X-COM Systems RF Record and Playback System Provides Error-Free Signal Capture from DC to 6000 MHz - 15 Times Greater Than Nearest Competitor

RESTON, Va., Nov. 7, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- X-COM Systems, LLC, a subsidiary of Bird Technologies Group, today introduced the first in a family of Wideband Acquisition Record and Playback (WARP™) systems that allow the entire frequency spectrum between DC and 6000 MHz to be instantaneously captured and recorded for long periods without loss of a single event. The WARP-6000's 6 GHz of bandwidth is 15 times that of its nearest competitor. When combined with X-COM's Spectro-X™ signal analysis software, WARP allows the performance of electronic warfare, radar, and advanced wireless communications systems to be evaluated more comprehensively than has been possible before.

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X-COM's WARP system accepts analog signals directly from an antenna or via an external downconverter, converts them to the digital domain using a high-performance analog-to-digital converter (ADC) sampling at 12 Gsamples/s, and stores the data on solid-state media with capacity of up to 32 Tbytes that allows 44 minutes of signal capture. Additional recording time is possible by adding storage modules. Signal files are stored in an open format allowing captured signals to be analyzed by a wide range of third party tools including MATLAB. This data can then be analyzed with Spectro-X software, which allows signals of interest to be rapidly found even when in the presence of much stronger signals or when interferers appear randomly and infrequently.

The WARP-6000 can then reconvert to analog form the entire 6 GHz bandwidth or only the portion of interest using a high-performance 12 Gsamples/s digital-to-analog converter (DAC) so it can be used to stimulate a radar, EW, or communications system to evaluate its performance. X-COM's WaveCAFE™ software can be used to measure signal characteristics, employ custom digital filters, and rapidly create custom waveforms that can be incorporated into the data stream. In addition, the signal pattern can be rearranged using X-COM's RF Editor™ software, whose intuitive user interface is similar to that of professional audio editing software.

"The WARP-6000 gives users the ability to capture and analyze dense signal environments more effectively and with greater accuracy than has been achievable using other solutions," says Dave Erisman, chief technology officer of X-COM Systems. "It captures with high fidelity all activity from the lowest frequencies through C-band, which is the most widely-used portion of the RF spectrum. Within it are low-frequency navigation, AM, FM, shortwave, and television broadcasters, amateur radio, industrial, scientific, and medical (ISM) systems, cordless phones, aviation, government and military systems, all commercial wireless networks, WiFi, Bluetooth, GPS, as well as some radar and satellite communications systems."

To meet the WARP system's ultra-wideband performance objectives, X-COM Systems teamed with Tektronix Component Solutions to provide high-speed data converters that can digitize and replay at rates up to 12 Gsamples/s. "We're very pleased X-COM Systems selected our technology to enable the wideband capabilities of the WARP system," said Tom Buzak, president, Tektronix Component Solutions.  "Our data converter modules leverage technology originally developed for commercial measurement equipment to deliver unparalleled wideband, streaming data conversion at over 100 Gigabits per second."

The WARP-6000 can be complemented with X-COM's SigAnalyst™ high-performance workstation that can be configured with Spectro-X, RF Editor, and WaveCAFE. X-COM software is also available individually. Additional solid-state data storage packs are available as well.

For information, visit:

• X-COM Systems, www.xcomsystems.com
• Bird Technologies Group, www.birdrf.com
• Tektronix Component Solutions, www.component-solutions.tek.com

SOURCE X-COM Systems