ATS04 is a software programmable hardware transceiver which allows limitless antenna communication laboratory experiments to be performed on a single device. The entry barrier is lowered to include undergraduate students by providing a graphical programming environment. The burden on faculty is lowered by using courseware designed at Amitec from simple antenna measurement to most complex MIMO techniques. Antenna VSWR and Smith chart plotting is possible using a directional coupler and coaxial slotted lines. Software operated stepper motor controlled antenna rotator enables polar plotting of over 10 antennas provided. Lab technicians are eased by integrated hardware and software from the same source for trouble-free performance. Open source Gnu Radio based GUI allows experiments in fading, Doppler, diversity, coherence, channel emulation, multipath, and other abstract concepts. Current and voltage probes are provided for near-field analysis. Broadband log-periodic/Vivaldi antenna with calibrated gain/frequency reference is provided to characterize any antenna under test.
The USB 3.0 interface at 5Gbps serves as the connection between the ATS03 LAB and the mobile workstation to realize 40 MS/s of real-time bandwidth in the receive and transmit directions, simultaneously (full duplex). The systems offer high bandwidth and dynamic range. External PPS and reference inputs can also be used to create larger multi-channel systems. ASIC houses complete RF and DAQ subsystems on a single board for exceptional EMI-EMC compliant repeatable performance. The unique software and hardware architecture is future ready and obsolescence-proof.