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of the August 2015 homepage archives.
 Here is a batch of
electronics-themed comics that appeared in the July 1948 edition of Radio
News magazine. The comic on page 122 would probably elicit cries of racism
or hate speech these days, even though there is nothing racist about it. Note how
prescient the comic on page 140 was. It shows how long futurists have ben contemplating
the technologies that have become or are becoming common place today - of course
many of them were promised to us by the end of the last century by the like of
Popular Mechanics, Mechanix Illustrated, et al. The one that appeared
on page 175 is pretty clever. Such a malady is rarely encountered with today's radios,
but back in the day it was a commonly occurring problem...
 Maxwell's inception of the theory of electromagnetic
radiation is compared here to if Christopher Columbus had conceptualized the existence
of America and mapped its features based solely on observations of how the known
oceans and land masses interacted. I have always been amazed at the ability of people
who formulate entirely new theories of science, finance, medicine, etc., and manage
to detail and support their ideas with hard data and mathematics. Einstein did so
with relativity, Dalton did so with atomic structure, Darwin did so with evolution,
Pasteur did so with germ theory; the list is long. There are lots of geniuses out
there, but a relative few change the world...
 Coilcraft recently announced
a new version of their
Filter Designer software, which is a customized version of the
Nuhertz Technologies' FilterSolutions
filter synthesis and analysis program. Filter Designer will generate schematics
and response curves for 3rd-, 5th-, and 7th-order lowpass Elliptic filters that
incorporate Coilcraft inductors. The functionality is therefore somewhat limited
and, honestly, is probably more of an advertisement for the full-blown commercial
version of the software, but I did find one aspect very instructive. If you have
built a filter using real-world components, then you know how sensitive inductors
are to package configuration, wire winding characteristics, and placement on the
circuit board. A simulation can be utterly worthless in predicting the performance
of a prototype filter if the modeling is...
 This might be one of the earliest printed
instances of Harold A. Wheeler's simplified formulas for the
three basic inductor forms. Wheeler is credited with having devised the first
automatic volume control (AVC) using diode envelope detection. We all use them on
a regular basis, but for most the origin was never known or has long since been
forgotten (I fall into the latter category). I did some research on Wheeler's
inductance formulas a few months ago while working on what is now titled "RF Cafe
Espresso Engineering Workbook™," so it was sort of déjà vu when this blurb appeared
in a 1932 edition of Radio-Craft magazine...
 Noisecom is part of the Wireless Telecom Group. Abstract: The
Implementation Margin of a Satellite Communication System is defined
as the degradation of the signal after travelling through the up and downlink equipment.
In order to find this, an EbNo generator such as the Noisecom CNG-EbNo Series can
first be used to carry out an IF loopback test of the modem in order to find bit
error rate (BER) values at different Eb/No ratios. A plot of these values can then
be compared with the theoretical curve for the digital modulation scheme being used.
The resultant difference is termed the implementation loss of the modem, and this
value is used as a reference level for the second part of the test, in which the
implementation margin of the complete up and downlink is...
 Power electronics engineers designing power modules
face a number of challenges; namely, size, weight, efficiency, cost, and robustness.
This free,
1-hour webcast will explore these challenges and lay out a new
workflow for overcoming them. Topics include modeling and characterization of components
and devices, such as GaN transistors, electrothermal co-simulation, and integration
of GaN into power electronic circuits. Presented by Prof. Dr.-Ing. Ingmar Kallfass,
chair for Robust Power Semiconductor Systems at the University of Stuttgart, and
sponsored by Keysight, the webcast...
 This week's
Wireless Engineering crossword puzzle contains the usual collection
of only words and clues related to RF, microwave, and mm-wave engineering, optics,
mathematics, chemistry, physics, and other technical subjects. As always, this crossword
contains no names of politicians, mountain ranges, exotic foods or plants, movie
stars, or anything of the sort unless it/he/she is related to this puzzle's technology
theme (e.g., Reginald Denny or the Tunguska event in Siberia). The technically inclined
cruciverbalists amongst us will appreciate the effort. Enjoy!
