Homepage Archive April 2013

Atlanta Communications Needs

RF System Technician

Atlanta Communications Company is seeking a mature, experience person with a dynamic personality and a STRONG RF & IT background.  The job opening involves daily service of large Motorola Fix Network Systems. The ideal candidate will have a FCC license, ETA , MCSE, CISCO certifications, and have recent work experience with SMARTNET, SMARTZONE, ASTRO P25 Trunking Systems or equivalent technologies. This includes all ancillary equipment associated with large public safety trunked radio systems (console work stations, data, servers, routers, switches, etc.).

Thanks Once Again to

Comdel for Support

Comdel designs and manufactures RF and DC power supplies and process instruments for the semiconductor, solar cell/photovoltaics, flat panel, and industrial heating industries. Comdel products are in use worldwide by the industry's major equipment and IC fab manufacturers.

Relative Traffic Standings

We take wireless communications for granted. Just as people my age thought pocket-size transistor radios that ran on 9V batteries were always available, today's kids give no thought to whether there was a time when everyone did not carry a cellphone around. FM radio, if listened to at all nowadays, is likely either via an Internet connection or via an embedded FM radio IC in his/her phone, with ear bud wires acting as an antenna. It is obviously no big deal, since it always was so. In the early part of the last century most people did not own any sort of radio - even a commercial AM broadcast receiver. Having something as mysterious as a shortwave 'rig' was an indication of technical prowess since many operators built their own equipment from kits or schematics. Participation in amateur worldwide was huge at the time, which is amazing given the amount of work required to set up even a relatively simple CW (Morse code) setup...

Spartan Model 60 Short-Wave

Radio Advertisement

Not everyone is into radio history, so items like this advertisement for Spartan Radio's Model 60 Short-Wave Receiver (April 1932 QST) will not invoke much or any interest. On the other hand, there is a large contingent of hobbyists and professionals who enjoy seeing these snapshots of the places from whence we have come technically. Products like radios, kitchen appliances, automobiles, etc., were constructed very robustly with metal, wood, and fabric. No cheap plastic will be found anywhere, but maybe not for the reason you think - plastic as we know it today had not entered the commercial marketplace yet. In fact, many 'modern' plastic formulas and processes were a closely held military secrets until the end of World War II.

Rationalizing the Autodyne

Although written in 1933 (era of the Great Depression), this article on the autodyne receiver has a good discussion of noise sources and how to trade off amplification for signal intelligibility. It originally used the De Forest Audion vacuum tube amplifier. Noise figure and noise temperature were not commonly used at the time, but the concept is encompassed in the treatment. So, what is an autodyne? It is a form of regenerative circuit that, rather than being tuned right at the signal of interest, is tuned slightly off center. It functions as a sort of combined local oscillator and amplifier for demodulating CW (Morse code) signals. Technical writing styles have not changed much over the decades, even as the terminology has.

HD Moore Pings the

Entire Internet

I like these kinds of charts. In this case it is a map of all the Internet connected devices in the world, or at least per the 2.7 billion IP addresses (310 million replies) that computer security guru HD Moore pinged to get data for his map. On his off time as a researcher at Rapid7, he uses an arsenal of computers at home to run such experiments. Says Moore, "I have a lot of cooling equipment to make sure my house doesn't catch on fire." Part of the goal was to determine how many people never changed the default password for their modems and other gateway devices. It was a lot. Although everything he did was legal, he did get complaints from some of the pinged. Do you still have the default password on your wireless router? I just checked a few of my neighbors' WiFi connections and didn't find any with 'default' as the password.

Skyworks Supports

Samsung's GALAXY S 4

Skyworks Solutions today announced it is supporting Samsung's GALAXY S 4 smartphone platforms with multiple high-performance analog and front-end solutions. “Skyworks is delighted to be supporting Samsung's flagship GALAXY S 4 smartphone platform,” said Liam K. Griffin, executive vice president and corporate general manager at Skyworks. "Given our broad product portfolio and system-level expertise, we have expanded our partnership with Samsung beyond delivering traditional power amplifiers to providing an entire suite of solutions for an unprecedented level of analog and RF integration"

Klystron: Tube for Outer Space

If you have been in the RF and microwaves business for any length of time, you are probably familiar with a company named Varian. In the days before you did your parts shopping online, Varian catalogs populated the desks and bookshelves of many RF engineers who worked in the radar field, including mine. Did you know that it is named after the brothers Russell and Sigurd Varian, who started the business in 1948 to market their high power klystron tubes? Following a number of reorganizations, it was purchased by Agilent technologies in 2010. This story from Radio Electronics magazine does a real nice job explaining the workings of a klystron without getting too deep into the gory theoretical detail.

Thanks to Pulsar Microwave

for Long-Time Support

Pulsar Microwave is celebrating its 26th anniversary as a valued supplier of passive microwave components covering the frequency range of 10 kHz to 40 GHz with both narrow band and ultra-broadband products for the wireless communications markets. Power dividers, couplers, attenuators, phase shifters, switches, and more.

Rohde & Schwarz Intros

O-scopes w/Logic Analysis

With the introduction of the new R&S RTM series, Rohde & Schwarz has expanded the functional range of its bench oscilloscopes. The key upgrades are a 20 Msample deep memory and a logic analysis option with 16 digital channels. The smart operating concept of the new R&S RTM models ensures extreme ease of use. The R&S RTM provides time domain, logic, protocol and frequency analysis functions in a single box, making it the ideal instrument for the testing and development of electronic circuits

Notable Quote

"As your company grows, you'll progress through the three phases of Internet customer feedback: 1. not enough; 2. just the right amount; and 3. way, way too much. I'm joking, of course. There is no Phase Two." - Phil Libin, co-founder and CEO of evernote.

PMI Intros 300 MHz to 2.5 GHz

Limiting Amplifier

PMI Model No. is a limiting amplifier that operates over the frequency range of 300 MHz to 2.5 GHz. This model provides a gain of 85 dB typically and a limited output of +15dBm ± 2.5 dBm. The typical noise figure is 5 dB and a maximum VSWR of 2.0:1 is maintained under all operating conditions into a 50 ohm impedance. The operating voltage is +12 VDC and the amplifier is reverse voltage protected. The DC current is 485 mA typically.

George R. Wilmer Seeking

Engineering Employment

George Wilmer is a radio frequency (RF), electromagnetic compatibility (EMC), and systems engineer experienced in design, integration, test, and board level to system level architecture. Staff engineering positions and independent contracting with some of the country's largest technology corporations have provided valuable insight into a variety of challenges and hands-on opportunities to resolve complex issues. Please contact George if you have need of such a fellow.

A Few Good Articles

Microwave Product Digest

Here are a few great articles that might interest you. They all appeared in Microwave Product Digest.

- Detecting PIM Problems in Antenna Systems and Discovering the Latest Remedies, by David Strand

- RF Beamforming Techniques Improve TD-LTE Cell-Edge Performance, by Craig Grimley

- Frequency Multiplication Techniques, by Ramon Cerda

- Another Sad Moment for the FCC, by Barry Manz

Engineering Crossword Puzzle

for April 28, 2013

Take a break from the drudgery by trying your hand at some of these goodies. Every word in the RF Cafe crossword puzzles is specifically related to engineering, mathematics, and science. There are no generic backfill words like many other puzzles give you, so you'll never see a clue asking for the name of a movie star or a mountain on the Russia-China border.

