Electro-Photonics Intros 1,000-2,000 MHz SMA Hybrid Coupler
Electro-Photonics-1000-2000-MHz-SMA-Hybrid-Coupler-11-16-2015.htm" >
Electro-Photonics LLC announces the availability
of a connectorized hybrid coupler: Q3XG-1500R-SMA. Our new Q3XG-1500R-SMA
90° hybrid coupler operates from 1000-2000 MHz, dissipates 65 W,
and offers excellent coupling flatness and isolation for the most critical applications.
This coupler has an extremely small package of 1.60 x 1.10 inches (40.64 mm x 27.94
mm). The Q3XG-1500R-SMA is manufactured in the USA, and is RoHS compliant Electro-Photonics-1000-2000-MHz-SMA-Hybrid-Coupler-11-16-2015.htm" >
...
Microwave & RF Engineering Crossword Puzzle for November
15, 2015
This week's
Microwave and RF Engineering crossword puzzle contains the usual
collection of science, math, and engineering terms. Never will you be tasked to
recall the names of idiotic Hollywierd celebrity's name or the kingdom of some obscure
civilization in Krapistan or Moronia. Enjoy.
Friday Quiz: Signal Conditioning
Martin Rowe, EE Times' senior technical editor,
has posted another in his series of Friday quizzes, this time on
Signal Conditioning. "Most sensors can't connect
directly to a measurement system because the signal amplitudes are too low or are
nonlinear. Some sensors also require excitation, in the form of a power supply.
The questions for this week's quiz test your knowledge of that you need to condition
several types of sensors. To find the answers and learn more about physical
..."
Google Self-Driving Car Pulled over 'For Driving Too
Slowly'
When one of
Google's self-driving vehicles is pulled over,
who gets the ticket? The passenger or the car? The question was asked across the
Internet on Thursday, after a police officer stopped one of the gumball-machine-shaped
vehicles on El Camino Real. In a blog post, the Mountain View Police Department
said the officer noticed traffic backing up behind a slow-moving car in the eastbound
No. 3 lane, near Rengstorff Avenue. The vehicle was traveling at 24 mph in a 35
mph zone. "As the officer approached the slow-moving
..."
AWR Design Forum/German User Group Event Announced
AWR-Design-Forum-German-User-Group-Event-Announced-11-11-2015.htm" >
NI (formerly AWR Corporation)
announces the agenda has been set and registration opened for its annual combined
AWR Design Forum (ADF) 2015 /
German
User Group meeting being held November 26, 2015 at the NI European Headquarters
in Munich. 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™ and select customer and keynote ...
Mac's Radio Service Shop: Barney is a Big Boy Now
Don't let the title fool you. This is not
a "bees-birds-and-flowers routine" being provided to Barney by his boss, Mac. It
turns out to be a brief introduction into the fine art of
troubleshooting intermittent problems in radio and television
circuits. As is usually the case, while the specifics of the scenarios Mac describes
might not apply to your challenge at hand, the general philosophy always does. It
is basically the old process of elimination where after rapping components mechanically
and/or heating or cooling them in hopes of observing a tell-tale change in performance,
the next step is to divide the suspected circuit portion in half (electrically,
but sometimes also physically) and look in one direction. If the problem isn't there,
then
...
RCD Radiokomunikace Added to
Vendor
Listing Pages
RCD
is vertically integrated to design, manufacture, and test high-quality
RF components
- filters, amplifiers, couplers, dividers, attenuator - using a variety of manufacturing
processes. Specific RF or mechanical requirements to suit customer needs addressed,
including high port-to-port isolation requirements, low ohmic losses, high power,
and PIM levels. Components currently offered in 70 MHz – 5 GHz frequency range.
Decades of applicable industry experience in this particular field and look forward
to working with you towards a comprehensive solution to your specific needs. +420-466-415-755.
Please Welcome Asian Circuits as a New Advertiser!
With headquarters in Dublin, CA, and production
facilities in Shenzhen, China, Asian Circuits Inc., a contract
PCB assembly
company , is an expert in mid- and high-run printed
circuit card assembly. Its staff of 600 consists of 450 associates
in PCB fabrication and 150 in circuit
board assembly. It is an ISO9001, IPC-A600 and
IPC A610 compliant company. • PCB Online Quote: An instant PCB price can be quoted
after selection of a few options. • PCB Assembly Quote: An additional instant quote
for the cost of labor. • BOM Pricing: Get price within 24 hours. Please take a few
moments to visit Asian Circuits today in appreciation of their support
...
