Farran

Need Help? Talk to an expert

+353-21-484-9170

Technical Hub

Testing Bottlenecks at E/V-Band: Why Constellation-Scale SATCOM Needs a New Approach to Metrology

Every constellation operator reaches the same wall on the way to production volume. Antennas work in the lab. Terminals pass early qualification. Then the schedule shifts from tens of units to hundreds, and the E/V-band testing setup that was fine for a prototype run quietly becomes the thing holding everything else up. This is not a story about a single frequency threshold. It’s a story about throughput, repeatability, and a supply chain of test equipment that was never designed for constellation volumes. Why E/V-Band Is Where the Pressure Shows First E-band and V-band sit at the center of modern SATCOM architecture — feeder links, inter-satellite links, and high-throughput user terminals all lean on this range because it’s where the spectrum and the hardware have matured together. That maturity is exactly why scaling problems surface here first. At prototype volumes, a bench setup built around general-purpose instruments and manually swapped extenders is workable. Add a technician, add patience, and the numbers come out. At production volume, that same setup becomes the constraint. Waveguide  and connection  repeatability at these frequencies is unforgiving, calibration drifts faster than test plans assume, and general-purpose equipment — built to cover many bands adequately rather than one band exceptionally — starts returning measurement uncertainty that eats into margin the design can’t spare.   Ground-segment teams and constellation operators describe the same pattern: the RF hardware is ready before the test infrastructure is. Fixtures need re-qualifying. Throughput per test station drops as engineers chase measurement variance instead of shipping units. None of this shows up in a component datasheet — it shows up on the production floor, in the gap between units built and units validated. What Purpose-Built Test Infrastructure Actually Looks Like The fix isn’t a faster benchtop instrument or a second technician on the line. At E/V-band, the physics punishes anything not built specifically for the job — connector wear accelerates,  and small alignment errors in a fixture translate into measurement error that a general-purpose setup can’t average away. Purpose-built infrastructure looks different in three respects. Fixturing is designed around the specific device under test and the production tempo it needs to support, not adapted from a lab jig. Calibration is built into the workflow rather than bolted on as a manual step between units, so drift doesn’t quietly accumulate across a shift. And the test data itself is structured to travel — comparable across stations, shifts, and manufacturing sites, so a program scaling into multiple facilities isn’t fighting its own numbers.   None of this is exotic engineering. It’s disciplined, band-specific engineering applied to a problem most vendors have never had to solve at volume, because most of the market never scaled past prototype runs until constellations changed the math. What Changes at Production Volume Three things typically break first when validation moves from lab to production line at these frequencies: Repeatability under volume. A test fixture that holds calibration for ten units may not hold it for a thousand. Small mechanical and thermal variances compound into real yield problems. Throughput per station. Manual band-swapping and instrument reconfiguration that cost minutes per unit in the lab cost weeks across a production run. Correlation across sites. Multi-site or multi-vendor manufacturing needs test data that agrees across locations — something off-the-shelf, general-purpose setups struggle to guarantee at E/V-band.   Solving this isn’t a matter of buying a faster network analyzer. It requires test hardware purpose-built for the band, fixturing designed around production cadence, and a partner who understands both the RF physics and the manufacturing floor it has to survive on. D-Band Is Next, and the Same Problem Is Already Visible As constellations push toward higher-capacity links, D-band is moving from research interest to roadmap item for feeder links and next-generation inter-satellite connections. The organizations already fighting E/V-band testing bottlenecks today are the ones best positioned to avoid repeating the fight at D-band — but only if they’re working with equipment and expertise built to scale ahead of the frequency, not catch up to it afterward. This is the gap component-only suppliers leave open. They can sell a part that performs beautifully on a bench, but they rarely own the conversation about validating that part at volume, across a production line, with data that holds up across sites and suppliers.   Where Farran Fits Farran works at the frequencies where general-purpose test equipment runs out of headroom. That means E/V-band test solutions built for the realities of constellation-scale production — repeatable fixturing, throughput that matches manufacturing cadence, and a clear line of sight to D-band as programs move that direction. This is precisely the kind of E/V-band testing challenge component-only suppliers aren’t equipped to own. If E/V-band testing is starting to slow your production ramp, or D-band is already on your roadmap, it’s worth a conversation before the bottleneck becomes the schedule. Talk to Farran’s test and measurement team about your constellation-scale testing plan here.