Sunspot Group via

Celestron CPC800 Deluxe

The sky finally cleared and the wind finally calmed down enough to try out my new solar filter on my Celestron CPC800 Deluxe telescope ...by the time the sky cleared the sun was only about 30 degrees above the western horizon, so the seeing quality was not so great. Still, the view through the eyepiece was awesome when the atmosphere steadied occasionally for a split second. It was good enough to prompt me to go ahead and hook up the Celestron NexImage 5 camera. ...The large image of the entire solar disk was made by simply holding a point-and-shoot type camera up to the 32 mm eyepiece ...I figured the best chance of obtaining a good image was to use the video function of the NexImage 5 and run the results through RegiStax software...

Agent Smith Sells GE

Life was good as Elrond, Lord of Rivendell, but ever since being defeated by Neo, Agent Smith has evidently been having a hard time finding work. Now reduced to doing a gig pitching medical equipment for GE, maybe Agent Smith has had a change of heart from when he believed, "Human beings are a disease, a cancer of this planet. You're a plague and we are the cure." It's a great commercial...

Another Great Intel Video: Our

Parties Aren't Like Your Parties

You might remember a few years back when Intel started producing commercials for geeks. The first was "Our Rock Stars Aren't Like Your Rock Stars," featuring USB co-inventor Ajay Bhatt. Not all of their videos have been spectacular, but this newer one is titled "Our Parties Aren't Like Your Parties" had me ROTFLMAO.

S. Korea Issues Touchscreen

Smartphone Stamps

As an erstwhile avid philatelist, I am always pleased to see countries issue postage stamps that commemorate advances in technology and the people who play key roles in that advancement. South Korea recently announced a set of four stamp designs that feature touchscreen smartphones. It was part of their April 22, 2013 Information and Communication Day celebration. Here is a page I created for stamps featuring radio and radar.

Worldwide Wired vs. Wireless

Broadband Connectivity

Scientific American consistently has some of the best graphs and illustrations of any technical magazine, but this new one from IEEE Spectrum that displays broadband data connectivity for wired vs. wireless is right up there in quality IMHO. What distinguishes a good chart from a bad chart? Assuming that all pertinent data is presented, the most important feature is eye catchiness. If an audience is not attracted to your information, you have wasted time. Sure, science purists will argue that a B&W line graph is all that is required to convey important results, but in today's world expectations are higher than, say, in 1879 when Thomas Edison might have been giving a lecture on the performance of various compositions of lamp filaments. Cluttering a chart with superfluous information such as background photos is not only unnecessary but potentially damaging; however, judicial use of color, line styles, and font faces can make the difference between success and failure.

What's Fair About an

Internet Sales Tax?

You have probably heard and/or seen the scuttlebutt about Congress trying to push through an Internet sales tax, ostensibly in order to level the playing field for brick and mortar businesses versus online businesses. You can be sure the effort has nothing to do with fairness and everything to do with politicians' insatiable appetite for tax money. They have been salivating over the possibility of reaping that new revenue source for years. The plan is to require online sales from out-of-state buyers to have sales tax collected and remitted to the appropriate state revenue department. Local businesses are per the claim disadvantaged because they must collect their home state's sales tax, which supposedly causes buyers to prefer Internet vendors in order to avoid such taxes. As one who has purchased many items over the Internet in the last 15 years, I can't think of many times when avoiding sales tax was the prime motivation for my decision. It was usually because either the item I wanted was not...

Amateur Observations During

the Total Eclipse of the Sun

Amateur radio operators, as with hobbyist participants in many other realms, historically have contributed significantly to the efforts of their professional counterparts. I have written of it often. This particular instance is where signal measurements in the Ham bands during a total eclipse of the sun were used to assist scientists debating the merits of rival theories relating to origin of ionization in the Kennelly-Heavyside Layers of the E and F regions, both of which were proposed in 1902 (yes, the Heaviside of step function fame). Long distance (DX) communications are dependent upon such ionization to reflect radio signals that would otherwise pass through the atmosphere and into space. The test at hand would settle the argument since the one should fail if ionization was unaffected during totality. Read the article (or skip to the end) to discover which gentleman's theory won the day.

Internet Sales Tax Fairness?

You have probably heard and/or seen the scuttlebutt about Congress trying to push through an Internet sales tax, ostensibly in order to level the playing field for brick and mortar businesses. You can be sure the effort has nothing to do with fairness and everything to do with politicians' insatiable appetite for tax money. The plan is to require online sales from out-of-state buyers to have sales tax collected and remitted to the appropriate state revenue department.

Alexander Graham Bell's

Voice Recording Restored

Alexander Graham Bell's voice has been heard for the first time thanks to a team of scientists that restored one of his wax-and-cardboard disc recordings from April 15, 1885. On it he speaks, "In witness whereof - hear my voice, Alexander Graham Bell."

AWR App Note: Circuit Design

DC to Microwave Frequencies

AWR's new application note titled, 'Multisim/Ultiboard for Low-Frequency Simulation and Layout' details how to complement Microwave Office® circuit design software with National Instrument's Multisim circuit simulation software and Ultiboard printed circuit board (PCB) layout software for a comprehensive design flow spanning from DC to microwave frequencies.

Optical Antennas

Optical Antennas, by Agio, Andrea Alù. This consistent and systematic review of recent advances in optical antenna theory and practice brings together leading experts in the fields of electrical engineering, nano-optics and nano-photonics, physical chemistry and nanofabrication. Fundamental concepts and functionalities relevant to optical antennas are explained, together with key principles for optical antenna modeling, design and characterisation. Recognizing the tremendous potential of this technology, practical applications are also outlined. Presenting a clear translation of the concepts of radio antenna design, near-field optics and field-enhanced spectroscopy into optical antennas, this interdisciplinary book is an indispensable resource for researchers and graduate students in engineering, optics and photonics, physics and chemistry.

Thanks to Copper Mountain

Technologies for Support

Copper Mountain Technologies makes lab-quality virtual vector network analyzers with high accuracy, wide dynamic range, a familiar UI and a broad variety of standard and customizable features in frequency ranges from 300 kHz to 8 GHz. Where did the name come from? Read here (near page bottom).

SigaTek Will Be Continuing

Their Support

It is mainly advertisers that keep RF Cafe on the air, so to speak, to many thanks to SigaTek. SigaTek specializes in high quality, high frequency microwave communication components up to 60 GHz. As a pioneer supplier of microwave RF components, the main products include directional couplers, bias tees networks, power dividers/combiners, 3 dB hybrids 90° and 180°, microwave mixers, frequency doublers, load terminations, and coaxial connectors and adapters.

How Many Know -40°F = -40°C ?

Some of what you and I consider common knowledge is largely unrealized by most people. Call me a geek, but I take pleasure in pointing out to people that the Fahrenheit and Centigrade scales are equal at -40°, and I especially enjoy working out the simple proof for them. Most people appreciated the effort and are amazed, claiming to have never seen that before. When I read the following in Smithsonian magazine, "Winter temperatures here, some 250 miles northeast of St. Petersburg, sometimes plunge to minus 40 degrees Fahrenheit," I wondered whether the author knew that -40°F = -40°C. Maybe he just didn't want to confuse his readers by omitting the redundant superfluous 'F' or 'C,' and it couldn't be 'K' because there are no negative Kelvin degrees. It could also be that he knew but figured...

Z-Comm Intros 8 GHz Low

Noise Dielectric Resonator VCO

Z-Communications' new high performance DRO8000A covers 8000 MHz within a tuning voltage range of 0-12 Vdc and is ideal for the test and measurement market. Utilizing dielectric resonator technology this VCO features a typical phase noise of -103 dBc/Hz @ 10 kHz offset and an average tuning sensitivity of only 1 MHz/V.