 Linx Technologies, a Merlin, OR based developer
and manufacturer of Internet of Things (IoT) Products and Solutions, is pleased
to introduce its new pre-certified, low cost RF data modules. The HumPRO™ Series
transceiver is built on the popular Hummingbird platform, and is a frequency
hopping spread spectrum (FHSS) transceiver designed for the reliable transfer of
digital data. Available today in 900 MHz, the
HumPRO™ 900 MHz version outputs up to 10 dBm. This results
in a line-of-sight range of up to 1600 m (1.0 mile). The HumPRO™ Series module
is a completely integrated RF transceiver and processor designed to transmit digital
data across a wireless link. It employs a fast-locking FHSS system for noise immunity
and higher transmitter output power as allowed by government regulations...
 Don't let the title fool you. This "Ultrafax" system developed by RCA in the late 1940s was essentially
the first attempt at video on demand, or streaming video. Rather than piping the
signal over cable or local broadcast frequency towers, a microwave link was used.
While initial system equipment space and financial requirements meant only corporations,
universities, and governments could procure an Ultrafax, engineers who developed
the system envisioned an eventual culmination of equivalent systems in every home.
Even at the end of the last century it was still not possible for program providers
to personalize broadcasts to individuals. It wasn't until broadband Internet came
on the scene in the 2000s that such services were possible. Now, a decade later,
people watch any video they want on cellphones while riding in a car...
 Mechanically generated
electrical
noise has been the bane of wireless communications since the days of Marconi.
I recently posted a 1930 article from Radio-Craft titled "More About 'Man-Made'
Static" that addressed the plague. Electrical noise adversely affects electronics
in a manner ranging from relatively harmless but annoying interference to destructive
discharging. We are very familiar with ESD and the hazard it presents to electronic
devices. Triboelectric charging and a subsequent rapid discharge is the
culprit. Much research has led to ingenuous mitigation and prevention techniques
that have practically eliminated the problem. Still, electrical noise crops up in
some of the most unexpected places and must be dealt with. An article dealing with
triboelectric charging and static discharge in radio controlled
(R/C) helicopters, with the resultant radio interference...
 Fairview Microwave, a supplier of on-demand microwave
and RF components, introduces their new family of precision
waveguide directional couplers. This release consists of 28 models
covering a frequency range from 18 GHz to 110 GHz in seven popular frequency bands
including K, Ka, Q, U, V, E and W bands. Fairview Microwave's waveguide couplers
are available in waveguide sizes from WR-42 up to 18 GHz all the way to WR-10 up
to 110 GHz. These directional couplers are offered with 10 dB or 20 dB coupling
values and have high directivity of 30 dB typical with insertion loss is as low
as 0.6 dB in certain models. Fairview's new waveguide couplers are available in
both standard and split block configurations and are also available in both E-Bend
and H-Bend designs. They utilize a multi-hole...
 At least for now, I am going to only scan
and post schematics & parts lists like the ones listed below, rather than use
OCR (optical character recognition) software on them
to separate the textual content. There are still many people who restore and service
these vintage radios, and often it can be difficult or impossible to find schematics
and/or tuning information. I will keep a running list of all data sheets to facilitate
a search.
-
RCA Victor Portable Table Electrola Model R-95
-
Atwater Kent Model 305Z 5-Tube 32 V. D.C. Superhet
-
Kadette Jewel Model 40 Chassis 3-Tube Ultra-Midget Receivers
Models 41, 43, 44 and 48
-
General Electric Model N-60 6-Tube Auto Superheterodyne
 You can buy a pretty good metal detector
today for a hundred dollars that will find coins buried many inches deep and larger
metallic items even deeper, and you even get discriminator functions to filter out
unwanted objects like tin cans. They weigh just a couple pounds and can be used
with one arm. Compare that to early
metal detectors that had huge induction coils on a frame so heavy
that shoulder straps were needed just to lug them around. Some models came on wheels
for pushing or pulling like a cart. You could plan to spend a few hundred dollars
(a thousand or more in today's dollars) for one. Even then, they were not as sophisticated
as the $50 models sold in Walmart now. In classic fashion, teen electronics hobbyists
Carl and Jerry use their technical prowess to design and build their own metal detector
and then unintentionally using it to convince...
 A lot of people like to demean engineers and
scientists for their propensity to want to
conduct experiments and obtain measured, empirical data rather
than "winging it" and being satisfied with "intuitive" knowledge or the contemporarily
popular term "gut." If mankind had not adopted scientific methods and ventured beyond
the"cradle of civilization" on the African continent, we would all still be living
in grass huts, hurling rocks at prey, making clicking sounds for communication, and foraging for berries. Quantifying and
categorizing all things in nature helps inventors create new and improved implements
that help make life better. Early on it was mostly individuals like Archimedes,
Euler, Newton, and Edison who built the pool of knowledge that fed and evolved into
corporations, governments, and universities doing the vast majority of the work.
