New broadband high-power coaxial limiters protect sensitive RF receivers

Pasternack has introduced new broadband, high-power coaxial limiters which help protect sensitive low-power RF receivers and other microwave circuits in close proximity to high-power signals. Common applications include defence, instrumentation, fibre-optic communication systems, radar, SATCOM, point-to-point radio, telecom, data links and R&D. Seven designs are available providing low leakage power to sensitive control components in the receiver chain while offering good suppression of even-order harmonics under hard limiting. The RF limiters operate over a broad frequency range in bands from 0.5GHz to 40GHz and also provide low leakage power circuit protection of 10dBm to 15dBm. They exhibit high CW power handling up to 100W peak power and fast recovery time of 10 to 100 nanoseconds. The devices help to stabilize generator outputs, provide constant amplitude signals in phase sensitive systems and reduce amplitude variation in frequency modulation (FM) systems. The 50ohm hybrid designs incorporate complete limiting diode circuitry and do not require any external matching components. They offer an operating temperature range of -54C to +85C and are constructed with high-rel, ruggedized packages that are designed to meet MIL-STD-202 environmental conditions for humidity, shock, vibration, altitude and temperature cycle. "This selection of broadband, high-power coaxial limiters offers designers an extensive portfolio of highly-reliable models for use in protecting sensitive RF receiver components, in addition to suppressing even-order harmonics under hard limiting conditions," said Tim Galla, active RF components product manager, Pasternack.