Avnet offers online search tool for power electronics components
Electronics distributor Avnet Inc. in Phoenix introduced MMICs Online and RF Power Online, two new search engines that help designers choose parts for applications that need RF semiconductors. The online tools, available at http://www.em.avnet.com/rfm, help designers find thousands of parts from Avnet's database of RF active components from many manufacturers worldwide, Avnet officials say. MMICs Online has all RF small signal amplifiers that Avnet offers. Power Online, meanwhile, has all of Avnet's RF active power devices. Both tools allow for side-by-side comparison of similar components and provide access to formal datasheets, online technical support, pricing, and availability. For more information contact Avnet by phone at 480-643-2000, by fax at 480-643-7240, by post at 2211 S. 47th St., Phoenix, Ariz. 85034, or on the World Wide Web at http://www.avnet.com/. — J.K.
PC Dynamics to provide custom microwave circuits for Aegis warships
Systems integrators at the Lockheed Martin Naval Electronics & Surveillance systems division in Moorestown, N.J., needed custom microwave circuits for the Aegis weapon system aboard U.S. Navy Ticonderoga-class cruisers and Arleigh Burke-class destroyers. They found their answer in custom microwave circuits from PC Dynamics Inc. of Frisco, Texas, a subsidiary of Espo Inc. PC Dynamics is working under a $445,000 Lockheed Martin contract. For more information contact PC Dynamics by phone at 972-335-9841, by fax at 972-335-2841, or by post at 10501 FM 720 East, Frisco, Texas 75035. — J.K.
New conventional cruise missile features upgraded electronics
The U.S. Air Force's newest air-launched cruise missile features a precision accuracy kit that uses a third-generation GPS receiver, advanced navigation software, and a GPS anti-jam system for a significant increase in immunity to electronic jamming. The Boeing Co. in St. Louis delivered the first Block 1A Conventional Air-Launched Cruise Missile, or CALCM, in January. Modifying surplus nuclear-armed AGM-86Bs (ALCMs) produces CALCM. It features a high-explosive blast-fragmentation warhead and a GPS receiver for accurate GPS-aided inertial navigation. The missile launches from B-52H aircraft. For more information contact Boeing on the World Wide Web at http://www.boeing.com/. — J.K.
RF Micro unveils quadrature modulator for trunked radio systems
RF Micro Devices Inc. of Greensboro, N.C., is introducing the RF2485 quadrature modulator for terrestrial trunked radio systems, also known as TETRA. The RF2485 operates in the 200 to 600 MHz band for digital and spread-spectrum systems; private mobile radio and TETRA systems; AM, SSB, DSB modulation and image-reject up-converters. Manufactured in a gallium arsenide metal semiconductor field effect transistor process, the RF2485 comes in a small-outline integrated circuit-14 package. For more information contact RF Micro Devices by phone at 336-664-1233, by fax at 336-664-0454, by post at 7628 Thorndike Road, Greensboro, N.C. 27409-9421, or on the World Wide Web at http://www.rfmd.com/.—J.K.
IEEE approves VITAL ASIC Modeling Specification as revised standard
Leaders of the Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers (IEEE) have approved the VITAL ASIC Modeling Specification for VHDL simulation as a revised standard. VITAL, or IEEE 1076.4, is an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC) library design standard for IEEE 1076-1993, which refers to the standard for the VHSIC Hardware Description Language, or VHDL. For more information, contact the IEEE on the World Wide Web at http://www.ieee.org/. — J.K.
Army chooses FieldWorks for rugged mobile computer
U.S. Army leaders at the Tobyhanna Army Depot, Pa., needed rugged mobile computers for various information needs. They chose the FW2000 Mobile Data Server from FieldWorks Inc. in Eden Prairie, Minn. FieldWorks received an Army contract worth more than $4 million involving the FW2000, company officials announced Jan. 17. The FW2000 features the Intel Pentium 233 or 333 MHz microprocessor, 64 or 128 megabytes of RAM, and 4- or 6-gigabyte removable hard drives. For more information contact FieldWorks by phone at 952-974-7000, by fax at 952-949-2791, by post at 7631 Anagram Drive, Eden Prairie, Minn. 55344, or on the World Wide Web at http://www.field-works.com/. — J.K.
BAE Systems Canada to supply GPS receivers for Honeywell navigation systems
Leaders of BAE Systems Canada Inc. in Montreal are supplying their latest-generation global positioning system (GPS) receivers to Honeywell International in Morristown, N.J. The BAE GPS receivers are for Honeywell's Local Area Augmentation System (LAAS) and in several of Honeywell's aircraft navigation and landing products. The new BAE Systems Canada GPS receiver, known as the CMA-4024, is a 24-channel aviation-grade receiver. For more information contact Honeywell on the World Wide Web at http://www.honeywell.com/. — J.K.
Space Systems/Loral to build new Asian communications satellite
Engineers from Space Systems/Loral in Palo Alto, Calif., are set to build a high-powered, C/Ku-band satellite called APSTAR-V for APT Satellite Company Ltd. in Hong Kong. APSTAR-V is based on Loral's 1300 platform, similar to APSTAR-IIR, which is currently on orbit serving the Asia-Pacific region. APSTAR-V will have total beginning-of-life power of 10.6 kilowatts with a separated mass of approximately 4,845 kilograms, and 9.5 kilowatts of end-of-life power. The new spacecraft will operate 54 transponders, 38 in the C band at 60 watts, and 16 in the Ku band at 141 watts. For more information contact Space Systems/Loral by phone at 650-852-4000, by fax at 650-852-4788, by post at 3825 Fabian Way, Palo Alto, Calif. 94303, or on the World Wide Web at http://www.ssloral.com/. — J.K.
Boeing-led team set to build new military communications satellite
A Boeing-led satellite communications industry team is set to design the Wideband Gapfiller Satellite military communications satellite system — otherwise known as WGS. The Boeing team won a $160.3 million contract to develop the WGS, which is to be a high-capacity satellite communications system to support military operations with newer and far greater capabilities than provided by current systems. Team members include Harris Corp., ITT Industries, Logicon Inc., and Science Applications International Corp. — J.K.
Kopin unveils Indium Phosphide components for high-speed communications
Scientists from Kopin Corp. in Taunton, Mass., are introducing carbon-doped Indium Phosphide (InP) heterojunction bipolar transistors (HBTs) for components used in wireless and high-speed optical communication. For more information contact Kopin Corp. by phone at 508-824-6696, by fax at 508-822-1381, by post at 695 Myles Standish Blvd., Taunton, Mass. 02780-1042, or on the World Wide Web at http://www.kopin.com/. — J.K.