Read More

mmWave Spectrum Analyser: What Dynamic Range Is Really Telling You

      Every spectrum analyser datasheet has a dynamic range spec. Most engineers glance at it, nod, and move on to the frequency range and DANL figures instead. That’s a mistake — especially once you push measurements into the millimetre-wave region. At mmWave frequencies, dynamic range stops being a background number and becomes the single figure that decides whether your measurement is trustworthy or misleading. Dynamic Range is a Trade-Off Dynamic range is usually defined as the span, in dB, between the noise floor and the highest signal level the analyser can measure without distortion. But that simple definition hides three different limits fighting each other: Noise floor (DANL): how small a signal you can see at all. Compression point: how large a signal you can measure before the front end starts to distort it. Spurious-free dynamic range (SFDR): how far below the fundamental you can see a real spurious tone before it disappears under the analyser’s own internally generated mixing products. A wide dynamic range spec sounds like good news across the board, but in practice you’re rarely operating across the whole range at once. You’re usually asking one specific question — “can I see this weak harmonic sitting 80 dB below my carrier?” — and the answer depends on where in that range you’re working, not the headline number alone.   Why Your Spectrum Analyser Struggles So Much Harder Above 26 GHz Below about 26 GHz, most spectrum and signal analysers work natively — the mixer, IF chain and detector are all designed and calibrated for that range, and the manufacturer’s dynamic range spec applies more or less as printed. Above that, almost nobody has a native front end. To reach the E, W, or D-bands, the signal has to be down-converted first, typically with an external harmonic mixer or a frequency extension module, before the analyser’s own IF chain ever sees it. That down-conversion step is where dynamic range quietly erodes: Conversion loss at the mixer reduces the effective signal level reaching the analyser, which pushes the usable noise floor upward. High-order harmonic mixing — common in low-cost mixer solutions that multiply the LO many times to reach mmWave frequencies — generates its own set of internal spurious responses, which directly eats into SFDR. LO leakage and image response can appear as false signals that look like real ones on the trace, unless the extension hardware and the analyser’s own harmonic identification are both well matched. The result: a spectrum analyser with an excellent on-paper dynamic range at its native frequency can look dramatically worse once you’ve bolted an inexpensive harmonic mixer onto the front to reach 100 or 200 GHz. The instrument didn’t change — the front end did, and the front end is doing most of the work.   Reading the Trace, Not Just the Spec Sheet This is why an experienced test engineer looks at a mmWave trace differently to a microwave one. A raised noise floor, a cluster of unexplained tones at regular frequency intervals, or a signal that seems to compress earlier than expected are rarely faults in the device under test — they’re usually dynamic range limitations in the measurement chain itself, surfacing as artefacts on the display. Before trusting a low-level mmWave measurement, it’s worth asking: What mixing scheme is generating the down-conversion — fundamental, sub-harmonic, or high-order harmonic? What’s the actual conversion loss at the frequency being measured, not just at the extender’s centre frequency? Has the noise floor been checked and, ideally, calibrated out for this specific configuration?   Getting Dynamic Range Back This is exactly the problem Farran Technology’s frequency extension systems are engineered to solve. Rather than relying on high-order harmonic mixers that trade simplicity for spurious content, Farran’s mmWave extension technology is built around low-conversion-loss mixing to preserve as much of the host analyser’s native sensitivity as possible as frequency increases. Farran’s SAE modules interface with an existing microwave signal or spectrum analyser and extend its frequency coverage up to 170 GHz, using proprietary mixer technology to achieve low conversion loss and noise levels for exceptional measurement sensitivity. Depending on configuration, these systems are capable of dynamic range performance from 100 dB up to 135 dB typical, with magnitude trace stability as tight as ±0.1 dB. That’s the difference between a mmWave measurement you can act on and one you have to second-guess. The same principle carries through Farran’s wider extension portfolio, including its FEV frequency extension heads for vector network analysers, which extend S-parameter measurement into the millimetre-wave domain up to 500 GHz while leveraging the host VNA’s native performance.     The Takeaway Dynamic range at mmWave isn’t a spec you check once and forget — it’s a live property of your entire measurement chain, and it moves with every mixer, cable, and extension module you add in front of the analyser. Understanding what’s really limiting it, and choosing extension hardware engineered to protect it, is what separates a mmWave measurement you can trust from one that just looks like data.     Looking to extend your spectrum or signal analyser into the mmWave region without sacrificing sensitivity? Explore Farran’s SAE Frequency Extension Systems or get in touch with our engineering team to discuss your application.

