Trending RF & Microwave News Stories of the Week (11

Wireless Telecom Group to Acquire Holzworth Instrumentation for $10 Million

The Wireless Telecom Group has signed a definitive agreement to acquire Holzworth Instrumentation, a Boulder, Colorado-based provider of specialty phase noise analyzers and signal generators for $10 Million. Holzworth instruments are used by government labs, the semiconductor industry, and network equipment providers, among others, in research and automated test environments. The Company expects to close this acquisition in the months ahead.

Timothy Whelan, CEO of Wireless Telecom Group, commented - The move to acquire Holzworth, a complimentary business for their Test and Measurement segment which serves a common customer base with common channel partners, is the part of their long-term strategy. This acquisition is expected to drive future growth and accretive profitability to its Test and Measurement segment by the attractive margins of the business. This merger will enable the Wireless Telecom Group to develop test solutions for future wireless technologies in radar, satellite communications and 5G. Click here to read more.

Mini-Circuits and Vayyar Offer 4D mmWave Imaging Solution

Mini-Circuits has expanded its collaboration with 4D radar imaging pioneer, Vayyar to offer a new development kit, enabling researchers to explore and rapidly develop 4D millimeter-wave imaging and sensing applications.

The VTRIG-74 is a mmWave imaging and sensing development kit powered by Vayyar’s high-resolution integrated RF transceiver technology and radar IP. This kit enables researchers and application developers to explore and rapidly develop mmWave imaging and sensing applications without the cost and overhead of building their own bespoke hardware. Potential applications already include industrial IoT, robotics, smart homes, motion and obstacle detection, vehicular operator and passenger detection, medical patient monitoring and many more. Click here to read more.

A Radar-Based Counter Drone Solution for Airports & Critical Facilities

In response to recent threats of rogue and errant drones launched against airports and other critical facilities, infrastructure and events, 34 North Drones, a leading commercial drone service provider, has partnered with IDS North America to offer and install the NO-DRONE radar counter drone system for all government and civilian clients in need of protection. IDS is a leading software company that designs, develops, and distributes software for air navigation, security, and the defense sector.

The NO-DRONE radar detection system evolved from a proven and existing military battlefield solution originally tuned to recognize small objects such as incoming mortar, artillery and rocket fire with the ability to detect, locate and track both fixed wing and rotor-craft UAVs, Class I category (mini or small) and larger. The system provides full 360° coverage, day or night, as well as in adverse weather conditions with the ability to detect dozens and, depending on configuration, hundreds of targets simultaneously. Click here to read more.

Qorvo RF Accelerator Program Encourages Designers to Build Innovative Wireless Solutions

Qorvo, has teamed up with crowd-funding platform, Crowd Supply, to create the Qorvo RF Accelerator. It is a novel approach that uses the campaign model from the crowd-funding phenomenon combined with mentorship and open hardware to create a design and funding incubator. The result: a unique opportunity for RF designers to fuel the next big idea and help bring it to market.

Whether still in the ideation phase or in the final design concept set – bringing a new IoT or wireless product to market is not easy. Given the growing technological boundaries, introducing a successful new product today, can be a daunting task. The Qorvo RF Accelerator has been developed to handle this challenge and foster support for the aspiring RF designers and engineers, leading RF solutions expert. Click here to read more.

RF GaN Revenue to Cross $1.7 Billion in 2023

According to a report published by Strategy Analytics, revenue from RF GaN technology will surpass $1.7 billion in 2023. The drivers for this explosive growth will be the continuing 4G and emerging 5G base station deployments, along with a variety of defense applications.

Base stations represent the largest source of GaN revenue. Trade tensions between the US and China remain a wildcard, but Sumitomo Electric Device Innovations and Wolfspeed-A Cree Company will remain the dominant GaN suppliers for base station applications. The defense market, primarily radar and communications applications, is seeing strong growth from new systems and major platform upgrades. This is also providing fuel for the GaN growth engine and should bode well for companies like Qorvo and Wolfspeed-A Cree Company. Click here to read more.

Microlab & RF Connect Develop Innovative GPS Signal Distribution Solution

Microlab, a Wireless Telecom Group company, has partnered with leading telecom/wireless services provider, RF Connect, to develop a new and innovative in-building GPS signal distribution system. The new system consists of an integrated GPS repeater and distribution network in a package enabling precise and controllable GPS coverage, the first of which will be deployed in a testing facility of a major American automotive manufacturer.

Incorporating signal conditioning and fine tuning of output power for each antenna, this new platform ensures the GPS signal does not extend beyond the desired test zone range. Driving these innovative capabilities is the new Microlab GPSD209 GPS Signal Conditioner, a 2 input, 9 output splitter with signal conditioning through variable gain settings and the ability to switch GPS outputs on and off in response to an external control signal. Click here to read more.

AR Now Offers High Performance EMC Test Chambers

AR RF/Microwave Instrumentation has assembled a team of highly-qualified and experienced chamber specialists, to market its best-in-class EMC test chambers. According to John Kim, COO of AR, the company has become a single source solution for those involved in EMC testing and thus the newly formed team will be providing a sophisticated total solution package that includes every aspect of EMC test chambers.