Sherlock Ohms: What's the

Frequency, Kenneth?

Design News' 'Sherlock Ohms' mysteries are submitted by their readers. They tell stories of electronics posers and how the e-sleuths solve them. I only link to ones that RF Cafe visitors might enjoy. This one is a good reminder of unintended consequences of outdated government regulations and how fear of nonconformance can in and of itself result in nonconformance.

NuWaves Adds New England

Sales Representative

NuWaves Engineering, an international Radio Frequency (RF) and Embedded Systems solutions provider, announced today that it has added Lighthouse Technical Sales, LLC as a representative of its commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) RF module-level products and engineering design services for the New England region of the United States. With the signing, Lighthouse brings NuWaves nearly 75 combined years of successful OEM sales in RF, interconnects, fiber optics, and other high-technology electronic products to NuWaves' expanding domestic sales representative network.

USAF Radar Tech Manley Head

Joins Our Honored List

We welcome Manley Head as the newest addition to our ever-growing list of former USAF radar technicians. Per Manley, "I read the article about the GCA radar and it took me back to the days that I was a radar technician on the original MPN-1 GCA from about 1956-1959 in San Angelo, TX and in Harlingen, TX. The unit in the picture does not look quite like what I remember about the exterior. The antennas seem different from my ancient memory. However, the truck showing in the picture had a big 'Buddha' diesel generator in it that we had to start up once in a while. We had to bleed the fuel lines while it was running to get the air out. Odd how such such details stick in my memory."

Thanks to Vida RF

for Continued Support!

"Our goal at vidaRF is to design and manufacture a reliable and cost-effective RF / microwave component that fits each customer's individual  application. We have the capability to produce  large volume as well as quick turnaround for your custom designs. We will provide the highest standards of quality  products, competitive prices, quick turnaround and exceptional customer service. We engineer unique simple solutions for defense, multimedia, medical, datacom, telecom, and industrial markets."

18 People You Didn't Know

Were Engineers

EDN website's Senior Technical Editor Charles Murray posted an interesting piece on well-known people who you might not have realized were engineers. U.S. presidents Herbert Hoover and Jimmah Cahtah[sic] are amongst them. Not on the list are Rowan Atkinson and Brian May, guitarist of the band Queen, has a PhD in astrophysics (although that's not engineering).

Microwave Plumbing

Replaces Circuitry

Here is a great treatise on waveguide theory put in layman's language. Although written in 1948 at a time when microwave frequencies were just coming into common use, the language and descriptive drawings are similar to what you will find in modern textbooks. Waveguide is not practical for use at lower frequencies because the physical dimensions prohibitively large. For instance, for the FM radio band (88-108 MHz), waveguide width for a TE₁₀ cutoff frequency at 88 MHz is around 67.5 inches. According to Wikipedia, the first waveguide was proposed by J. J. Thomson in 1893 and experimentally verified by Oliver Lodge in 1894.

RF Cafe

Communications Central

How much do you pay every month for all of your personal communications? That includes, but is not limited to, smartphones with data plans, land lines, Internet, cable TV or satellite TV, wireless tablets and computers. Life in 2013 practically requires some degree of connectivity, but many people are paying for way more of it than necessary. I absolutely need a high speed Internet connection because of publishing RF Cafe (14 Mbps for $44.90 per month). Since most of my personal communications are via e-mail, phone service is not a high priority so my cell phone is a TracFone that I pay under $100 per year to use (mainly when away from home). Since there is no time for TV, any watching is done via the Internet - it doesn't matter if shows are a week or month old - so no cost there. I like using an old-fashioned telephone with a handset at home, so a landline is also used. Up until a couple months ago I was paying the local phone company $27 per month for basic local service (no long distance, caller ID, messaging, etc.)...

Notable Quote

"David Ortiz spoke from the heart at today's Red Sox game. I stand with Big Papi and the people of Boston." - FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski tweet. So, the FCC has now endorsed dropping the F-bomb over public airwaves. You can be excused for just about anything these days if you're the right person.

Please Visit BRL Test

BRL Test is continuing its support to help deliver this website to you. Please keep them in mind when shopping for new or reconditioned test equipment. They also have a newer service specifically focusing on spectrum, network, and communication analyzer repair and calibration - BRL Test Analyzer Repair.

Free White Papers and Tech

Magazines Subscriptions

Well, to be honest they're not completely free. You do need to fill out an application, so some of your time is required. Otherwise, though, the publishers pay the cost.

Ultracapacitor Apps in Power Electronic

GPS World

Wireless Week

EDN Europe

EE Times Europe

Asia Electronics Industry

Wireless Design & Development

 

Practical Consideration

in a Multielement Quad

Multielement quad antennas are as popular today as they were in 1967 when this article appeared in the ARRL's QST magazine. That is not to say they are common. This particular design is for the 10-, 15-, and 20-meters bands, all three of which are still in use today. If you build a multielement quad as shown here, you might want to find a substitute for the bamboo frame members; aluminum tubing is pretty cheap, but if you use metal, you'll need to use insulators at the connection points. Formulas are provided for determining element lengths and director and reflector spacings if you want to design to an alternate specific frequency or band.

Resistor and Capacitor

Color Code Charts

As time marches on and electronics components get smaller and smaller, there is no just no room to apply color code markings for values, but in a lot of instances there is not even room to apply a laser alphanumerical marking (at least not one large enough to be seen with an unaided eye). This goes for common passive components like capacitors, inductors, and resistors as well as for integrated circuits, RF couplers and power dividers, diodes, and transformers. Open your cell phone and try to find a useful component designation. Only the largest parts will have anything you can look up on the Internet. There are ways to hunt down identification for some of the parts, but at least for Rs, Ls, and Cs, the only way to discover a value without the assistance of a schematic is to measure it. If you look at older electronics equipment, you will immediately notice color stripes and/or dots on many components. The tables below will help you decipher the meanings for component value, tolerance, temperature coefficients, etc. ,as applicable.

Anatech Continues Their

Long-Time Support

Many thanks to Anatech Electronics for continuing their support of RF Cafe. Anatech Electronics designs and manufactures the industry's widest range of RF and microwave filters at frequencies up to 40 GHz, as well as power dividers, directional couplers, and many other product types. Specialize in standard and custom designs for commercial wireless, public safety, satcom, and defense applications.

RF & Microwave Engineering

Crossword for 4-21-2013

Every Sunday I create a crossword puzzle using a word list that I personally created and added to during over a decade of making puzzles. All of the words are related to engineering, science, mathematics, chemistry, astronomy, etc. There are no numbnut clues about movie stars or clothing designers. Enjoy.

Z-Comm's Ultra Wideband

VCO Tunes from 2.7 to 5.4 GHz

The new V600ME31-LF operates from 2700 to 5400 MHz with a tuning voltage range of 0-24 Vdc. This octave tuning VCO features a typical phase noise of -107 dBc/Hz @ 100 kHz offset and an average tuning sensitivity of 140 MHz/V. The V600ME31-LF is ideal for satellite communication applications. It is designed to deliver a typical output power of 7 dBm into a 50 ohm load while operating from a 5 Vdc supply.

Boston Marathon Chechnyan

Terrorists Kill Policeman

"With a bomb strapped to his chest, one of the Boston Marathon suspects was killed early Friday after he and his accomplice brother robbed a 7-Eleven, shot a police officer to death, carjacked an SUV and hurled explosives in an extraordinary firefight with law enforcement, authorities told NBC News." Don't bother looking in the article for mention of the bombers being Muslim or for the word 'terrorist.' The news media is still hoping the two are white guy Tea Party members. I'll be visiting a state today where my CC permit is not recognized so I'll just have to hope there are no problems along the way. We are screwed.

