Pentek, Inc. introduced an ultra wide-band RF/IF rackmount recorder, the Talon™ RTS 2709. Using 12-bit, 3.6 GHz A/D converters and state-of-the-art solid state drive storage technology, this system can achieve sustained recording rates up to 3.2 Gbytes per second. It can be configured as a one- or two-channel system and can record sampled data, packed as 8-bit or 16-bit wide consecutive samples.

As a complete recording system, the Talon RTS 2709 recorder is ideal for capturing high bandwidth RF/IF signals with frequencies up to 2.8 GHz. The built-in Windows® 7 Professional workstation with an Intel® Core™ i7 processor provides a platform which allows the user to install post-processing and analysis applications directly on the recorder itself. Signal viewing and analysis tools are provided as part of the SystemFlow recording software for monitoring signals prior to, during and after a recording session.

“These recorders are ideal for capturing wideband signals for communications or radar applications. Now we can satisfy the growing number of customers who need to digitize and record these signals with bandwidths as high as 1.5 GHz,” noted Rodger Hosking, Vice President, Pentek.

“Previously, if a very wideband signal needed to be captured, you had to break up the signal into smaller bands, each covering an adjacent slice of the spectrum. Now, with the Talon 2709, engineers can capture the whole spectrum in a single channel for the entire bandwidth,” he added.

The RTS 2709’s A/D converters digitize high-frequency signals at sample rates up to 3.6 GHz. It streams this digitized data to files created on the recorder’s built-in RAID array. These files include time stamping as well as recording parameters and optional GPS (Global Positioning System) information. Files are stored in the native Windows NTFS (new technology file system) format, allowing them to be immediately used by PCs and applications without the need for post-recording file conversion.

The Talon RTS 2709 recorder moves data at a very high rate to the latest generation SSDs (solid state drives) through SATA-III ports. The Talon RTS 2709 offers configuration options to support up to 20 Terabytes of storage. The drives are hot-swappable and can be configured in multiple NTFS RAID levels, including 0, 1, 5, 6, 10 and 50 to provide a choice for the required level of redundancy.

The RTS 2709 is configured in a 4U 19” rack-mountable chassis, with hot-swappable data drives, front-panel USB ports and I/O connectors on the rear panel. Systems are scalable to accommodate multiple chassis to increase channel counts and aggregate data rates. All recorder chassis are connected via gigabit Ethernet and can be controlled from a single GUI (graphics user interface) either locally or from a remote PC.

Pentek’s SystemFlow® recording software features a Windows-based GUI (Graphical User Interface) that provides a simple and intuitive means to configure and control the system. In addition, the SystemFlow software includes signal viewing and analysis tools that allow the user to monitor the signal prior, to and during recording, as well as examine the signal during playback. The tools include a virtual oscilloscope and virtual spectrum analyzer, eliminating the need for additional equipment during a data collection session. Customers attest to the easy-to-use interface when setting up their recording systems.

Options are available for sample clocks, SSD storage and GPS time and position stamping. The Model RTS 2709 2-Channel RF/IF Rackmount Recorder starts at $60,000 USD. Delivery is 8 to 10 weeks ARO. Rugged version is available with the Model RTR 2749.