Low noise amplifiers
A Low-noise amplifier (LNA) is an electronic RF amplifier, which is typically used in front of receiver systems with relatively high noise figure to increase the signal strength of weak radio signals in order to improve the receiver system’s sensitivity, i.e. ability to detect and process a weak radio signal properly.
Another purpose is to compensate introduced loss in the RF signal path in front of a receiver system, e.g. long antenna cables or filters/signal dividers with high insertion loss. Inserting an LNA in the signal path before the high-loss element, having RF gain similar to the introduced signal loss, it will restore the original signal level and ensure the signal-to-noise ratio of a received radio signal is retained.
One key parameter is the LNA’s Noise Figure (NF) typically expressed in dB. The Noise Figure is a measure of how much noise the LNA itself adds to an ideal radio signal, when amplified by the LNA. All Procom LNA products are designed with special focus on very low values of Noise Figure. An LNA is (or can be) a critical component in RF front-end circuitry to ensure the desired receiver system sensitivity.
