SATCOM

SATCOM Product Overview

Elcom’s SATCOM frequency converter products are specially designed for applications where leading-edge phase noise performance is critical. This is especially true in many Ka band and Ku band systems where integrated voice and data communications formats utilize the wide channel bandwidths that are available. Frequency management issues, scarcity of optimal orbital position assignments, and the need for resistance to interfering signals drive the low phase noise requirements in these systems. Like other Elcom designs, our SATCOM products, whether at the OEM module level or at the chassis instrument level, benefit from the design engineering and manufacturing experience developed at Elcom through the shipment of over 50,000 oscillator and synthesizer products.

Applications

• Upconverters
• Downconverters
• Single Band
• Multiband
• Multiple IF Outputs

Technology

• Zero phase-hits synthesizer design - provides for continuous, uninterrupted operation under conditions of temperature change and vibration
• Low phase noise VCO based PLL synthesizer RF LO - results in small size, lower power consumption and increased reliability
• Wide frequency range, wide bandwidth - up to 4 GHz BW at Ka, up to 2.2 GHz at Ku SATCOM bands

Products

• 19” rack mounted Ka band up and down converters for SATCOM IESS 308/309 terminals
• Block synthesized converters for C, Ku up converter and down converter bands. Meets IESS 308/309 in single 5”X10”x1” module
• MFS and LNMFS frequency synthesizer OEM modules for use in SATCOM converters - for L, C, X, Ku, and Ka bands

SATDC-1000

Elcom’s SATDC-1000 is a high dynamic range microwave downconverter covering 17.7 to 21.2 GHz with 10 Hz tuning resolution. The agile LO in this downconverter employs Elcom’s advanced frequency synthesizer architecture which combines a direct digital synthesizer (DDS) within a VCO-based PLL synthesizer. Fixed frequency LOs utilize Elcom’s SPDRO phase locked coaxial resonator oscillator technology. This combination delivers low phase noise, low spurious, and fast tuning speed. A programmable sweep frequency control feature facilitates setup of frequency sweeps.

There are two IF outputs: one centered at 700 MHz with a fixed bandwidth of 250 MHz, and one centered at 70 MHz with a fixed bandwidth of 40 MHz. Down conversion gain is controlled by programmable attenuators on both IF channels, which provide 30 dB control range in 0.25 dB steps. Non-inverting or inverting spectral conversion can be selected independently for the two IF outputs.

The SATDC-1000 is engineered to provide superior RF performance in terms of dynamic range, low phase noise, and fast tuning speed. Its RF performance, along with its wide range of system control features, makes the SATDC-1000 an excellent solution for a wide range of demanding microwave downconverter applications.

Download SATDC-1000 Datasheet

SATUC-2000

Elcom’s SATUC-2000 is a high dynamic range microwave upconverter covering 27.5 to 31 GHz with 10 Hz tuning resolution. The agile LO in this downconverter employs Elcom’s advanced frequency synthesizer architecture which combines a direct digital synthesizer (DDS) within a VCO-based PLL synthesizer. Fixed frequency LOs utilize Elcom’s SPDRO phase locked coaxial resonator oscillator technology. This combination delivers low phase noise, low spurious, and fast tuning speed. A programmable sweep frequency control feature facilitates setup of frequency sweeps.

There are two IF inputs: one centered at 700 MHz with a fixed bandwidth of 250 MHz, and one centered at 70 MHz with a fixed bandwidth of 40 MHz. Up conversion gain is controlled by programmable attenuators on both IF channels providing 15 dB control range in 0.25 dB steps. Non-inverting or inverting spectral conversion can be selected independently for the two IF inputs.

The SATUC-2000 is engineered to provide superior RF performance in terms of dynamic range, low phase noise, and fast tuning speed. Its RF performance along with its wide range of system control features make the SATUC-2000 an excellent solution for a wide range of demanding microwave upconverter applications.

Download SATUC-2000 Datasheet

LNMFS

The LNMFS family of modular sub-octave coverage frequency synthesizers achieves exceptionally low phase noise in a rugged, compact package. Within the LNMFS, basic PLL indirect synthesizer architecture is enhanced using DDS and FPGA technology. This allows small step size and low spurious output levels to be achieved with moderate switching speed. The serial interface simplifies designing the synthesizer for any system application.

MFS

This family of efficient, low phase noise compact modular frequency synthesizers achieves small frequency step size through a fractional-N synthesis configuration designed for low phase noise and low-spurious outputs. A microcontroller handles digital IO and communicates with and optimizes the fractional-N PLL for the current set frequency. GaAs and SiGe MMIC devices provide for efficient RF and microwave signal processing. The low overall power consumption realized with this architecture results in reduced operating temperature and higher reliability, and it allows use of a smaller DC power supply. These synthesizers provide substantial performance margin for the phase noise requirements of IESS-308, Eutelsat, and MIL-STD-188 for fixed and mobile SATCOM ground stations. The MFS frequency synthesizer product family has over five-thousand units in field operation and is proven for high reliability under a wide range of operational conditions.

DFS

Miniature, Low Cost Synthesizer Series