NuWaves introduces Bidirectional L- & S-Band Power Amplifier

NuWaves Engineering, an international Radio Frequency (RF) and Embedded Systems solutions provider, announces the release of the NuPower Xtender(TM) Bidirectional L- & S-Band Power Amplifier (PA) module, model number NW-BSSPA-10W-1.0-2.5. The product is the first in the company’s new Xtender series of bidirectional power amplifiers, which are based on the successful NuPower(TM) broadband, high-efficiency, miniature PA modules. Designed for use with half-duplex RF transceivers running constant-envelope waveforms, the new bidirectional PA provides a minimum of 10 Watts peak RF output power and 40 dB of gain with 30% average power efficiency from 1000 MHz to 2500 MHz. Adjacent radio frequency bands, such as the popular 900 MHz Industrial, Scientific and Medical (ISM) band, are also supported by the bidirectional PA, at lower peak power levels.

The NuPower Xtender is both compact and rugged. Its nickel-plated aluminum chassis occupies only 3.00” x 2.00” x 1.15” (6.9 cubic inches) and weighs less than 6 ounces, making it ideal for integration into small platforms, such as Group 2 and Group 3 Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS), Unmanned Ground Vehicles (UGV), etc. To support a variety of different data links, the unit features automatic transmit sensing circuitry providing nearly instantaneous switching between receive and transmit modes – on the order of 1 microsecond. The Xtender’s maximum noise figure of 3 dB helps improve receive performance of the entire communication system, while further improvements can be achieved with the addition of an optional low-noise amplifier (LNA) in the receive path that provides at least 15 dB of small signal gain.

“NuWaves’ new high-efficiency bidirectional power amplifier module can not only improve the range but also the link robustness of L- and S-band communication systems,” said Jeff Wells, President and CEO of NuWaves Engineering. “The Xtender can be a critical enabler to achieving mission success in a variety of communications and telemetry applications.”