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Today in Science History

Electronic Test Paper

Electronic Test Paper, July 1963 Radio-Electronics - RF CafeAttempts at making an electronically printed facsimile (fax) of an original document at a location distant from the source have been around for quite a while. As mentioned by Radio-Electronics magazine editor Hugo Gernsback in this article, Samuel Morse had a crude working device for printing messages on paper even before his eponymously named code of dots and dashes became famous in 1837. A couple decades earlier, a fellow named John Redman Coxe, of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, devised a method of electronically printing images and text on paper using a conductive solution and a direct current pile (aka battery). Dr. Coxe, a physician, is not a well-known figure in the electronics world, but in his day...

"Edge of Chaos" High-Performance Microchips

"Edge of Chaos" High-Performance Microchips - RF Cafe"Researchers have discovered how the 'edge of chaos' can help electronic chips overcome signal losses, making chips simpler and more efficient. By using a metallic wire on a semi-stable material, this method allows for long metal lines to act like superconductors and amplify signals, potentially transforming chip design by eliminating the need for transistor amplifiers and reducing power usage. A stubbed toe immediately sends pain signals to the brain through several meters of axons, which are composed of highly resistive fleshy material. These axons operate using a principle known as the 'edge of chaos,' or semi-stability, enabling the swift and precise transmission of information..."

Japanese Trade-Name Directory

Japanese Trade-Name Directory, August 1969 Electronics World - RF CafeThe January 1969 issue of Electronics World magazine published an extensive list of Japanese company trade names and their addresses. Many of them went out of business or were bought by other corporations long ago, as occurs in all countries. "Aiwa" is listed twice, but that might have been a legitimate duplication due to separate locations (BTW, I owned an Aiwa stereo at one time). My first "real" cassette tape deck was made by TEAC (founded in 1953 as the Tokyo Electro Acoustic Company) and my first "real" stereo receiver was made by Sansui. I remember the line in "Back to the Future 3" where Doc Brown, having time-travelled from 1955, makes a disparaging remark about a circuit in the DeLorean failing because of it being labeled "Made in Japan." Marty counters...

Engineering & Tech Headlines <Archives>

• ARRL Defends 902-928 MHz Amateur Radio Band

• FCC's Auto Safety Spectrum Rules

• $5M in U.S. Chips Act Money to Metrology Projects

• U.S. State Department Approves Surveillance Radar System Sale to Romania

5G Americas ITU IMT-2030 Vision for 6G White Paper

John Redman Coxe: A Short Biography

John Redman Coxe: A Short Biography - RF Cafe - RF CafeJohn Redman Coxe was a prominent American physician, scientist, and innovator born on September 20, 1773, in Philadelphia. Coxe's intellect and curiosity drove him toward an illustrious career in both medicine and early scientific exploration, which included experimentation in electrochemistry. He graduated with a degree in medicine in 1794, setting the course for his lifelong journey into medicine and early scientific innovation. Coxe broadened his approach to medicine and science, inspiring him to explore the convergence of scientific methods and practical applications. John Redman Coxe is most remembered not only for his contributions to medicine but also for his interest in experimental physics, particularly in the field of electrochemistry...

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.

Vibration and Shock - Nature's Wrecking Crew

Vibration and Shock - Nature's Wrecking Crew, August 1966 Radio-Electronics - RF CafeWhen I saw this 1966 Radio-Electronics magazine article entitled, "Vibration and Shock - Nature's Wrecking Crew," for some reason the first thing I thought of was "The Wrecking Crew," that anonymously played the music for a huge number of popular singers - mostly those without prominent bands of their own during the 1960s and 1970s rock-and-roll era. ...but I digress. My introduction to the potential deleterious effects of vibration on electronics was in the 1970s, with airborne receivers and servos in my radio controlled model airplanes. Even though they were transistorized, vibration from glow fuel engines could wreak havoc with potentiometers in servos and solder joints everywhere, including battery packs. I remember seeing the control surfaces jitter...

