SDR in emulation

We’ve talked before about software-defined radio and the growing role of FPGAs in implementation of configurable baseband radio protocols. Now, 4DSP Inc. has introduced a different wrinkle on the same theme by launching a PMC card which allows development of applications for SDR programs such as Joint Tactical Radio System and its Wideband Networking Signals in Space (WNM-SiS) program.

The purpose of the AD350 PMC expansion card, based on dual Cyclone III devices, is not to implement the radio unit itself, but to serve as a target for porting modem hardware abstraction layers, and to emulate advanced modem architectures used in the JTRS Surrogate Radio. In addition to its use in basestations and MIMO test sets, 4DSP is emphasizing its possible use in synchrotron systems for testing RF cavities. From outer space to subatomic inner space, an interesting design.