New Bedford, Mass. — In June 2023, a rare 1881 copy of James Clerk Maxwell’s An Elementary Treatise on Electricity turned up in a West Virginia library. In remarkably good condition, the book was returned to its original library in New Bedford. The book was last checked out in what looks like 1908, making it…
How RF measurements verify satellite links
Noise measurement, LO substitution, receiver stress testing, power measurement, CCDF and PAPR characterization, and antenna-pattern measurement play critical roles in link budget, bit-error rate, and SNR requirements. Low-Earth orbit (LEO) satellite systems are being deployed for mission-critical use cases at an accelerating rate. This brings associated critical test requirements that, if not performed accurately, could…
EE World’s 2023 communications handbook is here
Our 2023 5G, Wired, & Wireless Handbook is now available in ebook form. Download your copy today. It started on a cold January day with an editorial call. A month later, the abstracts came in. After another month, the manuscripts came in. Then came the editing and some back-and-forth with the authors. Next, it was…
5G mmWave test builds on RF best practices
The high level of integration in today’s mmWave phone means traditional test methods no longer apply.
Identify, troubleshoot, and resolve PIM issues in wireless networks
5G brought passive intermodulation problems into the spotlight. Now it’s up to engineers and technicians to identify and mitigate signal degradation to minimize dropped calls and other issues. A loose connection; a metal roof; power lines. Even a rusty bolt. It’s estimated that mobile operators will spend $1.1 trillion on capital expenditure between 2020 and…
Test methods for mmWave AiP designs bring tradeoffs
Engineers have several mmWave over-the-air test methods available for evaluating phased-array antennas used in antenna-in-package designs. Each has pros and cons.
IoT devices in private 5G networks bring new verification tests
With private networks connecting to many IoT devices, testing the device’s user interface requires updating test processes. Many IoT use cases rely on private 5G networks because they offer greater network control, better security, more reliable performance, and dedicated coverage and capacity as opposed to using a public network. With these advantages, private networks play…
Rohde & Schwarz, NVIDIA to demonstrate AI/ML signal processing at MWC 2023
The demonstration uses hardware-in-the-loop and compares a wireless receiver’s signal processing to traditional methods.
Spirent completes Open RAN testing with three functions
The addition of a “wraparound” distributed unit test product for distributed units augments previous test suites for radio units and centralized units. Open radio-access networks (Open RAN) disaggregate a base station’s baseband unit (BBU) — the unit between the antenna and network core — into three parts: Radio unit, RU or O-RU; Distributed unit, DU…
Wireless platform tests 5G RedCap IoT communications
Keysight Technologies, Inc. announced its new E7515R solution based on its 5G Network Emulation Solutions platform, a streamlined network emulator specifically designed for protocol, radio frequency (RF), and functional testing of all cellular internet of things (CIoT) technologies, including RedCap. The E7515R expands Keysight’s 5G Network Emulation Solutions portfolio, the industry’s most robust, which is used in mobile device…