EM Solutions has recently received multiple orders for their industry leading Ka band Block Upconverter (BUC) products for use in aeronautical satcom applications.
Peter Bradley, Engineering Director, EM Solutions said the company has been complementing their 3GHz wide Ka multi-band BUC products with new GaN technology. This was because moving to GaN enables higher power output in a smaller physical footprint with lower demand
on the hosting system’s power and heat budgets for equivalent RF power output compared to legacy products.
“EM Solutions have been supplying Ka band BUCs that are certified for aero applications for many years however with these new products we are able to provide transmit power levels close to 100 watts from a highly efficient multiband platform. This allows our customers to take maximum advantage of the broadband capabilities of today’s military and commercial Ka Band satellites in a single package weighing in at only 11kg,” he said.
EM Solutions Diamond Series Ka Band BUCs are available in power levels starting from 16W and weighing less than 5kg and being multiband enable an earth station to be configured to automatically switch between the military and commercial Ka band frequencies. The user can
configure the linearization characteristics and operating satellite RF frequency band from the product’s Ethernet monitor and control interface.
Gary Shmith, Global Sales Director, EM Solutions said they were continually enhancing their Diamond Series Ka multi-band BUCs to adapt to different satellite system requirements such as the military WGS and commercial Inmarsat GX platforms.
"Our customers can now select a single BUC product for use across multiple satellite systems and can access EM Solutions experience across the often complex certification requirements that can vary significantly from operator to operator.”
He said as more closed network satellite systems supporting global mobility come on line, the interface of the BUC into the network can become a critical factor in the certification process.