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Here is page 1
of the April 2015 homepage archive.
 This
handheld digital SMD
tester is a handy tools for quickly measuring surface mount component values.
Unlike the old days of huge resistors, capacitors, and inductors that had plenty
of space on their packages for markings, the grain-of-salt-size devices on modern
day circuit boards defy identification once removed from their shipping containers.
The added expense of laser marking makes doing so for every component highly impractical.
If you have ever tried to use a standard set of multimeter probes to measure even
a 1206 size resistor, then you know what a pain it can be, and then being sure that
enough pressure is being
...
 Mac McGregor, owner of
Mac's Radio Service Shop, can always be counted on to provide
his apprentice technician, Barney, with a lesson from his own life-long attendance
at the School of Hard Knocks. Barney is your stereotypical young buck whose level
of seriousness needs occasional alignment, just as do the radio and television sets
he services. In this episode, I can't find where Mac actually solved the intermittent
electrical condition believed to be causing the problem - weird. The "Mac's Radio
Service Shop" series ran in
Radio & Television News magazine for many years...
 Horizon House Publications and Microwave Journal
China are pleased to announce that 2625 total attendees visited EDI-CON-China-2015-Sets-Record-Attendance-4-29-2015.htm" >EDI
CON China 2015 in Beijing, April 14-16, at the China National Convention Center
(CNCC), significantly exceeding the previous two years attendance numbers. This
included 1214 delegates attending the conference and exhibition. The plenary session
drew close to 300 attendees with about 350 attending the Keysight sponsored reception
dinner. The exhibition contained close to 100 companies occupying 1300 square meters
in floor space. EDI CON China has grown each year since its start in 2013 establishing
itself as the leading RF/microwave, high-speed digital and EMC/EMI EDI-CON-China-2015-Sets-Record-Attendance-4-29-2015.htm"...
 Pasternack, a leading manufacturer and supplier
of RF, microwave and millimeter wave products, introduces an all new line of
broadband log video amplifiers covering multi-octave bandwidths
from 0.5 GHz to 18 GHz. The 5 models being released include 4 Successive Detection
Log Video Amplifiers (Pasternack-Log-Video-Amplifiers-18-GHz-4-29-2015.htm" >SDLVA),
and 1 Detector Log Video Amplifier (DLVA), which offer
a wide input dynamic range, high signal sensitivity, fast recovery times, and excellent
temperature stability. Pasternack's log amplifiers are used to measure widely varying
signals at high frequencies in applications where rapid and Pasternack-Log-Video-Amplifiers-18-GHz-4-29-2015.htm"...
 Just because I don't wear Earth Day or "Save
the Whales" T-shirts or donate to their causes does not mean that I abide wanton
and senseless destruction of our planet's resources and natural beauty. Do a search
of RF Cafe and you will find many examples of articles I have written and headlines
posted regarding offenders and, equally as important, the hypocrisy ... My latest
example of repair is a Braun
kitchen
hand mixer that we've had for at least two decades. The blue heat shrink tubing
on the power cord was part of a repair done many years ago. Recently, Melanie reported
that the multi-speed switch seemed to be intermittent. After confirming the symptom,
I opened the case and removed the switch assembly. Fortunately, it was held together
with locking...
 Being able to quickly interpret
oscilloscope waveforms is essential to efficient circuit design,
adjustment, and troubleshooting. Knowing tell-tale signatures of signal-corrupting
influences from unintended resistance, capacitance, inductance, and nonlinear
(semiconductors and vacuum tubes) is a huge advantage
when using an o-scope. Equally important is not introducing waveform- and function-altering
effects with probing techniques and/or incorrect operation of the test equipment.
One often seen example of the latter is using equipment whose input impedance is
not proper for the unit under test (UUT); e.g., wring
impedance coaxial cable in RF situations or too low of an input impedance for low
frequency applications that...
