These archive pages are provided in order to make it easier for you to find items
that you remember seeing on the RF Cafe homepage. Of course probably the easiest
way to find anything on the website is to use the "Search
RF Cafe" box at the top of every page.
About RF Cafe.
POTUS-PRIME: Seeking Info
It is not often
that a famous author of books dealing with the subject of secret military codes,
ciphers, and cryptography writes to me asking for assistance in some research. In
fact this is the first time such an author has written - about codes and ciphers,
that is. Mr. Fred B. Wrixon contacted (see below)
me after finding World War II communications articles posted on RF Cafe to
ask whether I had any verifiable knowledge of a fabled communication system between
U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt and UK Prime Minister Winston Churchill that
went by the name POTUS-PRIME.
Other than recognizing that POTUS is President of
the United States and PRIME is
Prime Minister, I had to admit to possessing no useful knowledge.
It reportedly involved the Bell Labs A-3 speech scrambler that was superseded by
the SIGSALY system. If you happen upon this post and are able to assist Mr. Wrixon,
he would not only be most grateful, but is offering compensation
...
Russian Hackers Create Trojan USB Drive to Deliver Device-Killing
Voltage
"It can kill everything from your laptop to
your TV. Russian hackers have created a USB stick that can instantly fry any machine
it is plugged into. It sends 220 Volts through the signal lines of the USB interface,
rendering anything it is plugging into useless. The Russian security researcher
known as 'Dark Purple' who created the stick has even posted
a video of it in action - killing his laptop in the process
..."
Congrats to September Book Drawing Winner Tisha H !!!
Tisha H., of Gadsden, Alabama, is the lucky
winner of the RF Cafe Book Drawing for September 2015. Tisha selected
Foundations of Antenna Engineering: A Unified Approach
for Line-Of-Sight and Multipath, by Kildal Per-Simon, which was Graciously provided
by
Artech House. Each month I randomly choose one or two names from the list of
people who have bought my software products during the month. Most of the books
are donated by the publishers, and then I pay for shipping to the winner.
Tech Funding Surging Despite Bubble Fears
"Investors poured increasing amounts of cash
into startups in the third quarter, defying fears of a bubble in the tech sector,
a survey showed Wednesday. A total of 1,799 venture-backed startups around the world
pulled in $37.6B in funding in the quarter, the highest since 2001, according to
the survey by CB Insights and KPMG. The vast majority of the funding - 77% - went
to technology startups
..."
Effective Expert Witnessing: Practices for the 21st Century
Effective Expert Witnessing: Practices for the
21st Century, 5th Edition, by Jack V. Matson, comes highly recommended by the
good folks at IMS ExpertServices. They are the origin of all the BullsEye
articles I post that provide insight into real court cases involving expert witnesses.
After I recently posted "Tips from an Expert Witness Recruiter on Getting Hired," written
by Mr. Toby Edwards, I wrote to ask whether there is a book that would be particularly
good for someone either already engaged in or contemplating being engaged in providing
expert witness services. This book was the response.
Anatech Electronics Newsletter - October 2015
anatech-october-2015-newsletter.htm" >
Anatech Electronics, a manufacturer of RF and
microwave filters, has published its March 2015 newsletter. As always, it includes
both company news and some tidbits about relevant industry happenings. This month,
Sam Benzacar theme is "anatech-october-2015-newsletter.htm" >Spectrum Pollution:
A Silent Menace." He discusses a test run by a spectrum monitoring setup that recorded
thousands of independent signals in the 2.4 GHz ISM band in an urban environment,
illustrating how saturated our environment is with RF energy, and making you wonder
anatech-october-2015-newsletter.htm" ...
Empower RF Systems Intros 1 to 2.5 GHz, 2 kW HPA in 8U
Chassis
Empower-RF-Systems-1-2d5-GHz-2-kW-HPA-8U-Chassis-10-13-2015.htm" >
Empower RF is pleased to announce it is it is
shipping another new, industry leading RF amplifier system that complements the
frequency coverage and power level "footprint" of our next generation, high power
PA product family.