Bell Laboratories is probably...
 United States Patent 9,093,731 B2, recently awarded
to Empower RF Systems, validates the uniqueness of the hardware architecture in
use on Empower's high power,
next generation amplifiers. The embodiments of this patent protection
are related to the design, associated materials, and integration of the high power
combiner that is integral to delivering multi-kW broadband power
(CW) and narrow band pulse in an air cooled, 5U chassis
(and other combinations of power and chassis sizes utilizing
this architecture). "We are pleased to receive this additional recognition
and patent protection for our next generation amplifiers," said Jon Jacocks, CEO.
"This is a second award this year that is specific to our next...
 I receive very little feedback overall on
RF Cafe content. Surprisingly, though, the 'Day in History'
feature on the homepage generates the most e-mails either due to a typo by me or
someone commenting on a particular item. It's nice to know they're read. Website
visitor Steve Gilbert just wrote regarding Oldsmobile founder Ransom E. Olds'
entry from August 26. Says Steve, "Ransom Olds was born just a few blocks away from
where your friends at Tegam have their business located in Geneva, Ohio. Fittingly
the site of Ransom Olds' birthplace is today an auto parts store." A quick Google
search turned up a historical marker located on Old's property, and it gave the
GPS coordinates. Plugging those into Google Maps placed me right at the spot, and
then a Street View...
 Manmade electrical noise
(QRM) and natural
electrical noise (QRN) has been
the nemesis of communications - both wired and wireless - since the first signals
were sent. While it is true that over the last century the amount of "background"
noise has increased significantly, the ability of modern circuits to deal with
(reject) it and/or accommodate
(error correction) it has pretty much kept up with
the advancement. You might be tempted to think that "back in the good old days"
such problems did not exist, but operators were plagued by poorly designed and inadequately
filtered transmitters as well as really deficient electrical service installation
that spewed noise from transformers, inadequately grounded transmission lines, lousy
connections...
 WiSilica, the smart environment enabler creating a more intelligent
IoT, has launched an end-to-end solution for connecting millions of devices that
can understand their environment and use predictive intelligence to improve the
user experience, reduce cost and improve efficiency. Taking advantage of the existing
smartphone ecosystem and WiSilica's proprietary mesh networking technology, the
WiSe platform enables
customers to easily configure smart homes, buildings, lighting, sensors and wearables
into intelligent devices that they can manage via mobile apps and in the cloud.
"WiSilica provides customers with the building blocks and framework to create complete
smart IoT environments...
 Each month I randomly select one or two people
from my e-mail inbox who are entered for the
FREE book drawing
(I pay the shipping cost from my ever-thinning
 wallet). To date I have shipped over
120 books that are typically valued at over $100 each; all are recently released
volumes by top engineering publishers like
Artech House and
Cambridge University
Press. These two titles have been added for the September drawing:
-
RF Positioning: Fundamentals, Applications, and Tools (GNSS Technology
and Applications)
-
The Art and Science of Ultrawideband Antennas
 Just as the
test and measurement equipment manufactures scrambled to produce
lines of spectrum, network and communications analyzers, oscilloscopes, power meters,
electromagnetic field sensors, and many other types of products specifically for
the cellphone and Wi-Fi industries, companies were scrambling to provide for the
needs of FM radio and television development labs and production lines. This 1947
advertisement from Radio Corporation of America (RCA)
is an example that appeared in Radio News magazine. In fact, TV was so
new that just a few months later, in September of 1948, editor Hugo Gernsback changed
the publication's name to Radio and Television News.
BTW, did you even know RCA made...
 Essentials of RF and Microwave Grounding,
by Eric Holzman, Grounding is a widespread and serious problem in microwave and
RF engineering and, up until now, there hasn't been a practical, authoritative resource
dedicated to the topic. This first-of-its-kind volume offers professionals a comprehensive
understanding of the proper
grounding techniques to use when working on varied microwave circuit
and antenna design projects. Practitioners learn what problems can occur when grounding
design is inadequate, and how to avoid them. The book covers a wide range of critical
topics, from the fundamentals of low frequency circuit theory and the differences
between DC and RF short circuits...to grounding in active microwave component design
and...