 Did you see the video of the kid who just
set a new Rubik's Cube
solution time record? Collin Burns unscrambled Hungarian architect Erno Rubik's
3x3x3 cube in a mere 5.253 seconds per the CubeComps website record list. It is
an amazing spectacle to see. Formal rules are set by the World Cube Association
(WCA) for other format cubes like the 2x2x2, the 4x4x4
and the 5x5x5. My first thought when watching the video is was how scrambling of
the cube was randomized to assure fairness in unscrambling times? It turns out that
the WCA provides a program for setting start patterns, which must be used for official...
 LeFun One Bluetooth Phone Smart Watch wrist
phone with NFC. Mates with Android phones like Samsung S3/S4/S5/Note 2/Note 3/Note
4 HTC Sony LG and iPhone 5/5C/5S/6/6. Unlike the Apple Watch, this model is capable
of functioning as a stand-alone cellphone with a SIM card installed. You can send
and read texts, make or receive calls on your watch, like a GSM cell phone. With
a SIM card, it works as a cell phone companion, receiving and making calls, getting
texts via Bluetooth. Unlike that 'other' watch priced at $349, Android smart watches
can be bought for under $75.
 Advanced Test Equipment Rentals (ATEC)
and Empower RF Systems today
announced an agreement to become a preferred rental distributor of Empower RF's
high power amplifiers for EMC compliance and product testing applications, bringing
greater product availability to customers with immediate test equipment needs. ATEC
will now carry the Empower Next Generation Platform of RF amplifiers, including
the 1 to 3.1 GHz, 1 kW HPA, model 2170, which is ideal for Automotive and DO-160
pulsed and CW immunity requirements Advanced-Test-Equipment-Rental-Empower-RF-Rental-Partnership-4-28-2015.htm"...
 Donated by Gary Steinhour
Many thanks to website visitor and contributor
Gary Steinhour for donating three new cardboard slide rule calculators to the RF
Cafe museum! The Ballentine Rule performs the following: dB ↔ Ratio Conversion
| Volts ↔ dB Power Level,
EM
Labs' slide rule performs: U.S. ↔ Metric Conversions, and
Tel-Instrument's slide rule performs: AC Power.
 The
DAS antenna range has been designed to provide excellent and consistent
performance. At the same time providing the opportunity for cost savings to installers
and operators. A Distributed Antenna System (DAS),
consists of a network of antennas that are connected to a common source which is
able to provide wireless and radio coverage throughout buildings, terminals and
open areas. The need for a system to support the changing face of mobile communications
has been prompted by increasing use of mobile devices including phones, laptops,
tablets and ‘Smart' machinery Cobham-DAS-Antenna-Range-iBwave-4-26-2015.htm"...
 If you do a search for "acoustinator," you get a certain model of acoustic guitar speaker
manufactured by the UK-based company, Eminence. That, however, is not the same as
the "Acoustinator" developed by Motorola for their "Golden Voice" series of car radios. It was essentially what we
refer today to as a tone control, or as an equalizer. Not satisfied with creating
just one futuristic sounding techno-term, Motorola also came up with the "wobbulator" for use in tuning the receiver IF response ...
 I also posted the Radio Service Data Sheet
for the
General Electric Model HJ-1205 console floor model radio...
 "Before man reaches the moon, mail will be
delivered within hours from New York to California, to England, to India or to Australia
by guided missiles." -
Arthur Summerfield, U.S. Postmaster General. On June 8, 1959,
in a move that PG Summerfield heralded as "of historic significance to the peoples
of the entire world," the Navy submarine USS Barbero fired a guided missile carrying
3,000 letters towards the naval auxiliary air station in Mayport, Florida. Racing
along at about 600 miles per hour, the guided missile traveled the more than 100
miles from the deck of the submarine off the coast of Florida to the air station
in about 22 minutes...