Model 2180, covering 1 to 2.5 GHz and delivering
an unprecedented 2 kW CW of broadband output power in a 8U, air cooled chassis
is our latest market release. Offering unrivaled size, weight, and power advantages
and building on a design architecture that has been a catalyst for technology Empower-RF-Systems-1-2d5-GHz-2-kW-HPA-8U-Chassis-10-13-2015.htm"
...
Frenzied Radio
"And there is nothing new under the sun."
- Ecclesiastes 1:9, NKJV (did you know that is the origin
of the saying?). This 1930 editorial by Radio-Craft editor Hugo
Gernsback describes a coordinated scam perpetrated by
radio manufacturers to compel consumers to buy new sets rather
than have their existing sets repaired. In short, retail prices were inflated to
accommodate a built-in 'trade-in' allowance that far exceeded the repair cost or
used radio cost. Radio service shops were getting the short shrift because many
people who might have otherwise elected to have repairs made would instead trade
in the old set for a new one
...
Notable Tech Quote - Heinrich Hertz
"I would rather be a great scientific investigator
than a great engineer; but would rather be a second-rate engineer than a second-rate
investigator." -
Heinrich Hertz in a letter to his parents in October, 1877
Keysight Technologies: Back to Basics Is Key in Spectrum
Analysis
Keysight-Technologies-Back-Basics-Key-Spectrum-Analysis-10-12-2015.htm" >
To get more out of your Keysight-Technologies-Back-Basics-Key-Spectrum-Analysis-10-12-2015.htm" >spectrum
analyzer, you need to go back to the basics. Dynamic range identifies whether or
not low-level signals will be visible in the presence of large signals, and is one
of the most important—and difficult—measurements to get right. Since the display
range, measurement range, noise floor, phase noise, and spurious response of the
instrument all play important roles in determining dynamic range, it is often misunderstood
and misinterpreted Keysight-Technologies-Back-Basics-Key-Spectrum-Analysis-10-12-2015.htm"
...
Chemistry Controls Magnetism
"Magnets
are well-known from the physics lessons at school, but they are hardly covered in
chemistry lectures; and it is still a chemical process by means of which researchers
have succeeded in controlling magnetic properties in bulk ferromagnets. While physical
processes may influence the orientation of the magnetic fields, the chemical process
in this case controls magnetism in carefully chosen strongly ferromagnetic material
systems. The working principle used in this case is similar to the
..."
Men Who Have Made Radio - Heinrich Hertz
Fifth in the "Men Who Have Made Radio"
series, Heinrich Hertz is honored here for giving mankind what author Hugo Gernsback
appropriately termed "a sixth sense." Having earned his doctorate with a thesis
on "the distribution of electricity over the surface of moving conductors," Hertz
proved through his experiments the existence of electromagnetic waves - the aforementioned
sixth sense. During his short 37 years on Earth,
Heinrich Hertz accomplished an impressive amount of fundamental
research and discovery. He was remembered fondly as a kind man who placed advancing
the frontiers of science ahead of fighting for credit
...
Auto Radio - Pro and Con
If you think the controversy over whether
drivers being distracted by telecommunications devices is something new, consider
this article from a 1935 issue of Radio-Craft magazine. Mobile radio was
a relatively new possibility at the time, as was the horseless carriage into which
installation was a cause for concern by insurance companies and government regulators.
Just as nowadays we worry about and sometimes fining drivers who use a smartphone
for
texting while driving, the state of Connecticut in 1935 went so
far as to propose imposing a fine of $50 ($870 in 2015 money)
for installing a radio set or any "other
...
MECA Intros 2 W Right Angle Attenuators
MECA-Right-Angle-Attenuators-10-7-2015.htm" >
MECA is pleased to announce the addition to our
662 series, 2 watt SMA attenuators operating now up to 4 GHz.
The 662-dB-1RA series attenuators cover all wireless applications from Hz – 4.0 GHz
and available in standard values of 3, 6, 10, 20 & 30 dB. And as always
made is USA carrying MECA's 36 month warranty MECA-Right-Angle-Attenuators-10-7-2015.htm"
...
