Homepage Archive - August 2017 (page 1)

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.

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Thursday 10

Trump-ing Space

Trump-ing Space - RF CafeWhat will the space program changes sought by President Trump's administration mean to the RF / microwave community? Each administration puts its own inflection on the U.S. space program. Some presidents set goals that ultimately change the destiny of the country, while others promote changes that are less dramatic. It's too early to tell what mark the current administration will leave on the space program. But initial remarks and actions suggest two major ...

Mac's Service Shop: Meter Accuracy Specifications

Mac's Service Shop: Meter Accuracy Specifications, April 1972 Popular Electronics - RF CafeMy 1970s-era Radio Shack Microanta model 22-208 FET-VOM with a mirrored scale still does regular duty on my electronics workbench - particularly when the DMM happens to have been left somewhere else. One of the first things a person is taught about using analog meters is to always select a range that put the needle toward the upper end of the scale. It has to do with the accuracy of the reading based on characteristics of the meter movement. A digital meters' accuracy is often assumed to be ±1 rightmost displayed digit, but if you read the specifications, it is often not the case. Shop-owner Mac informs his technician, Barney, on many ...

Remote Area Bandwidth Needs Drive Satellite Transponder Market

Remote Area Bandwidth Needs Drive Satellite Transponder Market - RF Cafe"A market report from Frost & Sullivan reveals the global satellite transponder market is projected to grow at a CAGR of 2.9% from 2016 to 2023. Even with a low growth rate, the market will account for $2.71B more in 2023 than in 2016, therefore causing market competition to remain strong. This modest but steady growth is due to an increase in adoption in remote areas, the need for back-up and emergency technology, new high bandwidth, and growth areas ..."

Cobalt Mining for E-Car Batteries Exploits Child Labor in DRC

Cobalt Mining for E-Car Batteries Exploits Child Labor in Congo - RF CafeSelf-driving electric cars will be an absolute necessity so people with their eyes closed to the child labor involved in building batteries for them can get around safely. As with lithium extraction that has peasants wading in hip boots while processing, cobalt mining exploits desperately poor people - including children - by exposing them to very dangerous conditions. The Democratic Republic of Congo has 60% of the world's know stash of cobalt, which is a major component of electric car batteries. A typical e-car needs 30 pounds of it. Articles by Daily Mail, Amnesty International, and many others document the situation's gruesome reality. I'm betting Elon Musk knows all of this, but he probably feels really bad.

Pasternack Handheld RF Analyzer Phase-Stable Cable Assemblies

Pasternack Debuts New Handheld RF Analyzer Phase-Stable Cable Assemblies - RF CafePasternack has launched a new series of handheld, RF analyzer, rugged, phase-stable cable assemblies. Typical applications include field testing, tower measurements, base station analyzers, handheld network analyzers, portable spectrum analyzers, distance-to-fault measurements and site maintenance. Pasternack's new line of test cables for handheld RF analyzers consists of 19 models designed to deliver optimal amplitude and phase stability with flexure. They boast VSWR as low as 1.2:1 and maximum operating frequency of 27 GHz, depending ...

Airborne Sense-and-Avoid Radar for UAVs

Airborne Sense-and-Avoid Radar for UAVs - RF Cafe"Widespread use of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) within the National Airspace System is limited because of regulatory restrictions on their access to shared airspace. The Airborne Sense and Avoid (ABSAA) Radar Panel, a phased array antenna developed by MIT Lincoln Laboratory, has the potential to facilitate the introduction of UAVs into the national airspace. The lightweight sensor enables ..."

Wednesday 9

Anatech Electronics Product Update August 8, 2017

Anatech Electronics Product Update August 8, 2017 - RF CafeAnatech Electronics, Inc. offers the industry's largest portfolio of high-performance standard and customized RF and microwave filters and filter-related products for military, commercial, aerospace and defense, and industrial applications up to 40 GHz. Anatech has introduced 3 new products for your convenience: a 2016.5 MHz WiFi cavity bandpass filter with N connectors; a 10 MHz bandpass filter with N connectors; and a surface mount 310/370 MHz ceramic duplexer filter ...

