DAY ONE - October 6, 2004

BLUE SESSIONS - Grand Mesa F Ballroom
RED SESSIONS - Wind Star A
GOLD SESSIONS - Wind Star B

7:00 a.m. - Registration & Continental Breakfast

8:30 a.m. - Opening Address

8:45 a.m. - KEYNOTE PRESENTATION
Overview of Opportunities in Short Range Wireless Markets and Discussion of Synergies with Smart Antenna Technologies
Wireless development has moved into the forefront of the technological innovation sector in consumer product industries, driven by the astonishing and steady pace in consumer demand for user-friendly, time and labor-saving, communication, and entertainment devices and products. For the industry this has brought about an attitude shift as well: no longer going it alone, companies are increasingly joining consortiums and working groups, to either passively keep abreast of developments or actively lobby for standards and open markets in order to maximize their investment return. The catchword in today’s telecommunication/internet/wireless industries is convergence, the integration of all aspects of wireless facility and services. This is a passive concept as of yet, since market forces will have to shape the practical architecture of the future communications systems. This session will explore the relationship between these market forces and short-range wireless technology development and implementation, as well as the impact of smart antenna technology as one of the crucial links in that chain.
Dr. Kirsten West, Principal Analyst,
West Technology Research Solutions, LLC

9:30 a.m. - KEYNOTE PRESENTATION
Independently Tunable Dual-Band Slots for 802.11 and WLAN Bands
The demand for wireless devices that operate in both 802.11 bands as well as the WLAN bands for Japan, US and Europe has pressed the antenna industry for antennas that operate between 2.4 and 2.5 GHz and between 4.9 and 5.9 GHz simultaneously. Unfortunately, the frequency relationship of these two bands can cause harmonic effects deleterious to the antenna's operation. This presentation presents a dual band slot antenna and a means of resolving this band interdependence while significantly reducing its size as well.
Michael Zinanti, RF Design Engineer,
Centurion Wireless Technologies

10:15 a.m. - Networking Break in the Exhibit Hall

10:45 a.m.
Smart Antennae for Mobile Terminals and WLAN Devices Increase Capacity, Boost Coverage, and Improve Data Rates
Smart Antennae have been deployed for years on cellular base stations to improve network performance. Improvement in material technology, antenna design, advanced measurements and control algorithms allow the inclusion of Subscriber Based Smart Antennae (SBSA) in mobile terminals and WLAN devices. SBSA provide a high-gain steerable beam to the desired signal and away from interferences, significantly improving signal strength, reducing noise and allowing high rate communications at lower power levels. Smart antennae further increase subscriber satisfaction with fewer dropped connections, improved coverage, higher data rates, better multimedia services and longer battery life. Low cost solutions are proven and available for implementation in existing architectures today, including GSM/GPRS/EDGE, WCDMA, cdma2000, and 802.11/15/16. SBSA enable a migration to receive diversity and MIMO solutions.
Timothy Berghuis, Director of Product Management,
InterDigital Communications Corp.

10:45 a.m.
Trends Toward Integrating Wireless Communication and Control System Antennas Into IC Packaging
This presentation will discuss trends toward integrating the antenna of wireless communication and control systems into IC packaging. Most past and many present IC devices require external antennas and discrete matching components, which increases the part count as well as the price to implement a node in the wireless system. This presentation will detail the design flow needed to accomplish this task, the effects of enclosures and surrounding system components, etc.
Brad Brim, Product Marketing Manager,
Ansoft Corporation

10:45 a.m.
Internet of Things: The Next Convergence
Wireless embedded networks are designed for substantially different applications than their wireless LAN counterparts, and so they have substantially different technical requirements. Whereas wireless LAN networks strive for ever greater data rates, embedded wireless networks require low cost of build-out and maintenance, modest data rates and a battery life than spans years, not days. Wireless embedded network devices will play an important role in the emergence of the RFID market, whether acting as active tags or as the networks that link RFID readers. This presentation will explain how wireless embedded network architectures work and how they differ from conventional wireless LAN systems. In addition, it will discuss the technology that makes wireless embedded networks possible, and how it will help drive the RFID market in the future. Attendees will hear about current and future commercial applications as well.
Robert Poor, Founder and Chief Technology Officer,
Ember Corp.