NuWaves Wins USAF SBIR Phase II Contract for GPS
Satellite RF Filters
NuWaves-Engineering-USAF-SBIR-Phase-II-GPS-Satellite-RF-Filters-10-12-2015.htm" >
NuWaves Engineering, a veteran-owned small business
delivering advanced RF and microwave solutions, announced today that the company
has been awarded a Phase II Small Business Innovation Research contract from the
USAF Research Laboratory to develop and test an advanced triplexer in support of
AFRL's GPS technology development program. Under the AFRL-sponsored technology development
effort NuWaves-Engineering-USAF-SBIR-Phase-II-GPS-Satellite-RF-Filters-10-12-2015.htm"
...
This Is Digi-Talker
While
watching the Avengers: Age of Ultron movie, at some point when one of the
computer voices was speaking, a memory of the "This Is DigiTalker" voice suddenly came to mind. Back in the mid-1980s
while working at Westinghouse in Annapolis, Maryland, a couple of the engineers
brought a DigiTalker prototype experimentation board into the super-classified area
where I worked. According to National Semiconductor's datasheet, it was introduced
sometime around 1980. The programmable digital voice IC was a big deal in that unlike
other devices that had a fixed set of ...
Nobel Prize for Physics Awarded for Discovery That Neutrino
Has Mass
"The
2015 Nobel Prize for Physics has been awarded
to Arthur B McDonald and Takaaki Kajita "for the discovery of neutrino oscillations,
which shows that neutrinos have mass". The prize is worth SEK 8m (£629,000) and
will be shared by the two winners who will receive their medals at a ceremony in
Stockholm on 10 December. Kajita is a Japanese citizen and a member of the Super-Kamiokande
collaboration. McDonald is a Canadian citizen and director of the Sudbury Neutrino
Observatory
..."
Pasternack In-Stock Amplifier Line All Priced Less <$500
per Unit
Pasternack-Amplifier-Line-Priced-Below-500-USD-10-8-2015.htm" >
Pasternack, a leading provider of in-stock and
ready to ship RF, microwave and millimeter wave products, announces the release
of new affordable
coaxial-packaged RF amplifiers. Both low noise
and gain block amplifiers are offered and display excellent performance covering
wide octave frequency bands from 9 kHz to 3 GHz. All of these new amplifiers
from Pasternack provide an outstanding value and are all priced less than $500 USD
for a single unit. These products provide engineers a convenient and Pasternack-Amplifier-Line-Priced-Below-500-USD-10-8-2015.htm"
...
Science-Themed Crossword Puzzle for October 11, 2015
This week's custom
crossword puzzle contains only words with relevance to science,
engineering, mathematics, chemistry, astronomy, mechanics, etc. Since each puzzle
is created personally by me, I usually insert a few special words and clues. This
week, the company names of my two newest advertisers are buried somewhere in the
matrix. Enjoy!
Can You Solve This Scottish High School Math Problem?
This problem appeared on a Scottish high school
higher maths placement exam
(we say 'math' here in the U.S.) and it reportedly
caused a major uproar due to its difficulty. Part (a) is a piece of cake, but part
(b) is what separates the wheat from the chaff, so to speak. Not being one to pass
up such a challenge, I took a shot at it - and actually got it all correct! Completing
part (b) requires that you know about how to find the minimum value of a function,
a method I didn't learn until college calculus. Any HS kid that knows how to work
part (b) is a bright light for the future of England and the world. Here is a nice
online derivative finder if you need it, and here is a
scan of my scribbled solution.
Radar and Electronic Warfare Fundamentals
Nuts and Volts magazine published
a really nice layman's overview on the subject of
radar and electronic warfare. Author Gerard Fonte
begins with a little radar history and then delves into basics on radar signature,
countermeasures including anti-radiation missiles, false targets, and radiation
patterns. This is a fairly short article and is meant only as an introduction to
the subject. For a really great resource that goes into much more detail, but without
all the mind-boggling mathematics, I recommend (and own a
copy of) Stimson's
Introduction to Airborne Radar.
