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Today in Science History -
 "SDA announced October 5 two contract awards
for the first generation of the
Tracking Layer. These awards represent the next major and highly visible steps
toward developing the National Defense Space Architecture's inaugural tranche (called
Tranche 0). Once fully operational, the SDA Tracking Layer will consist of a proliferated
heterogeneous constellation of Wide Field of View (WFOV) space vehicles (SVs) that
provide persistent global coverage and custody capability combined with the Missile
Defense Agency (MDA) Hypersonic and Ballistic Tracking Space Sensor (HBTSS) Medium
Field of View (MFOV) SVs that provide precision global access capability. This set
of contract awards will initiate the development of the first eight low-cost proliferated
WFOV SVs..."
 There is an old adage that goes thusly: "If
you want to build an
oscillator, design an amplifier. If you want to build an amplifier, design an
oscillator." Its basis is the difficulty that can be experienced in obtaining the
right combination of feedback phase and amplitude. Of course experience, use of
simulators, and careful circuit construction minimize the opportunity for validating
that saying. The basic requirement for an oscillator is feedback from the output
to the input that is in-phase and great enough in amplitude to maintain, via the
amplifier's gain factor, a constant output level. Tuned L-C (inductor-capacitor)
tank circuits are often used as simple frequency-determining elements because of
their combined resonance characteristics. Phase shift oscillators are a type of
oscillator that can be built without inductors...
 Silicon Labs, a leading provider of silicon,
software and solutions, today announced a new high reliability (HiRel) isolation
partnership with Teledyne e2v HiRel, a leading provider of high-performance, high-reliability
semiconductors to the aerospace and defense market. Under the new agreement, Teledyne
will offer a new specialized line of high reliability products based on Silicon
Labs'
isolated gate driver technology optimized for space, aerospace, military and
oil and gas markets. Teledyne e2v HiRel will market custom high reliability solutions
based on Silicon Labs' Si827x isolated gate driver family that are optimized for
space, aerospace, military, oil and gas and other markets requiring advanced technology
and high reliability...
 Anatech Electronics (AEI) manufactures and
supplies RF and microwave
filters for military and commercial communication systems, providing standard
LP, HP, BP, BS, notch, diplexer, and custom RF filters, and RF products. Standard
RF filter and cable assembly products are published in our website database for
ease of procurement. Custom RF filters designs are used when a standard cannot be
found, or the requirements dictate a custom approach for your military and commercial
communications needs. Sam Benzacar's monthly newsletters address contemporary wireless
subjects. Please visit Anatech today to see how they can help your project succeed.
 RCA (Radio Corporation of America) is not
really the first company name that comes to mind when thinking about
radar, be it weather, aircraft navigation, or nautical navigation. Instead,
I think of radios and televisions and even satellites; RCA developed the circa 1958
SCORE series. According to this 1955 article in Radio & Television News
magazine, RCA designed and built a a C-band airborne radar system for detecting
adverse weather conditions enroute, at a range of up to 150 miles. Operating at
around 5.4 GHz at 75 kW peak, the AVQ-10 radar unit was primarily meant
for weather avoidance rather than for terrain and aircraft avoidance. The installed
weight of 125 pounds was rather amazing considering the use of vacuum tubes and
a CRT display (also a vacuum tube), along with leaded passive components and bulky,
heavy (relatively) transformers for providing high voltage...
 PCBONLINE, a one-stop custom PCB/PCBA manufacturer
for prototypes, small-batch, and massive production, recently published a technical
blog to explain
how to create a custom PCBA. It answers what is a PCBA, how to create a custom
PCBA, the techniques used for manufacturing the PCBA, etc. When a PCB is mounted
with electronic components, it becomes a PCBA (printed circuit board assembly),
which is a semi-finished electronic product that achieves the vital function of
an electronic device. PCBAs are used in almost all electronics industries. PCBAs
manufactured by PCBONLINE include the high frequency PCBA, multilayer PCBA, rigid-flex
PCBA, aluminum PCBA, etc. 1 to 100 layer PCBAs can be delivered in 3 days...
 "For around 10 years, smartphones and computer
screens have been based on a display technology composed of so-called thin film
transistors. These are inorganic transistors that require very little power, and
they have proven themselves capable, given their widespread adoption. But they have
limits that researchers have been busy trying to overcome. 'We explore new ways
to improve upon thin film transistors, such as new designs or new methods of manufacture,'
said Gyo Kitahara, a Ph.D. student from the Department of Applied Physics. 'Organic
thin film transistors, for example, have a bright future in LCD screen devices.
Compared to the inorganic kind currently used..."
