A waveform adaptive 
transmitter that conditions and / or modulates the phase, frequency, bandwidth, amplitude and / or attenuation of ultra-
wideband (UWB) pulses. The 
transmitter confines or band-limits UWB signals within spectral limits for use in communication, positioning, and / or 
radar applications. One embodiment comprises a low-level UWB source (e.g., an 
impulse generator or time-gated oscillator (fixed or 
voltage-controlled)), a waveform adapter (e.g., digital or analog filter, 
pulse shaper, and / or 
voltage variable attenuator), a power 
amplifier, and an antenna to radiate a band-limited and / or modulated UWB or 
wideband signals. In a special case where the oscillator has 
zero frequency and outputs a 
DC bias, a low-level 
impulse generator impulse-excites a bandpass filter to produce an UWB 
signal having an adjustable 
center frequency and desired bandwidth based on a characteristic of the filter. In another embodiment, a low-level impulse 
signal is approximated by a time-gated continuous-wave oscillator to produce an extremely wide bandwidth pulse with deterministic 
center frequency and bandwidth characteristics. The UWB 
signal may be modulated to carry multi-
megabit per second 
digital data, or may be used in 
object detection or for 
ranging applications. Activation of the power 
amplifier may be time-gated in 
cadence with the UWB source thereby to reduce inter-pulse 
power consumption. The UWB 
transmitter is capable of extremely high pulse repetition frequencies (PRFs) and data rates in the hundreds of megabits per second or more, 
frequency agility on a pulse-to-pulse basis allowing frequency hopping if desired, and 
extensibility from below HF to 
millimeter wave frequencies.