Design Techniques for Multiband/Multimode Radios

• NCJ Number: 305742
• Author(s): S. Ellingson
• Date Published: June 2008
• Length: 115 pages
• Grant Number(s): 2005-IJ-CX-K018
• Agencies: NIJ-Sponsored
• Publication Type: Presentation
• Award: A Low-Cost All-Band/All-Mode Radio for Public Safety

Annotation

This presentation to accompany a course on multiband/multimode radios provides an overview of radio design basics, conversion architectures, RF CMOS, antenna-transceiver interfacing, Virginia Tech Public Safety MMR, and a list of references.

Abstract

This presentation accompanies a course on multiband/multimode radios (MMR); the introduction provides information on the terminology, bands of the electromagnetic spectrum, modes, the uses for MMR, and public safety MMR concepts and technologies. The overview of radio design basics discusses antennas, digitization, sensitivity, gain, noise, linearity, and selectivity and preselection. The presentation also discusses conversion architectures; functions and challenges of RF CMOS (radio-frequency complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor); antenna-transceiver interfacing, such as duplexers and duplexing; and Virginia Tech (VT) public safety MMR, and efforts to meet selectivity specifications. Summary remarks note that MMR is an enabling technology for military-type SDR (software-defined radio) and frequency-cognitive radio. Summary remarks note that MMR is an enabling technology for military-type SDR (software-defined radio) and frequency-cognitive radio, and that while MMR has always been possible, it has also been big, hot, and expensive technology, however developments in MMR have increased the prospect for achieving acceptable RF performance at a much lower cost and power consumption. Key technology developments include: improvements in direct conversion and “digital RF” transceivers in CMOS; antenna multibanding, physical integration, electrical integration, and other forms of codesign; and MEMS (microelectromechanical systems) for reconfigurable antennas, matching circuits, and filters.