 MECA
is pleased to announce the addition to our
662 series,
2 watt SMA attenuators operating now up to 6 GHz! The 662-dB-1F6 series attenuators
cover all wireless applications from Hz – 6.0 GHz and available in standard
values of 3, 6, 10, 20 & 30 dB. And as always made is USA carrying
MECA's 36 month warranty...
 NI (formerly AWR Corporation) announces
that the agenda has been set and registration opened for the
AWR Design Forum 2015
(ADF) in
Chengdu,
China on Wednesday, Sept. 16 and in
Nanjing,
China on Friday, Sept. 18. Celebrating its fifth year, ADF is an open forum
that brings together NI AWR software customers, partners and microwave/RF engineering
professionals to learn, network and collaborate on the design of today's microwave
and RF circuits and systems. Highlights of ADF include technical presentations featuring
NI AWR Design Environment™, select customer and keynote presentations and live demonstrations/exhibition
area. The presentations slated for ADF 2015...
 This
reactance measuring bridge circuit employs a very unique element
for generating an alternating current: an electromechanical buzzer which doubles
as an audio source. Sure, it doesn't produce a pure sinewave, but for the method
used here to determine inductance and capacitance it does not matter. Rather than
attempting to measure an absolute value of inductance or capacitance, a known reactance
is used as part of a balanced bridge. This is by no means a precision instrument
since accuracy depends on the user's interpretation of the presence or absence of
an audible "buzz" in a pair of headphones, but in an era when 'real' test equipment
was beyond the budgets of many (maybe most) hobbyists, the scheme was better...
 I am constantly amazed when reading stories
about how easily Adolph Hitler rose to power in Germany by encouraging and exploiting
resentment of his countrymen over being forced, among other concessions outlined
in the Treaty of Versailles, to disarm militarily and make reparations for atrocities
committed in World War I. Part of the Nazi (National
Socialist) party success was extensive use of propaganda via print, radio,
and the relatively new technology of television. Government exercised complete control
over the mainstream media (i.e., not "underground")
by dictating content that promoted the proclaimed virtues of Nazism and the Aryan
race and the vices of just about every other form of government and race. At the height of Hitler's reign
of terror during the Third Reich era,
radio and television sets were only permitted to use crystals
tuned to state-sponsored...
 "Gentlemen,
ei*π
+ 1 = 0 is surely true, it is absolutely paradoxical; we cannot understand
it, and we don't know what it means. But we have proved it, and therefore we know
it must be truth." - Benjamin Peirce
(not to be confused with Captain Benjamin Franklin "Hawkeye" Pierce ), 19th century Harvard mathematician.
ei*π
+ 1 = 0 i, BTW, is known as
Euler's identity
- engineers live by it.
 The MicroApps program at the annual International
Microwave Symposium (IMS2015) contained nearly 80
presentations covering the hottest topics in RF/uW. If you missed this important
event, the presentation slides are now available compliments of Keysight Technologies.
Order your official
IMS2015 MicroApps CD while supplies last. Here's the catalog
of titles/abstracts, download this to "See What's Inside".
 Triad RF Systems comprises three partners
with over 40 years of accumulated knowledge of what is required to design, manufacture,
market, sell and service RF/Microwave amplifiers and amplifier systems. "Our market
knowledge has enabled partnerships with some of the leading radio manufacturers
to build state-of-the-art solutions that give them an advantage in transmission
distance and signal purity. We also understand the market pressures for increasing
data transmission while simultaneously requiring less DC power." Triad RF Systems'
offerings include power,
bi-directional,
frequency-translating,
tower-mount,
and low-noise amplifiers, rack systems, and custom amplifier systems.
Please visit them today to see whether you can benefit from their products and services.
 Air & Space magazine has an article
in the September 2015 issue that discusses medical issues for consideration during
extended stays in space - whether it be in orbit around Earth or during a journey
to or from the moon or a planet. Believe it or not, to this day there is no practical
method of performing invasive
surgery in
zero gravity conditions. The problem is controlling escaping blood. Even inside
a glove box type contraption ('hermetic surgery')
the free-floating blood interferes with an operation enough to jeopardize procedures.
Even orthoscopic methods are difficult because at some point blood tends to escape
the body. As part of planning for every conceivable emergency, NASA, ESA, RFSA,
and CNSA have agreed that the only reasonable...
