RF, Microwave & DSP Engineering — From 3D EM Simulation to Measured Hardware
With 30+ years of electrical and software engineering experience, Radix-2 Technologies helps hardware teams, aerospace/defense contractors, and wireless startups design, simulate, fabricate, and validate high-frequency RF components and signal processing systems.
Core Capabilities
Specialized RF & Signal Processing Practice Areas
3D EM Simulation & Custom Antenna Design
Full-wave 3D electromagnetic modeling, parametric optimization, and impedance matching in Ansys HFSS to reduce design risk and expensive hardware re-spins before fabrication.
- Planar, helical (QFH), dipole, and GNSS/SatCom antenna design & radiation pattern optimization
- Balun synthesis, coaxial-to-microstrip transitions, and port impedance matching
- Enclosure, radome, and RF shield cavity resonance / detuning analysis
- Parametric Optimetrics sweeps across substrate Dk tolerances and manufacturing variations
Microwave Filter Design & High-Frequency PCB Layout
Design, synthesis, and layout of distributed-element and lumped RF circuits engineered for real-world PCB manufacturing constraints on PTFE, Rogers, and controlled-impedance stackups.
- Hairpin, interdigital, stepped-impedance, and radial-stub bandpass/lowpass microwave filters
- Spurious harmonic suppression & cascaded filter architectures for mixer front-ends
- Controlled-impedance microstrip/coplanar waveguide routing and via-stitching in KiCad
- Design-for-Manufacturing (DFM) optimization for rapid turnkey fabrication (JLCPCB, Rogers, PTFE)
Digital Signal Processing, SDR & Waveform Engineering
Algorithmic modeling, synchronization design, and software-defined radio (SDR) signal processing for terrestrial wireless, radar, and high-Doppler LEO satellite links.
- Synchronization sequence design & trade studies (Zadoff-Chu, Gold codes, PN correlators)
- LEO satellite Doppler shift compensation, delay-Doppler ambiguity analysis & carrier recovery
- Matched filter receivers, IQ modulation/demodulation (ASK/OOK/FSK/PSK/QAM), and link budgets
- Bit-true reference modeling in Python (NumPy/SciPy) and embedded C/C++ / VHDL FPGA implementation
RF Bench Characterization, Prototyping & Signal Reverse Engineering
Hands-on hardware bring-up, S-parameter verification against full-wave simulations, over-the-air protocol decoding, and deterministic embedded firmware.
- Scalar & vector S11/S21 characterization from 11 kHz to 6 GHz (insertion loss, return loss, VSWR)
- Over-the-air RF signal capture, modulation forensics, and proprietary packet decoding via SDR
- Custom CNC/3D-modeled RF shielding enclosures (FreeCAD) and first-article bench validation
- Real-time embedded firmware, state machines, and guidance/navigation/control (GNC) software
How We Work Together
Flexible Engineering Engagement Models
Pre-Fab RF & EM Design Review
Independent review of your RF schematic, PCB layout stackup, or antenna/filter geometry before you commit to fabrication.
- 3D HFSS verification of critical RF launches, filters, and antennas
- Identification of spurious passbands, cavity resonances, and return-loss bottlenecks
- Actionable layout redlines and stackup recommendations within 5–10 business days
Turnkey Subsystem Design
End-to-end engineering of a custom RF filter, antenna, wireless PHY algorithm, or prototype PCB from specification to bench measurement.
- Full analytical synthesis + parametric Ansys HFSS electromagnetic simulation
- Manufacturing-ready KiCad PCB design files, BOM, and fabrication Gerbers
- Assembled prototype bring-up with measured S-parameter / spectrum test report
Fractional Principal RF / DSP Engineer
On-demand senior RF, microwave, and signal processing expertise integrated directly with your internal hardware or SDR team.
- Architecture trade studies, link budgets, and vendor/substrate selection
- Weekly design reviews, simulation support, and lab troubleshooting
- Flexible monthly hours without the overhead of a full-time principal hire
Simulation Toolchain & RF Characterization Lab
Projects are executed using industry-standard 3D electromagnetic solvers, open and commercial PCB CAD suites, and an in-house 6 GHz RF test bench.
Real-time spectrum analysis, vector signal generation, modulated waveform generation, receiver characterization, and automated RF measurement.
High-resolution oscilloscope characterization, timing analysis, and mixed RF/digital system troubleshooting.
Software-defined radio experimentation, real-time DSP prototyping, FPGA acceleration, and hardware/software partitioning.
Full-wave 3D modal & terminal simulation, Optimetrics parametric sweeps, controlled-impedance RF PCB layout, and shielded housings.
Have a target specification, frequency plan, or board stackup you'd like to discuss?
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