Square Peg Communications Inc.’s Multi-Channel Platform (MCP) is a hardware and software platform suitable for use in demanding satcom applications.

MCP Channel Units (CUs) are used to implement the physical layer of a variety of air interfaces via a software-defined radio architecture.  They are intended for use in satellite or wireless base stations, signal measurement equipment, physical layer test equipment, channel simulators and other applications utilizing Digital Signal Processing (DSP).

A Channel Unit (CU) card set is comprised of a Channel Unit Front Card (CUFC) and a Channel Unit Rear Card (CURC).  The CUFC is the DSP and FPGA based signal processing engine that implements the physical layer modulators and demodulators.  The CUFC provides an Ethernet IP interface for control, status and data.  It also incorporates an IPMI controller for shelf management in a suitably equipped chassis.

The CURC interfaces to the CUFC at digital complex baseband and provides the 70 MHz IF up and down conversion function.  It provides two transmit IF output ports (TxA and TxB) and two receive IF input ports (RxA and RxB).  Alternative IF or RF interfaces can be implemented by changing only the CURC.

Multiple CUs can be synchronized to an internally generated or externally provided timing pulse.  High availability is facilitated by the use of redundant Ethernet connections, hot swap support and extensive built-in test.  The CU firmware and configuration settings are field upgradeable via Ethernet.

The CU provides four transmit and four receive composite channels, each of which can be independently tuned within the IF band and output to or input from a selected IF feed.  Within each composite channel, the number of bearers is dependent upon the signal bandwidth and the required processing power.