 Saelig Company, Inc. announces the availability
of the TBLC08
Line Impedance Stabilization Network (LISN) which enables measurements of line-conducted
interference within the range of 9kHz to 30MHz, according to the CISPR16 or other
standards, before any formal testing commences. The TBLC08 is designed especially
for pre-compliance testing of single phase, AC-powered equipment with supply voltages
up to maximum 260V. Noise transmitted on the line and neutral conductors coming
from equipment under test can now easily be measured. The TBLC08 is also equipped
with a switchable limiter/attenuator and an artificial hand connection for simulating
handheld equipment...
 This being a family-friendly website prevents
me from showcasing the actual merchandise that is the topic of this feature. A regular
RF Cafe visitor and contributor sent me a hyperlink to a company called
Wireless Armour which
manufactures a line of clothing that addresses and solves the problem of a fairly
recently identified and verified issue facing the future of the human race. Indeed,
I have posted a large number of news stories on the subject in the past decade.
Per the company's website, "Wireless Armour is a new line of 'smart, wearable tech'
Wi-Fi shielding men's underwear that aims to protect male fertility against 99.9%
of harmful electromagnetic radiation emitted by Wi-Fi devices including smartphones
and laptops." I have yet to see a Surgeon General's warning label on laptop computers
to admonish people against placing them on their laps...
 Considering that not much more than a year
before this article was written that the transistor had been invented, it is impressive
that already Raytheon was producing a commercially available
CK703 "crystal triode." That nomenclature was a natural extension
of the preceding crystal diode already being widely adapted in circuit design. If
you have wondered how the transistor schematic symbol came to be as it is, you will
learn why here where the emitter and collector symbols actually both have arrows
on the ends that contact the base, indicating the "point contact" physical arrangement
of the semiconductor junctions. Shortly thereafter the arrow on the collector port
was eliminated, primarily, I suppose to avoid confusion when the E, B, and C labels
are not present...
Anatech Electronics,
a manufacturer of RF and microwave filters, has published its August 2015 newsletter.
As always, it includes both company news and some tidbits about relevant industry
happenings. This month, along with presenting some relevant industry news tidbits,
Sam Benzacar discusses the importance of assuring high integrity RF cable and connector
installation. Being a major manufacturer of anatech-august-2015-newsletter.htm" >connectorized
filters, Anatech Electronics' products rely on proper interconnections to help guarantee
specified performance. Filter responses are dependent upon the impedances of the
input and output ports being very close to design-for values - typically 50+j0 Ω
or 75+j0 Ω. Anything else will result in a curve that deviates from the shape
obtained when tuning into a calibrated network analyze; the greater the impedance...
 Peregrine Semiconductor, founder of RF SOI and
pioneer of advanced RF solutions, announces the next chapter in
intelligent integration - integrated phase and amplitude control
at microwave frequencies. In the fall of 2014, Peregrine introduced intelligent
integration, a unique design capability of UltraCMOS® technology that enables the
integration of RF, digital and analog components onto a single die. Peregrine uses
this design capability to offer benefits such as configurability, flexibility, enhanced
performance, reliability, repeatability, ease-of-use and a reduced form factor.
By enabling phase and amplitude control at higher frequencies, Peregrine can provide
clear benefits to markets...
 Nationwide commercial
television broadcasting companies wasted no time stringing coaxial
cable and microwave towers from sea to shining sea once the NTSC format standard
was adopted and manufacturers had spooled up production after World War II.
Adoption of cable services was slow because a fee was involved, but once purely
cable channels started being added the perceived value increase convinced consumers
to open their wallets. Eventually cable eclipsed over-the-air broadcasts for all
but extremely rural areas that were not serviced by cable. Along came satellite
TV to take care of filling that void. Once a small, inexpensive, unobtrusive Ka-band
antenna replaced the huge S-band backyard parabolic dishes and subscription prices
dropped significantly, suburbanites and city dwellers picked it up. Soon, cable
companies were feeling the pinch as their customer bases shrunk. Not ones to sit...
 The Keysight EDA University Programs offer full
versions of Keysight
EDA software to qualified academic institutions for instructional use. This
software is used in industry and creates a full wireless communication EDA experience
that helps students develop skills that will serve them well throughout their careers.
