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and why digital technologies
are used in RF applications.
Where Digital and RF Collide
With sufficiently fast and capable
digital signal processors (DSPs),
analog-to-digital converters (ADCs),
and digital-to-analog converters
(DACs), an engineer can build
an RF receiving or transmitting
system that operates to very
high frequencies with reasonable
fidelity. However, due to some of
the non-idealities with direct digital
synthesis (DDS) and direct digital
conversion (DDC), some high-
performance and highly integrated
RF systems also incorporate RFFEs,
analog frequency translation (i.e.,
upconversion and downconversion),
and signal conditioning
before the signal reaches the
digital baseband modules.
