Antenna Amp Boosts Car-Radio Reception

Promising outstanding AM/FM car-radio reception when paired with designer antennas such as windshield, roof, or bumper mounts, the ATR4251 antenna amplifier employs an impedance matching amplifier to compensate for signal losses resulting from the smaller dimensions of these antennas and the longer cables to the car radio. High reception quality is said to be the result of the balance of an AM gain value up to 35 dB and a large-signal behavior in AM and FM modes, i.e., IP3=148 dBuV in FM. The device includes a separate low-noise amplifier (LNA) for FM and a buffer amp for AM. The AM amplifier covers a frequency range from 150 kHz to 30 MHz, which includes modern DRM systems. The FM LNA handles frequencies from 70 MHz to 166 MHz including weather band and high-definition radio in the US. Available now in SSO and QFN packages, pricing starts at $0.60 each/100,000. Reference design demo boards are also available. ATMEL CORP., San Jose, CA. (408) 441-0311.