11:30 a.m.
A Hybrid Ceramic Quad Band Antenna for Handset Applications
Antenova has been developing ceramic-based dielectric technology as a means of building high performance antennas for WLAN and cellular radio applications. The technology behind the design was presented at the Antenna Systems 2003 conference last year and our aim this year is to show the audience how this fascinating technology can be used to create new products.
This presentation will give a short overview of the technology, followed by an assessment of the advantages and disadvantages of using dielectrics in antenna design. The presentation will then give more detail about the handset quad band antenna; the design constraints experienced and how to overcome these with innovative designs. This will cover efficiency, detuning effects, antenna bandwidth and space sharing. Finally we will discuss the future of antennas and how space sharing can be used to advance antenna concepts
Simon Kingsley, Chief Scientist,
Antenova Limited

11:30 a.m.
Adaptive Repeater System for Use in iDEN Signals
This session will describe the system design and performance of an intelligent, adaptive repeater system designed for use in iDEN (iDEN® is a registered trademark of Motorola Inc.)signals. The adaptive repeater must be able to detect and lock onto iDEN pilot channel signals, which may be located anywhere in the SMR band, i.e. among a large number of higher power, time varying signals. It will describe the hardware architecture of the antenna system used to implement the repeater and then covers the digital signal processing algorithms used to locate the iDEN signals. The modeled performance of the system will be provided through simulation results and compared to the actual performance. Test data presented will include spectrum analyzer plots taken from live systems.
Mike Roper, VP, Product Development,
Spotwave Wireless

11:30 a.m.
The Principles and Benefits of Chirp Spread Spectrum
The use of linear frequency modulation, or chirp, signals for communication is very old. Chirps have, however, only more recently been applied to data communication. Chirp Spread Spectrum, or CSS, is a new modulation method with many interesting benefits for wireless solutions.The use of chirp signals in communication systems has been thoroughly investigated by Nanotron Technologies. This research has led to a new understanding of spreading technologies. The frequency spreading is given by the ratio between band width B and data rate R and gives a high correlation gain for B >> R. The name Chirp Spread Spectrum was chosen because the chirp signal uses by definition a spread spectrum and a high correlation gain. It can be considered a pure analog spread spectrum signal. The presenter will introduce the principles of CSS, discuss its benefits, present some test results and discuss some possible applications.
John Lampe, Director of Product Marketing,
Nanotron Technologies

12:15 p.m. - Luncheon in the Dining Hall

1:15 p.m
Flexible Smart Antenna Architecture for WLAN Application Success
This presentation will focus on the use of smart antennas in WLANs. It will first discuss the issue of analog versus digital implementation of smart antennas and then describe an applique architecture that can add smart antenna technology to existing WLAN systems without modifying those systems. Performance results and extensions will be described, and future applications (beyond Wi-Fi to areas such as WiMax or RFID) of smart antenna technology will be discussed.
Dr. Jack Winters, Chief Scientist,
Motia, Inc.

1:15 p.m
New Low Cost, Low Loss Materials for Antenna
With the emerging growth market for WiFi hot spots with campus coverage range, Taconic has introduced low loss, low cost materials with a range of dielectric constant and thickness capabilities to meet Designers requirements. The materials are based on the patented TacLam technology which combines the low loss characteristics of PTFE with the efficient low cost production of Thermoset resin technology.
Ed Sandor, Application Engineering Manager,
Taconic

1:15 p.m
The Multiband OFDM Alliance: Promoting the Global Standard and Ecosystem for Ultrawideband Wireless Technology
In support of developing the best overall solution for the emerging market in ultrawideband-based technology, the Multi-Band OFDM Alliance (MBOA) was formed in June 2003 and now numbers more than 100 member companies. Its members include the world's top 10 semiconductor companies and all of the leading consumer electronics companies. This presentation will start with a brief history of ultrawideband (UWB) and then explain the MBOA's mission, objectives, technologies and specifications as well as the status of regulatory issues.
David G. Brenner, VP of Marketing and Business Development,
Wiquest Communications

2:00 p.m
Communications on the Move
This presentation is designed for the individual who wants to understand the basics of mobile, broadband communications system design. The presentation will provide a systems overview of mobile communications with a particular focus on trade-offs for best price/performance. It will include discussion of mobile platforms (aircraft, ship, vehicle), design guidelines, navigation sensors, antennas, gimbals and antenna control.
John Gargasz, VP of the Antenna & Wireless Division,
Codem Systems, Inc.

