Homepage Archive - October 2021 (page 4)

See Page 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 of the October 2021 homepage archives.

Sunday the 31st

Radio Theme Crossword Puzzle for October 31st

Radio Theme Crossword Puzzle for October 31st, 2021 - RF CafeThis Engineering & Science Theme crossword puzzle for October 31st has many words and clues related to RF, microwave, and mm-wave engineering, optics, mathematics, chemistry, physics, and other technical subjects. As always, this crossword contains no names of politicians, mountain ranges, exotic foods or plants, movie stars, or anything of the sort unless it/he/she is related to this puzzle's technology theme (e.g., Reginald Denny or the Tunguska event in Siberia). The technically inclined cruciverbalists amongst us will appreciate the effort. Enjoy!

Many Thanks to Atenlab for Their Continued Support!

Atenlab microwave components - RF CafeAtenlab has been operating in Taiwan for more than a decade, and has sold and installed hundreds chambers around the world. Holistic, affordable Over-the-Air (OTA) measurement systems perform comprehensive measurement and test in a controlled environment. Compact Antenna Test Range (CATR) with one-touch operation supports multiple systems - 2G, 3G, 4G, 5G - and major instrument brands. [M]ulti-probe OTA measurement systems offer reduced time measurements over single-probe systems.

Friday the 29th

Inside the Handie-Talkie

Inside the Handie-Talkie, July 1946 Radio-Craft - RF CafeApplying the adjective "portable" to electronics equipment in the vacuum tube era was often a stretch of the term. Usually, portable radios were backpack ordeals with a separate battery carried by second person. They can be seen in a lot of the old War War II movies. It was really not until the advent of the "Handie-Talkie" two-way radio sets that a truly hand-held, self-contained system was available. This "Inside the Handi−Talke" article from a 19467 issue of Radio−Craft magazine provides a very detailed look at the internal components and of the schematics. "Walkie−Talkie" was another name often given to the Handi−Talkie, although some might argue that there is a distinct difference. Handi−Talkies used to be widely available on eBay, but are very scarce at this time - and the sale prices reflect that reality. A lot of the listings use the term Handi−Talkie as a ruse...

Intelligent Optical Chip Improves Telecommunications

Intelligent Optical Chip Improves Telecommunications - RF Cafe"From the internet, to fiber or satellite communications and medical diagnostics, our everyday life relies on optical technologies. These technologies use optical pulsed sources to transfer, retrieve or compute information. Gaining control over optical pulse shapes thus paves the way for further advances. Ph.D. student Bennet Fischer and postdoctoral researcher Mario Chemnitz, in the team of Professor Roberto Morandotti of the Institut national de la recherche scientifique (INRS), developed a smart pulse-shaper integrated on a chip. The device output can autonomously adjust to a user-defined target waveform with strikingly low technical and computational requirements..."

Hobnobbing with Harbaugh: 5 Most Wanted Inventions

Hobnobbing with Harbaugh: The 5 Most Wanted Household Inventions, March 1963 Popular Electronics - RF CafeHere is a little levity from the "Hobnobbing with Harbaugh" series of comics that appeared in Popular Electronics magazine. Unfortunately, none of the "The 5 Most Wanted Household Inventions" have come to full fruition in the marketplace yet, although the cellphone blockers can be found on the Internet in various unofficial forms. Personal computers were a pipe dream in 1963, but nowadays we do have software like TurboTax to take care of filing taxes, although you still can't simply dump all your receipts into a bin and have it work. Flat-fixing robots might not be needed in a few years as tubeless, airless tires hit the road. Alarm clock vaporizers are not Star Trek phaser-like devices yet, but the same effect can be affected with a low-tech hammer, or a shoe...