Raytheon Needs Tube Design Engineers

Raytheon Manufacturing Company Needs Vacuum Tube Engineers, July 1944 QST - RF CafeYou don't see jobs advertisements like this anymore. Here is an ad that appeared in the the July 1944 edition of QST (the American Radio Relay League's, ARRL's, monthly magazine), placed by Raytheon Manufacturing Company (now just Raytheon Company), looking for vacuum tube design, test, and processing engineers. Licensed amateur radio operators were in high demand during the war years because of their knowledge and enthusiasm for electronics and wireless communications. I hope you didn't come to this page hoping to really find a tube designer job available. Of course, there are still vacuum tubes being designed for TWTs and magnetrons, but those are few and far between...

The Carborundum Signal Detector

The Carborundum Signal Detector - RF CafeThe "carborundum" signal detector, an innovative device developed by engineer General H. H. C. Dunwoody in the early 20th century, represents a significant advancement in radio technology, particularly in the context of crystal detectors used for receiving radio signals. This device utilized the unique properties of silicon carbide, also known as carborundum, which was synthesized in the late 19th century by Edward Goodrich Acheson. The connection between Dunwoody and the material lies in the application of carborundum as a semiconductor in radio signal detection. The operational theory of the carborundum signal detector is rooted in its ability to rectify alternating current (AC) signals. When radio waves, which are essentially electromagnetic waves...

Lossless Electronics with Innovative Quantum Sandwich

Lossless Electronics with Innovative Quantum Sandwich - RF Cafe"Researchers have created a cutting-edge structure by placing a very thin layer of a special insulating material between two magnetic layers. This new combination acts as a quantum anomalous Hall insulator, significantly broadening its potential use in developing ultra-efficient electronics and innovative solar technology. A Monash University-led research team has found that a structure featuring an ultra-thin topological insulator, sandwiched between two 2D ferromagnetic insulators, transforms into a large-bandgap quantum anomalous Hall insulator. This heterostructure opens the door to ultra-low energy electronics and even topological photovoltaics..."

Printed-Circuit Laminates

Printed-Circuit Laminates, October 1969 Electronics World - RF CafeThis is another of a series of articles on printed circuit boards (PCBs) that appeared in the October 1969 issue of Electronics World magazine, reporting on the latest and greatest advances in printed circuit board technology. Already in production were rigid multi-layer laminates, flexible plastic laminates, and special-purpose laminates for hazardous duty applications. Author Norman Skow does not mention how many layers were routinely accomplished at the time. Plated-through holes were a relatively recent thing for high volume manufacturing. Of course population of PCB components was still a completely manual procedure since pick-and-place machines were still a couple decades away...

Beyond the Transistor

Beyond the Transistor, July 1963 Radio-Electronics - RF CafeThis "Beyond the Transistor" article by Hugo Gernsback, which was printed in a 1963 issue of Radio-Electronics magazine, had as its subject not the transistor in general, but specifically its potential use as a low noise, high sensitivity radio frequency signal detector. Mr. Gernsback does a useful historical review of signal detectors, beginning with Heinrich Hertz's radio detector in 1888, then progressing through Edouard Branly's 1892 coherer, Gustave-Auguste Ferrie's and Reginald Fessenden's electrolytic detector of 1903, then Greenleaf Pickard's crystal detector in 1906. Lee de Forest's early work on vacuum tubes was directed toward a signal detector, and ultimately resulted in his Audion amplifier. In 1948, Bell Laboratories' Shockley, Brattain and Bardeen...

Swirling Magnons Set to Revolutionize Computing

Swirling Magnons Set to Revolutionize Computing - RF Cafe"Researchers have developed a groundbreaking method to create more compact and energy-efficient computing devices using magnonic circuits. By utilizing alternating currents to generate and steer spin waves in synthetic ferrimagnetic vortex pairs, this new approach promises significant advancements over traditional CMOS technology, potentially leading to the next generation of computing systems. The central processing units (CPUs) in our laptops, desktops, and phones rely on billions of transistors built with CMOS technology. As the demand to shrink these devices..."

Édouard Branly: A Short Biography

Édouard Branly: A Short Biography - RF CafeÉdouard Eugène Désiré Branly was born on October 23, 1844, in Amiens, France, into a period of scientific curiosity and rapid technological advancement. Raised in a family that valued education, Branly's early years were influenced by the intellectual currents of the 19th century, which likely fostered his keen interest in the sciences. His father, a modestly situated man, encouraged Branly's education, though little is known about his mother or other family members. Details about Branly's immediate family are sparse, including whether he had siblings, and historical records reveal little about his personal family life regarding a wife or children, suggesting that Branly...