Sherlock Ohms: Car Radio

Fires up Check Engine Light

Sherlock Ohms is a regular feature of Design News that presents submissions from readers about troubleshooting challenges and how they were solved. This story titled "Car Radio Fires Up Check Engine Light." The saga is a great example of troubleshooting skills - and a bit of good luck.

Many Thanks to Linx for

Long-Time Support

Linx Technologies' RF modules, remote controls, evaluation kits and master development systems feature straightforward hardware configuration and clear documentation, making it simple for engineers and hobbyists to integrate wireless features without the hassle and expense of engineering RF functionality from scratch.   We also offer design services including board layout assistance, programming, certification advice and packaging design. "Wireless Made Simple"

Please Visit Apex Wireless in

Appreciation of Their Support

Since 1985, Apex Wireless has offered consulting, engineering, and design services focusing on high-performance, cost-optimized products that employ wireless RF transmitters, receivers, and transceivers. To complement our RF design expertise, we work with local experts in DSP, ultra low power design, packaging, certification, and manufacturing.

Fundamental Crystal Control

for Ultra-High Frequencies

As radio frequencies continued to increase during the early years of 'wireless' development, the use of quartz crystals as a stable reference source ran into a physical limitation because as crystal slices reached a certain thinness, overtone and subharmonics appeared that caused problems in circuits. A new mineral called tourmaline saved the day. With an elasticity much greater than quartz, tourmaline is able to vibrate at higher fundamental frequencies for a given thickness. Since that time, science has provided the means for utilizing the much more abundant quartz crystals in overtone modes so that tourmaline is not required. At the time, though, it was a much-welcomed alternative.

Why, Strategic

Air Communications

You could take this article from 1950 and substitute 'drone' for 'intercontinental bomber' and it would do a good job of describing present-day capabilities for global defense based on modern communications. Get a load of the photo of an Air Force technician doing repair on a radar chassis - using a Weller soldering gun! Compare that to today's method of circuit repair that often requires a hot air tool, tweezers, and an eye loupe. Actually, I can remember replacing fried resistors in my USAF group's radar system using just such a soldering gun. Most of the chassis had point-to-point connections where components connected to bifurcated terminals or terminal tab strips. The Ground Controlled Approach (GCA) mobile trailer pictured looks a lot like the Equipment Trailer for our MPN-14 search radar system, except the search radar antenna was...

Hittite Launches New

Programmable BW LP Filter

Hittite Microwave has introduced the HMC1023LP5E, a new addition to its IF/Baseband Processing integrated circuit product line. A 6th order, programmable bandwidth, fully calibrated dual Low Pass Filter (LPF), the HMC1023LP5E features programmable 0 or 10 dB gain and supports arbitrary user programmable, bandwidths from 5 MHz to 72 MHz. When calibrated, the programmed bandwidth is accurate to within ±2.5%. A built-in filter bypass option enables wider bandwidth while maintaining programmed gain and common mode control settings.

PMI Intros 2.0 to 18.0 GHz

Low Noise Amplifier

PMI Model No. PEC3-33-218-20-15-SFF-HS-E is a 2.0 to 18.0 GHz Low Noise Amplifier that provides greater than 33 dB of gain while maintaining a maximum gain flatness of ±2.0 dB maximum over the operating frequency. The noise figure is 4 dB typical and offers an OP1dB of +20 dBm minimum and an OIP3 of +30 dBm typical. The operating voltage is +15 VDC and the current draw is typically 350 mA.

Featured Book

Integration of Passive RF Front-End Components in SoCs, by Hooman Darabi and Ahmad Mirzaei. Examining the most important developments in highly integrated wireless RF front-ends, this book describes and evaluates both active and passive solutions for on-chip high-Q filtering, and explores M-phase filters in depth. An accessible step-by-step approach is used to introduce everything an RF designer needs to know about these filters, including their various forms, principles of operation, and their performance against implementation-related imperfections. Real-world examples are described in depth, and detailed mathematical analyses demonstrate the practical quantification of pertinent circuit parameters.

Please Thank AWR for

Their Continued Support

AWR, the innovation leader in high-frequency EDA, provides software solutions that maximize user productivity for the design of high-frequency ICs and communications systems for the aerospace / defense, semiconductor, computer, consumer electronics, and telecommunications markets. Microwave Office, Visual System Simulator, Analog Office, Axiem, and Analyst are amongst the popular programs offered. Free trial downloads are available.

Nobody Commented on My

April Fool's Article

Well, it has been two weeks and not a single person commented on my 2013 April Fool's faux article for the year. I would like to think it is because the ruse was so believable that it did not arouse suspicion, but the greater likelihood is that A) no one cared enough to read it or B) it was so apparent that comment would be a waste of time. It was titled, "Method for Selectively Creating Fissile Mass Fragments."

Using the Decibel

For some reason even a few really good technicians and engineers have problems with decibels. Ever since learning about, and truly understanding, logarithms, I have appreciated the convenience of being able to use addition and subtraction to perform multiplication and division, respectively. Decibels, being logarithms, have always made perfect sense to me. Even the difference between voltage dBs and power dBs has been easy to remember because of the power rule of logarithms, log (A^B) = B·log (A). Calculators offer little help when you don't comprehend the basics of decibels. In 1955 when this article was written, people used tables of logarithms rather than punching calculator keys. Mathematicians and appointed underlings spent their lives generating tomes of logarithms. Historians have found many errors in those tables while doing research, but no ships ever sailed off the edge of the Earth due to a computational error based on them. On a side note, I recall a day when I was a teenager where I was listening to...

Popular Electronics

Crossword Puzzle

Here is a vintage crossword puzzle from the October 1957 edition of Popular Electronics. Like the weekly crosswords from RF Cafe that uses only relevant technical words, this one contains mostly words relating to electronics.

Many Thanks to American

Microwave for Support!

American Microwave Corporation (AMC) uses a state-of-the-art clean room to manufacture all of it's products, as well as a fully automated machine shop. AMC is a leader in the design and manufacturing of DC to 40 GHz solid state control components for commercial and military grades, including amplifiers, coaxial switches, and attenuators.

Single Layer Coil Design Chart

Single layer coil design charts (aka nomographs) are a dime a dozen on the Internet. Here is RF Cafe's 0.083¢ contribution. A couple examples of usage are included. You're welcome.

Pasternack Intros Semi-

Flexible Precision Cable Line

Pasternack Enterprises adds new line of semi-flexible, hand formable coax cable assemblies up to 18 GHz. Pasternack Enterprises' new formable RF cable assemblies are hand formable semi-rigid replacements that are an ideal alternative to costly preformed coaxial assemblies. These formable semi-rigid cables are dimensionally and electrically similar to their semi-rigid counterpart and have a tinned-copper-braid outer shield that provides excellent RF shielding, greater than 100 dB. The hand formable cable assemblies from Pasternack do not require special tooling to shape or reshape the assemblies and can be formed more than once without damaging the outer conductor.

Hittite Intros QFN I/Q Mixers for

X-Band & 24 GHz Applications

Hittite Microwave Corporation has launched two high performance GaAs MMIC I/Q mixers which further complement Hittite's extensive mixer product portfolio while providing frequency coverage for a broad range of applications spanning 8 to 28 GHz. The HMC1063LP3E and the HMC1056LP4BE are GaAs MMIC I/Q mixers in compact leadless "Pb free" SMT packages, which can be used as either image reject mixers or as single sideband upconverters. The mixers utilize two standard Hittite double balanced mixer cells and a 90 degree hybrid fabricated in a GaAs Schottky diode process. A low frequency quadrature hybrid is used to produce a 1000 MHz LSB IF output.