Guerrilla RF Jobs

Guerrilla RF Job Openings - RF CafeWhilst checking on something else regarding Guerrilla RF, I noticed that they have a few job openings posted that include: SOI Design Engineer, PA Design Engineer, Quality and Reliability Engineer, and Reliability Engineering Technician. They are based in the Greensboro, NC, location. Guerrilla RF was founded by Ryan Pratt the engineer son of an original founder of RF Micro Devices (now Qorvo, who also has many job openings worldwide). I'm not getting paid for this, but please let them know you saw them mentioned on RF Cafe.

Career Opportunities in Electronics

Career Opportunities in Electronics, September 1957 Radio & TV News - RF Cafe"Unprecedented openings for non-engineers result from industry growth and shortage of skilled men." Thus goes the subtitle for this 1957 Radio & TV News magazine article pitching the promises of a career in electronics technology. It came at a time that predated throw-away everything rather than attempting to repair stuff. It was before the term "personal device" (aka "throw-away") had been coined. It was before placards warning "No user serviceable parts inside" were routinely stuck on practically every item purchasable in a department store. It was a time when people took stuff apart to see how it works, and were actually able to figure it out because parts were large enough to see and actually moved, and even printed circuit boards could be deciphered since trances were on the two outside surfaces and components had leads...

RF & Electronics Symbols for Office™

RF & Electronics Schematic & Block Diagram Symbols for Office™ r2 - RF CafeIt was a lot of work, but I finally finished a version of the "RF & Electronics Schematic & Block Diagram Symbols" that works well with Microsoft Office™ programs Word™, Excel™, and Power Point™. This is an equivalent of the extensive set of amplifier, mixer, filter, switch, connector, waveguide, digital, analog, antenna, and other commonly used symbols for system block diagrams and schematics created for Visio™. Each of the 1,000 or so symbols was exported individually from Visio in the EMF file format, then imported into Word on a Drawing Canvas. The EMF format allows an image to be scaled up or down without becoming pixelated, so all the shapes can be resized in a document and still look good. The imported symbols can also be UnGrouped into their original constituent parts for editing. Check them out!

Please Visit Triad RF Systems to Thank Them for Their Support

Triad RF SystemsTriad RF Systems designs and manufactures RF power amplifiers and systems. Triad RF Systems comprises three partners (hence 'Triad') with over 40 years of accumulated knowledge of what is required to design, manufacture, market, sell and service RF/Microwave amplifiers and amplifier systems. PA, LNA, bi-directional, and frequency translating amplifiers are available, in formats including tower mount, benchtop, rack mount, and chassis mount. "We view Triad more as a technology partner than a vendor for our line-of-sight communications product line." Please check to see how they can help your project.

Thursday the 28th

Mac's Radio Service Shop: Open Wire Lines

Mac's Radio Service Shop: "Open Wire Lines", July 1952 Radio & Television News - RF CafeI have mentioned this before, but nearly always the setting for John Frye's "Mac's Service Shop" technodrama stories coincide with the time of year corresponding to the month in which it appeared (for the northern hemisphere) - in this case the July 1952 issue of Radio & Television News magazine. In addition to that, Barney's crack about Mac using his slide rule to try calculating who the president would be is also time-appropriate since 1952, being a Leap Year, was also an election year (Eisenhower beat Stevenson, BTW) ...but I digress. Mac's actual preoccupation was with open wire transmission lines. With the rise of UFH broadcasting on the horizon, he predicted that such lines would become popular due to their lower signal attenuation compared to standard 300 Ω plastic-insulated twin lead. Open line (aka ladder line or window line) at 500 MHz exhibits about a quarter the loss when dry and as much a twentieth the loss when wet (depending on the quality of the standard 300 Ω twin lead)...

Cooling Radio Waves to Quantum Ground State

Cooling Radio Waves to Quantum Ground State"Researchers at Delft University of Technology have found a new way to cool radio waves all the way down to their quantum ground state. To do so, they used circuits that employ an analog of the so-called laser cooling technique that is frequently used to cool atomic samples. The device used a recently developed technique the researchers call photon pressure coupling, which is predicted to be of use in detecting ultra-weak magnetic resonance (MRI) signals or for quantum-sensing applications that can help the search for dark matter. The results have been published in Science Advances. The radio waves we usually encounter in our daily lives, such as those that we listen to in our car or those that send signals to our baby monitors in our house, are hot: they contain noise that comes from the random motion of the atoms in the things..."

