Solid-state power amplifiers manufacturer Wavestream Corp. is getting ready to unveil its new 80-watt Ku-Band Matchbox Block Unconverter (BUC) at the CommunicAsia (News - Alert) show in Singapore next week.

 

The compact BUC product (measuring 15”x8”x5”) is geared toward commercial and military satellite communications applications. It’s similar to Wavestream's (News - Alert) other Matchbox Series BUC units, but provides a higher linear power per pound per unit volume.

 

In its announcement, Wavestream explained that the new Ku BUC is intended for use in applications like satellite news gathering. It packs 80 watts of output power at 1dB compression into a rugged 25-pound unit that can be mounted directly on the feed arm of medium aperture antennas, maximizing the power at the feed and further enhancing system-level efficiency.

 

“As satellite news trucks are getting smaller and many broadcast news outlets are looking at ways in which they can quickly send multiple reporters with their own equipment to breaking news scenes, we believe that the SNG market will eagerly adopt our 80-watt BUC,” said Chris Branscum, CEO of Wavestream, in a statement.

 

Branscum continued: “Given its compact size and benefits including power draw of less than 600W AC, which is starkly lower than other SSPAs, as well as soft-fail mode and graceful degradation, our new 80-watt BUC is poised to replace TWTAs (traveling wave tube amplifiers) especially in SNG environments. In addition, its high-efficiency and high-reliability characteristics make the Wavestream 80-watt BUC well suited for a growing number of military applications for the Ku band.”

 

Wavestream’s new BUC is designed to work in extreme environments for demanding applications. It supports two frequency band ranges (14.0-14.5 GHz or 13.75 - 14.5 GHz) with no degradation, as well as L-band to Ku-band upconversion, serial or Ethernet monitor and control, adjustable attenuation and output power monitoring.