Web Page sponsor Oxley Developments
www.oxleygroup.com
———————————————————————
26 Mar 15. Solid-state RF power amplifier module is ideal for counter-IED systems. Now available in the UK from Link Microtek is the first of MtronPTI’s new line of solid-state RF power amplifier modules, the PA1016, which uses linear GaN technology with fast switching to deliver an output power of 35W across a wide frequency band of 2 to 6GHz. Primarily aimed at military mobile applications such as jamming systems for countering the threat of IEDs, the compact new amplifier module is housed in a rugged, sealed case and features built-in monitoring and control circuits to protect it against load VSWR, input overdrive, over/under supply voltage and output overcurrent. The Class AB power amplifier operates from a 30VDC supply and provides excellent microwave performance, with a minimum power gain of 46dB, a gain flatness of 3dB peak-to-peak across the band and typical 2-tone intermodulation of -30dBc. Equipped with SMA female connectors for RF input and output and a 9-way D-sub connector for power and control signals, the module has overall dimensions of only 188 x 92 x 27mm excluding connectors and weighs just 825g. Operating temperature range is specified as -20 to 75degC.
26 Mar 15. The new generation of NRA RX 19” Remote Analyzers from Narda Safety Test Solutions automatically detect and take into account the calibration data of Narda’s own brand of antennas and RF cables, so monitoring and safety measurements in electromagnetic fields can now also be made without the need for conversion calculations. Narda Safety Test Solutions has added the “Antenna Control” option to the RX version of the NRA Remote Analyzer. This allows direct use of all Narda antennas and cables. The antenna factors and calibration data are detected and automatically taken into account by the NRA RX devices, so that the measurement results are given directly in units of field strength – without needing conversions or corrections. Users can make use of any directional antenna in the Narda Test range. The compass data from the antennas can be retrieved by the NRA RX to get the direction information. It is also possible to use e.g. the three-axis antennas from the Narda Safety range in the same way, so that the electromagnetic field can be monitored isotropically (non-directionally). This allows direct measurements for human and environmental safety to be made. Users can generate the appropriate data sets with calibration and correction values for antennas and cables from other manufacturers using the “NRA-Tools” PC software. The “Antenna Control” option is available now.
25 Mar 15. Big data might predict violent outbreaks. The military could get a new method for anticipating violent outbreaks in tense areas such as Afghanistan, one that uses data and analytics rather trying to predict the future based on the past. According to a report at SciDev.net, political scientist Jason Lyall of Yale University surveyed the mood of villages in Afghanistan in 2011. He found that the villages that were most supportive of the United States were more likely to draw attacks from Taliban forces, but no more likely than other villages to provide information that would help U.S. forces locate improvised explosive devices. The conclusion that civilian attitudes could have such a strong and direct influence on attacks is a controversial one, but if it holds true upon further investigation, it could give strategists new insight into enemy operations. Lyall and his team used an algorithm that draws on information from the surveys and derives predictions of attacks. Previous efforts have relied on an area’s history of attacks to predict those to come. Lyall’s project involved surveys of 2,754 residents in 204 villages. “Targeted surveys with purpose-built questions are likely to have a higher predictive payoff than large-scale surveys at a frac