High-Speed & Micro-Miniature Board-Board Connector

Withwave High-Speed & Micro-Miniature Board-Board Connector - RF CafeWithwave is a leading designer and developer of a broad range of RF, microwave, and millimeter-wave test solutions and subsystems with a focus on electromagnetic field analysis and signal processing. Withwave's new High-Speed & Micro-Miniature Board-Board Connectors (HMB) are hermaphroditic mating interface and offers good RF characteristics for high-frequency applications such as 5G Millimeter-Wave. The hermaphroditic mating design contributes to a very cost-effective solution. Frequency range: DC to 50 GHz, pitch: 0.35 mm, mated height: 0.6 mm-width: 2.48 mm, number of pins: 8, 16...

The Coherer Signal Detector

The Coherer Signal Detector - RF CafeThe invention and development of the coherer marked a transformative moment in radio signal detection, facilitating the transition from theoretical studies of electromagnetic waves to practical wireless communication. Developed in the 1890s, the coherer is widely attributed to Édouard Branly, a French physicist whose experiments with metal filings in a glass tube led to a device that could detect electromagnetic waves. His discovery showed that when exposed to such waves, the metal particles cohered or clumped together, changing their electrical resistance. This effect allowed a current to pass through the coherer, indicating the presence of a radio signal. Sir Oliver Joseph Lodge...

A Look at the PC Market

A Look at the PC Market, January 1972 Popular Electronics - RF CafeWhen I first read the title for this article, "A Look at the PC Market," I was thinking personal computers, not printed circuits. It being from a 1972 issue of Popular Electronics magazine, my assumption was that the photos of circuit boards were from early kit format computers, but then it finally dawned on me that there were no personal computers in 1972 - not even in kit form. Actually, that is not entirely true since there were advertisements for hokey contraptions called "computers" that combined some switches, logic gates, and LEDs for implementing simple multiple choice true/false testing boxes or rudimentary (with emphasis on "rud[e]") calculators...

Electronic Cooling & Heating

Electronic Cooling & Heating, January 1962 Radio-Electronics - RF CafeEven when you understand (or at least think you understand) the physics principles behind them, some things still seem to be "wrong." Two of those things involve the creation of cold from room temperature materials. Both involve separating hot and cold, then transporting the hot part to one area and the cold part to another. One involves molecules of air, the other electrons of semiconductors. This 1962 Radio-Electronics magazine article covers the latter, while the former refers to a compressed air "vortex tube." I first saw a vortex tube in the Genderson Chevrolet body shop (now defunct), in Annapolis, Maryland, where I worked part-time as a handyman while in high school in the mid-1970s. The article refers to the Seebeck and Peltier effects, which separates electrons from holes (a deficiency of electrons). A higher density of electrons results...

Manufacturers: Get Serious About Protecting IP

Time Manufacturers Get Serious About Protecting Their IP - RF CafeI heard a piece on the radio this morning about China copying designs of American companies having hardware built there using stolen molds and technology, then selling knock-off versions on Taobao, Alibaba, etc. Here is an interesting Forbes article on Chinese cybertheft: "Something interesting and potentially alarming has been surfacing in my conversations with manufacturers recently. Drawn to China by cost savings for years, many leaders are beginning to rethink their presence not because of rising tariffs or as part of efforts to reshore - legitimate factors themselves, of course - but due to cybersecurity concerns. Manufacturers must be diligent to track risk and take meaningful action to protect themselves..."

The Power FET

The Power FET, June 1969 Electronics World - RF CafeCrystalonics is not a name that immediately comes to mind when thinking about semiconductor manufacturers. They appear in this 1969 article in Electronics World magazine about power field effect transistors (FETs). Many semiconductor companies came and went in the last days of vacuum tube active devices, but Crystalonics - good for them - was not one of them. Surprisingly, a Google search revealed that Crystalonics was alive and well in Ronkonkoma, New York, until sometime after August of 2024. Their website is now defunct. From their About Us page: Formed in 1958, CRYSTALONICS is a broad line semiconductor manufacturer of Small Signal...