Communications on the Moon

Communications on the Moon, August 1969 Electronics World - RF Cafe"Almost simultaneously as they are flashed before the NASA officials, the signals bearing in minute detail the progress of Apollo 11 will be broadcast internationally, allowing the entire world to share in the drama of the manned lunar landing." Such a statement meant something much different in 1969 that it does today. Back then, it meant news and government organizations with the required equipment would be able to receive the information and then disseminate it via secondary media sources like TV, radio, magazine, and newspaper. Today it means a real-time feed is available on the Internet for anyone with a network connection to access. This article was written in a forward-looking ...

Aviat Networks Needs a Sales Engineer

Aviat Networks Needs a Sales Engineer - RF CafeAviat Networks, a trusted expert in microwave networking, has an immediate opening for a Sales Engineer to cover California, Oregon, Washington, San Antonio, or the Midwest. The Sales Engineer is responsible for providing technical support and technical guidance to one or more Territory Manager(s) in their endeavor to sell company products, services and solutions to assigned accounts or within a given territory resulting in the achievement of a given quota. The Sales Engineer will be the key technical consultant assigned to understand the customers' business and to develop product and service solutions ...

Breaking News: The Arctic Icebergs Are Melting - circa 1922!

Breaking News: The Arctic Icebergs Are Melting - circa 1922!, Kirt's Cogitation #289 - RF CafeWe have all been treated to a seemingly endless series of headlines portending rising ocean levels and the ensuing drowning of costal cities due to melting ice in the polar regions. This phenomenon ostensibly is brought on by the exponential increase in carbon emissions from developing third-world countries as well as established first-world countries in the post World War II era ... or was it post Vietnam, or maybe post Gulf War? The reference keeps changing, but it definitely began occurring since at least 1990, right? There is a problem, though. In the early and mid 1970s climate scientists began warning us of an approaching ...

Fairview's Straight Waveguide Sections for 5.85 GHz to 110 GHz

Fairview Microwave Debuts New Straight Waveguide Sections Operating in 5.85 GHz to 110 GHz Frequency Range - RF CafeFairview Microwave has launched a new line of straight waveguide sections that operate in the frequency range of 5.85 GHz to 110 GHz and in 13 waveguide bands from C to W band. Typical applications include test benches, instrumentation, MILCOM, SATCOM, telecom, radar and high-efficiency RF/Microwave transmission networks. Fairview's new line of straight waveguide sections consists of 61 models that are available in sizes ranging from WR-10 to WR-137. These waveguide straights ...

Uncovering the Secrets of America's Doomsday Plane

Uncovering the Secrets of America's Doomsday Plane - RF Cafe"Did you know the USA has four Doomsday Planes? These are militarized Boeing 747-200's that are intended to act as mobile command platforms in the event of catastrophic events like a nuclear attack. Yeah we know, nice thought right? These aircraft are highly sophisticated jets with one sole task, to maintain communications for civil and military operations should the unimaginable actually happen. Let's take a quick tour of one of them. The Doomsday Plane or E-4B's were formerly ..."

Tuesday 8

RF Jammers for EW Battle Against IEDs in Full-Rate Production

RF Jammers for EW Battle Against IEDs in Full-Rate Production - RF Cafe"Electronic warfare (EW) experts at Northrop Grumman Corp. are moving to full-rate production of common open-architecture RF jammers for infantry, land vehicles, and fixed sites to protect U.S. and allied warfighters from radio-controlled improvised explosive devices (IEDs). Officials of the U.S. Naval Sea Systems Command in Washington announced a $57.7M contract Monday to the Northrop Grumman Mission Systems ..."

Do You Have a Ham Radio License?

Do You Have a Ham Radio License? - RF CafeThroughout my years as in the electronics field, I have had the good fortune to work with many very excellent engineers and technicians. Some were Ham radio operators and some were not. I cannot say with any authority that those who were Hams were better that those who were not; however, I can say that the Hams seemed to be on par a little more enthusiastic about their jobs. That impression was not biased based on my own status because I did not earn my license until a couple years after leaving the professional workforce to run RF Cafe fulltime. In fact, I often felt somewhat inept around Hams because their lust for circuit ...

Please Thank IPP for Their continued Support!

