The DTA-2116 receives I/Q packets generated by a software modulation process over the PCIe bus. The I/Q packets are buffered in a DDR memory-based transmit FIFO before further processing. The DTA-2116 then performs channel filtering, resampling, gating, and digital upconversion to generate a digitally upconverted modulated signal, which is then converted into an analog RF signal by a high-performance RF-DAC. The analog RF signal is low-pass filtered and amplified or attenuated with a programmable gain.

The DTA-2116’s master clock generator synchronizes the device’s oscillator to either an internal 10MHz oscillator or an external 10MHz timing reference for more accurate or synchronized timing. The Sync block enables synchronous starting with the 1pps input signal, facilitating precise synchronization between multiple modulators.