"Students love being able to access a student license download," said Kathleen Melde,
professor at the University of Arizona. "The process is so easy and there's 24/7
access, so I often joke about how students can use the Keysight EDA tools to fix
problems that bug them in the middle of the night. More importantly though, the
student license is allowing our students to master the use of industry-standard
tools...
 RFMW announces design and sales support for the
Qorvo
TGS4310-SM single-pole, double-throw (SPDT) reflective switch.
The TGS4310-SM is specified for operation from 13 to 19 GHz and features low
insertion loss of <1.7 dB with isolation >20 dB. Switching speed
is 20 ns and the switch control voltages are 5V/0V. Capable of handling 2 W
of input power, the TGS4310-SM is ideal for Ku-band Radar applications as well as
communication systems and instrumentation operating in these frequencies...
 KVG Quartz Crystal Technology GmbH has been
added to the Oscillator, VCO, PLL, Frequency Source & Synthesizer Manufacturers
and the Filter, Diplexer & Duplexer Manufacturer pages on RF Cafe. They have
been making ceramic & crystal oscillators and filters since the 1930s. Both
surface mount and connectorized packages are available.
 Life for the blind has always been fraught
with obstacles that we who can see will never be able to fully appreciate. Society
has come a long way in accommodating the special needs of those with no or severely
reduced eyesight. Recent news stories report of experiments with electronic implants
that use implants set into the eye and couple somehow with the retina to send image
information to the person's brain. While in no way close to being able to be called
sight, it has at least allowed the guy or girl with training to detect and avoid
obstacles based on changes in scenery shading. We are probably a century away from
true
bionic vision, incremental improvements will thankfully improve
the lives of our thusly challenged brethren. This article from a 1947 edition of
Radio News reports on efforts made by the New York Institute for the Educations
of the Blind to make amateur radio...
 Pasternack Enterprises,
a global supplier of RF and Microwave components and assemblies, is looking for
a Technical Writer to join the team as soon as possible! Job Summary: Make everything
we do better by being the voice of Pasternack, developing impactful technical marketing
content that would include, but not be limited to, product descriptions, white papers,
newsletters, email, direct mail, print advertising, press releases, blogging, and
social media. Skills and/or Experience: Bachelor's degree Experience working with
engineers and within a marketing organization, 5+ years of experience...
 As demand for vector network analyzers
(VNAs) increases,
Copper Mountain Technologies
(CMT) has hired two new employees to support the company's growth. Masud Al Aziz
and Rick Hollowell will both play strong roles when it comes to helping customers
improve their RF and microwave testing processes via the company's affordable, lab-grade
equipment. As the new senior applications engineer and RF specialist for CMT, Al
Aziz brings extensive experience in microwave engineering, RF circuit design, antenna
design and digital signal processing to the company. Hollowell is the new national
business development manager for CMT and will focus on expanding the company's market
position by implementing new strategic goals...
 Have you ever heard of a
"globar" resistor? They have been around since the early days
of radio and were used, among other things, to protect vacuum tube heater elements
from burning up due to high inrush current when first turned on. Globars have a
negative temperature coefficient (NTC) of resistance
so that, opposite of standard carbon and metal film type resistors, they exhibit
a higher resistance when cold than when hot. Mac and Barney discuss their use in
this episode of "Mac's Radio Service Shop." You might be more familiar with the
name "thermistor" for such devices, but globars are unique elements in that their
construction from non-inductive ceramic material makes them useful at high power
levels and high frequencies. Globar appears to now be owned by Kanthal (aka Kanthal
Globar). Interestingly, Keysight Technologies...
 Here are three more Radio Service Data Sheets
added to the online archive. As mentioned many times in the past, I post these for
the benefit of hobbyists looking for information to assist in repairing or restoring
vintage communication equipment. These particular radio models -
Emerson Model 20A and 25A,
Pilot Model B-2,
General Electric Model K-40-A - were featured in a 1933 edition
of
Radio-Craft magazine...
 NI (formerly AWR Corporation) announces that it is sponsoring
a Microwave Journal training webinar entitled
RF Components for Aerospace and Defense. This webinar covers defense
versus commercial philosophy, standards and standards organizations, quality assurance
in defense, military microelectronics, and microwave areas of radar systems and
electronic warfare systems in defense. Outline: Defense vs. Commercial philosophy,
Standards and standards organization, Quality assurance in defense, Military microelectronics,
The difference in space, Microwave areas in defense radar systems...