 Here is an advertisement by
RCA Victor (Radio Corporation of America) from the November 6, 1948, edition
of the The Saturday Evening Post. As was common in the day, the company
specifically addresses Americans in an American magazine. Rarely anymore does a
major American company use the word "America" or "American" in promotional material
because of globalism and the fear of being too committed to the well-being of its
native country. The same is true of most western countries' corporations, where
their country names can be substituted for "America" in this piece. Up through about
the 1980s it was commonplace to specifically address countrymen. Once manufacturers
ramped up offshoring efforts the practice began disappearing. Offshoring is distinctly
different from importing another...
 ConductRF is pleased to offer
Low Smoke / Zero Halogen Jacketed RF Cables for various applications Indoor
and Outdoor for Naval Ship-Board applications. We have two ranges of solutions aimed
at differing RF requirements with our SBA series aimed at Higher Frequency 18 GHz
needs. These are 100% factory tested to exacting VSWR and Loss standards because,
We know, Results Count! ConductRF manufactures a range RF Cables in support of Ship
Board applications, where Low Smoke, Zero Halogen requirements are mandated. These
cable have Low Smoke Polyolefin Jackets that are suitable for Ship Board Environments.
The Cable solutions are commonly available in 3 sizes with cable OD of 0.240", 0.405"
and 0.590"...
 PCB 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.
 It seems Amateur radio operators in every
country have perpetually been in a battle against government bureaucrats. Early
on, Hams were allocated small segments of available "usable" spectrum and a fairly
wide swath of the less desirable spectrum. That was especially true of the microwave
bands when there was not a lot of components and equipment available that could
operate at the higher frequencies. Those familiar with history are familiar with
the situation where Amateurs developed a lot of the technology for operating in
the upper MHz and into the GHz realm, and then the government snatched it from them
for commercial and military use. Hams pretty much pioneered
atmospheric scatter as a means for long distance (DX), over-the-horizon communications
using those upper frequencies. This editorial from a 1955 issue of Radio & Television
News magazine reports on a relatively newer...
 "Researchers at UNSW Sydney have demonstrated
the lowest noise level on record for a
semiconductor quantum bit, or qubit. The research was published in Advanced
Materials. For quantum computers to perform useful calculations, quantum information
must be close to 100 percent accurate. Charge noise - caused by imperfections in
the material environment that hosts qubits - interferes with quantum information
encoded on qubits, impacting the accuracy of the information. "The level of charge
noise in semiconductor qubits has been a critical obstacle to achieving the accuracy
levels we need for large-scale error-corrected quantum computers," says lead author
Ludwik Kranz, a Ph.D. student at UNSW's Centre for Quantum Computation and Communication
Technology (CQC2T)..."
 RF Superstore launched in 2017, marking
the return of Murray Pasternack, founder of Pasternack Enterprises, to the RF and
microwave Industry. Pasternack fundamentally changed the way RF components were
sold. Partner Jason Wright manages day-to-day operations, while working closely
with Mr. Pasternack to develop RF Superstore into a world class RF and
microwave component
supplier. RF coaxial connectors & adapters, coaxial cable & cable assemblies,
surge protectors, attenuators. Items added daily. Free shipping on orders over $25.
We're leading the way again!
 This
Electronic Menu Quiz appeared in the August 1963 edition of Popular Electronics
magazine. Robert Balin created many such quizzes for Popular Electronics
over the years. It challenges you to match the common food-related term for a device
with its picture. If you've been around electronics labs and/or read electronics
hobbyist magazines for a while, chances are you have run across most of the terms.
I suggest you click on the image to get a full-size view of the drawings to be able
to see all the detail. A couple of the names I have to admit not being familiar,
so they seem rather 'corny'... get it?
 Each month the ARRL's flagship magazine,
QST, makes an article available for free to non-members. November's selection
is entitled "Military
Mast Problems and Solutions." Bob Dixon, W8ERD, begins: "Many of us use military
surplus masts and tripods to hold up antennas, especially in portable situations.
They work very well, but these masts have potential stability problems, because
the adjacent mast sections and tripod are held together by their weight and by friction
alone. If the mast is tilted by the wind or pulled by a wire, the mast joints and
tripod can separate, and the entire structure can fall down catastrophically. Also,
if you have a rotatable antenna on the mast, the mast sections can slip and rotate
the antenna, or make it difficult to turn. These problems can be fixed by pinning
all the mast sections and the tripod together..."
 Skyworks is pleased to introduce the
SKYFR-001982, a small form factor surface mount circulator for L-Band radar
systems and wireless applications in the 1200-1400 MHz operating range. This
device offers high power level handling with minimal thermal rise, providing a flow
path for the RF signal as well as protection for sensitive components from excess
signal reflection. Packaged in a compact SMT housing, the SKYFR-001982 can be easily
incorporated onto PCB boards with automated pick and place manufacturing. The SKYFR-001982
is the latest in Skyworks' broad portfolio of Circulator and Isolator products for
radars for both military and commercial applications...
 TotalTemp 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.
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