Please Visit Q-par Angus

in Appreciation of Support

Q-par Angus designs and manufactures antennas, positioners, components and subsystems across the radio frequency spectrum, with specialisation in microwave & millimetric systems. We design, build and calibrate our products to the highest engineering standards. Custom products designed to your specifications available.

Tax Day 2013:

RF Cafe's *Fair Share*

Tax Freedom Day for this year is April 18 - five days later than last year. Today, April 15, is the day in America by which half the population gets to pay its *fair share* to the government in the form of income taxes (the other half pays no income taxes). Oh, excuse me, it is when we are "asked" to pay our fair share. Don't you love the "asked" term ...as if we have the option of refusing without going to jail? Six envelopes are pictured here that contain various tax mailings for Melanie and me: one each to the IRS for income tax and Q1 estimated income tax, state income tax and Q1 estimated income tax, local income tax and estimated income tax, plus a local services tax. The local services tax is just for the 'privilege' of working - I kid you not. After paying federal, state, and local income taxes, sales taxes on all we bought (including gasoline), utility taxes, taxes on savings, property taxes, school taxes, etc., etc., etc., our total 'fair share' works out to 37.6% on adjusted gross income. So, more than a third of our income was paid in taxes. Just our federal adjusted gross tax alone worked out to 26.6% of adjusted gross. By comparison, according to Whitehouse.gov, "The President's effective [2012] federal [adjusted gross] income tax rate is 18.4%..."

Sherlock Ohms: Least-Obvious

Signals Sometimes Bite You

Sherlock Ohms is a regular feature of Design News that presents submissions from readers about troubleshooting challenges and how they were solved. This story titled "The Least-Obvious Signals Sometimes Bite You." When is a digital circuit not a digital circuit? When somebody forgot that ultimately everything is an analog circuit, and things like L, R, and C combine in the most insidious ways to derail a design...

Therapeutic Horse Riding

Mounting Platform Plans

My daughter, Sally Cochran, and her husband, Matt, owns and operate the Equine Kingdom Riding Academy on their farm in Greensboro, North Carolina. Sally is currently a Level 2 ARIA instructor certified in Recreational Riding and Hunt Seat on the Flat, a member of AQHA, NCHJA, and PATH Int'l. She became a PATH certified instructor in November 2012. In order to fully implement a therapeutic riding program at Equine Kingdom, it was necessary to install a mounting platform and access ramp that can be used to assist people in wheelchairs and with other disabilities in mounting and dismounting horses. Commercially made platforms/ramps start at around $5,000, which is far too expensive for an operation like Equine Kingdom. So, I researched some of the government's handicap access requirements and designed the mounting platform and ramp shown below. As you might expect, there are no shortage of regulations...

Notable Quote

"It's very hard to find a work ethic better than that in the Upper Midwest." -- Bob Whitney, Itron, VP of manufacturing. This newspaper article interview reports on Itron's history in Waseca, MN, after beginning as EnScan in the early 1990s. I was there as an RF engineer in 1992 right after the break-off from EF Johnson, and during the move to the new facilities. Grant Whissemore, mentioned in a 2012 story, was once a crewmember on the Edmond Fitzgerald (before is sunk, fortunately). I think I still have my "2 Millionth ERT" T-shirt somewhere.

Science & Engineering

Crossword for April 14, 2013

Every Sunday I create a crossword puzzle using a word list that I personally created and added to during over a decade of making puzzles. All of the words are related to engineering, science, mathematics, chemistry, astronomy, etc. There are no numbnut clues about movie stars or clothing designers. Enjoy.

Radar: The Silent Weapon

of World War 2

If the history of radar intrigues you, then you will not want to miss this article titled "Radar: The Silent Weapon of World War 2," from the October 1945 edition of Radio News. There are a couple dozen photos of early radar equipment installations on land, ships, and aircraft. Radar pioneers Dr. A. Hoyt Taylor, Chief Consultant and Chief Coordinator of Electronics at Naval Research Laboratory, and Leo C. Young are pictured reminiscing over the "scope" of radar's history beside the first radar set at the Research Laboratory. In 1922, while experimenting with communications equipment for the Navy, the two men made the initial discovery of distortion in radio reception caused by the intrusion of objects between the transmitter and receiver. Working from this discovery, they and a number of associates made great strides forward into the vast sphere of scientific fields covered by the word "radar" today. Do you see the name(s) of anyone you know?

Many Thanks to PMI

for Continued Support

Planar Monolithics Industries' organization has been setup to Design, Develop, Manufacture, Test, and Market complex state-of-the-art Hybrid RF MIC and MMIC Components, Supercomponents, and Subsystems. Unique products for applications in space, military, commercial, telecommunications, and consumer electronics systems. DC- 40 GHz.

Bliley Technologies Intros Ultra

Stable Surface Mount TCXO

Bliley Technologies is pleased to release an industry standard 5mm x 7mm TCXO in a SMD hermetically sealed package. This series of TCXOs threatens OCXO frequency vs. temperature stability without the power consumption or cost. The frequency vs. temperature stability starts as low as ±50ppb. In addition to outstanding Frequency vs. Temperature stability this series of TCXO offers excellent phase noise at 10 MHz of -125 dBc at 100 MHz offset and a floor of -150 dBc.

Weekly Job Tips

Here are a few new employment news articles that you might find useful if you are looking for or considering looking for a new job, or for that matter looking for ways to improve your current situation.

-  Hiring Wisdom: Top 10

   Ways to Guarantee Your

   Best People Will Quit

-  Top Performers Never Work

   "For" a Company

-  2013 Engineering Jobs

   Outlook

-  Resume Tips for Engineers

-  Sample Resume for an

   Entry-Level Electrical

   Engineer

-  Sample Resume for a

   Midlevel Electrical Engineer

6 New Books Added for

Selection by Monthly Winners

Thanks to the generosity of both Artech House and Cambridge University Press, I am able to offer a variety of engineering books for selection by monthly drawing winners. Many of the books I use as a basis for RF Cafe Quizzes. Six new titles were just added to the pool of available books:

-  Introduction to Antenna Analysis Using EM Simulators

-  Digital Front-End in Wireless Communications and Broadcasting

-  Handbook of RF and

   Microwave Power Amplifiers

-  Introduction to Modern

   EW Systems

-  Optical Antennas,

   Integration of Passive RF

   Front-End Components in

   SoCs

-  Handbook of RF, Microwave,

   and Millimeter-Wave

   Components

An Experimental Station

on Wheels

The high-tech vehicle you see here was state-of-the-art in 1935 when engineers at the Cruft Laboratory at Harvard University outfitted it to do radio research. Clad with copper and chromium fittings, the vehicle contained transmitting and receiving equipment along with various test equipment that included a high stability frequency reference. In the article a 'tungar' charger is mentioned. A tungar vacuum tube is a high current rectifier with a tungsten element and an argon gas filler.

Misunderstanding of Precision

If you have a degree in engineering or science, chances are were instructed on the proper method for reporting numbers in terms of precision and accuracy. The government has long been the whipping boy for examples of abuse. If you think that might have prompted corrective action, you would be wrong. Our public science organizations like NASA, NIST, NOAA, NIH, et al, do a respectable job of reporting, but the other agencies display their ignorance on a regular basis. A couple days ago, DHS (those fine folks who perform cavity searches at airports) issued a solicitation for bagpipes and assorted accessories (we have evidently $ for bagpipes but not the Blue Angels). The document mentions "a small business size standard of 500.00 employees." What do the employees that comprise the decimal point portion of the number look like? I think we can guess what will be done with this ordered item: "Black waxed bagpipe hemp." Maybe they should add a few bags of Doritos to the order for when the users inevitably get the munchies.

