RF Basics:
o Communications Systems & Where Receivers Fit In, & RF Links
o Free Space Path Loss Equations
o What is Modulation, and Why Use It?
How to Design an RF Receiver:
o Analog and Digital Signals: Time Domain, RF Modulation, & Noise
o All About Simple Receivers
o Input Noise, Noise Floor, Noise in a Bandwidth, Noise Figure, & Noise Factor
o IEEE Standard Definition, Spurious Response, Mixer Spurious Signal, & Amplifier Outputs
o Third Order Intercept (TOI) Measurement & Distortion
o Intermodulation, Harmonics, Amplifiers, Simplified Receivers, Super heterodyne Receivers, Receiver Spurious
o Cascaded Components & Analysis
Putting it All Together:
o Design, Review, & Prototype
o Verification system meets specifications
(how to use an: oscilloscope, spectrum analyzer, signal generator, vector network analyzer, and power meter)
Neil Jarvis
Neil Jarvis is a graduate of UC Santa Barbara in Math/Economics (BA), San Jose State University in Engineering (BS), Pepperdine University in Technology Management (MS), and The Naval Postgraduate School in Engineering (MS). After earning his degree, he enlisted in the Naval Reserves as an Avionics Technician where he served till 1996 with VR-55. He later received a commission in the Naval Reserves as an Aeronautical Engineering Duty Officer.
Mr. Jarvis has been a founder in two wireless communications startup companies in the Silicon Valley. The first was Tagent Corporation which specializes in extremely low cost highly secure RFID solutions. At Tagent, Mr. Jarvis recruited 90% of the engineering team and filed 3 patents. Currently, Mr. Jarvis is a founder with a wireless networking company specializing in networks for remote locations.
Mr. Jarvis has over 15 years of experience in managing, developing and manufacturing wireless and RF products. His has experience ranging the from the high-end military sensor used on the Globalhawk platform wireless communications to RF semiconductors, to his most recent development of a RFID system. Most recently, Neil was a leader in the RF integration and test for the high band subsystem with ESL Corporation where integrated more than 15 AVME cards into a highly complex system. Neil was a key player in reviving ESL’s RF design expertise in converters, digitizers, synthesizers, receivers, and encoders which helped ESL gain over 200 Million dollars in business. Neil also was a key player in evaluating technical performance of key subcontractors. Finally, Neil developed a wideband radio for use in the 5GHz ISM spectrum for use in commercial applications.
