SIGINT

SIGINT Product Overview

In collaboration with industry leading SIGINT system integrators and end users, Elcom Technologies developed our FlxGen™ family of SIGINT receivers and tuners / down converters. These products handle the increasingly sophisticated threats of our SIGINT EW adversaries. The FlxGen™ family of high-performance SIGINT sensors combines Elcom’s advanced proprietary RF topologies and signal processing algorithms with commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) DSP hardware. COMINT, ELINT and TELINT applications will benefit from the performance advantage developed through our years of experience in RF architectures with sub-microsecond switching speeds, low phase noise, and low spurious. FlxGen™ sensors feature custom digital signal processing algorithms and specialized circuit topologies to increase RF dynamic range resulting in improved adjacent-channel selectivity and high interference rejection. The result is high signal sensitivity that allows the extraction of the weakest signals of interest within signal environments of ever-increasing density.

The high dynamic range RF detection circuitry is combined with an RF-DSP architecture comprising a software defined radio (SDR). This provides processing flexibility, such as direct I/Q over Ethernet data transfer, SNR detection, and programmable detection of specific signal classifications. In addition, the architecture allows upgrades through remote software downloads and user-programmable processing algorithms. By incorporating digitally selectable intermediate frequencies (IFs), these SIGINT sensors allow replacement of multiple legacy receivers with a single unit. The result is lower cost of system-level equipment, support and maintenance.

Features Provided with the Integrated SDR

Enhanced ability to detect transmissions of very short duration
Sorting low power signals through threat masking techniques in dense RF environments
Real time differentiation of signals of interest from inter-modulation products
Flexible digital signal processing for application versatility
End-user implementation of custom applications
Low IF colorization
Flexible architecture to reduce NRE and customization
SDR implemented in ultra fast FPGA
Multiple control interfaces – Ethernet / RS 232 / RS 485 / RS 422
>500 MHz IF Bandwidth available for ELINT and TELINT applications

Applications

Direction Finding
Search
Monitoring
Radio Location
Signal Analysis
Signal Classification and Reporting
Radar Intercept
HF Sounding

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Technology

The SIR-1000 HF Receiver is designed for narrowband signal capture from 10 KHz to 30 MHz. With noise figure performance of 14 dB, maximum, multiple on-the-fly selectable digital IF bandwidths and a fixed 455 KHz IF output, the SIR-1000 is well suited to replace multiple legacy receivers with one universal solution. Add to this an input IP3 > 30 dBm, IP2 > 80 dBm and you have enhanced capability to improve signal detection even in the most sophisticated masking environments. Tuning speed as fast as 200 microseconds is available as an option, with 1 millisecond standard. Digitally enabled functions like IQ over Ethernet will make your systems integration task easier as the SIR-1000 eliminates the need for external IQ digitization.

The SIR-2000 VHF/UHF Receiver, covering 20 MHz to 3000 MHz, is, like the SIR 1000 HF series, designed for narrowband applications. Its fast, 1 millisecond, tuning speed provides exceptional scanning rates for demanding applications. Multiple selectable IF bandwidths extending from 6 KHz to 500 KHz are standard with 1 MHz through 10 MHz optional. In addition, the spurious free dynamic range (SFDR) of 80 dB and in band IP3 >+5 dBm provide for a signal sensitivity unavailable in similarly priced products.

Elcom's SIR-3000 VHF/UHF receiver, covering 20 to 3000 MHz, is designed to deliver the high-level of performance required in today’s most demanding VHF/UHF signal monitoring applications. The RF analog front-end architecture of the SIR 3000 offers exceptional dynamic range and low spurious. High-speed, high-resolution digital signal processing provides fourteen selectable IF bandwidths ranging from 3.2 KHz to 10 MHz. Additional IF bandwidths of 20 MHz and 40 MHz are available as options. Utilizing Elcom’s advanced frequency synthesizer architecture which incorporates a direct digital synthesizer (DDS) within a VCO based PLL frequency synthesizer, the tunable LO of the SIR 3000 features low phase noise with fast tuning speed and small tuning frequency step size.