Chinese Scientists Unveil New Stealth Material Breakthrough
"Planes and warships just got a lot harder
to see with microwave radar. A group of scientists from China may have created a
stealth material that could make future fighter
jets very difficult to detect by some of today's most cutting-edge anti-stealth
radar. The researchers developed a new material they say can defeat microwave radar
at ultrahigh frequencies, or UHF. Such material is usually too thick to be applied
to aircraft like fighter jets, but this new material is thin enough for military
aircraft, ships, and other
..."
Bird Technologies Model 614 Series Digital Signal Boosters
Increase Coverage
Bird-Technologies-Model-614-Series-Digital-Signal-Boosters-11-11-2015.htm" >
Bird Technologies, a leading provider of RF
components, subsystems, test equipment, and services, today introduced the
614 Series digital signal boosters designed to
increase the signal strength of land-mobile and public safety communications systems
operating at either 450 to 470 MHz or 470 MHz to 488 MHz. The highly configurable
system combines the benefits of programmable digital RF filters, the cryptographic
and other security benefits of the SNMPv3 control protocol, browser-based configuration
and management, the ability to view changes to filter characteristics while viewing
their Bird-Technologies-Model-614-Series-Digital-Signal-Boosters-11-11-2015.htm" >
...
Bizarre Trend Sees People Transform Themselves
into Glowing Cyborgs
If you dread the thought of your kid coming
home some day with a mere tattoo or body piercing, it will seem tame compared to
this. "A group of 'biohackers' in Germany has implanted LED lights under their skin.
The men each had a Northstar V1 chip - which is about the size of a large coin -
implanted into their hands. The chip features a ring of LED lights and is designed
to be able to light up tattoos from beneath the skin, emulating the bioluminescence
of jellyfish
..."
Basic Antennas: Understanding Practical Antennas and Designs
When I grow up, I want to be like Joel Hallas
(W1ZR) - at least when it comes to a fundamental comprehension
of antennas and transmission lines. Mr. Hallas' "The Doctor Is In" column is
the first QST feature I read each month. His book, "Basic Antennas, is a comprehensive introduction
to antennas--basic concepts, practical designs, and details of easy-to-build antennas.
You'll learn how to make antennas that really work! This book will provide a foundation
in antenna theory and design necessary for anyone undertaking more advanced topics
such as those presented in The ARRL Antenna Book. Includes: Dipole Antennas, Antenna
Impedance, Transmission Lines, Practical Two Element Arrays, Wideband and Multiband
Antennas Reflector Antennas, Yagis for HF
..."
Saelig Introduces Economical 3 GHz RF Signal Generator
Series
Saelig-Intros-Economical-3-GHz-RF-Signal-Generator-Series-11-11-2015.htm" >
Saelig Company has announced the availability
of
Rigol DSG800 RF Signal Generators, with output frequencies from 9 kHz to
3.0 GHz. They provide an economical RF signal source with a maximum output
of +20 dBm and frequency resolution of 0.01 Hz at any frequency. Featuring
very low SSB noise of -115 dBc/Hz, they feature a highly stable internal clock
(<2ppm standard, 5ppb optional) for creating high performance RF test signals.
Operation is easy and intuitive, guided by the 3.5" color LCD with its logically
grouped controls Saelig-Intros-Economical-3-GHz-RF-Signal-Generator-Series-11-11-2015.htm" >
...
Many Thanks to Empower RF Systems for Continued Support!
Please take a moment to visit Empower RF Systems
to see whether their top-notch
RF power amplifier
systems would be useful in your next project. Empower RF Systems is a global
leader in power amplifier solutions. Products include high power RF amplifier modules,
amplifier systems, and custom designed amplifiers. Investments in both hardware
and software engineering are yielding next generation products with significant
size, weight, and interface functionality advantages over legacy products in the
market ...
In Remembrance... Veteran's Day 2015
11th Month,
11th, Day, 11th Hour
This
Veterans Day (Remembrance Day in
Canada and
Australia) tribute is by Canadian citizen
Terry Kelly. A Pittance of
Time was written after an experience he had on Veterans Day in 1999. Terry
went blind at an early age, but has excelled as an athlete and a musician. It is
done in the finest Celtic tradition ... and, of course, Lee Greenwood's-
God Bless the USA , written 7 years before 9/11.
"Take two minutes, would you mind?