Exodus AMP2121-LC, 80-1000 MHz, 2 kW SSPA

Exodus AMP2121-LC, 80 to 1000 MHz, 2 kW SSPA System - RF CafeExodus Advanced Communications, is a multinational RF communication equipment and engineering service company serving both commercial and government entities and their affiliates worldwide. We are pleased to announce the model AMP2121-LC, a high-power RF amplifier system covering 80 to 1000 MHz. It produces 2000 W minimum output, with >1750 W P1db, and has excellent band flatness with a minimum power gain of 63 dB. Included are amplifier monitoring parameters for forward/reflected power in dBm & watts, VSWR, as well as voltage, current and temperature sensing on a large color touchscreen for optimum reliability and ruggedness, with unprecedented performance in a single cabinet...

Electronics-Themed Comics

Electronics-Themed Comics, October 1969 Electronics World - RF CafeHere are a couple tech-themed comics that appeared in the October 1969 issue of Electronics World magazine. The one I like best has two guys applying for a patent on their computers. Note the size difference. It portended the future of microcircuits. Of course the mother-in-law comics are always funny and were common back in the day. This one literally superimposed the hi-fi fad of the era with the mother-in-law jab. There is a huge list at the bottom of the page of links to other comics I have posted over the years. BTW, people have asked why I separate the text from the image. The answer is simple: If someone finds the image using an image search, he/she has to actually visit the webpage to get the punch line. Does that make me a bad person?

Hiram Percy Maxim's Gravesite in Hagerstown, MD

Hiram Percy Maxim's Gravesite in Hagerstown, Maryland - RF CafeIsaac Newton famously said, "If I have seen farther it is from standing on the shoulders of giants." His statement was figurative, of course, but I can now say literally that I have stood on the shoulders of a giant. Somewhere recently, I don't recall where, I read that although American Radio Relay League (ARRL) founder Hiram Percy Maxim was born in New York and spent most of his adult life in Connecticut, he was buried in Rose Hill Cemetery located in Hagerstown, Maryland. That just happens to be where Melanie and I stop a couple times each year to visit her mother. We lived there ourselves for about three years in the early 1990s. That day, I surely stood if not exactly atop Mr. Maxim's shoulders, then very nearly so as I maneuvered to take this picture of his grave marker. Why is he buried in Maryland, you might ask? That is where his wife's family's burial plot is located. Mrs. Maxim was the daughter of former Maryland senator and governor William T. Hamilton. Hamilton, in fact, helped establish the Rose Hill Cemetery in the mid 1880s...

Bell Telephone Laboratories Ad - Wire Bonding

Bell Telephone Laboratories Ad - Wire Bonding, March 1958 Radio News - RF CafeBell Labs' first positive gain semiconductor amplifier was of the point contact type where the n-type germanium base contact was conductively bonded to a metallic plate and the emitter and collector connections were made by point contact "cat whiskers." Such a contact is not mechanically robust and would not be a long term solution to semiconductor manufacturing. This full-page advertisement appearing in a 1958 issue of Radio & TV News magazine touts Bell Labs' development of a thermocompression wire bonding process whereby the combination of heat and concentrated pressure causes an atomic-level reaction between the semiconductor material and a gold interconnect wire. It proved to be very effective and reliable and paved the way for greater circuit density and packaging diversity (plastic and ceramic encapsulation vs. metal cans). Thermosonic wire bonding...

Empire of the Air: The Men Who Made Radio

Empire of the Air: The Men Who Made Radio - RF CafeEmpire of the Air: The Men Who Made Radio is a quite interesting documentary about the struggle that Edwin H. Armstrong - inventor of the superregenerative and superheterodyne circuits, and of wideband frequency modulation (FM) - had with Lee DeForest - inventor of the Audio amplifying tube - and David Sarnoff - CEO of Radio Corporation of America (RCA). Extensive legal battles ensued between Armstrong and DeForest over vacuum tube patents, and Sarnoff's transition from biggest cheerleader to biggest thwarter of Armstrong's efforts are epic. A huge amount of historical information and vintage film clips ...

$5.00 for Best Short Wave Kink

$5.00 for Best Short Wave Kink, May 1935 Short Wave Craft - RF CafeIf you need a cheap, quick lightning arrestor for your antenna or just about any type of wired system, this idea from Mr. Burgess Brownson looks like a good idea. He used an automotive spare plug. Voltage breakover points can be set by varying the spark gap distance. The old vacuum tube transmitters and receivers had a better of chance of surviving a lightning strike because the components were able to handle much more of a shock than our modern semiconductor sets with miniature, closely spaced components. Still, the spark plug setup is better than nothing, if for no other reason than to protect the shelter. it should suffice. This and many more "kinks" are offered in this 1935 issue of Short Wave Craft magazine...

