VFTT – AR RF/Microwave Instrumentation

by John Kim, Chief Operating Officer, AR RF/Microwave Instrumentation

MPD: How is your company addressing the many constraints that the pandemic has placed on business operations?

JK:

At AR, the health and safety of our employees has been at the forefront of our priorities. We have been able to maintain a safe working environment and continue to service our customers.

Travel restrictions and precautions have induced us to rely more on media, phone calls, emails and video conferences in place of in-person meetings.  As a practical example, we have been keeping customers abreast of new product announcements, as well as evolving industry regulations, such as the recent updates to the IEC-61000-4-3 standards, through print media and emails. 

MPD: The adoption of open architectures is accelerating in many markets, from wireless to defense. Do you feel your company and the RF and microwave industry as a whole benefit from this initiative?

JK:

Yes, in general, the RF and microwave testing industry stands to benefit from the acceleration in adoption of open architectures. This trend fuels and fast-tracks innovation and its related R&D activities. As a trusted supplier of RF and microwave test solutions for over 50 years, AR will certainly benefit.

MPD: Technologies such as direct RF sampling are reducing the number of analog components in receivers and, increasingly, transmitters as well. Do you feel that the “digitalization of RF” will have an impact on your business?

JK:

We expect “digitalization of RF” to have limited impact on our company. Specifically, digital RF sampling is being used in AR products such as our Multi-Tone test system and field probes. Our Multi-Tone Test System uses digital RF and was developed with the capability of generating multiple signals to simultaneously test multiple frequencies. The digitalization of RF in our field probes allows our customers to more accurately measure RF pulses.  

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