Patent ID: 7324799

Claim:
Device for frequency conversion, comprising: exactly one multi-band mixer with means for transferring a signal that is applied to a signal input of said multi-band mixer from a source frequency band of said signal to one out of a plurality of target frequency sub-bands at a time, yielding a transferred signal at a signal output of said multi-band mixer, wherein said plurality of target frequency sub-bands define at least a first target frequency band and a second target frequency band, and wherein said multi-band mixer comprises a first group of transistors and a second group of transistors; and a bank of switchable variable gain amplifiers for amplifying said transferred signal, wherein for each of said at least first target frequency band and said second target frequency band, a corresponding switchable variable gain amplifier is provided that is adapted to said corresponding target frequency band and is connected to the signal output of said multi-band mixer, wherein each of said switchable variable gain amplifiers comprises a first transistor and a second transistor, wherein an emitter of said first transistor of each of said switchable variable gain amplifiers is connected to collectors of all the transistors of said first group of transistors of said multi-band mixer in the form of a cascode circuit, and wherein an emitter of said second transistor of each of said switchable variable gain amplifiers is connected to collectors of all the transistors of said second group of transistors of said multi-band mixer in the form of a cascode circuit.