A Few Good RF Engineering Magazine Articles
It was the end of August when I last posted
links to RF & microwave engineering articles. You don't need me to suggest reading
material, but this can at least serve as a reminder that there are many great new
articles available. Some magazines have been printing an abbreviated version of
an article and then posting the entire article online. Often, even if the entire
text is printed, there are additional sketches and photographs posted online
...
-
Using Power Sensors in Unattended
Applications
-
6 Types of Resonators Used Across
the RF/Microwave Universe
-
Making Links with Cables and
Connectors <more
...>
Linx Intros Low Cost R/C and Sensor Transceiver for the
IoT
Linx-Technologies-Low-Cost-RC-Sensor-Transceiver-IoT-10-6-2015.htm" >
Linx Technologies, a Merlin, OR based developer
and manufacturer of Internet of Things (IoT) Products and Solutions, is pleased
to introduce its new pre-certified remote control and sensor transceiver modules.
The
HumRC™ Series transceiver is built on the popular
Hummingbird platform, and is a frequency hopping spread spectrum (FHSS) transceiver
designed for reliable bi-directional remote control and sensor applications. Available
today in 900MHz, the HumRC™ outputs up to 10dBm. This results in a line-of-sight
range of up to 1.0 mile Linx-Technologies-Low-Cost-RC-Sensor-Transceiver-IoT-10-6-2015.htm"
...
P1dB Announces 65 GHz 1.85 mm Attenuators
P1dB-65-GHz-1d85-mm-Attenuators-10-8-2015.htm" >
P1dB, an RF and Microwave component supplier,
announces immediate availability of 1.85 mm,
65 GHz attenuators, designed to handle 1
Watt of continuous RF power. The 1.85 mm attenuators are available in 3dB,
6dB, 10dB, 20dB and 30 dB attenuation values. A common value for 1.85 mm
attenuators is a 6 dB, part number is P1AT-18MF-65G1W-6. All attenuator values
can be found in the attenuator category page on the P1dB website P1dB-65-GHz-1d85-mm-Attenuators-10-8-2015.htm"
...
Tips from an Expert Witness Recruiter on Getting Hired
The good folks at
IMS ExpertServices periodically sends me e-mails
that highlight recent key court cases that can significantly affect the effectiveness
of expert testimony, both for the plaintiff and for the defendant. You need only
scan the headlines I post daily to know the importance of effective legal representation
when intellectual property (IP) is being contested.
Expert Library articles are different from
BullsEye in that rather than report on specific court cases featuring noteworthy
actions from expert witnesses, they offer strategic advice to experts. Toby Edwards
is an expert witness recruiter who has been party to thousands of initial interviews
between attorneys and perspective expert witnesses. He offers a few
...
Fairview Microwave Intros Ultra-Miniature Cable Assemblies
up to 6 GHz
Fairview-Microwave-Ultra-Miniature-Cable-Assemblies-6-GHz-10-7-2015.htm" >
Fairview Microwave Inc., a supplier of on-demand
microwave and RF components, introduces a brand new family of ultra-miniature
UMCX, WMCX and HMCX32 cable assemblies. Commonly
used to connect an external antenna to a mini-PCB, these flexible micro-coax jumpers
offer operation from DC to 6 GHz and are ideal for use in wireless communications
systems. Additional wireless applications include antennas for GPS and other radio
systems, Wi-Fi, wireless LAN, Bluetooth, ZigBee, LTE, mini-PCI and PDA / PCS / cellular
handset Fairview-Microwave-Ultra-Miniature-Cable-Assemblies-6-GHz-10-7-2015.htm"
...
The Fixed "Rotary" Beam Antenna
On a fairly regular occasion someone will
write to one of the QST magazine columnists or post on a forum asking about information
on a particular antenna configuration he recalled seeing printed many moons ago,
but can no longer find anything on it. Fortunately, the columnists are guys who
have been in the Ham game for a many decades and not only remember what the writer
references, but knows where to dig out the original info. Even with the plethora
of resources available on the Web, some things still cannot be found because nobody
yet has posted it. That is one of my prime
...
