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 Everyone who is interested enough in
microwave
diodes to read this article surely knows* what IMPATT, GUNN, and PIN diodes are,
but have you heard of Read-effect, TRAPATT, LSA, or QMD diodes? If not, it is likely
because you entered the microwaves field long after 1969 when this edition of
Electronics World was mailed to subscribers. Device improvement and obsolescence
accounts for familiarity with the former and unfamiliarity with the latter, respectively.
The article below by two Sylvania Electronic Products engineers describes the properties
of various up-and...
 Who else remembers listening to your dial-up
modem sing its digital tune as it connected you to the World Wide Web (WWW)? Who else
used to grab the free AOL
CDs in the 1990s at the Wal-Mart - or Wal*Mart - (which is how it was spelled
during the era) electronics counter free extra hours of connectivity? This
IEEE Spectrum article provides the back story of its so-to-be demise. "The last
time I used a dial-up modem came sometime around 2001. Within just a few years,
dial-up had exited my life, never to return. I haven't even had a telephone line
in my house for most of my adult life. But I still feel a strong tinge of sadness
to know that AOL is finally retiring the ol' hobbyhorse..."
 The metal-oxide-semiconductor field-effect
transistor (MOSFET) was patented in its present form by Bell Labs in 1959,
following the original patent by inventor Julius Edgar Lilienfeld, in 1925. It had
only been on the open market for designers to use for a bit over a decade when this
article appeared in Popular Electronics. Adolph Mangieri wrote a number
of articles for the magazine in the early 1970s introducing readers to the many
new types of semiconductor devices coming out of research laboratories and into
the commercial marketplace; e.g., "Understanding the Junction Field Effect Transistor."
MOSFET's are nowadays the primary building...
 Each week, for the sake of all avid cruciverbalists
amongst us, I create a new
technology-themed crossword puzzle using only words from my custom-created
lexicon related 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...
 Exodus Advanced Communications is a multinational
RF communication equipment and engineering service company serving both commercial
and government entities and their affiliates worldwide. Power amplifiers ranging
from 10 kHz to 51 GHz with various output power levels and noise figure
ranges, we fully support custom designs and manufacturing requirements for both
small and large volume levels. decades of combined experience in the RF field for
numerous applications including military jamming, communications, radar, EMI/EMC
and various commercial projects with all designing and manufacturing of our HPA,
MPA, and LNA products in-house.
 Glass-encapsulated bi-reed magnetic switches
were a relatively recent invention that came out of Bell Labs when this
Carl & Jerry episode was published in Popular Electronics magazine
in 1962. It seems like such simple and common components have been around forever,
and they have for a growing portion of people in the electronics realm since that
was more than half a century ago. As is often the case with John Frye's enterprising
pair of teenage experimenters, the reader is treated to a tutorial on the operational
theory of the switch, with its dependence on magnetization by induction. The story
ends up being quite humorous, and reminds me a bit of the old All in the Family
episode where a window salesman uses a photography light measuring meter to convince
Archie...
 "MIT researchers have developed a reconfigurable
antenna that
dynamically adjusts its frequency range by changing its physical shape, making
it more versatile for communications and sensing than static antennas. The antenna
can be stretched, bent, or compressed to make reversible changes to its radiation
properties, enabling a device to operate in a wider frequency range without the
need for complex moving parts. With an adjustable frequency range, the reconfigurable
antenna can adapt to changing environmental conditions and reduce the need for multiple
antennas. The word 'antenna' may draw to mind metal rods like the 'bunny ears' on
top of old television sets..."
 It's a good thing that ferric chloride does
not turn unstable and explosive after sitting in the dark for many years or I might
be in trouble. My bottle was bought back when Radio Shack was the electronic hobbyists
local source for project parts. There is probably not much demand for either ferric
chloride, FeCl3, or ammonium persulfate, (NH4)2S2O8,
these days since fewer people are making their own printed circuit boards (PCB's)
and there is a host of companies who offer low quantity
PCB fabrication at a good price. However, for those who still
engage in home brew projects and want an alternative to point-to...
 As one who enthusiastically followed the
manned space program from its early days in the 1960's, reading
news stories and magazine articles on new technology and research never ceases to
amaze me. When China or Russia flies the next man to the moon, the level of fanfare
will be more focused on how the U.S. is no longer considered the leader than on
how much more improved technology is and how much lower the risk is. We now have
over a million total hours of men living in space versus a thousand or so in 1969.