2:00 p.m
Antenna Technologies for Software Defined Radio
Antenna systems that would enable portable Software Definable Radios include a wide variety of technologies, ranging from multi-band, to tuneable, to multiple-input multiple output (MIMO) antennas. Depending on the specific SDR application and the expected spectrum coverage, select technologies may be particularly suitable to fulfill the corresponding performance, size, complexity and cost requirements. An overview of SDR antenna technologies suitable for mobile-phone handset form factors is illustrated and several technologies are comparatively analyzed.
Dr. Antonio Faraone, Manager, Antenna R&D,
Motorola Corporate EME Research Lab

2:00 p.m
Applications of RFiD in Wireless Sensor Networks
Radio Frequency identification is one of the most widely used forms of wireless technology, perhaps best known as the automatic electronic tags of drive-through toll booths. But RFiD technology serves much more than just automotive applications, with widespread use in medical and pharmaceutical research, for inventory control in factories, for industrial process monitoring and control, and in such commodity applications as retail stock monitoring and control. The technology continues to advance, with RFiD readers now as small as 1-inch in diameter by 0.1-inch thick that combine with wireless communication devices. The application potential for RFiD technology is enormous, as this new generation of miniature readers are designed to interface with a wide range of commercial RFiD tags from leading vendors such as Infineon, Philips, STMicroelectronics and Texas Instruments. This presentation will review some of the current uses of RFiD technology, where the potential lies for future RFiD applications, and notably the growth of RFiD technology in computing and networking applications as companies work to increase RFiD reader/writer connectivity with existing systems.
Tim Enwall, Director,
SkyeTek, Inc.

2:45 p.m - Networking Break in the Exhibit Hall

3:15 p.m
Outstanding Examples of Recent Applications in the Antenna Systems Sector
This presentation will review several newly developed satellite antennas suited for portable device or mobile application. The antenna designs are novel and produce gains in excess of 2 dBic while exhibiting small size and form factor while not necessarily using quadrature splitters. The presentation will also discuss the evolution of the designs from a performance standpoint and will present the performance of several design variations. Antenna pattern and efficiency measurements as well as some limited aspects of the design philosophy will be discussed.
Dr. Frank Caimi, CTO,
Skycross

3:15 p.m
Advanced Membrane Antenna Technologies for Military, Police, Emergency, Commercial or Allied Government Applications
New requirements associated with different digital operating environments in both commercial and military environments require a next generation multifunction, multi-band enabled antenna transducer that has greater flexibility than currently deployed, traditional antenna systems. This presentation will discuss in detail the newly developed Porrazzo Advanced Membrane Antenna Technology and its potential applications in military, government, commercial, emergency and police sectors. The Porrazzo AMT enables nearly any surface, (large or small, cloth or metal) to be transformed into a high quality antenna, sensor, thin-profile speaker, microphone, all capable of functioning at the same time or in various configurable combinations. The AMT integrates wireless communications, audio inputs, voice input and ultrasonic sensing into a simple structure of interactive components.
Michael Porrazzo,
Advanced Data Institute

3:15 p.m
RFID Solutions and Global Homologations
The session will be a discussion of the regulatory and customer driven certification of Generation 2 RFID devices. It will look at the proper implementation of the RF devices
operating under FCC rule part 15.247 with regards to the North American regulatory requirements for such devices. In addition the presentation will give an overview of the current international regulatory scene, and how these devices are affected by current trends in spectrum allocation and transmitter characteristic allowances. Expect to hear what concerns may exist in the marketing and use of devices in the major world markets: North America, the EU, and Asia.
Gaylon Morris, General Manager, West Coast and EMC Operations,
MET Laboratories, Inc.

4:00 p.m
Development of a Vehicle Integrated Satellite TV Antenna
Live Broadcast TV is the next wave of entertainment in vehicles. Reception of terrestrial-based TV broadcasts in vehicles is poor due primarily to multipath interference. Additionally, broadcast TV programs are limited to a few major network affiliated stations and some local independent channels. Only satellite direct broadcast services can provide the wide selection that most TV viewers are accustomed to. However, to be compatible with vehicle styling and aerodynamic requirements, a planar, low-profile antenna is needed. In addition, a robust scheme is needed to maintain proper pointing of the antenna to the satellite for optimal reception while the vehicle is on the move. In this session, a low-profile satellite antenna design and its successful integration into a vehicle will be described.
Dr. Huan Yen, Manager, Advanced Information & Entertainment Systems,
Delphi Electronics & Safety

