Tektronix Inc. is collaborating with the Mobile and Portable Radio Research Group (MPRG) at Virginia Tech in the development of a software-defined radio (SDR) test bed and open source software communications architecture (SCA) implementation embedded (OSSIE). In this joint effort, Tektronix will deliver test and measurement equipment to be integrated within the OSSIE test-bed framework and help to define and validate future test systems and methodologies that will meet the needs of commercial and military/government customers looking to leverage SDR.

SCA provides a framework developed in response to the U.S. government's need to have a common SDR definition that would enable any company to write any waveform onto any radio to support multiband-multimode radios, global roaming, run-time reconfigurability, and over-the-air-programming. The SCA framework is helping to overcome a significant barrier to entry into software-radio research experienced in previous years. The military, which is a driving force behind SDR, has mandated that any radio developed for the Joint Tactical Radio System (JTRS) program of the Department of Defense (DoD) must be implemented in the SCA environment. The objective for OSSIE is to provide a platform that is simple, easy to expand, and an open-source for the development of waveforms following the guidelines laid down by the SCA specifications under the JTRS program as well as the Object Management Group (OMG).

SDR is not only able to operate in multiple bands but has been developed to support multiple standards using a reconfigurable hardware and software platform specifically designed to address potential issues that arise with the deployment of new wireless communications standards. While code portability through SCA is progressing, the processing hardware underneath faces significant challenges arising from changing, multiplying and ever higher rate wireless interfaces. Test and measurement equipment are fundamentally important to prove the SDR concept and to successfully design SDR-capable hardware platforms, said Tektronix.

“Since the first release of the OSSIE test bed in July, the usage and acceptance by the community has exceeded our expectations. As an emerging market SDR is, and will continue, to change the future of wireless. Its impact will be felt in the commercial world as well as defense and government sectors,” said Jeff Reed, professor and deputy director of MPRG at Virginia Tech.

“The emergence and convergence of many technologies and standards requires comprehensive testing to ensure proper operation of SDR. Tektronix' equipment provides a pivotal role in the OSSIE test bed by integrating analysis and measurement instrumentation that supports the broadest range of industry standards.” OSSIE is open source and can be downloaded with documentation at: http://www.mprg.org/research/ossie/index.html.

Two key Tektronix products are currently integrated into the OSSIE test bed. These include the Tektronix AWG400, a family of arbitrary waveform generators that perform a wide range of modulated and mixed-signal simulations (analog and digital) for wireless and wired data communications, enabling SDR receiver testing to have a more realistic over-the-air operational environment; and the RSA3308A, real-time spectrum analyzers that provide testing and validation to quickly solve design, production or operational problems with comprehensive characterization of time-varying and transient RF signals in the development of radio transmitters. With the FCC's regulations on spectrum use, validation of SDR waveforms becomes a crucial part of the development cycle.

For more information, visit www.tektronix.com.