 Aircraft electronics has always been on the
bleeding edge of technology because of the ever-increasing need to fly in the widest
range of atmospheric conditions possible. Accordingly, skills needed by avionics
servicemen are amongst the highest required in any electronics field. There are
still many pieces of vintage equipment in service that need to be maintained, but
even 20- to 30-year-old airborne radars and navigational units require top-notch
techs to troubleshoot and align. One topic in particular that plagues electronics
operation even in modern airframes is that of static electricity build-up and lightning
strikes. We all face those kinds of static discharge hazards in non-aviation environments,
but for the most part a failure on the ground or water is not as imminently...
Google very recently began a Beta test program called "Matched Content," where 'related'
pages within the website are displayed in a scrollable banner format. Hyperlinks
to the pages are provided. I just installed it yesterday and it seems to be working
very well. The format is very colorful and attractive as you can see by a screen
capture below (and a 'live' version at the bottom of the
page). Part of Google's Page Rank algorithm gives credit for cross-linking
to other related pages within your own website, so I wonder whether this counts,
as opposed to actually placing internal hyperlinks within the page content; it would
be nice if it does. Google is limiting the Beta to...
 Saelig Company,
Inc. (bottom 728x90-pixel banner ad) is a New York State corporation
operating as a Sales and Marketing Agent and Distributor for more than 100 manufacturers
from all over the world. Founded in 1988 by Alan Lowne, Saelig has earned a growing
reputation for having notable products not found elsewhere. “Saelig” is an Olde
English word which means “happy, prosperous, blessed”. We sell and support a wide
range of electronic control and instrumentation equipment and components to customers
ranging from Fortune 500 industrial users, military, educational institutions and
hospitals to individual end-users...
 NI (formerly AWR Corp),
showcases NNI AWR
software throughout the International NI-AWR-Software-Showcased-IMS2015-4-20-2015.htm" >Microwave
Symposium 2015 (IMS2015) in a number of ways. A preview
of V12 NI AWR Design Environment™ software, including new load-pull and antenna
features, as well as ease of use, speed enhancements and third-party integration
flows, will be on display inside NI booth #2431. IMS2015 runs from May 17-22 in
Phoenix. NI AWR Software Demonstrations What's New in V12 –preview the new
features in the upcoming V12 release of the NI AWR Design Environment
and you'll be entered into our GoPro raffle NI-AWR-Software-Showcased-IMS2015-4-20-2015.htm"...
 Arithmophobia (a real
word) is likely the root cause of of
decibelphobia (that one's made up),
a condition that causes some otherwise rational people to curl in the fetal position
in an attempt to avoid the topic. As with most subjects, the more often you engage
in using a term, the more comfortable you become with it. Technicians and engineers
who deal in voltage and power levels in terms of dividing quantities or transmitting
them from one location to another would find conversation and writing without the
use of decibels quite inconvenient. It is tempting to point out that using decibel
units to express ratios or relative levels, thereby permitting use of simple addition
and subtraction rather than multiplication and division, respectively, is no different
than using logarithms to...
 Just the other day I was using the familiar
analogy that relates water pressure, hose diameter, and flow rate to electrical
voltage, resistance, and current, respectively, in an explanation to my daughter
regarding why the water flow rate in her rebuilt house (original
burned down a year ago) is not what it was in her original house. The cause,
I surmise, is due to use of the plastic PEX tubing which has a smaller inside diameter
than the old copper pipe. The
submersible pump and holding tank supply the same 50 psi
as before, but since that pressure now has to force the water through a path inside
the house that has more resistance to the water flow, the delivery rate to fixtures
is now lower. When I hold the contacts closed on...
 Empower RF Systems is once again conducting live
demonstrations of broadband, high power amplifiers with compelling performance,
industry leading small size, and user interface / functionality that dares to challenge
legacy products offered in the market. Next appearing at MTT-S IMS 2015 in Phoenix,
AZ, we will be showcasing our 1 to 3 GHz, 1 kW HPA in a 5U chassis. This
is an extraordinary design which includes an integrated (internal)
dual directional coupler and instrument Empower-RF-Systems-Conducting-Live-Demos-EMC-SI-2-13-2015.htm"...