Please click here to visit the Innovative Power Products websiteInnovative Power Products (IPP) has over 30 years of experience designing & manufacturing RF & IPP RF power dividers, couplers, terminations - RF Cafemicrowave passive components. Their high power, broadband couplers, combiners, resistors, baluns, terminations and attenuators are fabricated using the latest materials and design tools available, resulting in unrivaled product performance. Take a couple minutes to visit their website and see how IPP can help you today ...

Hallicrafters Ad, February 1970 Popular Electronics

Hallicrafters Ad, February 1970 Popular Electronics - RF CafeHallicrafters was founded in Chicago in 1932 by William J. Halligan. He formed the company name based on a combination of Halli(gan) and (hand)crafters - clever, non? Since Hallicrafters made radio gear for commercial, amateur radio, and military application, their advertisements appeared in most of the major electronics magazines of the time - QST, Popular Electronics, Radio & Television News, etc. It is interesting to see how product physical appearances changes over the years as user preference, materials, and technologies evolve ...

Russia's Ghost Broadcast Stations

Russia's Ghost Broadcast Stations - RF CafeThis story about Russia's mysterious shortwave broadcasts has appeared in QST magazine and other venues. An article on the BBC website begins by addressing the one at 4625 kHz and digresses extensively into the history of stealth, creepy transmissions and encryption. You will particularly enjoy the part about how British field intelligence agents managed to procure code pages for use in cracking the system. I have tried tuning a couple of the 'ghost' station on my el cheapo shortwave radio and can barely receive a signal. A 'real' receiver and antenna evidently pulls them in well ...

Saelig Intros Sol Chip Solar Power Modules

Saelig Introduces Sol Chip Solar Power Modules - RF CafeSaelig has introduced the patented Sol Chip Pak™ (SCP-R2801). Power Modules which offer day/night non-stop functionality by combining state-of-the-art solar cells, a rechargeable battery, and advanced power management circuitry. These power modules include all the components that are required to harvest energy from ambient light, charge a built-in rechargeable battery, and deliver a stable voltage to a load. Sol Chip's patented technology integrates solar energy conversion with VLSI techniques ...

Immaculate Reception

Immaculate Reception - RF CafeThis article by Lou Frenzel is a nice compliment to the piece I recently wrote titled, MIA: The Other Half of the Antenna and Cable Loss Equation. "When designing a wireless product or system, don't discount the importance of receiver sensitivity. What does receiver sensitivity really have to do with wireless system performance? Along with transmit power and antenna gains, it is a key indicator not only of the range of the signal but also the data rate ..."

Monday 7

Spin Wave Breakthrough Solves Signal Propagation Challenge

Spin Wave Breakthrough Solves Signal Propagation Challenge - RF Cafe"Spin wave technology goes back decades, but as an alternative to semiconductor circuits that transmit information by electric charges, it's been hampered by the fact that the properties of its signal propagation vary in different directions - until now. Researchers at the National University of Singapore (NUS) have developed a method of propagating spin waves that lead to the development ..."

Axiom Test Equipment August Specials w/Free Shipping

Axiom Test Equipment August Specials w/Free Shipping - RF CafeAxiom Test Equipment, a provider of efficient and cost effective solutions customers' test equipment needs, offer the following special deals on their inventory. Free ground shipping is offered on all rentals! Axiom offers our customers several practical, efficient and cost effective solutions for their business or projects' test equipment needs. Whether you need to rent & buy test equipment, repair test equipment,, sell or trade equipment, we are committed to providing superior customer service and high quality electronic test equipment ...

Direct & Current: About Reader Mail

Direct & Current: About Reader Mail, November 1970 Popular Electronics - RF CafeYou probably will not be surprised to read Popular Electronics editor Oliver Ferrell's comments on the costs and implications of handling the large volumes of postal mail from readers that magazines typically received. Not having e-mail back in the day had both its advantages and disadvantages. The main advantage of having only paper and envelope mail (aka snail mail) is that only serious people with concerns would bother to write and pay for postage, whereas with e-mail very little effort and no out-of-pocket cost is required to fire off a note for any reason. A disadvantage of not having e-mail is that humans needed to open, read, and decide how to respond to each letter ...