Read More

Why Noise Figure Is the Hidden Bottleneck in mmWave Receiver Design

Every mmWave system designer obsesses over gain, bandwidth, and linearity. Few give noise figure the same attention, and that’s exactly why it becomes the silent limiter on system performance. In radar, 5G/6G communications, and imaging front ends operating from 30 GHz to beyond 300 GHz, noise figure determines how far a system can “see” or “hear” before the signal is buried in its own receiver noise. Get it wrong, and no amount of downstream signal processing can recover what was lost at the first stage. Why Noise Figure Matters More at mmWave Noise figure (NF) quantifies how much a component or system degrades the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) as a signal passes through it. At lower frequencies, designers have margin to spare. At mmWave frequencies, that margin disappears fast for several reasons: Path loss scales with frequency. Free-space path loss increases as frequency rises, so received signal power is already weaker before it reaches the receiver. Component losses compound. Waveguide sections , mixers, and multipliers all introduce loss that directly degrades cascaded noise figure, per the classic Friis equation. The first stage dominates. In any receiver chain, the noise figure of the first active or lossy element sets the noise floor for the entire system. A poor low-noise amplifier (LNA) or a lossy front-end mixer can’t be “fixed” later. Atmospheric and component noise sources increase at E, V, W, and D-band, making careful design and measurement essential for radar, satellite, and 6G research applications. The result: a receiver with excellent gain and a marginal NF will still underperform on range, sensitivity, and data throughput compared to a well-optimised design.   How to Measure Noise Figure Correctly at mmWave Accurate NF measurement at mmWave is harder than at microwave frequencies because test equipment itself introduces loss and uncertainty. A few principles matter: Calibrate as close to the device under test (DUT) as possible. Cable and waveguide losses between the noise source and DUT must be characterised and de-embedded, or they will inflate the measured NF.   Use a frequency-extended noise source matched to your band. Standard noise sources typically top out well below mmWave bands. Dedicated mmWave noise sources extending to 170 GHz and beyond are required for accurate Y-factor measurements at E-band and above. NF measurement methods vary for different applications. For example, Figure 2 depicts a standard measurement configuration comprising an FBC-XX down-converter, WGNS-XX noise source, Agilent N8973A NFA and E8247C signal generator. The N8973A NFA generates a 28 V DC pulse signal to drive the WG noise source, which, in turn, generates noise to stimulate the DUT. The output of the DUT is then measured by the N8973A NFA. Farran’s FBC/WGNS-XX solution is designed to be interfaced with customer owned Agilent NFA or Signal Analyser and Signal Generator.   Account for mismatch uncertainty. At mmWave, even small impedance mismatches between source, DUT, and analyser create measurement uncertainty that grows with frequency. Proper VNA-based characterisation of S-parameters alongside NF measurement helps bound this error. Validate with both Y-factor and cold-source methods where possible. Cross-checking results against two measurement techniques helps catch systematic errors that a single method might mask, particularly in sub-100 GHz to terahertz transitions Don’t isolate the DUT from system context. A component’s standalone NF on a bench doesn’t always predict cascaded system performance once integrated with real waveguide sections , connectors, and thermal conditions. System-level validation matters. Designing for the Real World At Farran, we’ve spent over four decades developing mmWave components and test systems, from noise sources and VNA extenders to fully custom front ends, because we’ve seen first-hand how often noise figure is treated as an afterthought rather than a design driver. Whether you’re building a radar front end, a 5G/6G test platform, or a satellite communications receiver, getting noise figure right from the first LNA stage through to system integration is what separates a system that performs on paper from one that performs in the field. If you’re specifying a receiver chain for E, V, W, or D-band and want to talk through noise figure budgeting or measurement strategy, get in touch with our engineering team. Whether you need standard mmWave components, precision test equipment, or a fully customised solution, we’ll help you achieve the performance your system was designed to deliver.

Read More

Inside IMS 2026: What the Show Floor Reveals About the RF and Microwave Market

The team from Farran Technology attended The IEEE International MTT Symposia (IMS) which was held in Boston this year.  IMS remains one of the better barometers we have for where this market is actually heading, and this year’s edition gave plenty to think about. The event is widely regarded as the world’s premier RF/microwave technical conference and industry exhibition, drawing more than 8,000 professionals and over 500 exhibitors from across the global RF and microwave community. Beyond the usual round of technical sessions, demos, and conversations, the show floor itself offered an honest snapshot of where the broader RF, microwave, and millimetre-wave market currently stands. A few patterns stood out, and together they paint a picture of an industry that’s cautious in some areas, quietly confident in others, and still figuring out how to talk about AI. A few patterns stood out, and together they paint a picture of an industry that’s cautious in some areas, quietly confident in others, and still figuring out how to talk about AI. A Quieter Test & Measurement Corner One of the more telling observations didn’t come from a presentation or a product launch, but simply from walking the floor. Several of the larger, longer-established test and measurement vendors had noticeably smaller booths than in previous years. Booth size and presence at a flagship show like IMS is usually a reasonable proxy for how confident a company feels about near-term spending, and a pullback of that scale suggests the test and measurement segment is going through a softer patch right now. It’s worth watching whether this is a temporary correction tied to broader capex caution, or the start of a longer repositioning within that part of the market. AI Is Everywhere, But Substance Is Thin AI was a dominant theme at the show, though the depth of what’s actually being delivered varies enormously. AI references were scattered across booths and marketing materials without a clear indication of its application. It’s clear the industry knows AI needs to be part of the conversation, but most companies are still working out what that means in practice for RF and microwave products specifically, rather than having a defined strategy. Real Demand for Differentiated Products at IMS There was also strong customer-side interest in our own product lines, which reinforced a lot of the broader trends we were seeing elsewhere on the show floor. Our FPA continues to generate genuine engagement, with one customer relationship in particular standing out. Conversations at the show also touched on the E-Band variant of the FPA, with particular interest in the radial HPA design. Alongside the FPA, our ruggedised FMCW solution also drew solid interest from visitors looking for radar-capable hardware that can hold up in demanding environmental conditions, a reminder that durability and field-readiness remain just as important to customers as raw RF performance. Taken together, this kind of engagement is a useful counterbalance to some of the more cautious signals elsewhere in the market. While certain segments may be pulling back, there’s clearly still strong appetite for differentiated, well-engineered products, particularly where performance, reliability, and IP-backed design advantages come together.   The Bigger Picture Taken together, these observations suggest a market that’s mixed rather than uniformly up or down. Growth within the traditional test and measurement market seems to be slowing down. AI adoption is real but still maturing as companies figure out where exactly it would fit within their ecosystem. What stood out most wasn’t any single product launch, but how clearly the show floor reflected the broader pressures and opportunities facing the industry right now, from budget caution in legacy test equipment to real momentum in higher-frequency technologies and emerging defence-driven demand. Take a look at our product range to see where we fit into these trends, and follow us for more industry insights as the year unfolds.

