Design a transmit chain
design_rf_chainRead-only
Design a complete RF transmitter chain with the convergent orchestrator: selects the driver, PA, filter, and connector (the signal source is the user's input power by default — no VCO unless one is explicitly the generator), matches drive power between stages, inserts a pre-driver or attenuator when needed to reach the target output power, and returns the BOM plus a convergence summary (achieved vs target output). When the BOM's pricingCoverage is 'partial', total_usd is a subtotal of pricedLines of totalLines parts: never call it the total, and state no figure for the unpriced parts. For a receiver, use design_rf_receiver instead. For a module that shares one antenna between transmit and receive, use design_tr_module instead.
Input Schema
TableJSON Schema
| Name | Required | Description | Default |
|---|---|---|---|
| region | No | Target market / regulatory region (e.g. 'USA', 'Europe', 'Global'). Set it when the user states their market so the design-time power clamp can enforce the right limits — an EU/Europe design with a known antenna gain is held to the ETSI e.i.r.p. limit (EN 300 328 / EN 301 893), not just the FCC ISM conducted limit. | |
| bandwidth | No | Signal bandwidth in MHz (optional). | |
| frequency | Yes | Operating frequency in GHz (scalar). | |
| application | No | Application context (e.g. satcom_c_band, 5g_cellular, wifi_wlan). Defaults to 'general'. For a drone, send the most specific link the user names: drones_digital_video (digital/OFDM video: the PA is judged on LINEAR power), drones_analog_video (analog FM video: saturated power, plus the FCC 15.249 licence note) or drones_control_telemetry; plain 'drones' means the modulation is unknown (the PA is judged on P1dB). | |
| user_request | No | The end user's own words that prompted this call, verbatim. Used to verify that the figures you pass were stated by your user rather than inferred. Omit it and the results will be labelled caller-asserted. | |
| input_power_dbm | No | The power the user's radio or signal source delivers into the chain, in dBm (e.g. 0 or -10), ONLY when the user states it. It is the INPUT, never the target output. Omit it when not stated — the result then says which level was assumed. | |
| protected_bands | No | Bands another radio on the same platform listens on (e.g. a drone's GNSS receiver), checked against the filters after the PA. Only when the user asks to protect a band. A cited ITU RNSS band is named by source ('table:rnss_1164_1215', 'table:rnss_1215_1240', 'table:rnss_1240_1300', 'table:rnss_1559_1610', 'table:rnss_5010_5030') and needs no edges; a band the user states uses source 'user' with name, fLowHz and fHighHz. requiredRejectionDb ONLY when the user states it — it narrows the filter choice. Never invent an edge or a requirement. | |
| antenna_gain_dbi | No | Antenna gain in dBi. Set it when the user states their antenna so an EU/ETSI design can enforce the e.i.r.p. limit at the real gain (conducted ceiling = e.i.r.p. limit − antenna gain); without it the ETSI clamp does NOT engage (no 0 dBi assumption is made in the design). | |
| board_mount_only | No | true ONLY when the user asks for board-mount (surface-mount) parts only. The PA, driver, predriver and the isolator after the PA then skip parts whose record says drop-in, flange, die or cable; if none is left the slot stays empty and the warnings say why. The VCO, attenuator, filter and coupler slots are not filtered. | |
| harmonic_2nd_dbc | No | The 2nd-harmonic limit at the output in dBc (a negative number, e.g. -40), ONLY when the user states one. The filters after the PA are then chosen and judged against it. Never guess it and never derive it from a regulation. | |
| hopping_channels | No | Drone control/telemetry only: the number of hopping channels the link uses, WHEN THE USER STATES IT. 50 or more lifts the design ceiling from FCC 15.247(b)(2)'s 24 dBm to 30 dBm. Never guess it. | |
| digital_modulation | No | Drone control/telemetry only: true WHEN THE USER STATES the link uses digital modulation (FCC 15.247(b)(3)), which lifts the 24 dBm ceiling to 30 dBm. Never guess it. | |
| input_voltage_max_v | No | Highest voltage the board supply reaches, in volts (optional; e.g. a fully charged battery). Only when the user STATES it. Pair with input_voltage_min_v. | |
| input_voltage_min_v | No | Lowest voltage the board supply reaches, in volts (optional; e.g. a battery at cut-off). Only when the user STATES it — never derive it from a cell count or chemistry. Give it together with input_voltage_max_v and a main_board_input_voltage inside the two; the power tree then picks regulators that work across the whole span. | |
| target_output_power | Yes | Target transmitter output power in dBm. | |
| transmit_bias_pulsed | No | Pulsed designs only: true when the user says the amplifier bias (gate or drain) is switched off between pulses, false when it stays on. Omit when not stated — the idle draw between pulses is then counted as heat. | |
| internally_matched_only | No | Prefer internally 50-ohm matched parts (optional). A preference, not a filter: an unmatched PA can still win on score, and the result's warnings then say so. | |
| main_board_input_voltage | No | Board DC supply voltage in volts that the power tree steps down/up to the per-component rails (optional; defaults to 12 V). Set it when the user states their supply rail, e.g. a 28 V or 48 V bench/battery input. | |
| transmit_duty_cycle_percent | No | Transmit duty cycle in percent for a PULSED system (radar). Default 100 = continuous wave (CW). Set it to the real duty (e.g. 10 for a 10% radar) so thermal, stress, and compliance use AVERAGE power, not peak. |