RFCafe.com July 2017 Website Statistics

RFCafe.com July 2017 Website Statistics - RF Cafe

These July 2017 charts were generated from the website statistics data gathered by my web host, Hostek.com. Presented is raw data with no manipulation or filtering. Peaks are midweek and valleys are weekends. Details can be seen by clicking on the thumbnail images. Overall traffic seems to be down by a couple percent since the last report in April, but that is typical over the summer months. Still, an average of around 16,000 page views during weekdays and 10,000 on weekends is not too bad. You might find the list of the top 100 search engine keywords interesting. It is generated only from searches ...

VidaRF Offers Directional Couplers w/SMA Connectors

VidaRF Offers Directional Couplers w/SMA Connectors - RF CafeVidaRF offers a wide selection of directional couplers, dual directional couplers and hybrid couplers, designed to cover 100 MHz to 20 GHz. Average power handling is from 50 W to 1 kW. Directional couplers are 4 port circuits where one port is isolated from the input port and can be realized in micro strip, strip line, coax and waveguide. Standard coupling values 6, 10, 15, 16, 20 and 30 dB. Standard Connector type: SMA female, other connectors available upon request ...

5 Tips for Setting Realistic Project Expectations

5 Tips for Setting Realistic Project Expectations - RF Cafe"Here are five tips developers can use to help ensure they set expectations that are realistic and not fantasy. Quite a few companies and teams that I encounter have an expectations problem. They have unrealistic expectations for the time and effort that it takes to develop an embedded system. On the spectrum between pessimistic and optimistic, they typically blow past optimistic into the fantasy land zone. ..."

Sunday 6

RF & Microwave Crossword Puzzle for August 6, 2017

RF & Microwave Crossword Puzzle for August 6, 2017 - RF CafeAvid cruciverbalists amongst us will appreciate this new RF & Microwave 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 Lamarr). Enjoy ...

Friday 4

Soup to Nutz

Soup to Nutz, February 3, 2017 - RF CafeEnd the work week on a humorous note with this comic strip from the Soup to Nutz series. The strip appeared in my local Erie Times News newspaper in February, but I just now got around to reading it. You'll love it - guaranteed ...

Which RF Test Equipment Manufacturers' Products Do You Use?

Which RF Test Equipment Manufacturers' Products Do You Use? - RF CafeCorporate mergers, acquisitions, and name changes continue to narrow the field in RF and microwave test equipment manufacturing. It is not uncommon to go to the website of a familiar company and discover that it is either the victim of the aforementioned trend, or is responsible for perpetuation the trend. That's not to say that the situation is good or bad, but sometimes confusing - although I will forever rue the sacrificing of the Hewlett Packard (HP) name to the computer side of the business rather than the test equipment side. Please indicate which of these companies' products you use in this newest RF Cafe Poll ...

R&S Educational Note: Measuring with Digital Storage O-scopes

Rohde & Schwarz: Measuring with Digital Storage Oscilloscopes Educational Note - RF CafeThis educational note covers the theory and practice of digital storage oscilloscopes based on concrete measurement examples that address authentic everyday tasks. The theoretical portion of this paper begins with an explanation of the basic operating concepts for digital oscilloscopes, followed by a discussion of the most important parameters to be considered when setting up and performing the exercise measurements ... (I do wish R&S would dispense with the light blue text on gray background)

Please Thank LadyBug Technologies for Their Ongoing Support

LadyBug TechnologiesLadyBug Technologies means Peak Performance in Power Sensors: 9 kHz - 40 GHz and 80 dB dynamic range. LadyBug makes a broad line of First Tier NIST traceable USB power sensors that LadyBug Technologies waveform displayare compatible with Windows systems, along with Linux. LadyBug has the only SPI & I2C sensor available. Patented NoZero NoCal feature - Simply connect and measure to receive a high accuracy measurement. Please contact LadyBug today to find out how they can help you ...

Direction Finding with "Ultra Shorts"

Direction Finding with "Ultra Shorts", February 1935 Short Wave Craft - RF CafeAnyone other than a complete novice (Ham pun intended) at radio and antenna work is familiar with the basics types of directional antennas presented here. However, the universe of people knowledgeable about such things was very small in 1935, when this article appeared in Short Wave Craft magazine. An effort to educate operators and designers was really just beginning. The ½-wave dipoles shown here for the transmitter are somewhat directional at 2 dBi, and full-wave square loop antennas for receiving have a gain of around 3 dBi. However, the most significant direction-finding feature of a loop antenna is the comparatively ...