Read More

On the Ground at AOC 2026: A mm-Wave Perspective from Helsinki

The AOC 2026 conference has long been Europe’s most important gathering for the electronic warfare and electromagnetic spectrum operations community. This year, held at the Helsinki Expo and Convention Centre from 19–21 May, it sent a clear signal: the European defence landscape is changing fast, and the demand for advanced mm-wave technology is right at the heart of that shift. For Farran Technology, attending AOC 2026 was a significant milestone. It marked our first time exhibiting at the event, a decision driven not by ambition alone, but by a genuine and growing demand from European customers for locally sourced, high-performance millimetre-wave solutions. Here is what we observed, and what we believe it means for the road ahead. A Market in Confident Expansion The scale of this year’s exhibition was striking. The number of exhibitors, the calibre of attendees, and the quality of conversations on the floor all reflected a defence sector operating with renewed momentum and purpose. That momentum has hard numbers behind it. According to the EDA, European Union member states spent an estimated €343 billion on defence in 2025, an 11% increase on the previous year and a rise of over 60% compared to 2020. NATO allies have since committed to raising core defence spending to 3.5% of GDP by 2035. This is not a short-term surge; it is a structural reorientation of European security priorities. The conversations at Helsinki reflected that reality. Decision-makers are no longer asking whether to invest in next-generation capabilities. They are asking how quickly they can do it, and with whom. European Sourcing: A Strategic Priority, Not Just a Preference One of the clearest themes to emerge from AOC 2026 was the growing importance of supply chain sovereignty. As European governments accelerate rearmament programmes, the appetite for European-sourced components and subsystems has moved from a preference to a procurement requirement for many customers. Farran was the only Irish company exhibiting at the event. That distinction carries practical weight. As an Irish-based manufacturer operating within the European Union, Farran offers customers full European sourcing compliance, a genuine differentiator in a market where origin of supply increasingly matters. Combined with over four decades of mm-wave engineering expertise developed in Cork, we are well positioned to support customers who need both performance and provenance. The Right Technology at the Right Moment The technical agenda at AOC Europe 2026 reinforced something we see clearly in our own pipeline: the electromagnetic spectrum is becoming more contested, and the systems designed to operate within it are pushing steadily higher in frequency. Higher-frequency radars, advanced spectrum scanning, and next-generation communications are all driving demand for precision mm-wave components that can perform in demanding, ruggedised environments. Farran exhibited a range of solutions directly relevant to these requirements, including Ruggedised Power Amplifiers, FMCW Front Ends, and Up/Down Frequency Converters. The response was strong, and the application areas being explored by attendees, from EW systems to advanced sensing platforms, align closely with where Farran’s technology roadmap is heading. The continued advancement of higher-frequency radar and communications architectures positions us well. This is not a market we are entering reactively; it is one we have been building towards for years.   Looking Ahead AOC 2026 confirmed what many in the industry already sense: the next decade will be defined by spectrum superiority, and the components that enable it will be critical. For Farran, this event was both a validation of our direction and an opportunity to build the relationships that will shape our next chapter in European defence. We came to Helsinki to listen as much as to exhibit. We leave with a clearer picture of where the market is going, and with confidence that Farran’s technology, heritage, and European identity have a meaningful role to play in what comes next. To learn more about Farran’s defence-relevant mm-wave solutions, get in touch with our team.

Read More

Short-Range Radar Detection: Farran Technology’s FMCW Front End and Where It’s Being Used

