RF Communications for Unmanned Aircraft Systems

NuWaves Engineering

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NuWaves Engineering is a leading supplier of Radio Frequency (RF) and Microwave equipment. We have over a decade of RF engineering experience with a wide range of military, industrial and commercial clients.

RF communication is essential to the operation of Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS), providing the link between the vehicle and the crew on the ground. We excel in producing RF modules and subsystems that provide a robust communications link while still minimizing size, weight and power consumption.

Power Amplifiers

Our Power Amplifiers utilise the latest Gallium Nitride technology and miniaturization techniques, providing a ruggedized power-efficient package that is ideal for unmanned systems.

NuPower™ C20R01 C-Band Power Amplifier

The NuPower™ C20R01 C-Band Power Amplifier is a small, high performance, broadband solid-state power amplifier that provides over 20 watts of RF power to boost performance of data links and transmitters

The unit accepts a nominal 0 dBm (1 mW) RF input and provides 40 dB of gain from 4.4 GHz to 4.9 GHz for continuous wave (CW) and near-constant envelope waveforms. The Small Form Factor (4.50” x 3.50” x 0.61”) makes this an ideal choice for space-constrained UAS and UGV applications.

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NuPower™ 05E05A S-Band Power Amplifier

The NuPower™ 05E05A S-Band Power Amplifier is a small, ultra-high-efficiency solid-state power amplifier that delivers 30 watts of RF power from 2.0 to 2.6 GHz.

The unit is capable of boosting signal power levels of data links and transmitters and provides a compelling option for size, weight and power (SWaP) constrained RF telemetry and military communication systems given its 9.6 cubic inch, 9 ounce enclosure and 40% DC power efficiency.

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NuPower™ 13G05A L-Band Solid State Power Amplifier

The NuPower™ 13G05A L-Band Power Amplifier is a small, highly efficient solid-state power amplifier capable of boosting the performance of data links and transmitters. The module delivers 35 watts of RF power across the broad frequency range of 800 MHz to 2 GHz and accepts a 0 dBm input drive level.

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NuPower™ 11C01A Multi-Octave Power Amplifier

The NuPower 11C01A Multi-Octave Power Amplifier delivers 15 watts of power (typical) across an extremely broad frequency band of 225 MHz to 2.4 GHz. The unit is well-suited to broadband RF telemetry and tactical communication systems that require high reliability and high efficiency in a very compact housing (3.9 cubic inch).

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NuPower™ 11B02A Mini Multi-Octave Power Amplifier

The NuPower 11B02A Mini Multi-Octave Power Amplifier packs state-of-the-art amplifier technology into a 2.84 cubic inch form factor. Delivering 10 watts (typical) over the 100 to 2550 MHz frequency band, this is also the only model in the NuPower family to offer high, medium and low power “back-off” settings, allowing the user to balance output power with power consumption.

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NuPower™ 12B01A L- & S-Band Power Amplifier

The NuPower L- and S-Band Power Amplifier is a broadband solid-state power amplifier module that delivers at least 10 watts across the 1 GHz to 2.5 GHz spectrum. The unit features high-efficiency operation – between 30% to 50% – and 40 dB of gain, with a small form factor (3.9 cubic inches).

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NuPower™ 12A03A Micro L- and S-Band Power Amplifier

The NuPower Micro L- and S-Band Power Amplifier is the smallest of the NuPower amplifier family. Measuring 1.62 cubic inches and providing 5 watts of RF power over the frequencies of 1.0 GHz to 2.5 GHz, it is an ideal solution for size, weight and power-constrained unmanned vehicle communications systems.

This solid state power amplifier (SSPA) module extends the communication range of a wide variety of L-band and S-band transmitters and transceivers.

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Bidirectional Amplifiers

The NuPower Xtender™ series of broadband solid state bidirectional amplifier modules is ideal for extending the communication range of half-duplex transceivers

NuPower Xtender™ VU4GX01 Bidirectional V- & U-Band Amplifier

The NuPower Xtender™ VU4GX01 Bidirectional V- & U-Band Amplifier module is a miniature, broadband, high-performance RF embedded OEM amplifier covering the V- and U-band frequencies of 225 to 512 MHz. This VHF/UHF solid state bidirectional amplifier extends the communication range of half-duplex transceivers running high peak-to-average
waveforms such as OFDM, and generates 4 watts of linear RF power (greater than 10 watts P1dB).

Applications include: Group 2 & 3 Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS), Unmanned Ground Vehicles (UGV), RF Telemetry, RF Communication Systems, Software Defined Radios.

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NuPower Xtender™ VU4GX02 Bidirectional V- & U-Band Amplifier

The NuPower Xtender™ VU4GX02 Bidirectional V- & U-Band Amplifier module is a small form factor, broadband RF amplifier covering the V- and U-band frequencies of 225 to 512 MHz. This highly efficient, miniature, solid state bidirectional amplifier generates 4 watts of linear RF power (greater than 10 watts P1dB).

The NuPower Xtender VU4GX02 is ideal for SWaP-constrained RF telemetry and tactical communication systems. The chassis-less design allows system integrators to easily incorporate the unit into communication payloads of small UAS platforms.

Applications include: Group 2 & 3 Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS), Unmanned Ground Vehicles (UGV), RF Telemetry, RF Communication Systems, Software Defined Radios.

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NuPower Xtender™ 12B04A Bidirectional L- & S-Band Amplifier

The NuPower Xtender™ 12B04A Bidirectional L- & S-Band Amplifier module is a small form factor, broadband RF amplifier covering the L- and S-band frequencies of 1.0 to 2.5 GHz.