 A
new crop of articles on RF and microwave topics has been posted online by
our industry's contemporary magazine publishers. Just as the hard copies arrive
in our mailboxes at different times each month, so too do the online versions. We
are treated to the usual mix of narrowly focused expositions on specific applications
like "Compact Microstrip Lowpass Filter with Ultra-Wide Stopband Using a Modified
Circular Resonator," as contrasted to ones covering broader subjects such as "Cut
the Defense Budget? Sure, No Worries." A general rule of thumb seems to be the longer
the title, the more specific the article. They're all worth reading, but alas, busy
schedules limit most of us...
Saelig Company, Inc. announces the availability of the
TBPS01-TBWA2
EMC Probe Kit, which includes investigative near-field probes and a wideband
amplifier to increase the versatility of economical spectrum analyzers to identify
EMC issues. The economical TBPS01-TBWA2 EMC Probe Kit consists of four rubber-handled
near-field probes (three H-field and one E-field),
a 20 dB or a 40 dB wideband amplifier, and associated cables, supplied
in an attractive wooden case. The shielded probes have built-in ferrites and insulated
rubber handles to insure that measurements are insensitive to the human hand. The
H- or E-field probes are useful for detecting radiated Saelig-Pre-Compliance-EMC-Probe-Kits-2-10-2015.htm"...
 The Electrician's Trade Demystified!,
by David Herres, is, per the cover's claim, "Everything an aspiring electrician
NEEDS to KNOW." That is a pretty bold claim for a book of 250 pages when considering
how wide AND deep the field of electrical tradesmanship really is. However, because
of the way in which David approaches the subject, I am convinced that within reasonable
constraints of expectations, the book does an excellent job at informing an aspiring
electrician with everything he needs to know. How can I corroborate the assertion,
you might ask? Simple. There is no attempt to cover every chapter word by word or
to impart a comprehensive knowledge of every topic to the reader. Instead, all chapters
are addressed in terms of what kind of material is contained, how it is arranged,
what material should be memorized by every electrician, and how the table of contents
and...
 There is a very easy - and FREE - way for
you to get your company's products and services in front of RF Cafe visitors:
Press Releases. Serving between
7,000 and 10,000 pages each weekday provides a valuable amount of exposure to people
like you - serious engineers, technicians, students, and hobbyists. If your company
makes products that I deem relevant to my readership, I will gladly post your press
release, company news, product announcements, etc. Please send the information,
along with images (or links to online images), hyperlinks
to featured product pages, contact information, an About Us statement, and other
such content usually associated with press releases. I do...
 Anatech Electronics, a manufacturer of RF and microwave filters,
has published its April 2015 newsletter. As always, it includes both company news
and some tidbits about relevant industry happenings. This month, Sam Benzacar reports
on the progress of the worldwide LTE rollout, the status of VoLTE (Voice over LTE
), and the DoD's efforts to reduce the cost of electronic systems acquisition (particularly
EW). He also discusses how to handle a growing number of frequency bands that need
to be accommodated by cell tower base stations anatech-april-2015-newsletter.htm"...
 RF and Microwave Engineering: Fundamentals of
Wireless Communications, by Frank Gustrau, discusses a wide range of RF topics
with emphasis on physical aspects, including EM and voltage waves, transmission
lines, passive circuits, antennas. New coverage includes the consistent use of modern
RF tools such as RF circuit simulation, EM simulation, computerized smith chart
in various examples that show how the methods can be applied productively in RF
engineering practice. Examples that illustrate the theoretical parts are close to
real world problems, so readers can directly use the methods in their own work context...