Farran Technology has been at the forefront of millimeter-wave development for nearly five decades. Based in Cork, Ireland, and distributing to over 25 countries worldwide, the company has built a strong reputation for delivering high-performance radar and mmWave solutions to some of the most demanding sectors in the world such as aviation, defence, intelligent transportation, and beyond.   The WR-12 FMCW Radar Front End (FMCW-12-00XX) is one of their most versatile products. Operating in the 76–77 GHz frequency band, it gives system integrators a reliable, high-performance RF front end that slots into existing architectures without the need to develop custom RF hardware from scratch. How It Works The FMCW-12 module uses a homodyne FMCW architecture, which means it continuously transmits a frequency-swept signal and compares it against the returning echo to extract both the range and speed of a target — simultaneously, and with high precision. The module takes a swept input signal at 9.625 GHz and internally converts it up to 77 GHz for transmission. The receive chain is equally capable, offering a leading noise figure and a flexible IF output that feeds directly into the user’s own signal processing system. In practical terms, this means engineers get a clean, high-power 77 GHz FMCW signal on the transmit side and excellent dynamic range on the receive side — the two ingredients needed for long-range, high-sensitivity radar. What Makes It Stand Out The FMCW-12 module is built with integration flexibility in mind. Transmit power can be configured anywhere from +10 to +25 dBm depending on the range requirements of the application, and even higher for custom solutions. Receiver gain is similarly adjustable, so the front end can be tuned to match the specific link budget of a given deployment. The module is compact, lightweight, and draws low DC power. These qualities matter whether it’s being installed in a roadside cabinet, mounted in an aircraft, or carried as a payload on a drone. It also supports custom performance profiles for applications that fall outside the standard specification. Drone and UAV Applications FMCW radars have become a proven technology for UAV platforms, and Farran’s FMCW front-ends, with their compact size and power consumption make them a strong candidate for drone integration. Where cameras and LiDAR struggle in poor weather, low light, or dusty conditions, mmWave radar continues to perform. It provides accurate range and velocity data in the conditions that UAVs are increasingly expected to operate in such asnight missions, industrial inspections, and complex outdoor environments. In practice, 77 GHz FMCW systems mounted on small drones have demonstrated accurate altitude measurement, terrain detection, and obstacle identification. For integrators building UAV platforms for search and rescue, infrastructure inspection, border surveillance, or autonomous navigation, the WR-12 offers a compact and capable radar front end to build around. Key Applications Traffic Management and Intelligent Transportation Systems FMCW radar is widely used in motorway and urban traffic monitoring, providing reliable vehicle detection and speed measurement regardless of weather or lighting. The WR-12’s wide dynamic range makes it well suited to high-density traffic environments. Airport Runway Foreign Object Detection (FOD) Debris on a runway is a serious aviation safety risk. The sensitivity and range resolution of 77 GHz FMCW radar allows automated systems to scan active runways and flag foreign objects before they cause damage to aircraft. Aircraft Collision Avoidance and Obstacle Detection For both manned and unmanned aircraft, having accurate, real-time range and speed data is critical for safe operation. The WR-12’s clean signal output and flexible power options make it a practical choice for airborne collision avoidance systems. Ground Traffic Management From airport aprons to port logistics and smart intersections, radar-based vehicle tracking delivers consistent performance in the outdoor environments where these systems need to work reliably day and night. Perimeter Security The ability to detect moving targets against static background clutter is one of FMCW radar’s core strengths. For securing critical infrastructure — utilities, data centres, transport hubs — this translates into a system that can reliably distinguish a genuine intrusion from environmental noise.   Getting Started The FMCW-12 is designed to integrate cleanly with existing FMCW system architectures. Farran’s engineering team provides direct technical support for system configuration, installation, and troubleshooting, both pre- and post-purchase. Custom solutions are available for applications with specific performance or form factor requirements. For more information or to discuss your application contact our team.

Read More

Millimetre-Wave Goes Mainstream: Farran at EuCAP 2026

  Every year, the European Conference on Antennas and Propagation (EuCAP) brings together the world’s foremost researchers, engineers, and technology companies to share ideas, present breakthroughs, and take stock of where the field is headed. This year’s landmark 20th edition of EuCAP was held in Dublin, Ireland, making it particularly meaningful for the Farran Technology team. As a Cork-based company with nearly five decades of millimetre-wave antenna measurement expertise, attending Europe’s premier antennas and propagation conference on home soil was more than just a networking opportunity.   Millimetre-Wave Is No Longer a Niche — It Is the Core One of the clearest signals from EuCAP 2026 was the sheer volume of attention directed at millimetre-wave. Approximately 45% of papers presented at the conference were focused on mm-wave devices and systems, a figure that speaks volumes about the direction of both research and commercial interest. “Millimetre-wave technologies are clearly becoming mainstream within the antenna community. This level of concentration suggests mm-wave is no longer a niche topic, but a core enabler for next-generation communications, sensing, radar and high-capacity satellite links.” — Tomasz Waliwander, CEO, Farran Technology This is a significant development. For years, millimetre-wave occupied a specialised corner of the RF world — high-performance, high-cost, and often confined to defence, space, and research applications. What EuCAP 2026 demonstrated is that this is changing rapidly. The historic barriers around cost, packaging, signal loss, and manufacturability are steadily being overcome, driven by the twin pressures of 5G/6G rollout and the explosion of sensing applications in automotive, satellite, and industrial sectors. From Design to Deployment: The Manufacturing Imperative Beyond the volume of mm-wave research, a second trend was equally telling: the growing emphasis on manufacturability, measurement, and real-world deployment. A strong presence of industrial exhibitors and conference sessions focused on OTA testing, advanced packaging, materials, and measurement systems pointed to a fundamental shift in where the hard problems now lie. The question is no longer simply “can we design it?” — it is “can we build it, package it, test it, and scale it reliably?” “This reflects growing market demand for deployable hardware rather than laboratory prototypes. For SMEs and specialist manufacturers, this is a major opportunity.” — Tomasz Waliwander, CEO, Farran Technology This is precisely the space Farran occupies. We are not a pure research house, nor a large-scale consumer manufacturer. We are a specialist precision engineering company with deep expertise in taking millimetre-wave technology from design intent to reliable, calibrated, deployable hardware. EuCAP 2026 confirmed that the market is moving firmly in our direction. What Customers Are Asking For Our applications engineer, Courage Mudzingwa and Head of Sales, Tom Scanlon,  spent quality time at the stand speaking directly with engineers and system designers. The conversations were clear and consistent across both groups. There is strong and growing demand for E-band (60–90 GHz) and D-band (110–170 GHz) antenna extenders — corresponding to waveguide bands WR-12 and WR-06 respectively — as well as antenna positioners for far-field measurement systems. The interest in these specific bands is not coincidental. It reflects the broader industry shift identified by our CEO: as R&D and commercial programmes move toward mm-wave for the fundamental benefits it delivers — greater bandwidth, higher capacity, and faster data transfer rates — the need for precise, reliable measurement hardware in these bands follows directly. WR-12 and WR-06 are where the real engineering work is happening right now, and where the demand for trusted test solutions is most acute. Beyond product enquiries, our Head of Sales noted a consistently positive response to Farran’s new frequency extender enclosure designs. Visitors commented on the compact form factor and enclosure aesthetics of our FEV frequency extension heads for VNAs — feedback that matters. As mm-wave hardware moves from laboratory settings into production and deployment environments, physical design becomes as important as electrical performance. Smaller, better-engineered enclosures are not cosmetic improvements; they are practical enablers of system integration. Looking Ahead EuCAP 2026 was a landmark event — not just because of its anniversary, but because of what it signalled about the state of the industry. Millimetre-wave is mainstream. Measurement and manufacturability are as strategically important as electromagnetic design. And the demand for trusted, specialist hardware partners has never been greater. Farran Technology has been at the forefront of millimetre-wave innovation for nearly 50 years. We leave Dublin energised by what we heard, and focused on what comes next.   Explore our AET/AER Antenna Measurement Frequency Extenders, our FEV Frequency Extension Heads for VNAs, and our full Test & Measurement product range or speak directly with our applications team to discuss your measurement requirements.  