This high-performance bidirectional amplifier can extend the communication range of half-duplex transceivers with constant-envelope waveforms (i.e. PSK- and FSK-based modulations, such as SOQPSK and GFSK), and generates 10 Watts of RF transmit power.

The NuPower Xtender™ 12B04A Bidirectional L- & S-Band Amplifier is suitable for broadband RF telemetry and communication systems that require reliability and minimal SWaP consumption.

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RF Upconverters

Multi-Octave RF Upconverter

The Multi-Octave RF Upconverter (MORF™) is a small wideband IF-to-RF upconverter that takes an IF input signal from 2 MHz to 70 MHz and outputs an RF signal between 2 MHz and 3000 MHz.

The Multi-Octave RF Upconverter provides 50 dB of variable attenuation control, 5 kHz of output tuning resolution and two user-selectable IF bandwidth filtering options of 4 MHz and 35 MHz.

A configuration GUI and development interface cable are also available.

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RF Downconverters

Our RF Downconverters provide a high dynamic range performance, giving a 70 MHz IF output with superior rejection of out-of-band signals. They feature both Automatic Gain Control (AGC) and Manual Gain Control (MGC) modes of operation, and a Local Oscillator with extremely low phase noise.

ConvertaWave™ RF Downconverter

The ConvertaWave provides high dynamic range performance over the 225 – 500 MHz Frequency range, providing an IF output band-limited to 500 kHz.

With over 100 dB of manual gain control and a system noise of less than 5 dB, the ConvertaWave is well-suited for military applications, including unmanned vehicle systems.

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ConvertaWave2™ RF Downconverter

The ConvertaWave 2 operates over the 200 MHz to 2500 MHz frequency range with a high-precision 1 Hz tuning resolution. The IF output signal is band-limited to one of five user-configurable bandwidths between 500 kHz and 10 MHz.

With over 100 dB of available attenuation and extremely low system noise, the ConvertaWave 2 is well-suited for military applications, including unmanned vehicle systems.

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Low Noise Amplifiers

Our High Intercept Low Noise Amplifier (HILNA) family provides an exceptional combination of broadband performance, low noise, extremely high gain, high linearity and wide supply voltage range. The product range is divided into two series – the Lab Series for laboratory benchtop setups, and the Ruggedized Series for demanding real-world military and industrial RF applications.

Lab Series

HILNA V1 Low Noise Amplifier

The HILNA V1 delivers high gain with low noise across the VHF to microwave frequencies. It operates from 50 MHz to 1000 MHz with 20 dB of gain and less than 1 dB of noise.

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HILNA G2V1 Low Noise Amplifier

The HILNA G2V1 is designed to deliver extremely high gain, a high third order intercept point and low noise across the frequencies of 50 MHz to 1 GHZ. This versatile amplifier can also be used up to well over 2 GHz, with a gain of 27 dB in that range.

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HILNA GPS Amplifier

The HILNA GPS amplifier is designed to deliver extremely high gain, a high third order intercept point and low noise at the L1 (1575.43 MHz) and L2 (1227.6 MHz) GPS frequencies. It operates across the 1200 MHz to 1600 MHz frequency range with a typical gain of 32 dB.

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HILNA HF Low Noise Amplifier

HILNA™ HF is a High Linearity Wide-Band Low Noise Amplifier with 30 dB of gain, operating from 2 MHz to 50 MHz and delivering less than 5 dB of Noise Figure with a OIP3 of +30 dBm.

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Ruggedized Series

µHILNA Low Noise Amplifier

The µHILNA is a low noise, high gain amplifier in a miniature form factor package of 1×0.75×0.5 inches. It provides 20 dB of gain across the frequencies of 50 MHz to 1500 MHz, with less than 1 dB of noise.

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HILNA LS Low Noise Amplifier

The HILNA LS is designed to deliver extremely high gain, a high third order intercept point and low noise across the frequencies of 1 GHz to 3 GHZ. This versatile amplifier can also be used as low as 500 MHz and as high as 3.75 GHz, with a gain of greater than 40 dB in those areas.

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HILNA CX Low Noise Amplifier

The HILNA CX features ultra-broadband operation across the frequencies of 5 GHz to 10 GHz with over 35 dB of gain. In addition to extremely wide coverage, this miniature form factor unit (1.2 cubic inches) also features a power supply with a very broad operating range, allowing the unit to be easily integrated into existing systems without the need for power supply precision.

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RF Filters

µFILTER™ Miniature High Performance Filters

The µFILTER range offers both standard and custom filters. The Standard Filter (SF) series provides fixed-tuned band-pass filtering in the 300 MHz to 2.4 GHz range, with 3 dB bandwidths from 1 to 40%. The Custom Filter (CF) series gives options for fixed-tuned band-pass, band-reject, low-pass or high-pass filtering in the 70 MHz to 1 GHz range. Typical available bandwidth is 20%.

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HiPerTuner™ Broadband Preselector

The HiPerTuner RF200-2500TUNV1 is our first high-performance wideband RF tuner, designed for exacting RF filtering applications requiring superior out-of-band rejection.

The HiPerTuner operates over a frequency range of 200 – 2500 MHz, with a manual gain control of 45 dB in 1 dB steps. An RS-232 interface allows the user to configure operational frequency and gain control.

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Design & Engineering Services

In addition to our Commercial Off-the-Shelf products, we also offer a wide range of design and engineering services. Our team can provide you with a fast-turnaround custom solution to any RF engineering problem, whether you need a transmitter, receiver, amplifier, filter or any other related system or subsystem.

We can handle any stage of the development process from concept through to production. Our in-house facilities include a wide range of environmental and EMC test equipment, allowing us to ensure that your product requirements are met and exceeded.

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