RF Amplifiers

• RF amplifier is a small signal tuned amplifier with a tuned circuit both on the input side and the output side.
Both this input and output tuned circuits are tuned to the desired incoming carrier frequency.
• Accordingly, the tuned circuits select the desired carrier frequency and reject all undesired frequencies
including the image frequency. Hence the RF amplifier provides image frequency rejection. Also, the gain
provided by the RF amplifier will result in an improved signal-to-noise ratio in the output of the receiver. This
is due to the fact that the incoming weak signal is raised to a higher level with the help of an RF amplifier
before it is fed at the input of the mixer stage which contributes to most of the noise generated at the receiver.
• However, if the incoming weak signal is fed directly to the frequency mixer, the signal-to-noise ratio at the
output of the mixer stage is quite poor and hence any amount of subsequent application cannot improve the
Signal to noise ratio. thus the one important function of the RF amplifier is to improve the Signal to Noise
Ratio.
• There are some cases also where an RF amplifier is not used in the receiver rather its use is uneconomical
there. The best example of this kind of receiver is a domestic receiver used in a high signal strength area like a
metropolitan city. Since in a metropolitan city like Delhi, several stations are situated and in such places,
strength is obviously very high and thus there is no need for the use of an RF amplifier. In such cases, the
tuned circuit connected to the antenna is the actual input circuit of the mixer.
• However, a receiver having an RF amplifier is obviously superior in performance to a receiver without an RF
amplifier.
Working Principle
• RF amplifiers, or Radio Frequency amplifiers, work by increasing the power of radio
frequency signals.
• Signal Input: RF amplifiers start by taking in a weak RF signal as their input. This input
signal can come from various sources, such as antennas or other RF devices.
• Amplification: The input signal is then fed into a transistor or other amplifying
components. These components boost the amplitude (power) of the signal while
maintaining its frequency.
• Frequency Preservation: RF amplifiers are designed to operate within a specific frequency
range. They are carefully tuned to ensure that the amplified signal retains its original
frequency characteristics, which is crucial for proper communication and signal processing.
• Output Signal: The amplified RF signal is the output of the amplifier. It has a higher power
level compared to the input signal, making it suitable for transmission or further
processing in RF systems.
Circuit Diagram
Small Satellite Communication System
● Radio or Modulator/Demodulator: on the transmit side it produces, modulates, codes, and amplifies an
electromagnetic wave to create a signal. Adds modulation and coding as needed. As a receiver it decodes and
demodulates received signals.
● Mixers: RF mixers are used in communications systems to change the frequency of the signal. If the frequency
generated by the radio is not the desired transmit frequency, then an upconverter will convert the signal to a higher
frequency for transmit. Similarly, the downconverter will down convert a receive frequency to a lower one for
processing.
● Filters: bandpass filters are used to reject undesired frequencies, typically before the LNA or downconverter.
● Amplifier: a power or gain amplifier is required for a transmit system. A low noise amplifier (LNA) is required for a
receive system. LNAs, in addition to amplifying the (low power) received signal, serve to minimize the system noise
temperature.
● Antenna: increases the strength of a signal in a specific direction, relative to the same signal strength without
directionality. Transmits signals fed to it by a transmitter and receives signals propagated across free space.
Antennas can be low-gain & omni-directional with a broad beam, or high-gain & directional with a narrow beam.
● Encryption: a cryptographic unit is an integrated encryptor/decryptor device that provides secure uplink, downlink,
or crosslink for satellite communication links. Most small satellite designers will not require a cryptographic payload
unit based on their threat level and may be able to use the communications radio for simple encryption schemes.
● Spread-spectrum communication applies a known frequency spreading function to the signal, which helps reduce
interference from other transmitters, and provides more secure communications; as such, it is often used for multi-
way communication networks. For example, the NASA Tracking and Data Relay Satellite (TDRS) multiple-access
mode requires spread spectrum signals to support multiple simultaneous communication links.
Working
A small satellite RF communications system consists of a transceiver comprised of a radio, an amplifier, and an antenna. Radios receive a message from the
Command and Data Handling (CDH) subsystem, then produce and modulate an electromagnetic wave to create a signal. They are responsible for generating
the signal and modulating or demodulating it. The radio is also where coding may be added to the signal. Channel coding is added to provide data error
detection and correction capabilities, which ensures reliable communication under the conditions imposed by the satellite transmission path. From Shannon’s
Equation (6), it is known that the information capacity of a channel is related to its bandwidth and signal-to-noise ratio (SNR). The channel capacity (information
flow) can be increased by increasing the SNR or the bandwidth, and many modulation and coding schemes make effective use of this tradeoff.

Radios offer some power amplification, but often the signals from small satellites require a greater boost. The power amplifier will take the signal from the radio
and increase the RF output power before sending it to the transmit antenna. On the receive side, a low noise amplifier will take the weak signal from the receive
antenna and amplify it while minimizing thermal noise. A bandpass filter might be used before the LNA to reject undesired frequencies. The radio will then be
able to process the stronger signal with higher accuracy. In RF communications the role of the antenna is to increase and focus the strength of the signal in a
specific direction. The digital message encoded on the RF carrier signal will be sent to and from the antennas of each system.
Electronic Warfare
• EW devices play a crucial role in ensuring the success of military operations, by protecting
against and exploiting enemy communications and radar systems. They typically consist of
three elements: attack, protection, and support. The attack element uses radios to interfere
with and disrupt enemy communications and devices, creating confusion and reducing the
effectiveness of their operations. Such devices typically implement high-power transmitters
and advanced jamming techniques to interfere with enemy signals.
• For protection, EW systems use RF devices to detect and protect against incoming enemy
electronic attacks, typically involving highly sensitive receivers and advanced signal-
processing techniques to detect and counter enemy signals in time to react. The support
element of EW systems employs RF devices to gather information and provide situational
awareness to military operations—spectrum-monitoring devices and radars fit into this
category.
• In any case, EW RF devices must not only offer lots of output power and receiver
sensitivity, but also provide a high level of reconfigurability to adapt their RF performance
according to the scenario and flexible size, weight, and power (SWaP) characteristics.