NuWaves Announces 100 Watt L & S-Band PA with 50 dB of Gain

NuWaves Engineering Announces the Completion of 100 Watt L & S-Band PA with 50 dB of Gain - RF CafeNuWaves Engineering, an international Radio Frequency (RF) and Microwave solutions provider, has released the latest in the NuPowerTM small, lightweight and high-efficiency power amplifier (PA) family of products – the 100 Watt NuPowerTM LS100A01 L & S-band PA. This PA will run at $3,775 per unit in quantities of one hundred and will be available mid-September. The NuPowerTM LS100A01 provides saturated RF ...

KC-46A Tanker Withstands Electronic Attack

KC-46A Tanker Withstands Electronic Attack - RF Cafe"In a threat environment that is rapidly expanding into the electromagnetic spectrum, the KC-46A Pegasus has just successfully proved its immunity to electromagnetic pulse weapons. Eliminating a major operational risk and an obstacle on the way to product delivery, according to Boeing executives. 'The KC-46A tanker is protected by various hardening and shielding technologies designed into the aircraft to negate any effects ..."

Thursday 3

Sylvania General Telephone and Electronics Ad

Sylvania General Telephone and Electronics Ad, February 1970 Popular Electronics - RF CafeIn 1970, Sylvania ran this 2-page advertisement in Popular Electronics magazine touting the accomplishment of reducing the equivalent of 60,000 discrete components to a mere 60 - thanks to integrated circuits. That 1,000:1 ratio is miniscule compared to this year (2017) where AMD's 24-core EPYC 7401P sports 19,200,000,000 transistors. If Moore's Law continues, we can expect nearly 40 billion in another year and a half. Sylvania was not claiming to be able to replace all components with integrated circuits, just to drastically reduce the number of parts needed to stock for prototyping and production. Even AMD's ...

Tiny 'Sprite' Satellites Deployed, Transmitting on 70 cm

Tiny 'Sprite' Satellites Deployed, Transmitting on 70 cm - RF Cafe"Breakthrough Starshot, the $100 million initiative aiming to send robotic missions to nearby stars by the mid-21st century, has achieved what might prove to be a 'Sputnik moment' in successfully lofting its first spacecraft - the smallest ever launched and operated in orbit. In 1957 the Soviet Union shocked the world by flying the first artificial ..."

Pasternack Debuts RF and Microwave Power Amplifier Accessories

Pasternack Debuts New Line of RF and Microwave Power Amplifier Accessories - RF CafePasternack has released a new series of RF and microwave power amplifier accessories that includes heat sinks, heat sinks with cooling fans and power control cable assemblies. Heat sinks are devices that enhance heat dissipation from a hot surface and are ideal for thermal management of power amplifiers in test and measurement applications. A functioning power amplifier will generate elevated levels of heat that needs to be properly dissipated to insure the internal circuit assembly does not become damaged from extreme high temperature exposure ...

Diagrams of the Newest Car-Radio Receivers

Diagrams of the Newest Car-Radio Receivers, June 1936 Radio-Craft - RF CafeThese 8 new schematics from a 1936 issue of Radio-Craft magazine for vintage tube-type car radios brings the total to 210 posted on RF Cafe. Included are Motorola "Golden Voice" Model, RCA Victor Model H-6, Simplex Model TA, Automatic "Magic Eye" Model A1, Arvin Model 28, Philco Model 818, Fada Model 266 Motoset, Bosch Models 736, 737, 738. The Motorla "golden Voice" model features a "magic eliminode" circuit which not only filters out automobile engine noise, but balances the noise out of the antenna lead, so that suppressor-less operation is possible on almost all cars. A glance at the schematic shows that all that magic is performed by a built-in L-C filter ...

Triad RF Systems Intros a 1.7 to 2.5 GHz, 5 W, SSPA

Triad RF Systems Intros a 1.7 to 2.5 GHz, 5 W, SSPA - RF CafeTriad RF Systems announces the availability of their TA1025 solid state power amplifier produces over 1 W of linear COFDM power and 5 W peak. The amplifier is protected from high, low, and reverse DC bias, thermal overload, and high output VSWR. The amplifier draws 0.8 A (100% duty cycle), and measures only 3.75 x 1.9 x 0.5 in. This class A GaAs module is designed for both military and commercial applications. It is capable of supporting any signal type and modulation format, including but not limited to 3-4G telecom, WLAN, OFDM, DVB, and CW/AM/FM. The latest device ...