4:00 p.m
Antenna Design: Overcoming Key Challenges, Complexities and
Compliance Issues
Designing antennas can be both a rewarding and challenging proposition. Technology, battery and printer issues must be carefully addressed at the onset, and compliance with global regulatory standards adds another dimension to an already complex initiative. Zebra Technologies will review its own history in meeting the inherent challenges of antenna design, how they overcame these obstacles and the valuable lessons learned along the way. Audience members will hear firsthand experience with:
• Short-Range Issues - sharing bandwidth with other devices by limiting range and congestion; how to optimize the range while minimizing power consumption.
• Antenna Placement - with regards to the compact size of the printer; finding optimum placement/performance; important safety considerations.
• Battery Performance - the importance of limiting power consumption; how to achieve a good range while maintaining an 8-hour battery life.
• Printer Environment - handling interference with a belt-worn device; addressing safety; considering usage environments (i.e. retail, warehouse).
• Standards/Regulatory Considerations - migrating from popriety to Bluetooth; meeting and testing regulatory requirements of foreign countries.
• Multiple Antenna Device Development - exploring future needs for multiple antennas; BT and WLAN, or WLAN and WWAN, or RFID and WLAN; considering designing own antenna vs. purchasing an on-board chip antenna.
Paul Westlake, Product Manager,
Zebra Technologies International

4:00 p.m
General Architectural Review of a MB-OFDM Based UWB System
This presentation will outline a snapshot of an implementation, reviewing the requirements, key functional blocks and system partitioning of an MB-OFDM Based UWB System. The talk will include key applications overview.
Serdar Yurdakul, Director, Business Development,
Wisair

4:45 p.m
Switched Smart Antenna Solutions and MIMO Provide Competitive Alternatives for WLAN Networks
Demand for increased range and throughput for 802.11 WLANs is driving the development of a number of "smart" technologies to address this issue. From MIMO silicon-based solutions to add-on processors, automatically switched antennas and large phased-array switched LAN access points, these technologies can deliver cost and performance benefits to meet the needs of several key market segments. This effort is also leading to the development of more innovative solutions which provide improved performance, cost and form factors suitable for the home/office WLAN segment. This presentation will provide a summary of the various alternatives and opportunities for WLAN OEMs, integrated Wi-Fi product manufacturers and wireless ISPs to capitalize on this evolving technology.
Dr. Pertti Visuri, CEO & President,
Airgain

4:45 p.m
Operations and Maintenance for Distributed Antenna Systems
Various types of Distributed Antenna Systems (DAS) are quickly becoming a significant and integral part of any wireless network - either in the form of small off-air based repeater solutions for storefronts or shopping malls, extensive systems for airports, convention centers or large corporate campuses, or the latest trend: outdoor DAS systems for dense urban or difficult suburban areas. Common for all of these is they either carry high traffic continuously or in peaks, or they are supporting areas where some carriers' VIP customers demand seamlessly perfect coverage. To stay ahead of the game, carriers choosing to deploy a DAS solution to perfect the RF performance in a challenging environment, deploy one with a complete operations and maintenance system. This includes ongoing evaluation of reliability, 24/7 alarm management, performance management (including capacity/traffic management) and security and access management. The discussion covers components of a good O & M management package, field support and case studies.
Magnus Friberg, VP of Americas,
Powerwave Technologies

4:45 p.m
How IPv6 Can Improve Short-Range Wireless Technologies
As the next generation of Internet Protocol, IPv6 enables today and tomorrow's IP technology to simplify the hurdles faced in the development and deployment of new services. With its 128-bit address space, IPv6 increases the number of IP addresses available for new services and applications in mobility on phones, PDAs and other wireless devices. At the same time, it enhances peer-to-peer applications by providing globally unique IP addresses to each device.
IPv6 for Short Range Wireless Technologies such as Bluetooth is real. IPv6 solves IPv4 issues such as address shortage, network connection time and enhanced mobility and roaming. This presentation will discuss these improvements in the context of how they relate to Short Range Wireless technologies. It is the hope that this presentation will facilitate the on-going call to action on the part of the Short Range Wireless community to be part of the larger world with respect to implementing IPv6-based solutions.
Carl Williams, Executive Research Engineer & IPv6 Project Lead,
KDDI Labs USA

5:30 - 7:00 p.m - Coctail Reception


DAY TWO - October 7, 2004

BLUE SESSIONS - Grand Mesa F Ballroom
RED SESSIONS - Wind Star A
GOLD SESSIONS - Wind Star B

7:30 a.m. - Registration & Continental Breakfast

8:45 a.m. - KEYNOTE PRESENTATION
Evolutionary Design of an X-Band Antenna for NASA's Space Technology 5 Mission
This presentation will show an evolved X-band antenna design and flight prototype currently on schedule to be deployed on NASA's Space Technology 5 (ST5) spacecraft. Evolutionary algorithm techniques were employed to automatically search the design space and find a requirements-compliant antenna design. The ST5 antenna was evolved to meet a challenging set of mission requirements, most notably the combination of wide beamwidth for a circularly-polarized wave and wide bandwidth. The highest performance antennas found were fabricated and tested, and were comparable in performance to a hand-designed quadrifilar helical antenna. As of this writing, one of NASA's evolved antenna prototypes is undergoing flight qualification testing. If successful, the resulting antenna would represent the first evolved hardware in space, and the first deployed evolved antenna.
Dr. Jason Lohn, Group Leader, Evolvable Systems,
NASA Ames Research Center

