A Programmable Ultra-Low Noise X-Band Exciter

Alexander MacMullen, Lowell R. Hoover, Roy D. Justice, and Brian S. Callahan

ABSTRACT A programmable ultra-low noise X-band exciter has been developed using commercial off-the-shelf components. Its phase noise is more than 10 dB below the best available microwave synthesizers. It covers a 7% frequency band with 0.1-Hz resolution.

The X-band output at +23 dBm is a combination of signals from an X-band sapphire-loaded cavity oscillator (SLCO), a low noise UHF frequency synthesizer, and special-purpose frequency translation and up-conversion circuitry.

© 2001, by The Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, Inc. All rights reserved.

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