Anatech Electronics October Newsletter

Anatech Electronics October 2021 Newsletter - RF CafeSam Benzacar of Anatech Electronics, an RF and microwave filter company, has published his October 2021 newsletter that features his short op−ed entitled "A Solution Has Arrived for Deploying Millimeter-Wave 5G," where he notes that early driving trials conducted by equipment supplier Movandi demonstrate consistent minimum data rates of 1 Gbps are achievable even in urban areas. The scheme involves massive deployment of mm-wave repeaters (effectively small cells), which network planners now believe will be a more reliable and affordable solution to towers due to the extreme signal attenuation (line-of-sight and within obstacles) in the tens of GHz realm. Sam also presents some relevant industry news items as well.

Crossword Puzzle from a 1957 Popular Electronics

Crossword Puzzle, September 1957 Popular Electronics - RF CafeThis electronics crossword puzzle by Arthur Branch was published in the September 1957 issue of Popular Electronics magazine. Given the era of creation, there are some clues and words that are a little outdated and might not be familiar with younger puzzle workers, but the only one that really looks potentially troublesome is 29 Across: "Tubes that operate at firing voltage." Unlike the weekly crosswords from RF Cafe that uses only relevant technical words, this one fills in some spaces with common words when necessary. It's still a good puzzle, though...

Use of Breadboards for Complex Prototype Circuits

Click for the full-size image of Bob Pease's "Troubleshooting Analog Circuits"The great Bob Pease, National Semiconductor's crown jewel, wrote an article many years back that described how breadboarding can be useful for prototyping even sophisticated circuits as long as the limitations are understood and heeded. Many times I have searched the Internet looking for a picture of the breadboard I recalled seeing, but to no avail. Finally, I wrote to him asking if he remembered it and he responded by saying it is the one featured on the cover of his book, "Troubleshooting Analog Circuits." You can click on the image to the right for the full picture. Bob wrote, "THIS was actually the breadboard for the LM131 V-to-F converter - which I designed in 1977, and which is still being designed in, today, and is still in production. Yes, it can be used to convert voltages to F - and then you use a counter, to make a very linear digital conversion - or for F-to-V..."

RF & Electronics Symbols for Visio

RF Electronics Wireless Analog Block Diagrams Symbols Shapes for Visio - RF CafeWith more than 1000 custom-built symbols, this has got to be the most comprehensive set of Visio Symbols available for RF, analog, and digital system and schematic drawings! Every object has been built to fit proportionally on the provided A-, B- and C-size drawing page templates (or can use your own). Symbols are provided for equipment racks and test equipment, system block diagrams, conceptual drawings, and schematics. Unlike previous versions, these are NOT Stencils, but instead are all contained on tabbed pages within a single Visio document. That puts everything in front of you in its full glory. Just copy and paste what you need on your drawing. The file format is XML so everything plays nicely with Visio 2013 and later...

Thanks Once Again to everythingRF for Long-Time Support!

everything RF Searchable Database - RF CafePlease take a few moments to visit the everythingRF website to see how they can assist you with your project. everythingRF is a product discovery platform for RF and microwave products and services. They currently have 267,269 products from more than 1397 companies across 314 categories in their database and enable engineers to search for them using their customized parametric search tool. Amplifiers, test equipment, power couplers and dividers, coaxial connectors, waveguide, antennas, filters, mixers, power supplies, and everything else. Please visit everythingRF today to see how they can help you.

