Software Defined Radio (SDR) Architecture

November 2002 Section Meeting

When: Tuesday, November 19, 2002

Speaker: Mr. Rick Taylor of M/A-COM. Click here for his biographical information.

Abstract:

The term software defined radios (SDRs) is used to describe radios that provide software control of a variety of modulation techniques, wide-band or narrow-band operation, communications security functions (such as hopping), and waveform requirements of current and evolving standards over a broad frequency range. The frequency bands covered may still be constrained at the front-end requiring a switch in the antenna system.
SDR is an enabling technology applicable across a wide range of areas within the wireless industry that provides efficient and comparatively inexpensive solutions to several constraints posed in current systems. For example, SDR-enabled user devices and network equipment can be dynamically programmed in software to reconfigure their characteristics for better performance, richer feature sets, advanced new services that provide choices to the end-user and new revenue streams for the service provider. SDR is uniquely suited to address the common requirements for communications in the military, civil and commercial sectors.

Speaker's Bio:

Rick Taylor, Senior Principal Engineer
M/A-COM Wireless Systems, Lynchburg, VA
Education: BSEE Michigan State University (1974), MSEE Syracuse University (1978)

Rick has 28 years of engineering experience in both radar and land mobile radio systems. For the 12 year period from 1974-1986, Rick worked in Syracuse, NY for the General Electric Radar Systems Department, where he performed radar systems analysis/simulations and land based radar product design/development. In 1986, Rick joined a spinoff of GE called Sensis Corporation (also in Syracuse), where he was a direct report to the CEO and worked on programs to provide upgraded capabilities for land based radar systems for various military customers. In 1994, Rick got tired of the Syracuse weather and moved to Lynchburg to begin working as a Systems Engineer for Ericsson-GE, which is now M/A-COM. Rick's eight years in Lynchburg has included work in the RF Integrity group, specializing in coverage and traffic design/analysis, and his present position in Product Systems Design Engineering where he is a systems analyst supporting the development of M/A-COM's present and next-generation mobile, portable, and base station products.

Rick's interests include fishing, travel, and amateur radio.

M/A-COM Wireless Systems, a business unit of M/A-COM, Inc., provides state-of-the-art two-way mobile radio technology, products and services to worldwide markets that include public safety, utility, industrial, commercial and government organizations.http://www.macom-wireless.com/default.asp