Microwave amplifier pumps out 20 W

he SAM100 from Rohde & Schwarz lets RF component manufacturers test devices on the engineering bench or from a rack and operates from 2 GHz to 20 GHz.

RF and microwave components such as antennas and loads need engineering characterization and production testing. The SAM100 power amplifier from Rohde & Schwarz provides up to 20 W across frequencies from 2 GHz to 20 GHz. The 20 power can drive many devices such as small antennas. Where more power is required, say for broadcast antennas, you can use the SAM100 as a preamplifier to drive high-power amplifiers.

Built around a GaN power transitor, the SAM100 works with modulation such as AM, FM, PM, φM, OFDM. Its input connector is on the rear panel with output on the front. You can control the amplifier from the front panel or from a digital control interface, which provides on/off, interlock, and mute functions. Front-panel yellow and green LEDs indicate amplifier status. (Whoever chose yellow and green understood that many people can’t distinguish red from green LEDs.) To use the mute function, you can apply a pulsed TTL-level control signal. A high-level signal blocks the amplifier’s output within 120 µs of seeing a rising edge. A falling edge switches it off within 12 µs after the control signal drops to 1.5 V.

While you can use the SAM100 on a test bench, it will also mount into a standard 19-in. rack. Rohde & Schwarz also claims that you can install in amplifier into a PXI frame “under certain conditions.”