Raltron has broadened its RSF Series of surface acoustic wave filters, strengthening its offering for engineers designing compact wireless products that rely on reliable RF filtering. The expanded portfolio targets three of the industry’s busiest frequency segments including GNSS receivers, 2.4 GHz WiFi, and sub GHz ISM applications, where efficient interference suppression is becoming increasingly important as more radios are integrated into a single device.
Rather than introducing a completely new technology, the company is expanding the available range of optimized filters to give designers more flexibility when balancing RF performance, board space, power consumption, and manufacturing costs.
GPS SAW filters
For satellite navigation applications, Raltron’s RSF filters are aimed at modern multi constellation GNSS receivers used in automotive electronics, asset tracking systems, timing modules, drones, industrial positioning equipment, and portable consumer devices.
The filters are available in chip scale packages as small as 1.1 × 0.9 mm, allowing manufacturers to integrate high quality RF filtering even into extremely compact products where every square millimeter of PCB space matters.
Technically, the filters are designed to provide:
- Low insertion loss to preserve weak satellite signals.
- Low amplitude ripple for stable passband performance.
- High out of band rejection to reduce interference from nearby RF sources.
- High power handling compared to many miniature RF filter solutions.
Because GNSS receivers often process signals that arrive at power levels below −130 dBm, minimizing additional signal loss inside the RF front end is critical. Even small improvements in filter efficiency can translate into faster satellite acquisition and improved positioning stability in electrically noisy environments.
WiFi front end optimization
The RSF portfolio also includes dedicated SAW filters for the 2.4 GHz WiFi band, addressing one of today’s most crowded sections of the radio spectrum.
Modern consumer electronics frequently combine WiFi, Bluetooth, LTE, 5G, GNSS, and proprietary wireless protocols within the same enclosure. Without sufficient filtering, unwanted emissions from neighboring radios can reduce receiver sensitivity or increase packet errors.
Raltron says its WiFi filters are optimized to suppress unwanted signals from adjacent wireless systems while maintaining clean transmission inside the desired frequency band. This makes them suitable for:
- Wireless routers.
- Access points.
- Smart home gateways.
- Smartphones.
- Consumer electronics.
- Industrial IoT equipment.
The compact package size also simplifies implementation in highly integrated radio modules where PCB real estate is limited.
ISM band connectivity
For sub GHz wireless systems, the expanded RSF family supports common Industrial Scientific and Medical band applications including LoRa, SIGFOX, and other low power wide area network technologies.
These filters help equipment manufacturers meet spectral mask requirements while improving coexistence with neighboring radio systems operating within the increasingly crowded ISM spectrum.
Typical target applications include:
- Smart utility meters.
- Building automation.
- Industrial monitoring.
- Environmental sensors.
- Battery powered IoT devices.
- Remote control equipment.
Reducing adjacent channel interference is especially valuable for battery operated sensors that may remain in the field for years without maintenance, where reliable communication is often more important than maximizing raw data throughput.
Engineering support
Alongside the hardware itself, Raltron continues emphasizing engineering assistance during RF design.
According to the company, engineers receive guidance covering impedance matching, PCB layout optimization, filter selection, and coexistence planning for products containing multiple radio technologies.
For many OEMs, particularly smaller development teams, this support can shorten RF validation cycles and reduce the number of hardware revisions before production.
Why SAW filters remain relevant
Although bulk acoustic wave filters and highly integrated RF front ends receive much of today’s attention, conventional SAW filters continue to occupy an important position across many wireless designs.
For frequencies used by GPS, WiFi, and numerous ISM applications, SAW technology still offers an attractive balance between electrical performance, package size, manufacturing maturity, and cost effectiveness.
As wireless devices continue integrating more radios into increasingly compact hardware, external filtering remains one of the simplest ways to preserve receiver sensitivity and comply with regulatory emissions requirements without significantly increasing system complexity.
Industry perspective
The expansion of the RSF Series reflects a broader trend across the RF industry. Modern connected devices are no longer limited by processor performance but increasingly by radio coexistence. Every additional wireless interface introduces new opportunities for interference inside the same enclosure, making front end filtering a critical part of system architecture rather than an optional component.
Raltron’s strategy appears well aligned with this shift. Instead of focusing solely on higher frequency technologies, the company is reinforcing mature frequency bands that continue to ship in enormous production volumes across automotive electronics, industrial IoT, smart infrastructure, and consumer products. Demand for compact, efficient RF filtering is likely to remain strong as multi radio designs become the industry standard.
About Raltron
Founded in 1983, Raltron is a privately held, ISO 9001:2015 certified manufacturer specializing in frequency control, RF, antenna, and audio components. Its portfolio includes crystal resonators, oscillators, TCXOs, OCXOs, VCXOs, SAW and LTCC filters, ceramic resonators, IoT antennas, RF cable assemblies, connectors, microphones, speakers, buzzers, and piezoelectric components. The company distributes its products worldwide through a global network of authorized representatives and franchised distributors, serving customers across telecommunications, automotive, industrial electronics, aerospace, consumer devices, and IoT markets.
