Trending RF & Microwave News Stories this Week(10-14 Dec, 2018)

First GPS III Satellite is Ready to Launch on 18 December

The first Lockheed Martin built GPS III satellite of the US Air Force, is ready for its scheduled launch on December 18, 2018. The satellite has been encapsulated on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket at the Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Florida.

The Lockheed GPS III Space Vehicle 01 (GPS III SV01) underwent pre-launch processing, fueling and encapsulation at Astrotech Space Operations, in Titusville, Florida. During encapsulation, it was sealed in its launch fairing, an aerodynamic, nose-cone shell that protects the satellite during launch. In the coming days, the fairing-enclosed satellite will be mounted to the rocket as launch preparations continue. Click here to read more.

Industry’s First 28 GHz GaN Front End Module for Fixed Wireless 5G Base Stations

Qorvo has expanded its offering for 5G applications with the first 28 GHz Gallium Nitride (GaN) front-end module (FEM) - the QPF4001. This new FEM reduces overall system costs for base station equipment manufacturers as they expand into 5G.

The QPF4001 FEM integrates a high linearity LNA, a low loss transmit/receive switch and a high-gain, high-efficiency multi-stage PA in a single MMIC. The compact 5x4 mm air-cavity laminate surface mount package is optimized for the phased array element spacing at 28 GHz for 5G base station architectures. Click here to read more.

Remcom Adds 5G Antenna Array Design Capabilities to its EM Simulation Software

Remcom has added 5G antenna array design features in its latest release of XFdtd 3D EM Simulation Software. They have included workflow enhancements for modeling complex devices at millimeter wave frequencies. Click here to read more.

New Antenna Evaluation Method for 5G Cellphones and Base Stations

Engineers at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), US, have developed a new method to evaluate and select optimal antenna designs for 5G cellphones, wireless devices and base stations. They believe this could boost 5G wireless network capacity and also reduce costs.

5G systems will avoid crowded conventional wireless channels by using higher, millimeter-wave frequency bands. Transmissions at these frequencies lose a lot of energy along the way, which weakens received signal strength. One solution is “smart” antennas that can form unusually narrow beams—the area in space where signals are transmitted or received—and rapidly steer them in different directions. Antenna beam-width affects wireless system design and performance. NIST’s new measurement-based method allows system designers and engineers to evaluate the most appropriate antenna beam-widths for real environments. Click here to read more.

This Military-Grade Modem is Authorized for Use Across Government SATCOM Networks

Viasat’s Mobile Broadband Router (MBR)-4020 airborne modem has successfully achieved the Army Forces Strategic Command (ARSTRAT) certification. By completing the certification process, the Viasat MBR-4020 modem has now become authorized to operate on the Wideband Global SATCOM (WGS) network, which will significantly reduce overall satellite communications (SATCOM) costs for intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) customers and very important person special airlift mission (VIPSAM) aircraft. Click here to read more.

Vaunix Expands its Lineup of Self-Programmable Wireless ATE Devices

Vaunix has expanded its lineup of self-programmable wireless ATE devices in response to customer demand. They have built an impressive library of over 60 products called Lab Bricks, that are revolutionizing the way engineers are looking at wireless ATE (Automated Test Equipment) approaches.

In ATE systems, an expensive instrument controller is often necessary to handle a variety of complex interoperability tasks. However, when you’re controlling just a few devices to accomplish a measurement task (for example), this piece of equipment is often overkill. But there still needs to be a way to control, configure, and run routines using the components. And that’s where Vaunix’ s simple yet effective Lab Bricks and Windows-based Lab Brick software are becoming a go-to solution for today’s fast-moving ATE system engineers - particularly those chasing 5G and advanced networking such as MIMO. Click here to read more.

Researchers Come One Step Closer to Battery-Less Smart Devices

A group of researchers at the University of Waterloo are working to develop smart devices that do not use batteries or require charging. These battery-free objects, which feature an IP address for internet connectivity are ideal for IoT. If an IoT device can operate without a battery it lowers maintenance costs and allows the device to be placed in areas that are off the grid.

Many of these IoT devices have sensors in them to detect their environment, from a room’s ambient temperature and light levels to sound and motion, but one of the biggest challenges is making these devices sustainable and battery-free. Click here to read more.

Harris Successfully Launches its First Small-Satellite

Harris has announced the successful launch of its first small satellite from India’s Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle. The recent achievement showcases the company’s ability to provide complete end-to-end mission solutions for the fast-growing small-sat market.

Named, Harris Satellite (HSAT), it is a briefcase-size 6U cubesat that provides an affordable solution for defense and commercial customers with very high-speed satellite communications requirements. Designed to fly in the low Earth orbit, it features a persistent, resilient mission architecture that can be reconfigured after launch – reducing risk for customers. Click here to read more.

Researchers Develop Origami Based Structure to Create Adjustable RF Tunable Filters

A new method developed by researchers uses an origami-based structure to create radio frequency filters that have adjustable dimensions. This enables the devices to change which signals they block throughout a large range of frequencies. The work was carried out by researchers at the Georgia Institute of Technology.

The new approach to creating these tunable filters could have a variety of uses, from antenna systems capable of adapting in real-time to ambient conditions to the next generation of electromagnetic cloaking systems that could be reconfigured on the fly to reflect or absorb different frequencies. The team focused on one particular pattern of origami, called Miura-Ori, which has the ability to expand and contract like an accordion.Click here to read more.

Scientists Develop Method to Control Enzymes Activities with a Remote Control

Researchers at ITMO University have developed a new method to enhance the activity of enzymes by using radio frequency radiation. The method requires making a special complex consisting of enzymes and magnetic nano-particles. The particles can adsorb radio emission and convert it to heat, resulting in enzymatic processes acceleration by more than four times. At the same time, the particles-covered enzyme becomes more resistant to high temperatures. Such method can be used to create radio-controlled biochemical systems, as well as to adjust metabolism in living organisms. The results were published in ACS Biomaterials Science & Engineering. Click here to read more.

Vayyar Unveils Groundbreaking mmWave 3D Imaging SoC Evaluation Kit

Vayyar Imaging has launched a new Evaluation Kit (EVK) for its mm-Wave 3D-Imaging solution. Walabot-60Ghz provides users with the groundbreaking capabilities of Vayyar’s high-resolution 3D imaging chip, alongside an SDK/API, facilitating rapid development, integration and scaling of products. The kit includes a highly advanced chip with a 40 Transceivers array (40 Tx/Rx), complete with FOV embedded antennas and wide-band 60 GHz imaging radar. Click here to read more.