It's a pittance of time, For the boys and the girls who go over. In peacetime our
best still don battle dress, And lay their lives on the line. It's a pittance of
time."
A New English All-Metal Tube
The saga continues... Please bear with me
even if you have no interest in the much-hyped (at the time)
history of the advent of
all-metal vacuum tubes in the mid 1930s. They were predicted to
make glass-encased tubes obsolete. It never happened. Believe it or not, there are
a few folks out there (like moi) who like reading
about the history. Posting this on the RF Cafe homepage helps the search engines
find and register it faster. If you also happen to care, then you might be interested
to know this article was
...
Notable Tech Quote: Jeff Hester
"The postmodernists
are right about science, just up to the point that they are terribly wrong. Let
me offer a piece of advice. Never get on an airplane designed by a postmodernist!
Scientific knowledge deserves special status for an obvious reason: Science works.
When you need real answers, nothing else even comes close." -
Jeff Hester, columnist, November 2015 Astronomy
magazine.
A Radio Frequency Application of Critical Damping Theory
and Practice
In Compliance magazine is a great
source for technical articles that cover the realms of electrical, electronics,
and RF & microwave engineering. I visit their website a few times each week
in search for headlines and relevant pieces like this one authored by Ken Javor.
"A Radio Frequency Application of Critical Damping
Theory and Practice" includes many photographs of his test setup and screen
captures from his Rohde & Schwarz EMI Test Receiver measurements. "EMC is sometimes
termed the study of secondary effects that are ignored in college curricula. This
investigation hinges on subtle effects mostly ignored during EMI testing
..."
Many Thanks to Windfreak Technologies for Continuing Support!
Please visit Windfreak Technologies now to
determine whether their frequency synthesizer products can help your project. Windfreak
Technologies designs, manufactures, tests and sells high value USB powered and controlled
radio frequency products such as RF Signal Generators, RF Synthesizers, RF Power
Detectors, RF Mixers, RF Upconverters and RF
downconverters. Worldwide customers include
Europe, Australia, and Asia.
Hedy Lamarr Google Doodle
Today's
Google homepage features one of their famous Doodles that honors the accomplishments
of Austrian-born actress Hedy Lamarr. You might wonder why I would point this out on an
engineering website. Here's why: Aside from being one of the most well-known film
stars of her era, Ms. Lamarr was also an inventor and received U.S. patent number
US2292387 jointly with composer / pianist Antheil George for a "Secret Communication
System." We refer to her invention today as frequency-hopping spread spectrum.
Given that Google is heavily invested in spread spectrum technology and the company
is staffed with some of the world's top engineers, it is no wonder the Google Doodle
dedicates more than half of the presentation to Hedy Lamarr's technical accomplishments
...
The Man Who Made 'The World's First Personal Computer'
"When the definitive history of the personal
computer is written, familiar and historic names such as Olivetti, Apple, IBM, will
all be given recognition for their innovations of the 1960s and 1970s. But will
future generations remember visionary
John Blankenbaker, and his ground-breaking invention, the Kenbak-1
Digital Computer? It was a machine that first went on sale in 1971 and is considered
to have been the world's first 'commercially available personal computer,' coming
on to the market some five years before Apple 1
..."
A Stationary Reversible Beam
A
vertical antenna can have a significant advantage over a horizontal
antenna from a maintenance perspective, since, depending on how high the antenna
is mounted off the ground, the 'business end' where electrical connections are made
are more accessible. The configuration shown here would be difficult to implement
if a mast rotator is to be used because of the stabilizing guy wires on the lower
frame. Although it should be possible to achieve the necessary rigidity without
guys by using an aluminum or fiberglass tubing frame rather than wood, preventing
weathervaning in strong winds could prove difficult. A nifty feature of this 'reversible
beam' antenna is that reciprocal directivity is implemented simply by swapping out
a short
...
Hybrid Simulation for Electrically Large Aerospace Platforms
Seminar
CST and Davide Tallini offer this free seminar
on Thursday, December 3, 2015 at 11:00 am EST. "Starting from the
free-space radiation performance of each antenna,
the problem to predict the global installed radiation pattern, antenna to antenna
coupling in presence of a spacecraft has to be treated in order to identify potential
blind areas or interferences caused by the neighboring structures. The prediction
of electromagnetic field scattered in complex environment is usually a hard task
since the solution cannot be generally expressed in a simple and/or closed analytical
form
...