Ultrathin Transistor Can Be Turned on with a Tiny Voltage
"A new transistor with an atomically thin
current-carrying channel that operates at ultralow supply voltages has been unveiled
by a team of researchers in the US. The new device, which is made from a 2D semiconducting
crystal and a bulk germanium substrate, can be switched on at just 0.1 V. It
could be used to create extremely dense and lower-power integrated circuits, and
could also form the basis of ultrasensitive
..."
Amateurs Honor Hiram Percy Maxim
Hiram Percy Maxim is well-known by amateur
radio operators as the founder of the American Radio Relay League (ARRL). He died
in 1936 and was buried at Rose Hill Cemetery in Hagerstown, Maryland. A few years
ago while visiting relatives in Hagerstown, I went to the cemetery, took some photos,
got the exact GPS coordinates, and posted a short article on it
(see
Hiram Percy Maxim's Gravesite in Hagerstown, Maryland).
If not for my documentation, there would be no way to know that the large grave
marker shown in this 1940 QST article does not belong to the esteemed Mr. Maxim,
but to the matron of his wife's family
...
NFC Concrete Slabs for a Smart City
"The idea is very simple, NFC chips are embedded
in the concrete, and easy to interpret printed or 3D embossed logos on the surface
indicate the presence of NFC-accessible services such as local transport information,
local tourist information, emergency services, or even multimedia content
(this could also be derived from advertising). Made
in China, the passive NFC chips are low cost and low tech, explained Blocparc, all
the company's IP is in
..."
MECA Multi-Band 32-Way Rack-Mounted Power Divider for
500 MHz – 6.00 GHz
MECA-Multi-Band-Rack-Mounted-RF-Power-Divider-500-MHz-6-GHz-10-7-2015.htm" >
MECA is pleased to announce its latest addition
to our broad band line of Power Dividers with the 32-way splitter. Available
in Type N & SMA, 30 W Wilkinson Power Dividers, optimized for excellent
performance with industry leading specifications from 500 MHz – 6.00 GHz.
Offering typical VSWR's ranging from of 1.30:1, Isolation of 18 dB typical
offering phase and amplitude balance typically only seen in narrower/octave band
models MECA-Multi-Band-Rack-Mounted-RF-Power-Divider-500-MHz-6-GHz-10-7-2015.htm"
...
Sharp Android Phone Also a Walking Robot with Movie Projector
"It might be the oddest phone ever made -
an 8" tall robot that can dance along to your music, project movies out of its head.
Called Robohon, the firm says it can even identify people using a camera in its
head. Measuring eight inches tall, it has a two inch touch screen on its back and
built in speakers and speech recognition. It walks, talks, dances, and connects
to LTE and 4G phone networks. It is even capable of identifying people by their
face or
..."
The ARRL 2016 Handbook for Radio
The ARRL Handbook for Radio Communications
is a valued reference for radio electronics and wireless communications. Since 1926,
it has kept radio amateurs, professionals, and experimenters immersed in applied
theory and do-it-yourself projects. The ARRL Handbook covers a wealth of information:
the fundamentals of electronics and radio signals, construction practices, antennas
and propagation, equipment and circuit design, and other useful reference information.
This 93rd edition of The Handbook continues to keep pace with the fast-moving technology
employed around the world. Each chapter is full of practical hands-on information
to
...
Triad RF Systems Q4 2015 Newsletter
Triad-RF-Systems-Q4-2015-Newsletter-10-1-2015.htm" >
The TA1030 is a Class AB GaN SSPA that produces
linear power from 6400 to 7200 MHz. Designed for Digital Video Broadcasting
(DVB) industry, this amplifier produces 10W of 16 QAM COFDM with skirts that are
30 dBc or greater. The amplifier also features our versatile DC supply (VDS)
which accepts a DC input of +9 to +36V. The amplifier produces 60 dB of
linear gain with an input VSWR of 1.5:1. Features include forward power detection,
over/under and reverse voltage protection and can switch between on and off in <1usec. A
tri-color status LED and Triad-RF-Systems-Q4-2015-Newsletter-10-1-2015.htm" ...