Read More

Why Your Antenna Test Setup Is Quietly Failing You at mmWave Frequencies

The test infrastructure that carried engineers through 4G and early 5G is showing its age — and most labs haven’t noticed yet. There’s a quiet crisis playing out in RF test labs around the world. Engineers are running the same test methodologies they’ve used for years, on equipment that served them well through previous wireless generations, and getting results they half-trust on devices that operate at frequencies their tools were never designed to reach. Nobody is sounding alarm bells because the problem doesn’t announce itself with a dramatic failure. It creeps in — a radiation pattern that looks slightly off, a gain measurement that seems plausible but can’t be fully trusted, a compliance test that passes on the bench and surprises in the field. By the time the issue becomes obvious, the cost in time, re-spins, and credibility is already significant. The root of the problem is straightforward: millimeter wave antenna testing is fundamentally different from anything that came before it, and the industry’s test infrastructure hasn’t fully caught up.   The World Has Changed. Most Test Labs Haven’t. For most of wireless history, testing an antenna was conceptually simple. You connected a cable to a port, ran your measurements with a vector network analyser, and characterised the device under test. The antenna and the radio circuitry were separate enough that you could evaluate them independently. This worked well from VHF through 4G, through sub-6 GHz 5G, and it gave engineers a reliable playbook. At mmWave frequencies — the bands that define 5G FR2 and where 6G research is now focused — that playbook breaks down. The short wavelengths involved mean that the RF front-end circuitry and the antenna cannot be accurately characterised in isolation from one another. As one industry analysis summarised it, at mmWave frequencies, the MMIC and antennas cannot be accurately measured independently, and any testing requires a radiated over-the-air (OTA) measurement. The cable-based “conducted test” that defined decades of antenna measurement simply isn’t viable anymore. This single shift changes everything about how tests must be set up, what equipment is required, and what “accurate results” actually looks like.   What Makes mmWave Testing So Different? You can’t use a cable. At frequencies above 24 GHz, the connection between instrument and device under test is no longer a practical option. Connectors introduce loss, the cable itself becomes a significant source of error, and many modern 5G components don’t have a test connector at all. Every measurement at these frequencies must happen over the air — which means controlled RF environments, precision positioning, and equipment that can operate at the frequency of the device being tested. The test distance changes. In lower-frequency testing, far-field measurements require large physical separation between source and device. At mmWave frequencies, because wavelengths are shorter, far-field conditions are achieved at much smaller distances — often just one to two metres. This sounds like an advantage, and in terms of chamber size it is. But it also means that any stray reflections within a compact chamber are far more problematic. Internal reflections that would be negligible at lower frequencies can seriously compromise measurement accuracy at mmWave. The antenna and radio are inseparable.Modern mmWave devices — 5G modules, phased array units, automotive radar sensors — integrate the antenna directly with the RF circuitry. Beamforming, which steers energy in specific directions to overcome path loss, is baked into the device at the hardware level. To characterise how that device actually behaves, you have to measure its full three-dimensional radiation pattern, not just a single port response. That requires test systems that can measure gain, polarisation, and beam behaviour across a full spherical measurement space. The frequencies themselves demand better instruments. The majority of commercially available vector network analysers natively operate up to around 50 GHz. Above that — the E-band (71–86 GHz), W-band (75–110 GHz), and beyond toward the sub-THz frequencies being explored for 6G — standard instruments simply cannot reach. Testing in these bands requires frequency extension hardware that can bring measurement capability up to the frequency of interest without sacrificing accuracy or dynamic range.     What Insufficient Testing Actually Costs The engineering consequences of inadequate mmWave test capability tend to show up in predictable ways. Measurement errors compound into design errors. If a gain measurement is inaccurate by even a few dB at mmWave frequencies, the link budget calculations built on that measurement will be wrong. A system designed around optimistic antenna performance may work acceptably in ideal lab conditions and fail to meet requirements in real-world deployments — a problem that only emerges after significant investment in hardware, integration, and field testing.   Late-stage compliance failures are expensive. When a device reaches OTA compliance testing and the results don’t match what was measured on the development bench, the investigation costs time that production schedules don’t have. Re-spins at this stage are costly not just financially, but in the delay they introduce to product programmes.   The frequency bands keep shifting. 5G FR2 currently spans 24–71 GHz. 6G research is actively exploring frequencies well above 100 GHz, with the D-band (110–170 GHz) drawing particular industry attention. Test infrastructure bought today needs to be capable of reaching those frequencies — either natively or through extension — or it will need to be replaced again within a development cycle or two.   The Upgrade Path That Most Labs Overlook The response to mmWave test requirements doesn’t have to mean emptying a capital budget on entirely new systems. The more practical approach — and the one increasingly adopted by serious test organisations — is frequency extension. A frequency extender integrates with an existing VNA and translates its measurement capability up to the mmWave band of interest. The extender heads can be positioned physically close to the device under test, which minimises cable loss and improves dynamic range precisely where it matters most. For antenna pattern measurement specifically, transmitter and receiver extension modules can be mounted on the positioner arms within a compact anechoic chamber, giving