The cornerstone of AR’s Chamber Team includes three seasoned professionals, who are dedicated to tailoring test chamber-related solutions for the unique applications of AR/RF customers. Click here to read more.

Next Generation Satellite Antenna Technology Improves Performance

Fractal Antenna Systems has received a patent for satellite communications (SATCOM) through which the same area can be used to collect and convert power, and then receive/transmit radio waves. The US Patent office has granted patent 10,483,649 titled “aperture engines”.

According to Fractal's CEO and Inventor Nathan Cohen, before aperture engines, antennas/arrays and power sources were considered separate, a luxury not easily afforded. Satellites are an excellent example where real estate is so limited it needs to be shared. Moving forward, a satellite’s surface area can be used simultaneously for both power generation and RF power transmission/reception as an aperture engine. Click here to read more.

Skyworks Delivers Solid Q4 and Fiscal Year-End 2019 Results

Skyworks Solutions has announced the fourth fiscal quarter and fiscal year-end results for the period ended September 27, 2019. Revenue for the fourth fiscal quarter of 2019 was $827.4 million, up 8 percent sequentially. For the fiscal year 2019, revenue was $3.377 billion, with GAAP diluted earnings per share of $4.89. Non-GAAP diluted earnings per share for the fiscal year 2019 were $6.17.

Skyworks delivered solid financial results in the fourth fiscal quarter, closing a year that saw extraordinary market volatility and change. Their systems-level approach, highlighted by the Sky5 platform, now includes strategic capabilities in BAW, Wi-Fi 6, MIMO and custom diversity receive. Collectively, these solutions are unleashing the true potential of 5G – successfully providing a range of options to the customers while increasing the value and utility of each usage case. Click here to read more.

Siklu Introduces Terragraph Compliant Solutions for Gigabit Wireless Market

Siklu has introduced Terragraph (TG) compliant products for the ‘Gigabit Wireless Access’ market. The Siklu Terragraph family is being announced at TIP Summit '19, in Amsterdam. Terragraph is a gigabit wireless technology designed by Facebook (Click here to read about it).

Siklu, with more than 80,000 mm-Wave units sold and more than 225 Smart City deployments, is recognized as the most experienced mm-Wave vendor in the rapidly-growing Gigabit Wireless Access sector. Siklu's Terragraph product line represents the company's third-generation 60 GHz multipoint solutions. Coupled with their extensive line of point-to-point E-Band (70/80GHz) and 60GHz point-to-point and multipoint products, Siklu also offers a complete line of advanced software applications for planning, designing, deploying, and operating extensive Fixed 5G and Smart City mm-Wave networks. Click here to read more.

NXP Uses Ultra-Wideband Technology to Turn Smartphones into Car Keys

NXP Semiconductors has announced a new automotive Ultra-Wideband (UWB) IC capable of turning smartphones into car keys. UWB provides precise, secure, real-time localization capabilities unrivaled by other wireless technologies such as Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and GPS. The technology is designed to give spatial awareness to UWB-equipped cars, mobiles, and other smart devices, to enable cars to know exactly where the users are. For the first time, smartphone-based car access offers the same level of convenience as state-of-the-art key fobs. Users can open and start cars, while leaving their phones in their pockets or bags, and enjoy secure remote parking via smartphone. Furthermore, the new UWB IC brings maximum level of protection against car theft through relay attacks.

The NXP NCJ29D5 is the first of a new generation of UWB ICs designed specifically for the demands of the global automotive industry. Together, with NXP connectivity and security solutions, such as Bluetooth, Near Field Communication, and Secure Element (SE), this technology enables true secure handsfree smart access supporting the car connectivity standardization. Click here to read more.

A Handheld Satellite Ground Station for Receiving Wi-Fi Signals from Space

Qorvo and Crowd Supply recently teamed up to create the Qorvo RF Accelerator – a novel approach that uses the campaign model from the crowd-funding phenomenon combined with mentorship and open hardware to create a design and funding incubator. As part of this program, the Portland State Aerospace Society at Portland State University is building a 2U CubeSat named "OreSat".

Being the first satellite of the US State of Oregon, (thus OreSat - Oregon Small Satellite Project), the cubesat was selected as part of the 2017 NASA CubeSat Launch Initiative (CSLI). It’s a completely open source CubeSat with two primary missions: create a "video from space" via amateur, radio-based STEM outreach to Oregon high schools, and develop a multi-camera system for investigating the global distribution of high altitude Cirrus clouds. Click here to read more.

Telit Introduces Two New Low-Power NB-IoT Modules

Telit has added two new Narrow Band-IoT (NB-IoT) modules to its portfolio, the NE310H2-W1 and the NL865H2-W1. With global band support and multiple form factors, the modules are ideal for 2G to 4G NB-IoT transition and offer the lowest power consumption for battery-driven applications that will help optimize cost.

In addition to extending coverage for ubiquitous connectivity, the modules can be used for smart metering for electricity, gas and water, smart city applications, smart agriculture and almost any type of industrial sensor or mass-deployment application—all of which benefit from low power and enhanced coverage without high data rate requirements. Click here to read more.

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Trending RF & Microwave News Stories of the Week (11 - 15 Nov, 2019)