Semiconductors have totally replaced vacuum tubes - with vastly better capability
and ruggedness. Mechanics and...
 Back in my days of doing electrical work,
prior to entering the USAF, I seriously considered training as a lineman. At some
point I decided I rather pursue electronics rather than high voltage electrical
networks. This 1949 Popular Electronics magazine article does a great job
of presenting the kinds of skills and risks that go along with being a lineman.
Today's
high-tension linemen benefit from advanced equipment like two-way radios, mechanical
augers, and specialized tools that streamline repairs and improve safety. Rubber
gloves, sleeves, and protective gear are rigorously tested, while "line hoses" and
insulator hoods shield workers from live wires. Despite these advancements, the
job remains perilous, demanding unwavering adherence to safety protocols, especially
during inclement weather...
 In 1949 Westinghouse revealed the first
U.S.
nuclear-reactor built to drive a propeller (on a submarine - airplanes would
come later, supposedly), to be tested at the AEC's Idaho "Reactor Farm." This 1949
Popular Science magazine article explains fission using simple word pictures:
a single extra neutron cracks a heavy uranium-235 nucleus into two smaller, neutron-bloated
fragments (actual modern alchemy); these "delayed" neutrons emerge slowly, giving
time to insert control rods made of neutron-absorbing material - like a "spoon in
the cup" damping a coffee slosh - so heat is produced continuously yet safely. The
excess neutrons also trigger a second trick: "breeders" capture them in a blanket
of ordinary uranium, coaxing it to produce fresh plutonium as the reactor generates
power...
• NGMN Intros
Common Language for Base Station Antennas
• FCC
Notice of Unlicensed Radio and Harmful Interference
• Cloud Giants Raking in
$100B Per Quarter
• Reasons to Deploy
Private 5G Network
• 1st
Female Astronomer Royal Appointed by UK
 Charter Engineering Inc. (CEI) has earned
the
AS9100D certification, joining parent company dB Control and sister companies
Paciwave and TTT-Cubed in meeting this internationally recognized aerospace quality
management standard. This milestone underscores Charter Engineering's ongoing commitment
to excellence in aerospace and defense manufacturing. AS9100D is the global benchmark
for aerospace quality, requiring organizations to meet rigorous criteria in reliability,
risk management, and continuous improvement. By achieving this certification, Charter
Engineering now joins a select group of manufacturers whose processes and quality
systems...
 QST, the American Radio Relay League's
flagship monthly publication, has been around since December of 1915. It has for
decades included
Fools' articles in the April editions, as do many other magazines.
Each year I peruse April issues with a bit of trepidation for fear that I will not
be savvy enough to spot the phony article. Usually there is some aspect that is
clearly not right, thereby giving up the scam. This year's April QST arrived a week
ago and a quick scan has not revealed to me anything suspicious. Maybe this one
requires the knowledge of a seasoned, practicing Ham for detection; book knowledge
alone might not cut it this time...
 High quality
test equipment (TE) typically costs more than the knockoff stuff,
but a lot more of the former is still around in regular use compared to the latter.
The retained value of vintage TE can be quantitatively measured on eBay - as can
most things for that matter. An item is worth what the market will bear. Hewlett
Packard (HP), Tektronix, Bird, Simpson, B&K, Triplett, even Heathkit, typically
sell for often surprisingly high prices when in working order. Accordingly, a lot
of people are looking for specifications on the older equipment as well as schematics
and alignment manuals. A Google search almost always turns up what you want. The
information presented in this 1966 article from Popular Electronics magazine
will probably be found by someone doing just such a search...
 On his 65th birthday,
the inventor of the vacuum tube which made modern radio possible, looks back down
the years and comments: "I seldom tune in ... The programs, all swing and croon,
are not only poor, but the interruptions for commercial announcements are maddening
... Isn't it sickening? It isn't at all as I imagined it would be." -
Dr. Lee de Forest, in Time magazine, as reported in the February
1966 issue of Radio Craft magazine...