Wednesday the 27th

Electronics-Themed Comics, August 1949 Radio-Electronics

Electronics-Themed Comics, August 1949 Radio-Electronics - RF CafeHere are three more electronics-themed comics for you, these from a 1949 issue of Radio−Electronics magazine. The first one is probably still a concern for parents today, although the dilemma would probably be with the kid fiddling with the remote control rather than with the buttons on the TV set. The second might require you to be old enough to remember when both doctors and electronics servicemen made house calls. The third comics is my favorite due to its cleverness at portraying what was a common occurrence with boys wanting to watch a baseball game but not having the money for entrance to the ballpark. Spanky and the gang of The Little Rascals used to pull that stunt a lot. I took the liberty of colorizing the comics...

"I Didn't Know Ham Radio People Were Still Around"

"I Didn't Know Ham Radio People Were Still Around" - RF CafeEvery week while sitting in the studio where Melanie takes her violin lessons, I usually read technical and hobby magazines, but at the time I was been studying the ARRL General Class License Manual in preparation for taking the written exam in a couple months. One time a lady saw the book title and remarked, "I didn't know ham radio people were still around." Wow. It would be tempting to blame her for being ignorant, or to blame the ARRL for not adequately getting the word out, but the reality is that for the most part the mass media does not consider Ham radio's contribution to be significant enough to cover in news stories. Amateur radio operators perform a mighty public service in times of trouble, but they do it so efficiently and effectively, without actively seeking credit, that their efforts are lost in the noise. Ham radio operators have been on the front lines of national and civil defense since World War II and even a bit before (see links below). So important have been the contributions of Ham operators that the FCC has consistently protected the very valuable spectrum reserved for amateur radio...

EMI Shielding for Drones and UAVs

EMI Shielding for Drones and UAVs - RF Cafe"Most every electronic circuit will pose the threat of EMI radiation on other circuitry, with drones and UAVs being particularly susceptible. There’s one simple but important solution: implement EMI shielding. Most drones and unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) rely heavily on seamless communication from ground systems. Cell-phone towers, buildings and large metal structures, high-voltage power lines, and a high concentration of Wi-Fi networks in an area can cause serious electromagnetic interference (EMI) in drone performance. EMI effects on drone operations are unpredictable. They can severely disrupt a drone’s navigation system by shifting the drone's compass out of alignment. When flying close to large structures, EMI can degrade the quality of GPS reception..."

Two-Tone IMD Measurement Techniques

Two-Tone IMD Measurement Techniques - RF CafeKeith Barkley published an article in the June 2001 issue of RF Design magazine entitled, "Two-Tone IMD Measurement Techniques." Seven rules to ensure the best characterization of non-linear RF components. He writes: "Two-tone testing for intermodulation distortion (IMD) has a long and venerable history. Since the dawn of RF engineering, it has been used to characterize the non-linearity of RF components, both active and passive Measurement methods, pitfalls and tidbits of information have been gathered over the years by myriad sources, here and elsewhere. A few simple rules can help in setting up a test system that can accurately measure two-tone IMD for RF power transistors. For this discussion, f1 and f2 will denote the two signals' input into the device and Δf will be the frequency separation between them..."

Dipoles and Yagis

Dipoles and Yagis, November 1958 Radio-Electronics - RF CafeHere is a very useful article on the benefits and technical challenges of stacking antennas; it appeared in a 1958 issue of Radio−Electronics magazine. It avoids rigorous mathematical analysis and instead presents recommended guidelines and includes some very nice measured antenna patterns (no computer-generated predictions in 1958) of the various configurations. The authors discuss radiation pattern changes based on horizontal versus vertical stacking, and a combination of both. Plotting all the vertical and horizontal radiation patterns would have take a lot of time with a slide rule back in the day. This is the first of a series written by engineers at the Scala Radio Company...

RF Cascade Workbook

RF Cascade Workbook 2018 Is Available Now! - RF CafeRF Cascade Workbook 2018 is the next phase in the evolution of RF Cafe's long-running series, RF Cascade Workbook. Chances are you have never used a spreadsheet quite like this (click here for screen capture). It is a full-featured RF system cascade parameter and frequency planner that includes filters and mixers for a mere $45. Built in MS Excel, using RF Cascade Workbook 2018 is a cinch and the format is entirely customizable. It is significantly easier and faster than using a multi-thousand dollar simulator when a high level system analysis is all that is needed. An intro video takes you through the main features...