Starkey Hearing Technologies Needs a Sr. RF Design
Engineer
The Senior RF Design Engineer, under minimal supervision,
will be responsible for the design, implementation, and optimization of wireless
designs in hearing aids and hearing aid accessories. S/He must possess technical
expertise, effective communication skills, creativity, and internal drive to lead
the creation of designs that are recognized as best-in-class in the hearing aid
industry. S/He must have the ability to work both independently and in a group environment.
The Senior RF Design Engineer must be able to work well in a cross-functional team
environment and provide leadership and clarity for wireless system architecture
and design issues and have a passion ...
Skyworks Intros 200 to 3800 MHz Broadband Low-Noise Amplifier
Skyworks-200-3800-MHz-Broadband-LNA-9-30-2015.htm" >
Skyworks introduces an ultra-broadband LNA with
superior gain flatness and exceptional linearity. It is ideal for high performance
cellular infrastructure, small cells, tower mounted amplifiers, remote radio units,
repeaters, base stations and military LNA applications. The
SKY67159-396LF single stage GaAs pHEMT LNA offers ultra-broadband
performance with a single matching circuit, low noise figure and good linearity.
On-die active bias design Skyworks-200-3800-MHz-Broadband-LNA-9-30-2015.htm" ...
A Key to Radio as a Vocation
In 1936, a high school graduate could expect
to earn about $15 per week in the
nascent radio business. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor
Statistics' Inflation Calculator, that is the equivalent of around $257 per week
in 2015. That is not much to live on. Today, McDonalds burger flippers think they
should be paid a minimum of $15 per hour. That equates to $600 per week
in 1936, which is the kind of salary top industry executives were drawing back then.
Anyway, this article discusses the benefits of formal education in regard to potential
earnings in the radio business in many roles ranging from maintenance technician
to broadcaster to management
...
Facebook Plans Satellite in 2016
"Facebook is to launch a satellite that will
provide internet access to remote parts of Africa, the social network's founder
Mark Zuckerberg has announced. In partnership with French-based provider Eutelsat,
Facebook hope the first satellite will be launched in 2016. "We're going to keep
working to connect the entire world -- even if that means looking beyond our planet,"
Mark Zuckerberg said in a Facebook post. The project is part
..."
Howard Explorer Model W All-Wave Superhet Radio Data Service
Sheet
Here are the schematics, chassis layout,
and service info for the
Howard Explorer Model W Deluxe 19 Tube All-Wave Superheterodyne
radio. The Radio Service Data Sheets that were published in Radio-Craft
usually seem to have more information included than those published in other magazines,
at least in the same era (1940-ish). It might have to do with how much material
is provided by the manufacturer rather than a decision by the magazine editors.
Believe it or not, there are still people searching for such data
...
Anatech Electronics Introduces Coaxial and Semi-Rigid
RF Cable Assemblies
Anatech-Electronics-Coaxial-Semi-Rigid-RF-Cable-Assemblies-10-5-2015.htm" >
Anatech Electronics today introduced a broad
line of coaxial RF cable assemblies that are available as standard products
and are also fully-customizable to meet customer requirements. All standard products
can be purchased directly from the Anatech Electronics Web store. Hundreds of cable
assemblies and connectors are available in standard or custom lengths with connector
Anatech-Electronics-Coaxial-Semi-Rigid-RF-Cable-Assemblies-10-5-2015.htm" ...
Notable Tech Quote
"We are continually faced with a series of
great opportunities brilliantly disguised as insoluble problems." - John W. Gardner, Stanford University alum and former Secretary
of Health, Education, and Welfare.
Liquid Cooling Moves onto the Chip for Denser Electronics
"Using microfluidic passages cut directly
into the backsides of production field-programmable gate array devices, researchers
are putting liquid cooling right where it's needed the most -- a few hundred microns
away from where the transistors are operating. Combined with connection technology
that operates through structures in the cooling passages, the new technologies could
allow development of denser and more powerful
..."
Short-Wave Radio Lands Army Plane Without Human Aid
What was considered in 1937 to be a breakthrough
feat for a full-size airplane is today accomplished regularly in model airplanes.
What took hundreds of pounds of generators, radio gear, sensors, and actuators to
perform the first-ever
fully automatic landing is now done with a few ounces of microminiaturized
GPS receiver, processor, MEMS sensors, servos, and a LiPo battery. The HobbyZone
Sportsman S+RTF (see video at bottom) is an example.
