QuickCore Low-Overhead SCA Core Framework for Small Form Factor, Low Power SDRs

The Software Communications Architecture (SCA) holds great promise for advancing standardization and interoperability among both military radios in the DoD Joint Tactical Radio System (JTRS) program and in software defined radio (SDR) systems in general. However, current SCA core framework implementations and the operating environments built with them have exhibited performance profiles and resource inefficiencies that have rendered them unsuitable for small form factor platforms. The QuickCore low-overhead SCA Core Framework addresses this challenge through the design and development of an SCA operating environment comprehensively tailored to small form factor platforms and developed on a platform representative of this class of radio. In addition, the QuickCore Phase II development effort will assume a measure of freedom in exploring potential deviations from and modifications to the current SCA specification and, in so doing, identify candidate change proposals to future versions of the SCA intended to improve its suitability for small form factor platforms for both JTRS radios in particular and for SDR systems in general. The FM3TR waveform will be used to drive the characterization and performance assessment of the Phase II QuickCore development.