 Fairview Microwave, a supplier of on-demand microwave
and RF components, debuts a completely new portfolio of
electromechanical relay switches that cover ultra-broadband and
millimeter-wave frequencies up to 40 GHz. These high-reliability coaxial RF switches
are guaranteed to perform up to 2 to 10 million life cycles, which make them an
ideal solution for demanding industries and applications related to defense and
commercial aviation, radar, wireless communications, satellite communications, test
and measurement and many Fairview-Microwave-Electromechanical-Relay-Switches-4-21-2015.htm"...
 Here are a few more
electronics-themed comics
from magazines of the days of yore. Radio-Craft readers submitted ideas
for funnies and then artist Frank Beaven would draw the comics based on their ideas.
Some months had no comics, and others had half a dozen or more. This June 1945 issue
had three. There is also one from the May 1946 Radio News. You website
visitors not familiar with vacuum tube construction might need to know that the
jailhouse bars in "Control Grid" comic are an allusion to the wire mesh type
element in tubes that modulated electron flow from the cathode to the anode. I
once again colorized the comics to make them more attractive. Enjoy...
 "I told my people the best way not to get
included is not to suck." he says. New .Sucks Internet Domain: Extortion Or Free
Speech? -
J. Scott Evans, associate general counsel at Adobe Systems, in
response to whether his company would succumb to what some consider extortion with
the issuance of ".sucks" domain extensions. The extension, which some malicious
SOP (son-of-a-pup) with too much money to spend could use to buy "RFCafe.sucks,"
would cost as much as $2,500 per year.
 This
Electronic Crosswords puzzle appeared in the October 1963 edition of Electronics
World magazine. About half the words used are related directly in some way
to electronics or physics. It's a fairly small puzzle so it shouldn't take you too
long to complete. My RF Cafe crosswords, by the way, have 100% of the words directly
related to the sciences, from a custom lexicon I have created over 20 years of making
puzzles. Enjoy...
 IMS ExpertServices periodically sends me e-mails that highlight
recent key court cases that can significantly affect the effectiveness of expert
testimony, both for the plaintiff and for the defendant.
This article by attorney Joshua Fruchter, writing for
IMS ExpertServices, reports on a case where the defendant sought
to declare a
corporation as a qualified 'expert' witness, thereby hoping to
draw on the collective authority of an entire pool of knowledge that would be, if
permitted, virtually unassailable. Since the plaintiff was an individual, surely
his personal credentials could not approach that of a pool of professionals at a
public corporation employing maybe thousands. It would be like me challenging the
electrical engineering department staff at MIT about the precision of the value
of a charge on an electron. Interestingly...
 The Radio Service Data Sheets that were
published in Radio-Craft magazine usually seem to have more information
included than those published in other magazines, at least in the same era (1940-ish).
It might have to do with how much material is provided by the manufacturer rather
than a decision by the magazine editors. Either way, here are the schematics, chassis
layout, and service info for the
Lafayette Model B-100 through B-103. As with most radios built in the era, the
woodwork and artistic design of the cabinet are exquisite. There are still people
searching for such data, but fortunately the Internet is making it much easier to
locate. None of the three models show up on eBay as of this writing...
 This week's collection of engineering career
advice articles includes a few
sample
resumes as provided by Kim Isaacs, the 'resume expert' at Monster. Having been
out of the job search market myself for over a decade, I don't even know what is
expected anymore, but Ms. Isaacs believes that she does (and
she's probably right).. As always, caveat emptor when heeding advice - especially
potentially life changing advice - from strangers.
-
Qualities Every Employer
Wants in a Job Candidate
-
Sample Resume for an Entry-
Level Electrical Engineer
-
Sample Resume for a Midlevel
Electrical Engineer <more>
 NI (formerly AWR Corporation) announces
a new application note titled “Using NI AWR Design Environment Load-Pull Simulation for the Designer
of Wideband High-Efficiency PAs” that explores the design of PAs leveraging
load-pull technology within NI AWR Design Environment™ software, specifically that
of Microwave Office. Using a Cree CGH40010F gallium nitride high-electron mobility
transistor in a Class F PA at 2000 MHz as the example circuit, the application note
details how power-added efficiency is maximized by optimizing source and load pull
at the fundamental frequency, plus second and third App-Note-NI-AWR-Design-Environment-Load-Pull-WB-PA-4-15-2015.htm"...
