SAGE SatCom of San Diego, CA, USA (part of telecoms solutions provider REMEC Broadband Wireless), which manufactures power amplifiers for the satellite industry, has added an ultra-compact, efficient, low-power-consumption gallium nitride (GaN)-based 12W linear Ka-band block-up converter (BUC) to its high-transmit-power Ka-band lineup for next-generation satellite data communications.
SAGE SatCom says that its GaN solid-state technology allows significant power consumption and size savings compared with widely used gallium arsenide (GaAs) technology, without compromising RF performance or reliability. The overall size improvement enables simplified installation directly on the antenna feed arm, without the need for pedestal mounting. SAGE SatCom claims that its Ka-band BUC products offer the highest linear power levels in the most compact and lightweight package on the market.
SAGE says that it has deployed many hundreds of its earlier-generation 12W linear Ka-band BUCs in the most demanding customer environments. The new GaN-based 12W linear Ka-band BUC joins its Ka-band portfolio of products, which includes a GaN-based 20W linear Ka-band BUC and a 5W linear Ka-band BUC. Utilizing GaN technology, SAGE has further reduced the size and weight of its 12W linear BUC to a size and power consumption similar to 5W linear Ka-Band BUCs based on GaAs technology. The 12W linear Ka-band BUC measures only 7.5"x5.3"x4" and consumes just 155W at 12W linear output power.
"No longer are 1W and 2W transceivers the only options for mission-critical deployments in the Ka-band space," says Sherman Su, director, global sales. "The SAGE 12W linear power Ka-band BUC is the world's lightest and smallest-form-factor, high-transmit-power BUC and can easily mount on the feed assembly of any Ka-band terminal," he claims. "Deployments on the edge of a beam, as well as mission-critical applications anywhere in the zone, can be assured of increased transmission qualities with this powerful unit."
"Within the Ka-band space, this new 12W linear unit is also refined for specific use in specialty applications, including Inmarsat's Global Xpress," Su continues. "In fact, all SAGE products can be engineered for emerging applications. SAGE BUCs exhibit high linear power, have solid-state reliability, consume very little power, are compactly packaged, and extend our lead as the de facto standard for reasonably priced, high-powered amplifiers for the industry's fastest-growing space."
The new SAGE SatCom products is on display on the Sematron stand 1.A78 at IBC in Amsterdam, The Netherlands (9-13 September) and on the BridgeWave stand A1-32 at GITEX 2016 in Dubai.
