplined Oscillators

Jackson Labs Technologies, a designer and manufacturer of cutting-edge GNSS, timing and frequency equipment has announced a range of new products with full support for the new and emerging Galileo Satellite Navigation System, as well as a free software retrofit to existing products adding Galileo functionality.

The European Galileo satellite navigation system has now become a reality with recent launches and commissioning of Galileo satellites. Three to four Galileo satellites can now typically be tracked on average in the continental US. Additional space vehicle launches are planned for later this year and next year to significantly improve Galileo availability. Read more

Analog Devices Acquires Linear Technology for $30 Billion

Analog Devices and Linear Technology have announced that they have entered into a definitive agreement under which Analog Devices will acquire Linear Technology in a cash and stock transaction that values the combined enterprise at approximately $30 billion. Upon completion of the acquisition, Analog Devices will become one of the largest global analog technology companies with approximately $5 billion in anticipated annual revenues.

The combination of Analog Devices and Linear Technology brings together two of the strongest business and technology franchises in the semiconductor industry. Read more