Carl & Jerry: Slow Motion for Quick Action

Carl & Jerry: Slow Motion for Quick Action, April 1963 Popular Electronics - RF CafeOur two intrepid techno-sleuths, Carl Anderson and Jerry Bishop, are in college by now, but that does not keep them from applying their well-honed mystery solving skills to hometown situations while on spring break. The boys invoke the scientific method of Mr. R.R. Dibble, a New Zealand scientist, to help prove to county commissioners that a certain part of their critical infrastructure was in need of repair. An nth-generation farmer's observation was not proof enough, so indisputable empirical data would be needed. Real-life inventors and company's unique instruments are often incorporated into the Carl & Jerry series by John T. Frye that ran for many years in Popular Electronics...

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 stencil symbol has been built to fit proportionally on the included A-, B-, and C-size drawing page templates (or use your own page if preferred). Components are provided for system block diagrams, conceptual drawings, schematics, test equipment, racks, and more. Page templates are provided with a preset scale (changeable) for a good presentation that can incorporate all provided symbols...

Channel Master Antennas

Channel Master Antennas Advertisement, January 1957 Radio and Television News - RF CafeOne sure giveaway to the age of a picture is the presence of a wheat penny, a buffalo nickel, or a Mercury dime. This 1957 advertisement in Radio & Television News magazine for Channel Master antennas has all three. It shows a walking Liberty half dollar as well. Quarters haven't changed much over the years, with George Washington's head on the obverse side since 1932. The wheat penny design ended in 1959 when the Lincoln Memorial was put on the reverse side in its place. Thomas Jefferson's head has been on the nickel since 1938. Theodore Roosevelt's head was ensconced on the obverse of the dime in 1946. John F. Kennedy was placed on the half dollar obverse in 1964. This ad is about antennas, not coins, though. For a lot, if not most, of RF Cafe visitors, there has always been cable and satellite television. For some, TV has always been available on their smartphones...

RF Cafe Quiz #49: High-Frequency Integrated Circuits

RF Cafe Quiz #49: High-Frequency Integrated Circuits - RF CafeAll RF Cafe quizzes would make perfect fodder in employment interviews for technicians or engineers - particularly those who are fresh out of school or are relatively new to the work world. Come to think of it, they would make equally excellent study material for the same persons who are going to be interviewed for a job. This quiz is based on the information presented in High-Frequency Integrated Circuits, by Rosin Voinigescu.

Mt. Palomar Telescope Pyrex Mirror Blank

Mt. Palomar Telescope Pyrex Mirror Blank in the May 29, 1948, edition of The Saturday Evening Post - RF CafeHere is an advertisement by Corning from the May 29, 1948, edition of The Saturday Evening Post. The Hale 200-inch telescope mirror was dedicated for service at Mount Palomar on June 3, 1948, at the in honor of George Ellery Hale. As a side note, it is interesting that in the magazine of the era (which were typically quite large in width and height), actual photographs like this one were rarely used in advertisements. The vast majority of artwork was... artwork - pencil drawings or actual paintings. Tomorrow a new door to the secrets of the universe will be gin to open. A door through which astronomers will be able to see 6,000,000,000,000,000,000,000 miles into space...

Vintage Heathkit AR-1250 Stereo Receiver Kit

Vintage Heathkit AR−1250 Stereo Receiver Kit - RF Cafe Cool ProductThis vintage Heathkit AR-1250 Stereo Receiver kit is one the latest Heathkit kits which appeared on eBay, although this one is mostly built. At least you can see the innards in the photos. There appears to be a lot of parts to assemble, but by 1985 Heathkit was shipping kits with major RF circuit components already mounted and tuned. Without photos of the unassembled kit I cannot be sure, but being declared "a four-evening kit" means it likely did have pre-assembled sections. I have been saving these kinds of images in order to preserve the history. A constantly growing list is at the lower right. The first instance of the AR-1250 Stereo Receiver I could find in a Heathkit catalog is in the 1985 Spring-Summer issue with a price of $349.95, but by the time the 1985 Christmas issue was mailed, the price had been lowered to $299.95 ($745.61 in 2021 money per the BLS Inflation Calculator)...

