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Tyco Electronics has unwrapped a new lightweight, low-power SIGINT microwave tuner for signal search and collection applications. The M/A-COM TU-6401 provides simultaneous narrowband and wideband IF outputs centered at 160 MHz (100 MHz bandwidth) and 1 GHz (500 MHz bandwidth). The tuner’s frequency range operates from 0.5 to 18 GHz and features a RF downconverter which is integrated with a direct digital synthesizer to uncouple tuning speed from phase noise, creating the fastest high performance tuner on the market today, said Tyco Electronics.

According to the maker, the M/A-COM TU-6401 microwave tuner is a valuable tool in the collection, processing and analysis of signals in the RF microwave spectrum. Because of its built-in local oscillator distribution system, the new tuner can be used in beam forming and direction finding systems, as well as in a wide range of other electronic signals intelligence and electronic warfare applications, said Tyco Electronics.

The M/A-COM TU-6401 is housed in a two-slot 6U VME package, weighing less than seven pounds. The IF and log video outputs are suitable for direct input into an external analog-to-digital converter (ADC) for special signal processing, spectral analysis and pulse parameterization. The tuner’s noise figure is rated less than 15 dB (<12 dB typical). Sweep speed over the 0.5-18 GHz tuning range per 500 MHz steps is less than 100 µsec and F1 to F2 step tune speed is less than 5 µsec for any step size.

Also designed for single and multi-channel (frequency and amplitude coherent) systems, the M/A-COM TU-6401 tuner contains an on-board FPGA, which allows custom operating parameters that can be modified to mission requirements.