Many Thanks to KR Electronics for Helping Deliver RF Cafe!

KR ElectronicsKR Electronics designs and manufactures high quality filters for both the commercial and military markets. KR Electronics' line of filters includes lowpass, highpass, bandpass, bandstop and individually synthesized filters for special applications - both commercial and military. State of the art computer synthesis, analysis and test methods are used to meet the most challenging specifications. All common connector types and package form factors are available. Please visit their website today to see how they might be of assistance. Products are designed and manufactured in the USA.

Tuesday the 26th

Radio-Electronics Monthly Review

Radio-Electronics Monthly Review, June 1945 Radio-Craft - RF CafeRadio-Craft magazine ran a regular feature entitled "Radio-Electronics Monthly Review," which reported on industry news and events. The death of diode electron tube inventor Sir Ambrose Fleming appeared as a major item. He lived to the ripe old age of 95½ - an amazing feat at a time when the average lifespan of a male born in 1949 was less than 40 years. Regardless of the year born, your life expectancy increases as you get older both due to better available lifestyles, nutrition, and medicine, and because you continually cross benchmarks of genetic and environmental factors that take out others born in the same era. Another interesting item was the call for more ubiquitous deployment of 2-way radios (walkie-talkies) in rural areas to compensate for a relative lack of telephone service...

Quantum Technologies Based on Magnetic Molecules

Quantum Technologies Based on Magnetic Molecules - RF Cafe"An international research team, with the participation of the Institute of Molecular Science (ICMol) of the University of Valencia, has achieved spin-electric control in molecular nanomagnets. This fact offers great advantages when preparing quantum devices based on magnetic molecules. The work has been published in the journal Nature Physics. For some time, science has been looking for viability in the development of devices based on quantum bits (qubits), basic units of a quantum computer. In magnetic materials, a possible qubit is provided by the spin-quantum property of elementary particles such as the electron. In this context, the electrical control of spin offers important advantages for the development of quantum computing and, in general, quantum technologies. An international research team with the participation of ICMol has taken a step forward in this field by achieving..."

Skyworks SKY68031-11 Low Profile, Multi-band Massive IoT FEM

Skyworks SKY68031-11 Low Profile, Multi-band Massive IoT Front-End Module - RF CafeSkyworks is pleased to introduce SKY68031-11, the world's smallest, multi-band RF front-end (RFFE) module for licensed, low-power, wide-area network (LTE-M/NB-IoT) applications including asset tracking, health and fitness wearables, smart metering and industrial monitoring. This module integrates the entire RF front end necessary for a cellular IoT radio operating in low-band (5, 8, 12, 13, 14, 17, 18, 19, 20, 26, 28, 85) and mid-band (1, 2, 3, 4, 25, 39, 66, 70) frequencies. The FEM monolithically integrates a broadband power amplifier, transmit harmonic filters, antenna switch and MIPI RFFE controller, all in a compact 3x3 mm package...

All About Audio and Hi-Fi: The Listening Ear

All About Audio and Hi-Fi: The Listening Ear, May 1957 Radio & TV News - RF CafeWharfdale is a brand well known to stereo hobbyists and professionals for more than half a century - particularly in Europe. Wharfdale Wireless Works was founded by British entrepreneur Gilbert Briggs in 1933, and still sells speakers under the name "Wharfdale." As a pioneer in high fidelity sound reproduction, Mr. Briggs was highly sought as an author by electronics and audio media. In May 1957, he wrote this article for Radio & TV News magazine. Studies of the audio response of the human ear and the physics of the space where speakers and listeners would be were undertaken as the electronics age progressed in the post-war years and consumers began seeking more than simply noise emanating from a loudspeaker...

