R. A. Wood Associates

R. A. Wood Associates is a consulting company specializing in providing innovative engineering solutions for today's industries, utilizing state-of-the-art computer technology and computer programming. Our specialty is in the field of RF and microwave systems design.

Our capabilities and services include, but are not limited to:

• Engineering consulting services
• Computer automated test system design and development
• Engineering prototypes and low rate manufacturing
• RF and Microwave system design and analysis
• RF and Microwave circuit designs
• Subcontract specifications
• Wireless system design
• Custom software program development
• LabVIEW software development
• Lectures and training classes

• Introduction to R. A. Wood Associates
• R. A. Wood Associates Capabilites and Services

• Automated RF/Microwave Test Stations designed and delivered
  3/1/2009 11:25am
  We've been very busy this past year. Over the last 8 months, our super qualified staff have accomplished the following:

  Developed automated test software for a complex RF/digital board providing RF receive, transmit, and digital signal processing functions Modified/retrofitted 12 automated test stations to test this complex RF/digital board Developed automated test software to test a LRU chassis, including point to point wiring and DC power supply checks Modified/retrofitted 2 automated test stations to test the LRU chassis Developed automated test software for a high frequency radar receiver/transmitter board, including a waveguide interface Modified/retrofitted 1 automated test station to test the high frequency radar receiver/transmitter board Developed automated test software for an IF frequency radar receiver/transmitter board Modified/retrofitted 1 automated test station to test the IF frequency radar receiver/transmitter board

  How can we help your company improve your manufacturing efficiencies with automated test stations and software?

• RF and Wireless Courses set up for 2009
  2/3/2009 11:14pm

  We've finally set up our courses for 2009. We appreciate the patience people have shown while we were setting up this schedule. A quick summary of the courses and locations:

  • Introductory RF and Microwaves, presented by Bob Wood
  • RF Power Amplifiers, Classes A-S, presented by Nathan Sokal
  • RF and Microwave Receiver Design, presented by Bob Wood

  The courses will be presented in:

  • Baltimore, MD in May 2009
  • Syracuse, NY in September 2009
  • Philadelphia PA in November 2009

  More information can be found at http://www.rawood.com/seminars. We hope to meet you at one of these courses! Thanks again for your patience.
  Bob Wood

• LB RF Amplifier Modules delivered
  12/17/2008 11:08pm

  Using our Extreme BW RF amplifiers, we designed, built, and tested 7 LB RF amplifier modules for one of our customers. Our customer's original vendor failed to deliver their amplifier products and meet the requirements. So we stepped in and helped them meet their delivery schedules. These modules were made to "drop in" to our customer's modules. These modules will be used in our customer's systems, which will be installed on board Navy vessels. A full set of test data was provided for each LB RF Amplifier Module delivered. Our automated RF test software (RFSpecTest and Painless Extraction) helped to quickly capture the test results and create the test reports.

• DF Antenna Assembly, designed and built by R. A. Wood Associates
  11/30/2008 12:01am

  Another great effort resulting in a great potential product!

  R. A. Wood Associates designed and built a Direction Finding (DF) Antenna Assembly for one of our customers. The Assembly was designed, built, tested, and delivered in less than 6 months. The requirement was to develop an antenna assembly that could be used as a front end in front of a pair of COTS (Commercial Off the Shelf) receiver boards. The DF Antenna Assembly provided the capability to supply Direction Finding (DF) for incoming signals or emitters. The DF Antenna Assembly included: Capability to provide amplitude and phase DF between antenna pairs 360 degree angular coverage Low cost universal design (can be used with many different receivers) Low noise figure RF front end (~3.5-4.0 dB) Calibration injection to calibrate receiver amplitude and phase Wide frequency coverage (500 MHz to 3 GHz) High dynamic range Digital Compass for DF Antenna Assembly pointing information RF switches controlled by an Ethernet interface More information is available from our DF Antenna Assembly www page

• Equalizer Designs now extended up to 18 GHz
  11/3/2008 8:45pm

  Hello Everybody

  We've enhanced our portfolio of equalizer designs with new high frequency equalizers, with low losses all the way up to 18 GHz!

  We also now have a smaller package design (M02 package).

  We can now offer low loss, high linearity equalizers over the following frequency bands:

  5 KHz to 2.0 GHz 0.5 to 8.0 GHz 1.0 to 8.0 GHz 1.0 to 2.0 GHz 2.0 to 4.0 GHz 4.0 to 8.0 GHz 4.5 to 12.5 GHz 4.0 to 18.0 GHz 8.0 to 18.0 GHz

  For more detailed information on available designs, including measured S21 ans S11 plots, and package outlines, visit our "Equalizers on Demand" product page.

• Electronics Support Switching Unit (ESSU) designed, built, and tested by R. A. Wood Associates
  10/1/2008 4:48pm

  R. A. Wood Associates designed, built, tested, and delivered 2 Electronics Support Switching Units (ESSU) to one of our customers. This was another set of hardware slated to to be installed on a Navy Vessel. The ESSU was designed to be installed between the front end (Antennas, RF amplification switching, filtering) and back end (RF processing) of a complex RF/Microwave system. The purpose of the ESSU was to allow a second front end (RF Subsystem 2) to be switched into the same back end, to make use of the RF signal processing in the back end. Some of the major components in the ESSU are as follows: Wideband RF/Microwave amplifiers Our Extreme BW RF amplifier was used in this design for the low frequency, wide bandwidth RF path Equalizers and attenuators to align the RF paths Some vendor purchased equalizers were used R. A. Wood Associates equalizers were also used where vendor equalizers were not available Terminated mechanical RF switches (50 ohms) Terminated mechanical RF switches (75 ohms) HDRFI external RF interface to save RF connector space DC power conditioning FPGA card to control switches and provide Built-in-test (BIT) status LED displays for BIT and switching status Custom designed audio switching board

  For additional information, please visit our ESSU information page.

• Extreme BW RF Amplifiers
  6/30/2008 8:53pm

  We've taken a challenge and come out on top again! We've developed an Extreme BW RF Amplifier, providing ~22 dB gain, and high dynamic range (~36 dBm Third Order Output Intercept Point) over the frequency band of 5 KHz to 2 GHz. An integrated RF package of 1.9" L X 1.3" W X 0.4" H was developed for the Extreme BW RF Amplifier and also included: DC filter to suppress power supply ripple and noise An input Equalizer where you can specify the full band slope desired An output Resistive Power Divider for providing 2 equal RF outputs The input Equalizer and output Power Divider can be "zeroed out" if not needed. The input Equalizer can be used to compensate for the amplifier slope and/or passive loss slopes. We can provide a variety of RF slopes in the input Equalizer. More information is available from our Extreme BW RF Amplifier page. Let us know if you are interested in this product line! Bob Wood.

• JBU RF Plate Assemblies designed and delivered for Naval Application
  6/25/2008 9:09pm

  R. A. Wood Associates designed, built and tested and delivered 2 "JBU RF PLate" Assemblies. These RF assemblies were used to provide wideband gain, equalization, and Built-in-test (BIT) injection between two very long RF cable runs (between an Antenna Assembly and below decks receivers). The gain and equalization was needed to preserve the RF path noise figure and dynamic range performance through the long cable run. The exciting part for us is that this design will actually be deployed on a US Naval vessel. This is our first of several LRU's that were designed to be used on a US Naval vessel.

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