Lissajous Pattern Quiz

Lissajous Pattern Quiz, September 1963 Popular Electronics - RF CafeJules Antoine Lissajous was a French mathematician who in the days before oscilloscopes concerned himself with patterns (waveforms) that would be generated as the result of two separate functions (signals) driving both the x- and y-axes. Lissajous used mechanical vibration devices connected to mirrors to bounce light beams onto a projection surface, so his results were not merely hand-drawn plots on graph paper. He was probably as mesmerized with them as we are today when they appear. Sci-fi movies have used Lissajous patterns in the background to 'wow' the audience into thinking it is witnessing futuristic, cutting-edge technology. When troubleshooting analog circuits, it is very advantageous to have seen and recognize many different types of waveforms so that you have a better chance of picking out patterns ...

RF Cafe Engineering Crossword Puzzle w/Weekly Headlines for July 15

RF Cafe Engineering Crossword Puzzle w/Weekly Headlines July 15, 2018At least 10 clues with an asterisk (*) in this technology-themed crossword puzzle are pulled from this past week's (7/9 - 7/13) "Tech Industry Headlines" column on the RF Cafe homepage. For the sake of all the avid cruciverbalists amongst us, each week I create a new technology-themed crossword puzzle using only words from my custom-created related list to engineering, science, mathematics, chemistry, physics, astronomy, etc. You will never find among the words names of politicians, mountain ranges, exotic foods or plants, movie stars, or anything of the sort. You might, however, see someone or something in the exclusion list who or that is directly related to this puzzle's theme, such as Hedy Lamar or the Bikini Atoll, respectively. Enjoy!...

Name-the-Scientist Crossword Puzzle

Name-the-Scientist Crossword Puzzle, September 1960 Electronics World - RF CafeHere is another of John Comstock's crossword puzzles from a 1960s issue of Electronics World magazine. His "Name-the-Scientist" puzzle, as the title suggests, draws mostly on your knowledge of men who are very familiar to anyone who has been in the electronics game for a while. There are a few not-a-name words, but they are related to somebody's name. Mr. Comstock must have been really fond of one guy since he and his invention appear multiple times in various forms. I have to admit to missing 17 Down, but then at least recognizing the name after seeing it in the answer key.

Get Your Custom-Designed RF Cafe Gear!

Custom-Designed RF-Themed Cups, T-Shirts, Mouse Pads, Clocks (Cafe Press) - RF CafeThis assortment of custom-designed themes by RF Cafe includes T-Shirts, Mouse Pads, Clocks, Tote Bags, Coffee Mugs and Steins, Purses, Sweatshirts, Baseball Caps, and more, all sporting my amazingly clever "RF Engineers - We Are the World's Matchmakers" Smith chart design. These would make excellent gifts for husbands, wives, kids, significant others, and for handing out at company events or as rewards for excellent service. My graphic has been ripped off by other people and used on their products, so please be sure to purchase only official RF Cafe gear. I only make a couple bucks on each sale - the rest goes to Cafe Press. It's a great way to help support RF Cafe. Thanks...

Promote Your Company on RF Cafe

Sponsor RF Cafe for as Little as $40 per Month - RF CafeBanner Ads are rotated in all locations on the page! RF Cafe typically receives 8,000-15,000 visits each weekday. RF Cafe is a favorite of engineers, technicians, hobbyists, and students all over the world. With more than 17,000 pages in the Google search index, RF Cafe returns in favorable positions on many types of key searches, both for text and images. Your Banner Ads are displayed on average 225,000 times per year! 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. If you need your company news to be seen, RF Cafe is the place to be...

FM Broadcasting in Western Germany

FM Broadcasting in Western Germany, March 1953 Radio-Electronics - RF CafeWhile FM broadcasting (frequency modulation) began in the United States in the late 1930s, it was not until after World War II and even the Korean War, in the 1950s, that the major shift to FM took place. It took even longer for FM to get a foothold in Europe mainly due to the emphasis on rebuilding essential infrastructure and manufacturing destroyed by the war. As this article points out, the newer FM radio features allowed it to thwart some of the propaganda efforts of the Soviets in East Germany who would be stuck in technologies that lag two or more decades behind the free world even to this day (ain't Communism / Socialism great?). The "medium-wave band" referenced herein is AM (amplitude modulation), so replacing dominant radio broadcasting with FM systems would effectively cut off AM propaganda. FM radios were being produced so inexpensively in the U.S. that they were very affordable in Europe was well. There is no mention of whether the West German government subsidized the purchase of FM receivers by citizens...