Thanks to 3Gmetalworks

for Continued Support!

Since 1994, leading wireless electronics companies have relied on 3Gmetalworx to deliver cutting edge solutions for advanced RF/EMI PCB-level shielding requirements. From prototyping and design services to JIT manufacturing supply, our clients depend on us to provide a seamless service pathway supporting entire product lifecycle. All our shields can incorporate these features, as well as your custom needs: Engagement Tabs, Trace/Component Relief, Tuning/Access Openings, Thermal Relief

WaRS Shoots Down Drone

Using Laser

Naval Sea Systems Command, with support from Naval Surface Warfare Center Dahlgren, for the second time successfully tracked, engaged, and destroyed a threat representative Unmanned Aerial Vehicle while in flight. This marks the first Detect-Thru-Engage laser shoot-down of a threat representative target in an over-the-water, combat representative scenario. Comments left by low-information viewers criticize the accomplishment because a slow-flying drone target was used vs. a real-life target like a missile. These are the same types who said the Strategic Defense Initiative (aka 'Star Wars') would never work, but now the technology regularly intercepts rockets fired from Gaza into Israel. Moving object tracking and targeting systems, among other aspects of the research, has benefitted many technologies from automatic car parking to Earth-threatening asteroid monitoring, and, eventually, interception.

Featured Book

Quality Hand Soldering and Circuit Board Repair, by H. Ted Smith. Straightforward and easy to understand, the 6th edition of Quality Hand Soldering and Circuit Board Repair has been thoroughly revised to provide readers with the most up to date information in the industry. Focusing on the production and repair of circuit boards, this text begins with the basics of soldering and the requirements for a reliable solder connection. Readers are then guided through a variety of circuit board repairs, from conformal coating identification and removal to different types of track/pad repairs, burn repairs, and edge connector repairs. This step by step reference book provides readers with the skills and knowledge needed to remain competitive and in accordance with international standards.

AWR's Sherry Hess to Co-Chair

MTT-S Women in Engineering

AWR Corporation, the innovation leader in high-frequency EDA software, is proud to announce that Sherry Hess, vice president of marketing and long time advocate for women in engineering, has been named to co-chair Women in Engineering (WIE) within the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) Microwave Theory and Techniques Society's (MTT-S) Membership and Geographic Activities (MGA) organization.

New Version of Optenni Lab

Optenni Ltd announces a new version of the Optenni Lab matching circuit optimization and antenna analysis software featuring a unique easy-to-use simultaneous multiport matching capability for antennas and other RF applications. The work of an antenna engineer is becoming increasingly complex due to the growing number of radio systems, frequency bands and antennas. Especially the introduction of diversity and MIMO technologies increases the complexity of antenna design in mobile devices. At the same time, the mobile companies are striving to reduce the design times of mobile devices and to reduce the total antenna space.

The Audacity of Hopelessness

News just crossed the wires stating that the Blue Angels and the Thunderbirds airshow teams have been grounded for at least the rest of the year due to a phony "sequestration!" Will these @*%# politicians stop at nothing to heap crap on American pride and tradition? We seem to have plenty of money for endless Executive vacations, golf games, and parties on the taxpayer dime, but not enough for the U.S. Navy and Air Force show teams that demonstrate the best we have to offer? Meanwhile we give million$ to countries who spawn suicide bombers that target the U.S. Here are three programs listed prominently on the AF.mil website that no doubt receive ample funding: - Sexual Assault Prevention & Response  - Suicide Prevention  - Air Force Diversity. I believe America is doomed, done in by an unopposed 5th column.

"It's Déjà Vu All Over Again"

That is probably Yogi Berra's most famous line, and is the first thing that came to mind today when I read in the local newspaper where GE Transportation here in Erie, Pennsylvania, plans to layoff 950 production and 100 management employees. An additional 200 "temporary" layoffs could also occur. Rumors have been in the works for a couple years regarding an eventual total plant closing, since a new plant with the same capability (and more) was being established in Fort Worth, Texas. The Erie location is totally unionized, and Texas is a Right-to-Work state (union membership not mandatory). In an effort to be "globally competitive," labor rates must be kept as low as possible - for everyone, not just production workers. Texas also has no income tax, which helps keep wages low as well. Property taxes in Erie are quite high, typical of the Northeast...

NASA Chief: USA Will Not Go

to the Moon Anytime Soon

Maybe it is time to remove the "S" from NASA. The word "Space" is being less and less associated with our once-great agency. It seems now the moon is too high for American scientists and engineers to reach. NASA chief Charles Bolden declared at a joint meeting of the Space Studies Board and the Aeronautics and Space Engineering Board that "NASA is not going to the moon with a human as a primary project probably in my lifetime." Instead we will play supporting roles for China and Russia in their missions. U.S. astronauts already are humiliated into hitching rides to the International Space Station (ISS) from those countries while we transfer technology paid for by our taxpayers to them. We have no manned space vehicle, many telescopes and unmanned spacecraft projects are shutting down, and NASA funds are diverted to Mission to Planet Earth. Not to worry, though, at least a NASA outreach to the Muslim world - a religious group, BTW - is in the works.

After Class: Working with

Phase-Shift Oscillators

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. Instead, they rely on the phase shift of a series of capacitors and resistors to obtain the 180-degree phase shift needed from output to the input to sustain oscillations. Frequency control is not typically as stable as with a tank circuit or a crystal, especially as temperatures change...

PMI Intros 10-Bit Digitally

Controlled Phase Shifter

The PS-360-DC-IR-9G10G is a 10-Bit digitally controlled 360 degree phase shifter that operates from 9.0 to 10.0 GHz. This model offers low insertion loss of 7.5 dB and a phase shift accuracy of ±0.6 degrees typically. The typical switching speed is 300 nsec and operates with input power levels up to +20 dBm. This model requires a single voltage supply of +12 to +15 VDC with a current draw of 40 mA. Other frequency ranges are available.

Many Thanks to Cross RF

for Continued Support

Cross RF is a manufacturer of microwave coax cable assemblies. High volume processing. RG, LMR equivalent flex to semi-flex and semi-rigid cables for most connectors available. Attenuators, terminations, dummy loads. Military and commercial products. Average lead-time of custom cable assemblies is one week.

Introducing WaveXorb

A 3Gmetalworx Solution

In business since 1994, 3Gmetalworx is an industry leading supplier of application-specific RF/EMI PCB-level shielding solutions. We are a service-oriented enterprise focused on serving a global clientele with application-specific solutions for their needs. Based in the industrial heartland of Ontario, Canada, we ship millions of shielding components per year. Building on the success of our PCB-level shielding solutions 3Gmetalworx is pleased to introduce the WaveXorb line of RF/Microwave Absorbers. We look forward to applying the same customer focused principles to serve valued clients with needs in the absorber market. By providing a synergistic solution 3Gmetalworx looks forward to becoming a more valued supply partner to our valued clients. WaveXorb absorbers are available in many standard formulations which meet exacting client performance requirements.