 TekBox Digital Solutions has a presentation
in PDF format which discusses product
EMC certification
testing and the reality that greater than 50% of items fail the first go-round.
Since the formal, on-the-record testing is usually an expensive proposition, it
behooves companies to perform pre-compliance testing that will provide a high level
of confidence that the product will have success on the first pass. Most consumer
type devices can be tested in a tabletop-size TEM cell (transverse
electromagnetic wave) with proper instrumentation that includes calibrated
antennas / RF probes and measurement test equipment. About 15 years ago I was involved
in a lot of RF emissions testing that involved using TEM cells, and can remember...
The Satellite Communication Ground Segment and Earth Station
Handbook
 The Satellite Communication Ground Segment and
Earth Station Handbook, by Bruce Elbert. This updated and expanded second edition
reflects the state of earth station design and ground segment architecture. From
international telephone network gateways to direct broadcast home receivers, today's
broad range of ground systems and devices require satellite communication engineers
and business managers to have a broad and sound understanding of the design and
operating principles of earth stations and ground control facilities. This book
explores the delivery end of the satellite link and its relationship to delivery
of services. Authored by a leading authority in the field, the book provides engineers
and managers with the knowledge...
 MegaPhase is pleased to announce the release
of its New Component Line that contains both the 0.5-6.0 GHz Band
Power Dividers
and the Wide Band
Directional Couplers. While the MegaPhase 0.5-6.0 GHz Band Power Dividers and
Wide Band Directional Couplers are offered with a standard design, MegaPhase can
provide customized solutions to meet any electrical, mechanical or environmental
application with a turnaround time atypical of the industry standard. MegaPhase
now designs, manufactures and markets a complete line of high performance RF coaxial
cables, connectors and components...
Decades before there were highly sensitive CMOS-based light sensors and charge-coupled
devices (CCDs), light detection for image capturing
was performed by vacuum tubes called
photomultiplier tubes (PMTs). They
amplify light by releasing electrons in response to a detector surface that answers
to photon impingement. PMTs are still more sensitive and of lower noise level than
the silicon devices. In fact, super-sensitive elements for many atom smashers and
subterranean neutrino detectors still use photomultiplier tubes for that reason.
My first encounter with a PMT was as part of a video map rendering system used on
the airport surveillance radar (ASR) display that
I worked on in the USAF. Air traffic controllers etched an overlay map of the airport
area on a plate of coated glass. It was placed in a box that swept a light beam
in synchronization with the ATC...
Fairview-Microwave-RF-Microwave-mm-Wave-Limiters-8-18-2015.htm" > Fairview
Microwave, a supplier of on-demand microwave and RF components, introduces a new
family of
broadband, high power limiters that aid in protecting sensitive
RF receivers and components such as LNAs that are in close proximity to high power
signals. The new high power
limiters from Fairview Microwave operate over broad frequencies
ranging from 0.5 GHz to 40 GHz depending on the model. This release contains seven
limiter designs featuring limiting thresholds between 3 to 10 dBm and low leakage
power of 10 to 15 dBm. Fairview's new selection of coaxial limiters exhibits high
CW power handling up to 200 Watts peak...
Anatech Electronics today introduced the
AB915B656 rugged indoor/outdoor GSM-band cavity bandpass filter
designed for both commercial and defense wireless applications that combines high
rejection, low return loss and the ability to remove nearby interference. The AB915B656
has a passband of 910 to 920 MHz, insertion loss of 1.5 dB, return loss greater
than 16 dB, and out-of-band rejection of 75 dB from 850 to 894 MHz and 929 to 950
MHz. It can handle 20 W CW and uses Type-N female connectors
(others available). The filter measures 140 x 80 x
53 mm, has an operating temperature range of -45 to +85 °C, and is designed
to be weatherproof...
 More than a month has passed since I last
posted links to RF & microwave engineering articles. You don't need me to
suggest reading material, but this can at least serve as a reminder that there are
many great new articles available. Some magazines have been printing an abbreviated
version of an article and then posting the entire article online. Often, even if
the entire text is printed, there are additional sketches and photographs posted
online. Enjoy ...