Most modern commercial aircraft are capable of landing themselves in an emergency
situation. Just today there was a news report of an American Airlines pilot that
died in flight and the copilot took over to land the airplane
...
Engineering Crossword Puzzle for October 4, 2015
For the sake of avid cruciverbalists amongst
us, each week I create a new crossword puzzle that has a theme related to engineering,
mathematics, chemistry, physics, and other technical words. You will never be asked
the name of a movie star unless he/she was involved in a technical endeavor (e.g., Hedy Lamar)
...
Atomic Movements Observed to Better Understand Dielectric
Materials
"Researchers from North Carolina State University,
the U.S. National Institute of Standards and Technology, and UNSW Australia have
measured the behavior of specific atoms in dielectric materials when exposed to
an electric field. The work advances understanding of dielectric materials, which
are used in a wide variety of applications from handheld electronics to defibrillators.
'Dielectric materials are insulators that can store and manage electric charge.
But we hadn't yet directly measured how atoms move in dielectric materials in order
to store that charge
..."
P1dB Announces SMA Pigtails for In-Circuit RF Probing
P1dB-Announces-SMA-Pigtails-10-12015.htm" >
P1dB, an RF and microwave component supplier,
announces immediate availability of
RF Pigtails, which are good test probe solutions
for sampling or injecting RF signals in PCB circuits. P1dB Pigtails are configured
with SMA Female connectors and are available with a variety of coax types. The SMA
Pigtail coax types are semi-rigid, conformable and jacketed conformable All coax
types are available from 1" to 9" lengths. All Pigtails are found on P1dB's
RF Cable Assemblies category page P1dB-Announces-SMA-Pigtails-10-12015.htm"
...
Triad RF Systems Intros 700 – 6000 MHz, 10 W
GaN Amplifier Module
Triad-RF-Systems-700-6000MHz-10W-GaN-Amplifier-Module-10-1-2015.htm" >
This
wideband GaN amplifier module is ideal for CW,
modulated or pulsed applications. The wideband DC input range of +9 to +36V allows
the unit to be used with various power supplies in existing systems. Due to several
state-of-the-art circuits, this unit is also highly immune from damage due to out
of specification DC voltage conditions that may be applied. Its rugged construction
guarantees fault-free operation in the most extreme environments. Output power =
10 W, linear gain = 43 dB, gain flatness Triad-RF-Systems-700-6000MHz-10W-GaN-Amplifier-Module-10-1-2015.htm"
...
Advanced Test Equipment Corporation Needs a Technical
Marcom Specialist
Advanced Test Equipment Corporation is a world-wide
Hi-Tech equipment rental company located in Sorrento Valley. We are seeking a technical
marketing engineer to write technical articles, web content for our website, attend
trade shows (travel occasionally), and assist with
product support for the Rental Agents. This position is in the Marketing department
reporting to the Marketing Manager, working in a fast pace environment. A background
in engineering or test and measurement equipment is a plus ...
NI AWR Design Environment V12.01 Now Available
NI-AWR-Design-Environment-V12d01-Available-9-30-2015.htm" >
NI (formerly AWR Corporation)
announces the availability of a new update to V12 of
NI AWR
Design Environment™. Introduced in June 2015, V12 offers new amplifier-, antenna-
and radar-specific features, as well as ease-of-use improvements, speed enhancements
and additional third-party integration flows. Continuing to build upon the new load-pull
features of V12, the V12.01 update includes numerous additions to the load-pull
capabilities, as well as multiple improvements to system simulation within Visual
System Simulator™ (VSS) communications system communications
system design NI-AWR-Design-Environment-V12d01-Available-9-30-2015.htm" ...
Proposed Standards for Triboelectric Nanogenerators
"To provide a means for both comparing and
selecting energy-harvesting nanogenerators for specific applications, the research
group that pioneered the triboelectric nanogenerator technology has now proposed
a set of standards for quantifying device performance. More than 60 research groups
worldwide are now developing variations of the triboelectric nanogenerator (TENG),
which converts ambient
..."