Notable Quote

"Ah consensus … the process of abandoning all beliefs, principles, values and policies in search of something in which no one believes, but to which no one objects; the process of avoiding the very issues that have to be solved, merely because you cannot get agreement on the way ahead. What great cause would have been fought and won under the banner 'I stand for consensus'?" - Margaret Thatcher, Prime Minister of Great Briton, 1979-1990

W1AW Will Help YOU

Become a Ham

W1AW, the call sign of American Radio Relay League (ARRL) founder Hiram Percy Maxim, lives on long past his death in 1936 as the call sign of the official ARRL broadcast station located in Newington, Connecticut. Two of the ARRL's main qualifications for status as a 501(c)3 entity are its public services and educational aspects. Broadcasting practice Morse code messages has always been a service (and educational tool) provided for Amateur radio operators of all statuses from rank beginner working toward his/her first license to the seasoned 50 wpm veteran bugmeister (code proficiency is no longer a requirement for any license level). The people and equipment have changed since the article appeared in a 1957 edition of Popular Electronics, but the fundamentals have not.

Electrical Engineering

Crossword for April 7, 2013

Every Sunday I create a crossword puzzle using a word list that I personally created and added to during over a decade of making puzzles. All of the words are related to engineering, science, mathematics, chemistry, astronomy, etc. There are no numbnut clues about movie stars or clothing designers. Enjoy.

Please Thank Alliance Test

Equipment for Their Support

Alliance Test Equipment is a trusted source providing sales, rentals and leasing of refurbished electronic test and measurement equipment to the R&D, manufacturing and quality assurance industries. We carry a full range of used test equipment from manufacturers such as Agilent, Anritsu, Fluke, HP, Keithley, Lecroy, Rohde & Schwarz, and Tektronix. By partnering with Alliance Test you can recover 30%-40% more on your idle test equipment rather than selling to a dealer.

Bliley Technologies Intros

Ultra Low Phase Noise VCXO

Ultra Low Phase Noise VCXO's are now available from Bliley Technologies. Bliley continues to strive for lower and lower noise performance products and the V1A is another step in this endeavor. The V1A Ultra-Low Noise series is available at customer specified frequencies between 50 MHz and 125 MHz. 

Induction Furnace Designed

with RF Cafe Formulas

Engineering Technician Tom D. from the John C. Nordt company sent me an e-mail saying that he used some of the formulas he found here on RF Cafe to help him design inductors for a custom induction heating vacuum furnace used for melting precious metals used in their manufacturing processes. He needed to either replace existing equipment with very expensive commercial equipment or build one of his own design. It was a first-pass success. Of course the real credit goes to Tom for having the skill and inventiveness for tackling such a challenge. The company was founded in 1872 by a German immigrant after whom it is named. John C. Nordt still operates today as a family business with a highly skilled engineering and production crew. The video I have linked is a worthwhile watch if you appreciate metals forging, casting, milling, and finishing, as well as a bit of American history. The vault used to store gold, silver, and other highly valuable metals is impressive. I wonder if the employees have to pass through a metal detector going in and out of the production area? A mere chip of lathe scrap could fund a large pizza and 2-liter soda.

Bliley Electric & Gross Radio

Ads in 1935 QST

These two advertisements appeared in the July 1935 edition of QST. Bliley Electric is still in business here in Erie, Pennsylvania. They make crystals and frequency sources. Gross Radio has been out of business for quite a while. I included it mainly to illustrated how large radio transmitters used to be - these things were installed in people's attics and basements back in the day. This particular model, the CB-100, is a "100-Watt Radiophone & C.W. Transmitter completely housed in an entirely enclosed floor rack of ingenious design." It operated in the 1.7, 3.5, 7 and 14 MHz bands. For comparison, iCOM makes a 1 kW power amplifier today covering those bands that measures roughly 6"(H) × 3"(W) × 9"(D) and weighs 55 lbs.

If It's Not the Undervoltage,

It's the Overvoltage

Sherlock Ohms is a regular feature of Design News that presents submissions from readers about troubleshooting challenges and how they were solved. This story titled "If It's Not the Undervoltage, It's the Overvoltage" is yet another example of why things we take for granted here in the USA and western Europe are or were a short while ago often luxuries in other countries. The world is fond of criticizing the West for its past sins, but they sure are willing to receive our money and technology.

RF Cafe Travel Bug "Europe"

Now in Play

Thanks to RF Cafe visitor Richard K., of the Netherlands, a geocaching travel bug named "Europe" was planted in geocache location "Schöne Aussicht" ("beautiful view"), in Niedersachsen Germany, on March 31, 2013. "Europe" is in the form of a military dog tag. Geocaching is an immensely popular treasure hunting pastime for people equipped with a GPS device and Internet access. There are millions of geocaching locations all over the world. I am still seeking people to plant RF Cafe travel bugs in Asia, the Middle East, Australia, S. America, and Israel. I will mail the travel bug to you if you will plant it. Please see details here.

AWR Exhibits, Presents,

Gifts Software at IEEE IWS 2013

AWR will be showcasing in Booth #1617 at the International Wireless Symposium (IWS2013) on April 16-18 its first new release in 2013 of the AWR Design Environment™, inclusive of Microwave Office/Analog Office circuit design software and Visual System Simulator system design software, as well as AXIEM 3D planar electromagnetic software and Analyst 3D finite element method EM software. The company will also be demonstrating joint hardware/software solutions with parent company National Instruments.

PMI Intros 12.8 GHz PLL

Dielectric Resonator Oscillator

PMI Model No. PIA-12D8G-CD-1 is a phase locked, dielectric resonator oscillator with internal reference having an output frequency of 12.8 GHz. This model provides a minimum output of +13 dBm with all spurs held to -80 dBc and harmonics held to -25 dBc. The frequency stability is ±3 ppm with an internal reference of 100 MHz.

10 Highest Paid Executives

in Wireless in 2012

Fierce Wireless posted a list of the 10 highest paid executives in the wireless industry in 2012.

	Company	Compensation
1	AT&T, R. Stephenson	$22,234,703
2	Qualcomm, P. Jacobs	$20,730,873
3	Verizon, L. McAdam	$14,049,100
4	AT&T, R. de la Vega	$11,926,329
5	Sprint, D. Hesse	$10,435,741
6	Motorola, D. Brown	$10,325,173
7	MetroPCS, R. Linquist	$7,011,752
8	Verizon, D. Mead	$6,399,606
9	Nokia, S. Elop	$5,550,005
10	Apple, T. Cook	$4,174,992

IEEE RFIC 2013 Symposium

June 2-4, Seattle, WA

You are invited to attend the 2013 IEEE RFIC Symposium, which will be held in Seattle, WA from June 2-4, 2013 at the Washington State Convention Center. In conjunction with the IEEE MTT-S International Microwave Symposium, the RFIC Symposium opens the 2013 Microwave Week, the largest world-wide RF / Microwave meeting of the year. The RFIC Symposium is one of the premier technical conferences for RF design, featuring presentations, workshops, and tutorials by recognized experts from both industry and academia and is an exceptional venue to learn about the latest advances in the field and to discuss key related topics.

IEEE JobSite Career Alert

Each month the IEEE JobSite sends out an e-mail with a few helpful hints and stories regarding job hunting. Even though the stock market is soaring, employment is not, so you can probably use any help available to find a new job - whether you are currently employed or unemployed.

-  H-1B Visa Application Period Reignites Debate Over U.S. Need for Foreign Workers

-  Is There Really a Skilled-Labor Shortage?

-  Employers Use Sensors to Gather Data On Employee Interaction

AR Modular RF is Looking

for a Sr. RF Test Technician

AR Modular RF, designer and manufacturer of RF amplifiers, is recruiting for the position of Senior RF Test Technician who has significant experience in the testing of medium to high power RF amplifiers from 100 kHz to 6 GHz. We build RF Amplifiers ranging from single modules with a few hundred watts power to larger rack mounted multi-kilowatt designs. You must be a "hands on" senior technician capable of testing RF amplifiers with minimal supervision. The position requires that you are very familiar with RF Bench test equipment such as RF signal generators, Network and Spectrum Analyzers, Power meters and digital scopes and be able to fault find down to the component level.