-
Impact of Antenna Design, Tune and Match on Wireless Range
-
Fast, Low-Noise JFET Amp is Stable Over Temperature
-
Reflectionless Filters Improve Linearity and Dynamic Range
-
History of Jitter Part 5: PLLs and Jitter Analysis <more>
 "If you're keeping score, in the past month
Trump has b*tch-slapped the entire Republican Party, redefined our expectations
of politics, focused the national discussion on immigration, proposed the only new
idea for handling ISIS, and taken functional control of FOX News. And I don't think
he put much effort into it. Imagine what he could do if he gave up golf." - Scott
Adams, Dilbert
comic strip creator, in his August 13, 2015
Scott Adams' Blog entry titled "Clown Genius."
 "If you have dark eyes and blonde hair. and
are under 30, you're due for some easy squeezing. Milligan's Appliance Center, 84
Main Street, is giving every girl between 16 and 30 who has these striking features
a newly patented orange squeezer, to introduce the new item ... Note: Any traces
of recent peroxide rinse will disqualify applicants." That is advertising copy offered
as an example effective promotional material in a 1947 edition of
Radio News. My first reaction was to think how something
like that would never fly today, but then I wasn't so sure. It seems there must
be anti-discrimination laws in this "ffend nobody" climate today that prohibit
singling out a certain demographic for inclusion or exclusion; however, there are
many such promotions run...
 This year's
European Microwave Week in Paris is transforming the city of love
into the city of microwaves. Rohde & Schwarz will take advantage of the occasion
to present its T&M highlights for the highest frequencies. The company will
showcase its new R&S FSWP phase noise analyzer and VCO tester for the first
time in Europe. The company will present its solutions as well as many minor and
major innovations at booth 113. This year, the Rohde & Schwarz specialists will
again share their expert knowledge in twelve workshops and seven seminars...
 An incredibly glaring example of the famous
admonishment* that those who ignore history are condemned to repeat it, Radio-Craft
editor Hugo Gernsback wrote in May of 1941, a full half year before the United States
of America officially entered World War II, about how current conditions regarding
domestic commercial radio broadcast stations were likely being used by German agents
to send
coded messages to offshore vessels (ships,
submarines, and aircraft). In example, he cited, amazingly, an article he
himself published in 1915 in The Electrical Experimenter accusing Dr. K.
G. Frank, of the German Telefunken company, of conducting spy operations from the
Sayville, NY, station on Long Island. A copy of the letters that were exchanged
between Mr. Gernsback and Dr. Frank were reprinted in this edition
(see "Sayville Once More"). Spoiler alert...
 These letters represent an unfriendly exchange
between The Electrical Experimenter editor Hugo Gernsback and Dr. K.G. Frank,
of the Telefunken System of Wireless Technology, of Germany. Gernsback correctly
accused Dr. Frank of engaging in espionage for Germany and against the United
States of America, during World War I at a time we were not officially at war
with the Axis powers. He was arrested and interred for the duration of the war for
sending out "unneutral messages" from the broadcast station at Sayville, Long Island,
New York. See "Radiobotage" in this month's (September
1941) editorial...
 Imagine having a serviceman of any sort arrive
at your house, fix your problem, and present you with a bill of $6 - parts included.
He would walk away satisfied that he had done a good job and was well compensated
for the work considering the effort invested in training and qualification. $6 in
1932, per the Bureau of Labor Statistics'
Inflation Calculator is worth $135.97 in 2015 money - that's a
cheap service call even in today's economy. Further, the $14 stated as a day's earnings
is $317.26 in 2025, which equates to 50 (work weeks/year) x 5 (days/week) x $243.86
(/day) = $79,315 (/year) - not too shabby. Just between you and me, that's more
than I'm currently making per year running RF Cafe...
 AFM Microelectronics has just published an application note titled
"MLCC (Multi-Layer Ceramic Capacitor) Resonances and SPICE MLCC Models"
that advises how to develop a simulation model that will accurately represent the
component's behavior under real-life conditions. The process involves making measurements
on a carefully calibrated vector network analyzer (VNA), with a caveat about the
instrument's ability to adequately (or inadequately) determine some parameters,
such as Rs (series resistance) because the VNA's value often is on the same order
as the DUT...
 Many of the words in this week's
crossword puzzle pertain to radar engineering. All the rest of
the words are related to technology, engineering, science, mathematics, aeronautics,
ham radio, chemistry, etc. There are no names of Hollywierd actors, shoe designers,
or romance novel titles. I will be glad to create a special edition crossword for
your newspaper, newsletter, etc. Enjoy...
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