Read More

Engineering the Future of Satellite Communications: Insights from SATSHOW 2026

SATSHOW has long been a barometer for where satellite communication is heading. This year’s conference was held in Washington, DC and it continues to serve as a valuable checkpoint for the satellite communications industry. This year the shift toward higher frequency bands was front and centre, but so too were the challenges that come with it. Farran’s CEO, Tomasz Waliwander, observed a gap that is beginning to emerge between what the industry says it is delivering and what it is technically prepared to execute. This is not a gradual evolution. It’s a shift that is already reshaping how RF systems are designed, where the bottlenecks sit, and what it takes to compete.     The Constraint Has Moved For years, spectrum availability was seen as the primary limiter in satellite communications. That assumption no longer holds. As systems push beyond Ka-band into Q/V-band and E-band, bandwidth is no longer the constraint. RF performance is. These higher frequency bands unlock massive capacity, but they come with trade-offs that cannot be ignored: increased atmospheric attenuation, tighter link margins, and a dependence on beamforming to maintain reliability. In practical terms, this means the complexity of system design has increased significantly. It is clear that the real limitation in capacity now stems from RF, rather than from spectrum. Power Amplification Under Pressure At the hardware level, the most immediate bottleneck is power. Delivering efficient, linear power at these frequencies is becoming increasingly difficult. Technologies such as Gallium Nitride (GaN) and Indium Phosphide (InP) are being pushed harder than ever, with engineers forced to balance output power, efficiency, linearity, and thermal constraints simultaneously. There are no clean trade-offs anymore. Improving one parameter almost always impacts another. This is where real expertise shows. The ability to manage these competing demands at a system level and not just at a component level is quickly becoming a defining capability in the industry. Packaging Is Now Performance Another clear takeaway from SATSHOW is that packaging can no longer be treated as a secondary concern. At frequencies between 50 and 90 GHz, even minor losses between MMICs and waveguide interfaces can significantly degrade system efficiency. What was once considered a detail is now central to performance. As a result, the industry is moving toward tightly integrated solutions such as antenna-in-package and wafer-level designs. These approaches reduce loss, improve efficiency, and support the kind of performance required at mmWave frequencies. Effective RF design is defined by how all components work together, rather than by the capabilities of any single element.   Scaling Changes Everything The rise of electronically steerable arrays is also changing the nature of the challenge. Instead of building a single high-power RF chain, the focus is shifting toward scaling thousands of smaller, lower-power elements. This introduces a completely different set of requirements: cost, repeatability, thermal management, and manufacturability all come to the forefront. This highlights a problem in the system rather a component problem. Success depends on how well antenna design, RF performance, and digital control are integrated.     The Emergence of RF Tiles What is emerging as a result is a new architectural approach: modular, highly integrated RF “tiles.” These tiles combine amplification, beamforming, and control into scalable building blocks that can be replicated across large arrays. They are designed with the full system in mind, not as standalone components. This shift has significant implications for the competitive landscape. The advantage will no longer go to those who simply deliver the highest-performing individual parts. It will go to those who can integrate those parts into scalable, manufacturable systems that perform reliably in real-world conditions.   A Leadership Perspective on the future Satellite Communication  These insight from Farran’s CEO reflects a clear understanding of where the industry is heading. Satcom RF is moving away from bespoke, one-off high-performance hardware and toward scalable, production-driven systems. That transition requires a mindset that combines deep technical expertise with a practical understanding of how systems are built, deployed, and scaled. There is no ambiguity here. The companies that succeed will be those that can execute across the full stack—from RF physics to system integration to manufacturing. This is the space Farran is focused on. Not just keeping up with the shift, but leading within it.   Connect with us to learn how Farran’s expertise in RF integration and system-level design is helping operators and manufacturers stay ahead in a rapidly evolving satellite communications landscape.  