Carl and Jerry: Under the Mistletoe

Carl and Jerry: Under the Mistletoe, December 1958 Popular Electronics - RFCafeHere is a Christmas-themed "Carl & Jerry" episode from the December 1958 issue of Popular Electronics magazine. Carl and Jerry, if you are not familiar with them, are a couple electronics-savvy teenagers who, in the style of "The Hardy Boys," manage to get involved in a series of criminal investigations. With headquarters based in their parent's basement, the two friends cobble up strategies and contraptions for snaring bad guys, bedazzling unsuspecting neighbors and classmates, and assisting people in need of techno-capable assistance. They have quite an impressive collection of test equipment and radio gear at their disposal per the one drawing herein. In this episode we are introduced to the word "osculation." If you already knew its definition, you're one up on me...

Russia Electronics Market

Russia Electronics Market, December 27, 1965 Electronics Magazine - RF CafeThis is the electronics market prediction for Russia, circa 1966. It was part of a comprehensive assessment by the editors of Electronics magazine of the state of commercial, military, and consumer electronics at the end of 1965. Then, as now, Russian electronics products are not considered to be serious competition to U.S. markets. For that matter, when is the last product of any type you bought with a "Made in Russia" stamp on it? Even though the Soviet Iron Curtain fell in 1992, very little progress has been made with mending fences with them. Unless you can find a news story on the state of the industry, detailed reports must be purchased from research companies...

RF Cafe Engineering & Science Crossword Puzzle for March 3

RF Cafe Engineering & Science Crossword Puzzle March 3, 2019Beginning in 2000, I have created hundreds of custom electronics-themed crossword puzzles for the brain-exercising benefit and pleasure of RF Cafe visitors who are fellow cruciverbalists. The jury is out on whether or not this type of mental challenge helps keep your gray matter from atrophying in old age, but it certainly helps maintain your vocabulary and cognitive skills at all ages. A database of thousands of words has been built up over the years and contains only clues and terms associated with engineering, science, physical, astronomy, mathematics, chemistry, etc. You will never find a word taxing your knowledge of a numbnut soap opera star or the name of some obscure village in the Andes mountains. You might, however, encounter the name of a movie start like Hedy Lamarr or a geographical location like Tunguska, Russia, for reasons which, if you don't already know, might surprise you...

Biggest "Portable" Radio

Biggest "Portable" Radio, July 1945 Radio-Craft - RF Cafe"Portable" is a matter of perspective when it comes to large systems. Anything that can be put on wheels and moved over land is technically portable, but the speed at which it can be brought into operation once relocated is what really defines whether something is portable or not. To be truly portable, all of the requisite support equipment must travel with it; e.g., electric generators, fuel, water, food, personnel facilities (if needed), etc. The MPN-14 portable airport surveillance radar (ASR) and precision approach radar (PAR) unit I worked on in the USAF truly qualified since it was entirely self-contained and the necessary power generators were supplied by a separate shop within the 5th Combat Communications Group to which I belonged. Other shops provided creature comfort facilities, ground-based and satellite radio communications, tactical air navigation (TACAN), security, and managerial services. A few times each year we had what were called "Healthy Strikes" where claxons would sound in the barracks...

Satellite TV c.1965

Satellite TV, May 1956 Radio & Television News - RF CafeWhen you hear or read "satellite television," you naturally think of a service like DISH Network or DIRECTV. When encountered in a 1956 Radio & TV News article, you know "satellite" must mean "(3) someone or something attendant, subordinate, or dependent." Such was the case for satellite TV locations in areas where, without a network of microwave relay towers, communities situated where geography inhibited standard VHF and UHF broadcast signals from reaching sets with sufficient power were left with no or frustratingly poor reception. Home-based satellite TV as we know it today began in the mid 1970s with Pat Robertson's Christian Broadcasting Network broadcast. Artifacts of that ancient time can still be spotted in rural areas: 10-foot-diameter dishes with eyeballs, smiley faces, or camouflage patterns painted...

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