9:30 a.m. - KEYNOTE PRESENTATION
Designing with ZigBee in Home, Industrial and Commercial Applications
This presentation will explain how to use ZigBee to solve your customers’ needs. You’ll dive deep into the technical details of ZigBee, starting with the flexible, robust and reliable IEEE 802.15.4 wireless short-range standard; moving into ZigBee’s native Mesh Networking and data/network security methods; and then the ZigBee device Object and Application profiles. Discover what applications are planned in the building automation, home control and industrial automation markets. You’ll also receive a brief overview of the ZigBee Alliance and find out what testing and certification services they offer, so you can quickly and successfully get your ZigBee enabled producs to market.
Jon Adams, Director, Radio Technology & Strategy, Freescale Semiconductor,
ZigBee Alliance Qualification Work Group Chair

10:15 a.m. - Networking Break in the Exhibit Hall

10:45 a.m.
Selecting the Optimal Internal Antenna Solution for Today’s Wireless Devices
The integration of internal antennas into wireless products is more complex than ever before. This presentation will cover the key consideration factors in the decision process - mechanical and electrical. It will also highlight the various choices available today and evaluate their strengths and weaknesses. Finally, the presentation will discuss simulated testing considerations as well as design and manufacturing implications.
Bruce Gray, President & CEO,
Ethertronics

10:45 a.m.
Blockage and Truncation Effects in Wireless Antenna Measurements
Measurements of wireless antenna pattern characteristics can be challenging, as these antennas typically are designed for omni-directional radiation. The ability to demonstrate these omni-directional pattern characteristics is affected by several mechanisms, the most critical being the antenna mount as it holds the antenna in place during the measurement, as well as the ability to obtain data over the full sphere surrounding the antenna. The antenna mount introduces blockage of the antenna illumination over certain regions of the enclosing sphere, which creates ripple in the measured antenna pattern. For near-field measurements, the truncation of the measurement zone over the enclosing sphere also introduces pattern ripple. Thus, these phenomena affect the ability of the wireless antenna to be properly characterized over its coverage area. This presentation examines these effects and the nature of their influence on the measurements, as well as demonstrating methods to minimize their effect by careful test system design.
John Aubin, VP of Business Development,
ORBIT/FR Inc.

10:45 a.m.
Wireless Sensor Networks: Where Technologies Meet and Applications are Endless
Lacking an efficient means to enable communication between non-computer devices like motion-detection sensors used on the battlefield or thermometers gauging the temperature of food products or pharmaceuticals in transit, wireless sensing networking and ZigBee technology has seized on a market need and opportunity. This presentation will discuss the challenges and benefits of using wireless mesh networking for remote applications and as a short-range wireless technology.
Mark Pacelle, VP Marketing,
Millennial Net

11:30 a.m.
Photonic Phased Array Antenna: Overview and Challenges
Photonic phased array antennas (PAA) have led to considerable interest for both military and civilian applications. Several advantages are provided over conventional approaches, including realization of true time-delay beamforming, making possible multifunction operation with instantaneous broadband and multiband communication, and immunization to electromagnetic interference and electromagnetic pulse. In this presentation, the current state of the art in photonic phased arrays will be discussed, offering an excellent opportunity to learn about these new scientific and business opportunities. Several promising approaches wil be discussed.
Dr. Maggie Chen, Senior Research Engineer,
Omega Optics

11:30 a.m.
Design of a New Broadband Double Ridge Guide Horn for Electromagnetic Compatibility Testing Having a Single Main Lobe
Broadband antennas are the work horse of EMC testing. The large frequency band allows testing of equipment without interruptions to change antennas. Until recently the main antenna parameter of interest to the EMC engineer was the antenna factor (AF). EMC engineers were not interested in antenna patterns. As testing at higher frequencies has become important, attention to the radiation pattern has become a key issue. Recently, a double ridge horn (DRGH) design that has been accepted in the EMC communityas a standard antenna has been found to have a very poor pattern for about half of the band it covers. In this presentation, a new design of DRGH is introduced which maintains a single lobe radiation pattern over the entire band and is comparable in gain and AF with the traditional design.
Dr. Vince Rodriguez, RF/Electromagnetics Engineer,
ETS-Lindgren

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