 When
Popular Electronics began publication in October of 1954, its editors included
both
radio control modeling and amateur radio as regular features.
The magazine's target audience was made up of professional, student, and hobbyist
electronics aficionados who often mixed their interest in electronics with another
hobby; e.g., the aforementioned R/C and Ham radio, but also counted amongst readers
were audiophiles looking for top-notch systems, do-it-yourselfer (DIY) domestic
gadget makers, and automotive enthusiasts. It might seem like today there is not
as much interest in such endeavors as in times past, but the plethora of hobby
type magazines still being published in hard copy, electronically...
 Featuring our NEW (line) of
10 Watt Low-PIM Terminations, with industry leading performance
of:
* -175 dBc Typical to <-165 dBc (2 x 5 Watt) * -165 dBc Typical to <-155 dBc (2x20 Watt tones, additional heat sink required), while handling full rated power to +85°C. * All Terminations cover 380 MHz to 2.700 GHz * VSWR = 1.10:1 Typ / 1.20:1 Max. (0.698-2.700 GHz) * VSWR=1.15:1 Typ / 1.25:1 Max. (0.380-0.698 GHz) * 7/16 DIN, Type N, & 4.1/9.5 connectors.
Made in USA and 36-month warranty!
 Commercially available radio receivers for
the home had only been around for a couple decades when this advertisement from
Crosley appeared in a 1932 issue of Radio-Craft magazine. I keep looking
in old electronics magazines for an ad featuring my 1941 Crosley model 03CB console
radio, but thus far with no luck. There is a chance, although I have not seen any
direct evidence of it, that the 03CB chassis was sold as a special upgrade to the
less ornate 02CA model. What makes it special is that it was probably one of the
last new radios sold prior to the shift of material usage to military equipment
in World War II...
 Most people have heard of the incredibly accurate
Norden bombsight that was credited for revolutionizing accuracy
of heavy bombers like B-17s, B-25s, and B-29s. It was an electromechanical device
that took bombardier inputs of altitude, airspeed, heading, and wind speed and direction,
then calculated the impact point of the bomb. An accuracy of 75 feet was claimed
under ideal conditions - provided by a mechanical computing device. By 1956 when
this article was published, the Norden had been replaced by radar-integrated bombing
systems. Additionally,
ground-based radar measurement systems were...
 Steve Ford had a little bit about
littleBits™
in his "Eclectic Technology" column in the April issue of
QST, and it looked
interesting enough to mention here. "What is littleBits? littleBits makes an opensource
library of electronic modules that snap together with tiny magnets for prototyping,
learning, and fun. littleBits consists of tiny circuit-boards with specific functions
engineered to snap together with magnets. No soldering, no wiring, no programming,
just snap together for prototyping, learning and fun. Each bit has a specific function
(light, sound, sensors, buttons, thresholds, pulse, motors,
etc), and modules snap to make larger circuits. Just as LEGO...
Skyworks introduces eight low noise, variable gain receive modules for LTE and
WCDMA infrastructure applications requiring low noise and high linearity. The SKY65369-11,
SKY65370-11, SKY65371-11, SKY65372-11, SKY65373-11, SKY65374-11, SKY65375-11, and
SKY65376-11, which are ideal for all Skyworks-Low-Noise-Variable-Gain-Receive-LTE-WCDMA-4-15-2015.htm" >wireless
infrastructure OEMs and ODMs, are low noise, highly linear VGA modules that operate
in the 700 to 2600 MHz range and feature very low return loss. The fully integrated
high performance devices replace Skyworks-Low-Noise-Variable-Gain-Receive-LTE-WCDMA-4-15-2015.htm"...
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