The MAX1473 fully integrated low-power CMOS superheterodyne receiver is ideal for receiving amplitudeshift-keyed (ASK) data in the 300MHz to 450MHz frequency range. Its signal range is from -114dBm to 0dBm. With few external components and a low-current power-down mode, it is ideal for cost- and power-sensitive applications typical in the automotive and consumer markets. The chip consists of a low-noise amplifier (LNA), a fully differential image-rejection mixer, an onchip phase-locked-loop (PLL) with integrated voltagecontrolled oscillator (VCO), a 10.7MHz IF limiting amplifier stage with received-signal-strength indicator (RSSI), and analog baseband data-recovery circuitry. The MAX1473 also has a discrete one-step automatic gain control (AGC) that drops the LNA gain by 35dB when the RF input signal is greater than -57dBm.