Impulse Technologies, Inc. has announced a new line of wideband horn antennas from RFspin that are well suited for emerging applications in Fifth Generation (5G) cellular wireless communication systems and millimeter-wave commercial vehicular radar systems. The compact horn antennas feature high directivity and gain across a total frequency range from 1.7 to 67.0 GHz using standard female coaxial connectors for ease of integration into systems and interconnection with test systems. They are small, lightweight, and built to handle high input power levels, and designed for indoor and outdoor use.
The compact horn antennas are available in double- and quad-ridged configurations for a variety of applications, including in short-range millimeter-wave communications links using circular polarization (quad-ridge models with a hybrid coupler). At the low-frequency end of the range, models DRH20 and DRH20E are double-ridged 50-Ω horn antennas with a minimum frequency range of 1.7 to 20.0 GHz. The compact model DRH20 measures just 4.1 × 4.8 × 3.1 in. (104 × 122.7 × 78.7 mm) but handles 20 W CW input power and 40 W pulsed input power across the full bandwidth. The higher-power model DRH20E handles 50 W CW power and 100 W pulsed power from 1.6 to 20.0 GHz. Both are equipped with female SMA coaxial connectors and exhibit 1.50:1 VSWR from 1.7 to 20.0 GHz.
For frequency coverage across most of the microwave range, the model QRH40 is a quad-ridged horn antenna that can be used with linearly and circularly polarized signals from 4 to 40 GHz, with better than 2.40:1 VSWR across the wide bandwidth. For simple interconnections, it features two 50-Ohm female K connectors. The compact antenna can handle as much as 10 W CW input power and as much as 20 W pulsed input power from 4 to 40 GHz. The typical gain is better than 6 dB at 4 GHz, 13 dB at 20 GHz, and 12 dB at 40 GHz. When more bandwidth is needed, model QRH50E is a quad-ridged horn antenna that operates with linear or circular polarization from 5 to 50 GHz. The 50-Ohm antenna maintains VSWR at or below 2.50:1 using female 2.4-mm connectors on its two ports. It provides a gain of better than 4 dB at 5 GHz, 8 dB at 24 GHz, and 12 dB at 50 GHz at both ports and handles as much as 5 W CW input power and 10 W pulsed or peak input power.
At higher, millimeter-wave frequencies, the model DRH67 is a double-ridged 50-Ω horn antenna with a typical VSWR of less than 1.90:1 from 6 to 67 GHz. It is supplied with a 1.85-mm female coaxial connector and handles 20 W CW input power and 40 W pulsed input power across the full bandwidth. It measures just 1.287 × 1.260 × 1.909 in. (32.7 × 32.0 × 48.5 mm) and weighs only 1.76 oz. (50 g). The quad-ridged model QRH67 supports linear or circular polarization from 6 to 67 GHz. It is supplied with two 1.85-mm female coaxial connectors and exhibits less than 2.0:1 VSWR at 50 Ω at both ports, with only 1.60:1 VSWR at 20 GHz and 1.40:1 VSWR at 60 GHz. Both 67-GHz antennas are well suited for millimeter-wave testing.
The lightweight horn antennas from RFspin are available immediately from Impulse Technologies, a worldwide distributor of electronic products for many markets, including aerospace, commercial, industrial, medical, military, and scientific research markets.