The Next-Gen, Software-Defined Radio (SDR) Transceiver Delivers Big Advances in Frequency Hopping (FH)

In contrast to conventional radio communications, frequency hopping (FH) defines a method of transmitting radio signals by rapidly changing its carrier frequency1 and was first mentioned by Nikola Tesla in his 1903 U.S. patent, “Method of Signaling.” Later, in 1942, actress Hedy Lamarr and composer George Antheil further solidified the concept by using a piano roll to change among 88 frequencies to prevent interference to the radio control of torpedoes.

Over the past 100 years, from the non-real-time, slow speed communication between fixed command points in World War I to the real-time, high-speed multimedia communication between aircrafts, ships, and land-based systems, FH has arrived at a new era in military applications. It has also been adopted in many wireless personal communication networks such as Bluetooth® Personal Area Network (PAN), as well as in consumer and hobby radio areas, such as walkie-talkies, model cars, and drones.

This white paper provides an in-depth discussion of the high-level concept of FH, the design principles of FH enabled through the flexible phase locked loop (PLL) architecture of the ADRV9002 SDR transceiver, and its four major FH features.

These features empower users with the FH capabilities to handle applications such as Link 16 and fast real-time carrier frequency loading in both single- and dual-channel operation modes. Furthermore, the combination of FH with multichip synchronization (MCS) and digital predistortion (DPD) makes this SDR transceiver an attractive solution for achieving advanced requirements in today’s complex communication systems.

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