Read More

Accelerating the Development of High-Frequency Satellite Communication Systems: Why Millimeter-Wave Expertise Matters More Than Ever

      Satellite communication systems are evolving rapidly. As demand for bandwidth intensifies and spectrum congestion increases at traditional frequency bands, system architects are moving decisively toward higher frequencies — from Ka-band into Q/V- and E-band regimes. These millimeter-wave domains unlock unprecedented throughput, narrower beams, and higher spectral efficiency. However, they also introduce new levels of technical complexity. For companies developing next-generation satellite payloads, ground terminals, and high-frequency RF subsystems, the challenge is no longer simply achieving performance. It is achieving performance quickly, reliably, and with minimal qualification risk. In this environment, millimeter-wave expertise is not a luxury, rather it is a decisive competitive advantage. The Hidden Complexity of High Frequencies As frequency increases, margins for error shrink. At millimeter-wave frequencies: Insertion losses rise sharply Manufacturing tolerances become unforgiving Surface finish and material selection directly affect performance Phase noise and frequency stability become more critical Thermal expansion and mechanical stress introduce measurable drift Packaging and interconnect design become dominant design constraints Small deviations that might be manageable at lower bands can cause mission-critical degradation at 40 GHz and beyond. The result is a higher probability of redesign cycles, integration delays, and qualification setbacks. For space programs operating on aggressive timelines — especially within LEO constellation deployments — these delays translate directly into lost revenue and competitive disadvantage.   Fig 1. E-band Metal Work. Acceleration Is About Risk Reduction “Accelerating development” is often misunderstood as simply working faster. Acceleration in space programs comes from reducing unknowns early in the design process. High-frequency systems are particularly sensitive to integration risk: Component mismatches compound across conversion chains LO distribution and phase noise budgets become tightly coupled Waveguide transitions introduce discontinuities that affect system stability Environmental qualification (vibration, thermal vacuum) stresses mechanical precision When millimeter-wave subsystems are designed without deep experience, problems frequently surface late — during integration or environmental testing — when they are most expensive to correct. Partnering with specialists in high-frequency RF design dramatically reduces this risk. Expertise enables: Correct architecture decisions from the outset Accurate modelling of loss and noise budgets Robust mechanical and thermal design strategies Clean transitions between waveguide and coaxial interfaces Repeatable manufacturing at tight tolerances The result is fewer redesign cycles and faster progression from prototype to qualification.   Fig 2. RF Superheterodyne Transmitter.   Why Millimeter-Wave Expertise Matters Now The shift toward higher frequencies is not incremental — it is structural. Emerging satellite systems are pushing into bands that demand deep electromagnetic understanding, precision machining, and advanced testing capabilities. At these frequencies, experience matters. Not theoretical familiarity, but practical knowledge gained from designing, manufacturing, and validating real-world millimeter-wave hardware. Companies that attempt to internalize all this capability often face steep learning curves. Conversely, those who collaborate with experienced partners can focus their internal teams on system-level innovation rather than component-level troubleshooting.   Reducing Time to Deployment with Farran Technology Farran Technology has built its reputation around high-frequency and millimeter-wave engineering. With decades of experience in RF/microwave and m-wave subsystem design, Farran supports satellite communication developers in overcoming the most demanding technical challenges. By partnering with Farran, companies gain access to: Proven millimeter-wave design expertise High-precision & high-volume manufacturing capabilities Deep understanding of waveguide, frequency conversion, and high-frequency integration Experience supporting aerospace and space qualification requirements This expertise translates directly into reduced development cycles. Designs are right the first time. Performance targets are achieved without extensive iterative redesign. Qualification proceeds with confidence. Equally important, partnering with Farran reduces the risk of late-stage failure. Mechanical integrity, thermal stability, and RF performance are considered holistically which ensures that hardware performs not only in the lab, but in orbit.   Fig 3. 44GHz Upconverter   A Strategic Partnership for High-Frequency Success As satellite systems continue to evolve toward higher frequencies and greater performance density, the margin for error narrows. The difference between success and delay often lies in the depth of millimeter-wave understanding embedded within the development program. Companies that prioritize expert collaboration gain more than technical support. They gain predictability. They gain speed and confidence that their high-frequency systems will meet performance expectations under the harsh realities of space. In an industry where time to orbit defines competitive advantage, partnering with millimeter-wave experts like Farran Technology is not simply an engineering choice but a strategic decision that accelerates deployment while minimizing risk.     Explore Farran’s precision waveguide components designed to ensure reliable performance in high-frequency satellite systems.

Read More
Search

account

cart

All category