Newly Released IEC 61191-4:2017 for Printed Board Assemblies

Newly Released IEC 61191-4:2017 for Printed Board Assemblies - RF Cafe"The International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) has released IEC 61191-4:2017. This standard pertains to 'Printed board assemblies - Part 4: Sectional specification - Requirements for terminal soldered assemblies,' and is now available on the IEC webstore. Description: -IEC 61191-4:2017 prescribes requirements for terminal soldered assemblies. The requirements pertain to those assemblies that are entirely terminal/wire interconnecting structures or to the terminal/wire portions of those assemblies that include other related technologies (i.e. surface mounting, through ..."

Wednesday 2

Design and Simulation of 5G 28-GHz Phased Array Transceiver

Design and Simulation of 5G 28-GHz Phased Array Transceiver - RF Cafe

Title: Design and Simulation of 5G 28-GHz Phased Array Transceiver, Date: August 3, 2017 Time: 10 am PT / 1 pm ET, Presenter: Jack Sifri, MMIC/Module Design-Flow Specialist. "This presentation describes the design and simulation of a 4-channel transmit chain of a mmWave 28 GHz transceiver with a beam-steered patch antenna array. Design techniques are demonstrated to achieve the desired level of performance using system, circuit and electromagnetic simulation technologies. Array antenna, PA, LNA, Switch and Phase Shifter are designed with 0.18 um SiGe BiCMOS technology and complementary technologies ..."

The Dolby Technique for Reducing Noise

The Dolby Technique for Reducing Noise, August 1972 Popular Electronics - RF CafeThose of us who came of age in the early 1970s are very familiar with the Dolby B noise reduction system since it was the key differentiator when buying stereo equipment in the day. The first commercial products containing the technology appeared in 1968. I am fairly certain that neither I nor any of my friends who insisted on tape decks with the Dolby logo on them had any idea how the circuit worked. At the time, to us filters were those fan-folded things on top of a carburetor and feedback was the annoying squeal that happened when a microphone got too close to a speaker. Knowledge ...

Empower RF Systems to Hold Remote Live Exhibit at IEEE EMC Exhibit

Empower RF Systems to Hold Remote Live Exhibit at IEEE EMC Exhibit - RF CafeEmpower RF Systems is conducting remote live demonstrations of our broadband, high power 1 kW 1 to 3 GHz amplifier, Booth 321. The amplifier will be housed in Los Angeles and viewed in the IEEE EMC exhibit venue with live streaming video while remotely controlling the amplifier from the exhibit floor through a standard web browser. What you will see is a demonstration of remote operation of the Empower 2170 1 kW RF amplifier in a test setup that includes a signal generator, spectrum analyzer, external ...

Murder on Frequency: Harrie McKinsey Mystery #3

Murder on Frequency: Harrie McKinsey Mystery #3 - RF CafeRick Lindquist, of QST magazine, reviewed this mystery story, Murder on Frequency, by Patricia Smith Wood, KE5FVS (she's a Ham). "I run a 'net' once a week and talk to a lot of hams on that day," says Patricia on her website. " Rick comments, "I was reminded of the Hardy Boys' young The Shortwave Mystery (Hardy Boys) - RF Cafeadult adventure, The Shortwave Mystery." Harrie McKinsey, whose husband is an FBI agent, is the central investigative figure in the series. As with The Hardy Boys, this book is geared toward young adults.

Please Thank Windfreak Technologies for Supporting RF Cafe

Windfreak TechnologiesWindfreak Technologies designs, manufactures, SynthNV: 34 MHz – 4.4 GHz RF Signal Generator w/ Power Detectortests and sells high value USB powered and controlled radio frequency products such as RF signal generators, RF synthesizers, RF power detectors, mixers, up/downconverters. Worldwide customers include Europe, Australia, SynthUSBII: 34 MHz – 4.4 GHz Low Cost RF Signal Generatorand Asia. Please contact Windfreak today to learn how they might help you with your current project ...

Computers 101: Can You Identify These?