Capacitor Lifetimes Can Be Improved with the Right Materials
"Although not all applications are safety
critical or mission critical, reliability is still a vital consideration for many
electronic products. Making informed choices at the component selection stage can
help ensure the product will perform correctly over its intended lifetime, writes
James Lewis. When choosing capacitors, properties such as volumetric efficiency,
frequency stability, temperature
...
Men More Likely to Be Seen as 'Creative Thinkers'
"People tend to associate the ability to think
creatively with stereotypical masculine qualities, according to new research published
in Psychological Science, a journal of the Association for Psychological Science.
The findings suggest that the work and achievements of men tend to be evaluated
as more creative than similar work and achievements produced by women. "Our research
..."
Men Who Made Radio: Reginald A. Fessenden
Radio-Craft magazine ran a series
of feature articles on "Men Who Made Radio." The January 1930 edition honored Canadian
engineer
Reginald A. Fessenden, who is credited for making the first
wireless voice transmission. Mr. Fessended worked with both Thomas Edison and
George Westinghouse, eventually inventing the rectifying electrolytic detector,
which was the successor of the coherer and the precursor of the crystal and the
tube detectors. His interest in communications extended beyond radio to include
sonic devices like sonar, a field in which he also gained significant renown
...
Circuit Board Market Hits $60B in 2014
"The world market for
printed circuit board technology was worth an
estimated $60.2 billion in 2014, growing 0.7 percent, say market analysts at IPC
- Association Connecting Electronics Industries. Production growth in China, Thailand
and Vietnam last year compensated for declining circuit board production in most
other regions, IPC analysts say in the organization's report World PCB Production
Report for the Year 2014. Worldwide rigid circuit board market grew modestly in
2014
..."
Mac's Radio Service Shop:
Mac Quotes Benjamin Franklin
Well I'll be darned, old Mac the master
radio repairman taught me something else new this month. Along
with giving sidekick Barney a lesson on business ethics and how honest dealing can
pay dividends as societal conditions change, he also put on his Sherlock Holmes
cap and deduced a surprising cause for circuit failure based on the physical location
of a lady's radio; read on to learn the details. As usual, the exact scenarios of
the stories do not apply to today's environment and/or equipment, but the troubleshooting
logic certainly does
...
Skyworks Intros AEC-Q100 Qualified 20 MHz to 3.0 GHz SPDT
Switch
Skyworks-Intros-AEC-Q100-20-MHz-3-GHz-SPDT-9-30-2015.htm" >
Skyworks introduces a single-pole, double-throw
(SPDT) switch that is qualified to the Automotive
Electronics Council (AEC) Q100 standard. The
SKYA2001 features low insertion loss (0.4 dB at 2.4 GHz) and
positive voltage operation with very low DC power consumption
(10 µA). It is ideal for next generation automotive
systems, transportation infrastructure platforms, in addition to industrial, and
aerospace and defense wireless control applications. Its AEC-Q100 qualification
supports extended production life requirements. The device is manufactured in an
Skyworks-Intros-AEC-Q100-20-MHz-3-GHz-SPDT-9-30-2015.htm" ...
New Electrode Gives Micro-Supercapacitor Macro Storage
Capacity
"Micro-supercapacitors are a promising alternative
to micro-batteries because of their high power and long lifetime. They have been
in development for about a decade but until nowhave stored considerably less energy
than micro-batteries, which has limited their application. Now researchers have
developed an electrode material that means electrochemical capacitors produce results
similar to batteries
..."
Push-Push Power Amplifiers
This article, in addition to reporting on
early
push-push power amplifier configurations, demonstrates what a
mess AC and DC power distribution systems were in the early days of electric service.
Standardization and regulation was at a minimum, and the plethora of potential hazards
to life and property makes you wonder how more people were not killed, maimed, or
had houses and businesses burned down. You hear a lot about medical issues that
came from lead-based paint on window sills, but the electrical wiring and connected
equipment were a mess. Back to the push-push amplifiers, though. According to the
author, the primary difference from the more familiar push-pull amplifier is that
the configuration removes bias from
...