Please Thank otofab for Supporting RF Cafe

Fotofab Chemical Etching has been a leading supplier of mission critical thin metal parts since 1967. Custom-made precision metal parts - chemical etching, metal stamping, RF shielding, or any custom part made out of metal is their specialty. Fotofab will send you some sample parts (they make good conversation pieces), design guide and more information regarding their quality custom parts, short lead-times and low cost services.

Amateur Radio Quiz:

Your Days Are Numbered

This latest quiz from the ARRL website is provided by H. Ward Silver, N0AX. "Worse than the dreaded 'word problem,' this April quiz is full of backward problems where I give the answer and you pick the problem. Or something like that. You'll figure it out!"

Some Facts on Quartz Crystals

According to a 2001 paper published by the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST, formerly National Bureau of Standards, NBS), "The end of the era of quartz frequency standards began in 1949 with the development at NBS of the world's first atomic frequency standard based on an ammonia absorption line at 23.87 GHz." Further, "The Bureau supported work on both technologies for the next decade, but the rapid advances in the accuracy of atomic frequency standards could not be matched by quartz devices, and the work on quartz frequency standards was stopped in 1959." This article from a 1957 edition of Popular Electronics claims that the "master of all master-clocks" resided at the U.S. Naval Observatory at the time - not quite accurate from what my research indicates. Still, it is a good introduction to crystal growth and processing for use as timing devices.

Featured Book: A Genius in the

Family, by Hiram Percy Maxim

Hiram Percy Maxim, as a lot of RF Cafe visitors already know, was a pioneer in the realm of amateur radio. He was the progenitor of the American Radio Relay League (ARRL). What might not be as well known is that he was the son of Sir Hiram Stevens Maxim, a very successful firearms manufacturer. The Maxim Gun was the first self-powered, fully automatic machine gun, capable of firing 600 rounds per minute. It played an important role in European colonization in Africa. The mere sight of the gun struck fear in the hearts of enemies. H. Percy Maxim's uncle Hudson Maxim invented smokeless gunpowder and other revolutionary explosives. You might say that firearms wealth funded the beginnings of the ARRL and most of what amateur radio is today. Knowing this now, can ardent anti-2nd-Amendment gun confiscation proponents or anti-gun people anywhere in the world continue in the hobby in good conscience? Wouldn't it be like buying S. Africa Krugerrand gold coins in spite of Apartheid history, or buying Nikes made in youth sweat shops, or cellphones made in near slave labor conditions? 

Arena.xlsm Excel-Based Game

This is pretty cool, especially if you appreciate someone using a tool for a purpose likely never conceived of by its original creator. You have probably used a Microsoft Excel spreadsheet at some point in your career for business, engineering or personal calculations. Did you know that Excel is programmable in the form of macros (Visual Basic for Applications, aka VBA) and via external calls from other programming languages? My RF Cascade Workbook series relies heavily on VBA. This rudimentary game titled Arena.xlsm is a spreadsheet created by Mr. Cary Walkin (xlsm is the file extension for an Excel file with embedded macros). Your objective is to pursue and slay evil snakes, bunnies, and other garden variety (pun intended) creatures before they kill you. The interface is reminiscent of early DOS-based games.

Congrats to the March 2013

Book Drawing Winner!

Ryan S., of Socorro, NM, is the winner of the March 2013 book drawing. Ryan opted for Introduction to Infrared and Electro-Optical Systems (Graciously provided by Artech Housee). Every time someone buys one of my software products (Visio Stencils, Word Symbols, RF Cascade Workbook, etc.), his/her name is thrown into my 'electronic' hat, from which at the end of each month a name is drawn at random. I pay the shipping cost, which if it happens to be an overseas winner, can be more than $40.

Youth@HamRadio.Fun:

New Kid in Town

Sterling Coffey, N0SSC, ARRL Youth Editor, publishes a monthly column online directed toward young Ham radio operators. He writes about topics of interest to fellow students like moving to a new town, attending charter school science fairs, seeking out and joining amateur radio clubs, etc. If you have or know a kid that might be interested, be sure to let him/her know about the feature.

Demystifying the PLL

As RF and microwave engineers we use a lot of frequency sources that are synchronized to reference oscillators. Doing so requires some form of phase-locked loop circuitry. Feedback and control circuits classes in college taught the basics that are simple enough to understand, but unless you happen to have designed a PLL circuit during your career - we more often buy packaged devices or modules that someone else designed - chances are the concept has become a bit fuzzy by now. This brief article in EDN runs over the basics of PLL operation.

World's Tiniest

Cellphone Recharger

No, this is not an April Fool's joke - that was for yesterday. This miniature Jerry can measuring only 1.3 x 0.9 x 0.5 inches is to your charge-challenged cellphone what its full-size gasoline-carrying version is to your Jeep, Chang'an OuLiWei MPV (State-owned like GM), or whatever. The Fuel Micro Charger, spawn of yet another Kickstarter project ($53k raised to date with $20k goal), is said to be able to provide an extra 20-30 minutes of talk time to your phone by virtue of its 220 mAh capacity. Just plug it into the micro-USB port - as long as your phone is not made by Apple - and away you go. An iPhone version is in the works, BTW. Get one of the first production models for a pledge of less than $20.

William Hepburn's Worldwide

Tropo Ducting Forecasts

Thanks to Patricia W. for letting me know about this amazing website for obtaining tropospheric ducting conditions and predictions. Patricia originally wrote to me asking if I knew of any resources for ducting information since she had a customer who suspected it was the cause of some transmission problems. I suggested she check with the ARRL folks but although she couldn't find any ducting info on the ARRL.org website, she did locate William Hepburn's DX Information Centre. It provides a plethora of data including 6-day forecasts of VHF, UHF & microwave radio and TV signal strength and interference. So, ultimately she ended up helping me... and you if you ever need to know about tropospheric ducting.

Thanks Much to NuWaves

for Long-Time Support

NuWaves Engineering is a premier supplier of radio frequency (RF) systems, subsystems, RF products and engineering design services designed to customer requirements. They are are a turnkey provider for RF and microwave communication custom designs with full project management and design responsibilities. Products include antennas, RF tuners, up/down converters, LNAs, modulators, and filters.

Flying High at Zero Altitude

My flight simulator software (MS Flight Sim 2002) and computer I run it on (HP i7 notebook) are each more powerful than the software and computer that ran the Douglas DC-8 pilot training simulator featured in this 1958 article in Popular Electronics. Two racks of 1000⁺ vacuum tubes did the electronic heavy lifting while massive DC motors did the physical cockpit heavy lifting. The computer needed to handle as many as 40 variables at one time, including 6 differential equations of motion. 100 servomotors, 540 amplifiers and 2,200 gears drove the instrument panel gauges, dials, and movie projector mechanisms. The instrument panel description conjures images of the inside of a modern office-grade copying machine with its very dense conglomeration of gears and axels (have you seen the inside of one of those lately?).

Notable Quote

"I often say that when you can measure what you are speaking about, and express it in numbers, you know something about it; but when you cannot express it in numbers, your knowledge is of a meager and unsatisfactory kind; it may be the beginning of knowledge, but you have scarcely, in your thoughts, advanced to the stage of science, whatever the matter may be." - Lord Kelvin, aka William Thompson, in lecture on "Electrical Units of Measurement" (3 May 1883)