UTS-MBR-x

Application Note
DEC 2015

MULTIBAND RADIO - TACTICAL APPLICATIONS

(Hardware, firmware and algorithmic solutions from UTS, Hyderabad)
Application Note, UTS-MBR-AN02, rev 1.3, DEC 2015
EWIP Division
Unistring Tech Solutions, INDIA, www.unistring.com
Copyright © 2012-2015 reserved
Application Note, Multiband Radios - Tactical applications

MILITARY RADIO topologies today are demanding complex features to

be achieved at baseband, RF and antenna stages. The present and future tactical radio needs can be met
with latest RF & VLSI technologies based hardware and state of the art Digital Signal Processing (DSP)
algorithms. This application note presents important capabilities of UTS provided hardware, firmware,
waveform libraries and algorithmic solutions, towards realizing modern tactical radio networks.

1. Small size and Portability

The size of the radio is becoming day by day important, as small sized platforms are being aimed
to perform crucial EW operations. The UAV projects with multiple EW payloads is the best example to
understand growing importance of small sized radio solutions. The UTS offered radio solutions can be
categorized to two types as illustrated in below figure. With modular architectures being followed in
UTS firmware for interface design, both the categories of products maintain same feature wise
capabilities. The hardware is based on Xilinx Zynq series FPGAs interfaced with high speed ADCs, DACs
and RF ICs.

(a) PC interfaced Radios

(b) Embedded interfaced Radios

UTS-3UVPX-WB-X

RF out1
UTS-MBR RF out2 To/From
module RF in1
RF in2 Antennas
SDR - GUI 17 cm X 11 cm X 4 cm*
Ethernet

(a) PC interfaced wideband radio solution

Compact 3U-VPX card (digital + RF)

UTS-3UVPX-WB-X

UTS-MBR module RF out1

RF out2
RF in1
RF in2
17 cm X 11 cm X 5 cm*
LCD and
To/From
key pad interface Antennas

(b) Embedded interfaced Radios (c) UTS - 3U VPX card with digital and RF (upto 6 GHz)

Figure 1. UTS offered Radio solutions (*Excluding Tx power amplifiers, LNA and antennas)

UTS-MBR-AN02, DEC 2015 www.unistring.com 2

Application Note, Multiband Radios - Tactical applications

The compact UTS radio module offering frequency coverage from 70MHz to 6 GHz, with small form
factor is suitable for several modern communication requirements.

2. Software configurability and ECCM features

Electronic Counter Counter Measures (ECCM) features are essential for tactical radios. To develop ECCM
featured radios, the UTS offered hardware and software capabilities are presented in below table.

Table 1. UTS - MBR supported features to develop ECCM enabled tactical radios.

Hardware features Suitability for tactical radios

Wide band coverage for selected The hardware can cover band of frequencies in +/- 25 MHz from the tuned centre
centre frequency frequency. This enables user to switch the carrier anywhere in this 56 MHz range,
without triggering the external PLL. The frequency switching is achieved through FPGA
inside NCOs.

To implement Burst and Frequency Hopping (FH) waveforms there is no limitation of

switching time with in this 50 MHz bandwidth range.

Fast Frequency tuning with only 40 To implement FH and Burst beyond 56 MHz bandwidth the PLL external to FPGA need
µsec, PLL switching time to be tuned. The hardware with fast PLL switching of 40 µsec, allows quick band
change across the full frequency span.

Tight integration of FPGA
algorithm with AGC
The hardware offered has two modes of AGC operation. In auto mode the analog
circuit adjusts the gain to maintain constant digital stream in FPGA. In manual mode
the FPGA inside logic can give gain controls to achieve desired AGC functionality. The
programmable AGC with different time constants becomes suitable for implementing
jamming detection algorithm and hence adopt ECCM scheme.

Multi RF channel synchronization Featured with external clocking provision and multi board digital synchronization
capability methods it is possible to establish multichannel hardware. The multichannel hardware
is very useful in realizing beamforming applications.

Multiple simultaneously The UTS Digital Down Converter (DDC) IP provides multiple parallel outputs at the
Tx / Rx channels in 50 MHz band desired frequencies within 50 MHz bandwidth. The feature rich C-SOC Zynq FPGA
allows configuration of multiple parallel modulators/demodulators. This feature
enables simultaneous transmission and reception on signals.

3. Voice, digital data and Ethernet connectivity

The MBR hardware is capable of providing voice and data connectivity. The voice connectivity is
provided by add-on audio CODEC module. The data connectivity is provided by two means. Direct digital
data connectivity through GPIOs and packetized data through Ethernet.

UTS communication IP cores work with flexible FIFO interfaces to source/sink data for multiple I/O
interfaces. The SDK provided allows high speed no-OS based Ethernet protocol stack to offer real time
software packetizing / de-packetizing features. The figure below shows the general UTS communication
waveforms connectivity with the Ethernet stack.

UTS-MBR-AN02, DEC 2015 www.unistring.com 3

 Application Note, Multiband Radios - Tactical applications

Application
To PC or other embedded
Audio CODEC
devices through LAN
ARM9 based TCP / UDP & IP
software in Zynq Layer

FIFOs
Digital I/Os
FPGA fabrics
Communication
blocks (FPGA IPs)

Figure 2. Voice, data and LAN connectivity for radios

4. Extendable architecture - Multiband and Multichannel

The modular architecture of Multiband radio modules allow incorporating multiple hardware modules
to achieve simultaneous transmission and reception capability in multiple channels across the full band.

VHF Tx UHF Tx C band

power UTS- power UTS- Tx power UTS-
Amp & 3UVPX Amp & 3UVPX Amp & 3UVPX
-WB-X -WB-X Control -WB-X
Control Control

plug-in
modules
Figure 3. Three UTS-3UVPX-WB-X modules configured across multiple bands.

As illustrated in figure the hardware modules can be stacked to increase the number of simultaneous
processing channels across entire frequency range. Since the waveforms and UTS IPs are portable across
frequency ranges, the "software configurable multi band and multi channel radio" can be implemented.

Unistring Tech Solutions Pvt Ltd Other Products and solutions

16-2-741/B/2, Asmanghadh, Malakpet  Telemetry receivers
Hyderabad- 500 036  Noise generators and test equipment
Telangana, India  RADAR Signal & Target Emulator
www.unistring.com  VLSI IP cores – Communication, DSP and
UTS-MBR-AN02,
Tel: 040-69999440, DEC 2015
Fax: 040-24154434 www.unistring.com Interfacing 4