 In a move reminiscent of Microsoft announcing
skipping from Windows 8.1 directly to Windows 10 in order to emphasize
the significant step in functionality, the NexGen Mobile Network Alliance circulated
a press release detailing plans to skip past the in-process
5G standard (originally slated for a 2020
release date) and proceed with
6G. Unanticipated advances in breakthrough quantum computing algorithms,
terabit data rates over dilithium optical cables, and transmutational hypercubic
encoding schemes has prompted regulators to abandon work on 5G after hardware manufacturers
including both phone and tower equipment companies petitioned the standards body
to save them the engineering and production costs that would be involved in supporting
what would certainly be a very short term compliance requirement...
 "The Federal Communications Commission is
updating its rules on
subsea communications cables, aiming to streamline regulations and add more
protections to the increasingly important underwater infrastructure that connects
the world. All three current commissioners voted in favor of new proposed rules,
and the FCC will take public input on further rule updates that are meant to help
accelerate deployment of the expensive infrastructure - which can cost between $30,000
to $50,000 per kilometer to deploy. The global subsea cable network is made up of
about 450 cable systems spanning more than 1.5 million kilometers..."
 Moral standards seem to rigidly obey the
second law of thermodynamics, which states that entropy (disorder) increases in
a closed system. Most people would say society is more rude and corrupt today than
in days gone by - count me among them. However, believing so does not obviate or
excuse acts of deviance in the past. Indeed, even esteemed organizations like the
ARRL seems to have been guilty of promoting dishonest acts. To
wit, consider this offer appearing in the "Strayed" column of the April 1933 issue
of QST magazine, "For Sale: QSL Cards of any country. Win your WAC..."
 The September 1932 issue of Radio Craft
contained an article titled, "Radio a la Cortlandt Street!," the original "Radio Row" located at the corner of Cortlandt and Washington Streets
in Manhattan. It was a mecca of new and used electronics components and assemblies.
After World War II there was a huge supply of surplus parts and equipment made
available to the public as a means to clear out inventory and also as a "thank you"
to the citizens who voluntarily donated critically needed panel meters, tuning capacitors,
connectors, and other items to the War Department. That really helped the market
boom. Post-war electronics magazines were chock full of ads by dealers selling surplus
electronic and mechanical supplies...
 Established in 1990,
dB Control supplies mission-critical,
often sole-source, products worldwide to military organizations, as well as to major
defense contractors and commercial manufacturers. dB Control designs and manufactures
high-power TWT amplifiers, microwave power modules, transmitters, high- and low-voltage
power supplies, and modulators for radar, ECM, and data link applications. Modularity
enables rapid configuration of custom products for a variety of platforms, including
ground-based and high-altitude military manned and unmanned aircraft. Custom RF
sources and receivers, components and integrated microwave subsystems as well as
precision electromechanical switches. dB Control also offers specialized contract
manufacturing and repair depot services.
 Mac and Barney discuss with some degree
of trepidation the alarmingly increasing rate at which new
electronics technology is being developed and marketed. As service
shop owner and technician, respectively, they needed to constantly educate themselves
on new components and circuits in order to stay current and be efficient enough
to turn a profit. Mac recounts his lengthy background beginning with the days of
mainly battery-powered AM radios, and progressing through AC-DC, FM and all-band
(shortwave) radio, B&W television and the color TV, CB radios, and a new breed
of appliances with electronic controls...
 If you think the title of this piece has
anything to do with the story, think again, or at least as far as I can reckon.
Keeping in mind that this mini-novel appeared in the
April 1933 issue of QST magazine, wherewith the past couple days of
Fools' pieces accompanied it, I read with caution. The image of Queen Elizabeth
cradling a vacuum valve (not tube!) under her arm like a rugby football (to continue
the Eurocentric theme) in the comic certainly grabs one's attention, as do the "250-watter
lights" on the the royal bathroom wall. You need to switch into a early twentieth
century mindset while perusing the story in order to appreciate the humor...
 "A mysterious new job listings website recently
went live, solely showing roles companies want to offer to their H-1B holders seeking
Green Cards in an attempt to get Americans into the jobs instead.
Jobs.Now works by scouring corporate listings for positions attached to foreign
workers, which employers are obliged to try to fill with American workers before
seeking permanent residency for an immigrant employee. 'Many people have complained
about the trend of companies recruiting immigrants to fill jobs while Americans
face unemployment, but few people have taken action to provide resources to help
Americans get the first look they are legally entitled to for jobs in their own
country,' the team behind the website..."
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