Quantum Technology: Qiskit and RasQberry

Quantum Technology: Qiskit and RasQberry - RF CafeIs it my imagination, or do the SMA connectors at the arrows appear to be not fully seated? Per the article: "Proponents of quantum technology believe its will change the world. Others remain skeptical, as they do of technologies like fusion energy. Speaking at a quantum developers' forum, IBM Distinguished Engineer Jan-Rainer Lahmann retraced the history of quantum computing, reviewing IBM's hardware and development roadmaps and describing the ingredients of 'Raspberry Pi Quantum.' The history of quantum computing goes back four decades to a conference where the Nobel laureate Richard Feynman introduced the idea of simulating quantum mechanical systems on a traditional computer. At the time, this required a significant computational resources. Even with Moore's Law scaling, it was clear to Feynman and many others..."

Post Your Engineer & Technician Job Openings on RF Cafe for Free

Engineering Job Board - RF CafeRF Cafe's raison d'être is and always has been to provide useful, quality content for engineers, technicians, engineering managers, students, and hobbyists. Part of that mission is offering to post applicable job openings. HR department employees and/or managers of hiring companies are welcome to submit opportunities for posting at no charge. 3rd party recruiters and temp agencies are not included so as to assure a high quality of listings. Please read through the easy procedure to benefit from RF Cafe's high quality visitors...

Many Thanks to ISOTEC for Continued Support!

ISOTEC Corporation - RF CafeSince 1996, ISOTEC has designed, developed and manufactured an extensive line of RF/microwave connectors, between-series adapters, RF components and filters for wireless service providers including non-magnetic connectors for quantum computing and MRI equipments etc. ISOTEC's product line includes low-PIM RF connectors components such as power dividers and directional couplers. Off-the-shelf and customized products up to 40 GHz and our low-PIM products can meet -160 dBc with 2 tones and 20 W test. Quick prototyping, advanced in-house testing and high-performance. Designs that are cost effective practical and repeatable.

Monday the 25th

Morse Code vs. Texting on Jay Leno Show

Morse Code vs. Texting Contest on the Jay Leno's "The Tonight Show" - RF Cafe Video for EngineersOn the May 13, 2005 episode of The Tonight Show, Jay Leno held a Morse code vs. SMS speed contest between two Ham Radio operators using Morse code and two Millennials using their smartphones for texting (SMS). At least one member of the audience thought texting would win. Watch the video to see if she was right. Mr. Chip Margelli (K7JA) did the sending. He declares, "Let me assure you that we never saw that message before I flipped the blue card over. Each message, in rehearsal, was different. The character count was the same as the one during dress rehearsal, though, to account for the time slot. And they put the card on the table "upside down" creative to how I flipped it, as you can see on the video." Mr. Ken Miller (K6CTW) did the receiving...

Station Design for DX (Part IV)

Station Design for DX (Part IV), December 1966 QST - RF CafeIn 1966, Paul Rockwell wrote a 4-part series for the ARRL's QST magazine on station design for long distance communications (DX) that covered antenna selection and siting (Part I), economics and construction (Part II), Station Configuration and Receiver Topics (Part III), and Propagation Quirks and Operating Tips (Part IV). This the the forth and final installment. One of the handy-dandy items shown is a Geochron Map-Clock which had a template of the familiar day-night analemma-based curve superimposed on the projection map of the earth. It was quite a deal in its day, and believe it or not, the company is still in business offering software-based Map-Clocks and restoring models all the way back to when they first came out in 1965 (only a year before it appeared here)...

Anisotropic Film Packs Transistors More Densly

Anisotropic Film Packs Transistors Closer Together - RF Cafe"Stacks of atomically thin sheets of molybdenum disulfide both move and block heat. Packing transistors close together raises the problem of heat frying the devices. Now scientists have developed an artificial material that is one of the best ever at conducting heat in one direction while keeping that heat insulated from its surroundings in other directions. The research might one day help microchips grow more powerful without breaking from overheating. As electronics continue to miniaturize, greater amounts of heat are getting produced in a given space, which makes heat control a key challenge in electronic design..."

