Pentek 6 GHz Ultra-Wideband Talon RF/IF Recorder Extends Recording Bandwidths

Press Release

September 10, 2020

UPPER SADDLE RIVER, NJ-Pentek, Inc. introduced a new addition to the Talon Series of recorders, the Model RTR 2742 4U 19-inch rackmount recorder.

The Talon RTR 2742 is a turn-key record and playback system for ultra-wideband analog RF/IF signals. Using two 12-bit, 6.4 GHz A/D converters, this system can achieve sustained recording of 2.4 GHz bandwidth signals at rates up to 6 GBytes per second. It can be configured as a one- or two-channel system and can record real samples or complex I+Q digitally down-converted samples.

Complemented by a 16-bit, 6.4 GHz D/A converter, the RTR 2742 is capable of playing back analog signal bandwidths up to 1.28 GHz. Built-in digital down- and up-converters provide flexible bandwidth and tuning frequency selection for both record and playback.

"Many communications and radar applications operate across ultra-wideband frequencies. Now we can satisfy the many customers who need to digitize and record these signals with bandwidths as high as 2.4 GHz," noted Rodger Hosking, vice-president, Pentek. He added, "With the Talon RTR 2742, engineers can capture the whole spectrum in a single wideband channel, eliminating the need to break up the signal into smaller bands, covering adjacent slices of the spectrum."

The industrial grade 4U 19-inch rackmount chassis of the RTR 2742, with hot-swappable data drives, front-panel USB ports and I/O connectors on the rear panel, is optimized for cooling and ruggedized to operate in challenging environments.

The RTR 2742 includes a 12-bit 6.4 GHz A/D that can be clocked at rates from 1.6 to 6 GHz in single-channel mode. Data can be truncated and packed as 8-bit samples, to support continuous recording up to the maximum sample rate. The D/A is capable of reproducing signals with up to 1.28 GHz of instantaneous bandwidth and includes a wide range of interpolations. The RTR 2742 provides up to 122 TB of front panel removable solid-state storage for hours of real-time, high-bandwidth signal recording.

Ease of Operation
All Talon recorders are built on a Microsoft Windows platform and include Pentek's SystemFlow software, featuring a GUI (graphical user interface), the Signal Viewer and API (Application Programming Interface). The GUI provides intuitive controls for out-of-the-box turn-key operation using point-and-click configuration management.

Configurations are easily stored and recalled for single-click setup. The Signal Viewer provides a virtual oscilloscope and spectrum analyzer to monitor signals before, during and after data collection. The C-callable API allows users to integrate the recorder control into larger application systems. Enhancements to the GUI allow more efficient configuration of the recording channels.

The data format used for storage follows the NTFS standard, allowing users to remove drives from the instrument and read the data using standard Windows-based systems, eliminating the need for file format conversion.

Free Demo
Pentek provides a Talon Recording System Simulator for evaluation of the SystemFlow software package. This free trial package is available for download at: http://www.pentek.com/systemflow/systemflow.cfm#SystemFlowSimulator.

Talon Family Summary

RTV Value Series: Low-cost rackmount systems for laboratory environments
RTS Commercial Series: Rackmount systems for laboratory environments
RTR Portable Series: Rugged portable systems for field use
RTR Rackmount Series: Rugged rackmount systems for field use
RTX Extreme Series: Rugged rackmount systems for extreme environments

Pricing and Availability
Options for memory, storage capacity, RAID configuration, Ethernet offload ports, GPS time and position stamping, IRIG-B time stamping and 28V DC power supply are available. For the latest pricing and availability information, please contact John Eklund by phone at (201) 818-5900, or by email at [email protected].

About Pentek
Pentek, an ISO 9001:2015 certified company, designs and manufactures innovative commercial and rugged DSP boards and real-time system recorders for commercial, government and military systems including radar, communications, SIGINT, defense, medical and industrial control applications. Pentek offers powerful VPX, FMC, FMC+, AMC, XMC, cPCI and PCIe board solutions featuring high-performance Xilinx FPGAs. Pentek equips all boards and recorder products with high-performance I/O including gigabit serial interfaces, powerful software development tools and offers strong DSP software support.

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Pentek, Talon, and SystemFlow are trademarks or registered trademarks of Pentek, Inc. Brand or product names are registered trademarks or trademarks of their respective holders.

For access to the release and data sheets, please visit: https://www.pentek.com/whatsnew/viewrelease.cfm?index=258

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