GROUND WAVE

Figure 1-1 The 'ground wave.

TRANSMITTER

SPACE WAVE

RECEIVER

Figure 1-2

Space wave or direct wave propagation.

Figure 1-3

Radio wave refraction.

Signal

intensity 8

A

Figure 1-2 A sine wave.

Signal intensity

Figure 1-3 A digital signal.

Power supply

~

Heat

Active device exhibiting gain

Passive device exhibiting loss

Output signal

Input signal

Output signal

Input signal

Figure 2-1 Devices exhibiting gain and loss.

Gain of 10

'. Gain of 10

Signal strength of 1

Signal strength of 10

Signal strength of 100

Figure 2-2 The result of multiple gain stages.

Decibel Definition:

10{Log(Outputllnput)) dB

+3 dB means 2 times bigger (multiply by 2) +10 dB means 10 times bigger (multiply by 10)

-3 dB means 2 times smaller (divide by two)

-10 dB means 10 times smaller (divide by ten)

If a signa/experiences a gain of 4000 /gets 4000 times bigger!.what I is the gain in dB?

It is 'bestto break up the gain -of4000 .into its sirnptest factors as shown below. '

4000 == 10 x 10 x 10 x 2 x 2

Now you simply replace the multiplication of factors by the addition of dB (from the only 'two that you know).

4000:= 10 dB+'10 dH+ 10 dB +'3 dB+ 3 dB == 36'dB

I "

A gain of 400015 equivalent toagain of36 dB. What ifit were a.loss of 4000 instead ofa gain? Simple. A loss of 4000 is equlvalenrto -36 dB. What if it were a gain of 5000, how would you utilize the only two conversions you know7_B,e creative.

5000 -= 10 x 10'x 10 x 10+ 2

5'000 == 10 .dB + 10 dB + :10 dB +,10 dB - 3 ss == 37 dB

-2 dB

30 dB

-7 dB

-1 dB

A

4

B

1

2

3

Input signal

Output signal

BANDWIDTH

Definition

Probably no word is used more often in the world of RF than the word bandwidth. Now that you know what frequency is, it's not too difficult to understand the term bandwidth. Bandwidth is a way of describing a range of frequencies. It equals the difference between the highest frequency and the lowest frequency of the device or application, and therefore two frequencies are required to define a bandwidth. FOI instance, if a particular device can accommodate all frequencies between 75 MHz and 125 MHz, it has a bandwidth of 50 MHz (125 .MHz-75 MHz).

Sometimes bandwidth is expressed in terms of a percentage. In this case, the bandwidth is simply divided by the average of the upper and lower frequencies. A simple example will explain everything (see Example 2-2).

Example 2-2 Calculating percentage bandwidth.

If a device. can accommodate all frequencies between 75 MHz and 125 MHz, whi'lt is its percentage bandwidth?

First you calculate the actual bandwidth. As noted above, the bandwidth for this example is 50 MHz (125 MHz-75 MHz).

. . 1 r: _.

Next, you calculate the average of the twc'frequenrles. In this case iris 100 MHz'112S MHz + 75 MHz) ~ 2 .• '.

Finally, you divide the bandwidth by the average frequency and mut-

tiply by 100%. .

50 MHz + 100 MHz x 100% =50%

A device which operates from 7'5 MHz to 125 MHz has a 500/0.band-

widtr,.· . '. - ,

3.

Transmitters and Receivers

Electrical energy moves from place to place ill one of two ways. It either flows as current along a conductor (a bunch of electrons moving down a metal wire), or it travels in the air as invisible waves. In a typical wireless system, the electrical energy starts out as current flowing along a conductor, gets changed into waves traveling in the air, and then gets changed back into current flowing along a conductor again (see Figure 1-1).

Current on a conductor

Airborne waves

Current on a conductor

Figure 1-1 Block diagram of a generic wireless system.

Transmitter Bloc'( Diagram

Information signal in at 400 MHz

Airborne waves OU\z. J at 900 Mi

Ampltfier

High Power Amplifier

Oscillator

Receiver Bloc'( Diagram

Airborne waves in

at 900 MHz

Mixer

Information signal out at 400 MHz

Low noise amplifier

Oscillator

SOURCES ······ ,

Block Diagram

1 Output

.:

Figure 3-19 Block diagram of an oscillator.

Figure 3-20 Surface-mount oscillators. Courtesy of Varl-L Company, Inc.

5

ANTEN.NAS .

Block Diagram

Airborne waves in

\

L EI"trical "gnal oul Figure 3-3 Block diagram of an antenna.

wavelengths of three common wireless applications:

AM radio: 566 meters (3 city blocks)

Cellular telephony: 1 foot

Direct-to-horne satellite TV: 1 inch

Omnidirectional

Directional

Figure 3-6 Antenna patterns.

Figure 3-4 A sampling of antennas. Courtesy of MIA-Com, an AMP company.

;1·

.,

-.~

Figure 3-7a Patch antennas. Courtesy of Alpha Industries.

7

...... _- - ......,

:'LTERS "

Block Diagram

---;I~f--I -

Figure 3-1 3 BJocl< diagram of a filter.

MIXERS

.........•••••••...............•••••• ~

Block Diagram

Figure 3-16 Block diagram of a mixer.

, ,

I . r.

'i,._ ••

~'"

-J

. .

Figure 3-14 Filters. Courtesy of K&L Microwave. inc

Figure 3-17 A mixer. Courtesy of Mini-Circuits

stock Diagram

Small signal in

__ ... Big signal out

Figure 3-8 Block diagram of an amplifier.

Figure 3-9a An LNA Courtesy of Mini-Circuits

Figure 3-9b An HPA. Courtesy of Amplifier Research