Carl & Jerry: Succoring a Soroban

Carl & Jerry: Succoring a Soroban, March 1963 Popular Electronics - RF CafeDo you know what a soroban is? I have to admit ignorance prior to reading this 1963 "Carl and Jerry" adventure in Popular Electronics. As with many of these stories, real equipment, people, and companies were referenced; this time it was the Pastoriza Personal Analog Computer, a modular electronics system for calculating differential equations. The cost was around $300 (~$2,700 in c2021 money per BLS Inflation Calculator). Analog Devices bought the company from James Pastoriza in 1969. What does the Pastoriza computer have to do with the story, you might ask? Nothing, really; it was mentioned in a discussion Carl and Jerry had when accepting a calculating speed challenge from obnoxious dormitory mate, Bruce. Jerry would add a series of numbers on his soroban while Bruce would add them with a pencil and paper. The winner got bragging rights...

RF & Electronics Stencils for Visio

RF & Electronics stencils for Visio r4 - RF CafeWith more than 1000 custom-built stencils, this has got to be the most comprehensive set of Visio Stencils available for RF, analog, and digital system and schematic drawings! Every object has been built to fit proportionally on the provided A-, B- and C-size drawing page templates (or can use your own). Stencils are provided for equipment racks and test equipment, system block diagrams, conceptual drawings, and schematics. Unlike previous versions, these are NOT Stencils, but instead are all contained on tabbed pages within a single Visio document. That puts everything in front of you in its full glory. Just copy and paste what you need on your drawing. The file format is XML so everything plays nicely with Visio 2013 and later...

Thanks to TotalTemp Technologies for Continued Support!

TotalTemp Technologies - RF CafeTotalTemp Technologies has more than 40 years of combined experience providing thermal platforms. Thermal Platforms are available to provide temperatures between −100°C and +200°C for cryogenic cooling, recirculating circulating coolers, temperature chambers and temperature controllers, thermal range safety controllers, space simulation chambers, hybrid benchtop chambers, custom systems and platforms. Manual and automated configurations for laboratory and production environments. Please contact TotalTemp Technologies today to learn how they can help your project.

Sunday the 24th

Science Theme Crossword Puzzle for October 24th

Science Theme Crossword Puzzle for October 24th, 2021 - RF CafeThis Science Theme Crossword Puzzle for October 24 has many words and clues related to RF, microwave, and mm-wave engineering, optics, mathematics, chemistry, physics, and other technical subjects. The letter "P" figures Prominently in this crossword. As always, this crossword contains no names of politicians, mountain ranges, exotic foods or plants, movie stars, or anything of the sort unless it/he/she is related to this puzzle's technology theme (e.g., Reginald Denny or the Tunguska event in Siberia). The technically inclined cruciverbalists amongst us will appreciate the effort. Enjoy!

Please Thank IPP for Their Long-Time Support!

Innovative Power ProductsInnovative Power Products (IPP) has over 30 years of experience designing & manufacturing RF & microwave 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. Applications in military, medical, industrial and commercial markets are serviced around the world. Please take a couple minutes to visit their website and see how IPP can help you today.

Friday the 22nd

Radio in the Atom Tests

Radio in the Atom Tests, July 1946 Radio-Craft - RF CafeA year after the two atom bombs were dropped to end World War II, the newly formed Atomic Energy Commission conducted detailed detonation tests at the Bikini Atoll, in the South Pacific. Most people more than 40 years old are very familiar with the images of the giant mushroom cloud that formed over the site. This "Radio in the Atom Tests" article from the July 1946 issue of Radio−Craft magazine reports on plans being made for measure and record sound pressure, nuclear radiation, radio and radar signatures, temperature, light spectrum and intensity, and other parameters. The information would be used for improved bomb making, nuclear power generation, medical imaging and treatment, and general research on nuclear fission and fusion (a fission implosion is to initiate a fusion reaction)...

