Back Channel — SWOT Launch, RCMP Not Down With China, No AM For EVs, And More
By John Oncea, Editor
Back Channel presents the most captivating news and innovations in RF and microwaves. This week, we look at KaRIN, the technology behind SWOT; the RCMP’s suspension of radio communication installations due to Sinclair Technologies’ ties to China; why EV manufacturers are no longer going to install AM radios; and more.
The Surface Water and Ocean Topography (SWOT) satellite — set to launch today at 6:46 a.m. EST from Space Launch Complex 4E at Vandenberg Space Force Base — “promises to provide an extraordinary accounting of water over much of Earth’s surface,” according to Jet Propulsion Laboratory. “Its measurements of fresh water and the ocean will help researchers address some of the most pressing climate questions of our time and help communities prepare for a warming world. Making this possible is a scientific instrument called the Ka-band Radar Interferometer (KaRIn).” MDPI — a member of the United Nations Global Compact whose aim is to foster scientific exchange in all forms, across all disciplines — notes the KaRIn instrument “is a single-pass synthetic aperture radar (SAR) … that relies on very precise phase difference measurements between two spatially distant antennas to estimate topography.” The MDPI article outlines some analytical multipath models that were used for instrument design, performance analysis, and mitigation of the multipath signal.
Sinclair Technologies — designer and manufacturer of antenna and RF signal conditioning products, systems, and coverage solutions — has had its nearly $550,000 contract for RCMP radio communications work suspended according to Global News. The House of Commons industry and technology committee voted in favor of a study into the deal because Sinclair’s parent company, Norsat International, is owned by Hytera Communications, a company that the Chinese government owns about 10% of. Hytera is blacklisted over national security concerns by the United States Federal Communications Commission, according to Global News. “We are aware of the concerns surrounding Sinclair Technologies. We are investigating these procurements and how this equipment is used, alongside counterparts in other government departments,” a DND spokesperson said last Thursday. “The government will take all measures necessary to ensure the security of our infrastructure.”
The ribbon has been cut on a $6 million, 12,000-square-foot Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) building, according to the Dayton Daily News. “The facility has 30 offices, a secure area, and a nearly 4,000-square-foot high bay laboratory to enhance what AFRL calls its ‘world-class status as a leading HPEM (High-Power Electromagnetic) science and technology organization.’” Located at the Kirtland Air Force Base in New Mexico, the technology available to researchers there is expected to “give warfighters a way to counter electronic effects, improvised explosive devices, and weapons of mass destruction while imposing low collateral damage.”
According to The New York Times (subscription required), carmakers “say electromagnetic interference causes static and noise on AM transmissions” and as a result will drop them from their build. Broadcasters fear such a move will cause them to “lose a connection with their core listeners who rely on the radio for emergencies.” According to The Motley Fool, “Some experts say the audio problems should be simple to fix. Xperi engineer Pooja Nair told the NYT that shielding cables, filters, and careful placement of electrical components in the vehicle, should keep the interference to a minimum. But all that costs money and it's easier to just drop the wavelength altogether, much to the chagrin of the talk radio stars who make millions broadcasting to millions of listeners stuck in their cars.”
ReaserchAndMarkets.com, according to Business Wire, expects the Global Track and Trace Solutions Market size to reach $9.1 billion by 2028, rising at a market growth of 11.1% CAGR during the forecast period. “T&T solutions are employed for both personal and commercial purposes since they reduce gasoline and insurance expenses, provide customer support, and deliver the most up-to-date information via SMS or email notifications,” notes Business Wire. “Currently, they are gaining popularity for monitoring the supply chain in various end-use sectors. Track and trace systems aid healthcare businesses and organizations in managing their supply chains effectively and mitigating the risks involved with counterfeit medications. It is the procedure that identifies the current and previous sites of a medicine.” The rising adoption of barcode and RFID technologies is one of the factors cited as being responsible for this growth.
A multiband wave absorber for millimeter band frequencies has been developed according to WhatTheyThink. When applied to walls, Toppan’s new absorber can be used as an interior décor material and reduces signal interference and leakage to enable greater safety and security for 5G and 6G communication environments. “We have leveraged our wave absorber design, high-definition etching, and converting technologies to address the challenges faced by conventional solutions,” said Yasutaka Kikuchi, head of R&D at Toppan of Toppan’s Technical Research Institute. “We are driving development and testing of materials and spatial designs for enhanced communication environments because absorbers like this will facilitate stable high-speed data transmission not just for 5G, but also for anticipated 6G mobile systems.”