Computers 101: Can You Identify These? - RF CafeElectronic Design magazine is running this fun challenge to see how many of these vintage computer-related items you can a identify. The first one, pictured here, was used in the radar IFF system I worked on in the USAF. "What are these devices? See if you can determine the tech from a close-up photo. Can you guess what devices are in the images below? The images come in pairs. The first will be a close up. Try to guess what you are looking at before scrolling down to the next one, which will show a zoomed-out version ..."

Tuesday 1

Startup Campus Beckons International Inventors

Startup Campus Beckons International Inventors - RF Cafe"From Shenzhen to New York and Silicon Valley, technology incubators are popping up, providing affordable space for dreamers and entrepreneurs to build and nurture startups. Among these nurseries, Station F - which opened in Paris earlier this month as the world's largest startup campus - might be the epitome, in terms of size, amenities, perks, and a built-in ecosystem compatible with innovation. A brainchild of French billionaire Xavier Niel, Station F, converted from an abandoned train depot, is designed to house 1,000 startups. The re-architected building, about 34,000 square meters, maintains the original ..."

Engineering White Papers & Books, July 2017

Engineering White Papers & Books, July 2017 - RF CafeThe free whitepapers, pamphlets, books, magazines, and chapter examples listed here are a small sample of a lot of new items that are offered for FREE through TradePub. The publishers make them available to qualifying people as a promotional campaign for their full line of offerings. Note: I earn a few pennies (literally) when you download one of these or the many other pubs available, so please help yourself ...

Mac's Service Shop: How to Be a Good Customer

Mac's Service Shop: How to Be a Good Customer, January 1969 Electronics World - RF Cafe"Catalog-Carrying Charlie," "Electronic Hypochondriac," "Stop-the-Presses Guy," "Belittler," "Man with a Relative in the Racket," "Suspicious Sam," all pet names for the pain-in-the-posterior type of service shop customers that Mac and trusty sidekick Barney had to deal with on a regular basis. After giving a humorous description of each type, the two then come up with a "Ten Commandments" for their customers that outlines how the customer should approach a service request to help assure the best results. Even though the closest thing to an electronics repair shop we see today is the cellphone LCD replacement kiosk in the local shopping mall, you can bet employees still get their fill ...

Combined System Blocks Jamming in GPS-Denied Environment

Combined System Blocks Jamming in GPS-Denied Environment - RF Cafe"The Inertial Navigation System (INS) by Honeywell Aerospace navigates without emitting a single GPS signal. The ADA GPS anti-jamming system by Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) stops jamming signals in their tracks. Together, these two technologies strive to ensure the survival of GPS navigation in the age of electronic warfare. 'Facing today's threats to GPS, the ability to combine advanced anti-jamming capabilities as part of the Embedded GPS INS systems is a must,' said Boaz Levi, Executive Vice President of the IAI Missile and Space Group. The IAI and Honeywell Aerospace memorandum ..."

Analog Devices Signs on as Host Sponsor of EDI CON USA 2017

Analog Devices Signs on as Host Sponsor of EDI CON USA 2017 - RF CafeThe Electronic Design Innovation Conference and Exhibition (EDI CON) USA, the first industry event to bring together RF/microwave and high-speed digital design engineers and system integrators, announced today that Analog Devices, Inc. (ADI) is taking on the role of host sponsor of the exhibition and conference program at the Hynes Convention Center, September 11-13 in Boston, MA. Engineers from ADI will be presenting a short course, several paper sessions, and workshops on topics for high-frequency and high-speed electronic applications. Dr. Thomas Cameron, CTO for ...

DSTL Leads Effort to De-Orbit Satellites

DSTL Leads Effort to De-Orbit Satellites - RF Cafe"Efforts to tackle space debris are underway with an experiment to de-orbit CanX-7, a Canadian satellite that began a controlled descent using space sails in May, 2017. CanX-7 is part of the Daedalus experiment, an effort led by scientists at the Defence Science and Technology Laboratory (DSTL) to tackle space junk. According to NASA, over 500,000 items are tracked as they orbit Earth, yet fewer than 5,000 are operational satellites. Travelling at speeds of up to 17,500mph, relatively small pieces of orbital debris can damage a satellite or a spacecraft. DSTL ..."