Drones for Safer & Better Cellular Connectivity

Drones for Safer & Better Cellular Connectivity - RF Cafe"Researchers from King Abdullah University of Science & Technology have proposed a solution to address the widespread public concern about electromagnetic fields (EMF) exposure from mobile networks. Masters' student Zhengying Lou, postdoctoral student Ahmed Elzanaty and distinguished professor Mohamed-Slim Alouini of KAUST proposed that mobile tethered drones might offer a speedy and environmentally friendly alternative for receiving terrestrial base stations while alleviating public concerns about exposure to EMF. Ahmed Elzanaty stated that it is mainly a problem of perception, but this concern has led to attempts to destroy signaling towers, especially those associated with the 5G network. He does point out, however, that recent experiments on animals link some adverse health impacts with long-term exposure to EMF..."

Radar Network for Air Traffic Control

Radar Network for Air Traffic Control, February 1957 Radio & Television News - RF CafeThe Civil Aeronautics Administration (CAA), born in 1940 and now known as the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA, since 1958), was established originally to regulate the burgeoning commercial airline and cargo transport air traffic as well as the private aviation activity. According to an FAA document, on April 3, 1947, CAA controllers began in-service evaluations of the ground approach control (GCA) radar system at Washington National and Chicago Municipal airports. It was commissioned for official use by the CAA on January 7, 1952, at Washington National Airport. This story from a 1957 edition of Radio & Television News magazine reports on the system upgrade to long-range radars that would permit, eventually, continuous coverage across the entire USA...

Thanks to PCB Directory for Continued Support!

PCB  Directory - RF CafePCB Directory is the largest directory of Printed Circuit Board (PCB) Manufacturers, Assembly houses, and Design Services on the Internet. We have listed the leading printed circuit board manufacturers around the world and made them searchable by their capabilities - Number of laminates used, Board thicknesses supported, Number of layers supported, Types of substrates (FR-4, Rogers, flexible, rigid), Geographical location (U.S., China), kinds of services (manufacturing, fabrication, assembly, prototype), and more. Fast turn-around on quotations for PCB fabrication and assembly.

Crosley Radio Advertisement

Crosley Radio Advertisement, February 1932 Radio-Craft - RF CafeCommercially available radio receivers for the home had only been around for a couple decades when this advertisement from Crosley appeared in a 1932 issue of Radio-Craft magazine. I keep looking in old electronics magazines for an ad featuring my 1941 Crosley model 03CB console radio, but thus far with no luck. There is a chance, although I have not seen any direct evidence of it, that the 03CB chassis was sold as a special upgrade to the less ornate 02CA model. What makes it special is that it was probably one of the last new radios sold prior to the shift of material usage to military equipment in World War II...

Promote Your Company on RF Cafe

Sponsor RF Cafe for as Little as $40 per Month - RF CafeNew Scheme rotates all Banners in all locations on the page! RF Cafe typically receives 8,000-15,000 website visits each weekday. RF Cafe is a favorite of engineers, technicians, hobbyists, and students all over the world. With more than 16,000 pages in the Google search index, RF Cafe returns in favorable positions on many types of key searches, both for text and images. New content is added on a daily basis, which keeps the major search engines interested enough to spider it multiple times each day. Items added on the homepage often can be found in a Google search within a few hours of being posted. I also re-broadcast homepage items on LinkedIn. If you need your company news to be seen, RF Cafe is the place to be.

Many Thanks to Bittele Electronics for Continued Support!

Bittele Electronics PCB Fabrication - RF CafeSince 2003, Bittele Electronics has consistently provided low-volume, electronic contract manufacturing (ECM) and turnkey PCB assembly services. It specializes in board level turnkey PCB assembly for design engineers needing low volume or prototype multi-layer printed circuit boards. Free Passive Components: Bittele Electronics is taking one further step in its commitment of offering the best service to clients of its PCB assembly business. Bittele is now offering common passive components to its clients FREE of Charge.

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