The Elcom SIR-3000 VHF/UHF receiver can be controlled remotely through the Ethernet interface, or by manual control using the front panel. Numerous advanced digital signal processing features within the SIR-3000 make available many functions which previously required external instrumentation. The SIR 3000’s advanced RF and digital signal processing technology and its extensive system control functions afford the user capability for nearly any VHF/UHF receiver application.

The SIR-4000 Microwave Receiver series is offered in three ranges of frequency coverage: 0.5 to 18 GHz, 0.5 to 26.5 GHz, and 0.5 to 40 GHz. All models have a tuning resolution of 10 Hz. The SIR-4000 receiver is designed to perform for today’s most demanding microwave signal monitoring applications. With its advanced RF/analog architecture, the SIR-4000 delivers high dynamic range and low spurious. Following the RF/analog frequency converter section in these receivers, a high-speed, high-resolution digital signal processor derives any of eight selectable IF bandwidths ranging from 0.5 MHz to 20 MHz at 70 MHz center frequency. Utilizing Elcom’s advanced frequency synthesizer architecture, which incorporates a direct digital synthesizer (DDS) within a VCO-based PLL synthesizer configuration, the tunable local oscillator (LO) of the SIR-4000 features low phase noise and fast tuning speed while allowing 10 MHz tuning frequency step size.

The Elcom SIR-4000 microwave receiver can be controlled remotely through any of multiple interfaces: Ethernet, RS 232, and RS 422. A front panel graphical display and front panel manual control capability are included. The receiver includes an independent analog IF output having 1200 MHz center frequency and 500 MHz IF bandwidth. Numerous advanced digital signal processing features within the SIR-4000 make available many functions which previously required external instrumentation. A high-speed digital controller within the SIR-4000 is programmed with an extensive set of instrument control functions making the SIR-4000 an extremely versatile microwave signal monitoring system.

The SIDC-5000 is a high dynamic range, fast tuning VHF/UHF tuner-down converter covering the 20 MHz to 3000 MHz input frequency range with 10 Hz tuning step size. A four band switched filter preselector allows fast tuning and provides high rejection of out-of-band signals. The standard IF output center frequency is 21.4 MHz with 10 MHz IF bandwidth. Optional IF center frequency/IF bandwidth configurations offered are of 10.7 MHz/5 MHz, 20 MHz/10 MHz, 40 MHz/20 MHz and 70 MHz/40 MHz. The RF to IF gain can be adjusted over a 30 dB range with 1 dB step size.

Utilizing Elcom’s advanced frequency synthesizer architecture which incorporates a direct digital synthesizer (DDS) within a VCO based PLL frequency synthesizer, the tunable LO of the SIDC-5000 features low phase noise with fast tuning speed, low spurious, and small tuning step size. The VHF/UHF tuner-down converter can be controlled remotely through the Ethernet interface, or manually through front the font panel keypad and control knob. The SIDC-5000 is ideal for those demanding VHF/UHF tuner-down-converter applications requiring ultra wide dynamic range and fast tuning speed.

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Elcom’s SIDC-6000 is a high dynamic range microwave downconverter/tuner covering 0.5 to 26.5 GHz with 10 Hz tuning resolution. The SIDC-6000 provides essentially all of the RF functions of Elcom’s SIR-4000 receiver, excluding digital IF signal processing. 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. This combination delivers low phase noise, low spurious, and fast tuning speed along with the 10 MHz tuning frequency step size. The system provides scan and sweep frequency control modes.

There are two IF outputs: one centered at 1.2 GHz with fixed 500 MHz bandwidth, and one centered at 70 MHz with selectable IF bandwidths of 10, 20, 30 and 40 MHz. The 70 MHz IF has Automatic Gain Control (AGC) with fast attack time and programmable decay time, and the AGC power level is programmable. For operation under manual gain control, programmable attenuators on both IF channels provide 42 dB control range in 1 dB steps. Non-inverting or inverting spectral conversion can be selected independently for the two IF outputs. An option is offered to allow phase coherent operation of multiple SIDC-6000 downconverters.

The SIDC-6000 is engineered to provide superior RF performance in terms of dynamic range, low phase noise, and fast tuning speed. This RF performance, along with numerous signal control and system control features, make the SIDC-6000 an excellent solution for a wide range of demanding microwave downconverter applications.