Michael Mayor, MSE, PE

Software-defined radio (SDR) is a radio communication system where components that have been traditionally implemented in hardware (e.g. mixers, filters, amplifiers, modulators/demodulators, detectors, etc.) are instead implemented by means of software on a personal computer or embedded system. While the concept of SDR is not new, the rapidly evolving capabilities of digital electronics render practical many processes which were once only theoretically possible.

A basic SDR system may consist of a personal computer equipped with a sound card, or other analog-to-digital converter, preceded by some form of RF front end. Significant amounts of signal processing are handed over to the general-purpose processor, rather than being done in special-purpose hardware (electronic circuits). Such a design produces a radio which can receive and transmit widely different radio protocols (sometimes referred to as waveforms) based solely on the software used.

Software radios have significant utility for the military and cell phone services, both of which must serve a wide variety of changing radio protocols in real time. In the long term, software-defined radios are expected by proponents like the Wireless Innovation Forum to become the dominant technology in radio communications. SDRs, along with software defined antennas are the enablers of the cognitive radio.

Biography:

Michael A. Mayor is a Consulting Scientist providing Services in the areas of Secure Information Systems and Secure Communication Networks.

Formerly, he was Vice President / Chief Scientist, Advanced Technology Research, in the Aerospace/Communications Division of ITT Defense Electronics. In this capacity, he conducted Research and Directed the development of a wide range of Secure Wireless Communications and Emitter Geolocation Systems and their components. These included: Radio Frequency Transceivers, Software Defined and Cognitive Radio Systems, Digital Receivers and Digital Signal Processing algorithms. These developments extended to the application of Digital Instrumentation to System Test and Validation.

He authored six patents in Spread Spectrum Communications and Digital Instrumentation. He received the ITT Defense & Electronics Engineered for Life Award, for his technical contributions in Communications, Geolocation and Microelectronics areas.

He is a Senior Member of the IEEE and holds a Master of Science in Engineering (MSE) from the School of Engineering and Applied Science, University of Pennsylvania. He is a registered Professional Engineer in the State of VA, a member of the National Society of Professional Engineers (NSPE) and a member of the NSPE Executive Board of the Professional Engineers in Industry Community.