Giant Horns Allow You to Hone in on Sounds Around You
"Art
installations are being more interactive as they seek to not only entertain but
teach. Dutch artist Jeroen Bisscheroux's latest installation is no to exception
to this as his massive megaphones pick up on all the surrounding sounds of the Vincent
van Gogh College in Assen, the Netherlands. The art piece entitled
TOON, consists of three large metal horns facing
different directions but connected by a central pipe collecting all the acoustics.
The central pipe
..."
How Dependable Are Your Meter Readings?
Not many people are still using analog meters
for making voltage, current, resistance, and power measurements these days; however,
for those who are and even for those using digital readout meters, there are valuable
lessons to be learned from this article on factors that can affect the accuracy
of your measurements. Whenever you
make a measurement with any kind of instrument, the first step
to take in minimizing the chances of inaccurate readings is to be certain the instrument
is in good working order and is known to be reasonably accurate. If it is battery
powered, know that low battery voltage can cause erroneous readings in both analog
and digital meters, so beware. If you are making a measurement to verify a known
...
Friday Quiz: Oscilloscope Measurements
Here is another short test equipment quiz
by EE Times. Senior technical editor Martin Rowe says about this is a
oscilloscopes quiz. "We seem to have an endless
supply of quiz questions about oscilloscopes. This week's questions were submitted
by Steve Sandler from his book, Power Integrity: Measuring, Optimizing, and
Troubleshooting Power-Related Parameters in Electronics Systems. Steve
submitted more questions than appear in this quiz, so look for yet another set of
questions from him
..."
Wireless Engineering Crossword Puzzle for November 8,
2015
This week's
Wireless Engineering crossword puzzle contains the usual collection
of science, math, and engineering terms. Also included are a couple topics that
have been in the technical news headlines lately and the names of two new companies
advertising on RF Cafe (clues labeled with asterisk *).
Enjoy
...
New Slant on Semiconductor Characterization
"From laptops and televisions to smartphones
and tablets, semiconductors have made advanced electronics possible. These types
of devices are so pervasive, in fact, that Northwestern Engineering's Matthew Grayson
says we are living in the 'Semiconductor Age.' 'There are so many applications
for semiconductor materials, so it's important that that we can characterize these
materials carefully and accurately. Non-uniform semiconductors lead to computer
chips that fail, lasers that burn out
..."
Please Welcome Electro-Photonics as a New Advertiser!
Electro-Photonics LLC is a global supplier
of RF &
Microwave components. Their products include SMT hybrid and directional couplers,
wire bondable passive components, and very useful test boards for evaluating components.
The Electro-Photonics team can support your small R&D design requirements with
RF & Microwave test fixtures and save you valuable design and characterization
time. Please take a
little time
now to visit Electro-Photonics' website to see whether they can help your effort.
While you're there, check out their TRL Calculator.
Graphene Could Take Night-Vision Technology Beyond 'Predator'
"Movies such as 1987's 'Predator,' in which
an alien who sees in the infrared hunts down Arnold Schwarzenegger and his team,
introduced a generation of sci-fi fans to thermal imaging. Since then, heat-sensing
devices have found many real-word applications but have remained relatively expensive
and rigid. But a new development featuring graphene, reported in ACS' journal Nano
Letters, could lead to a flexible, transparent and low-cost infrared vision system
..."
Congrats to October Book Drawing Winner Andy T. !
Andy T., from Wilson, Wyoming, was one of
the October book
drawing winner, Andy wisely selected
EW 104: EW Against a New Generation of Threats,
by David L. Adamy (graciously provided by
Artech
House). Each month I randomly draw a name or two from the list of people
who have purchased my
software
during the month. I even pay shipping so the book are truly free to winners. My
other, Sylvain F., from Blagnac, France winner has not replied yet.
New Radios Not Guaranteed to Meet FCC Emissions Specifications
QST
columnist Larry Wolfgang had an eye-opening report in his November 2015 "Technical
Correspondence" column. He discusses the in-situ testing of handheld transceivers
at the ARRL Hamvention. ARRL
Laboratory Engineers did a spurious emissions test using a calibrated setup to anyone
wanting to submit his/her unit for evaluation. To make a short story even shorter,
Most brands' handset passed handily, but two brands in particular - Baofeng and
Wouxun - consistently for the last 4 years had a significant percentage of noncompliant
units in bands below the 225 MHz (spec cut-off). Some
were really bad. Don't shoot the messenger. Caveat emptor!
Pair of Mesh Reflectors Boost Navy's Satcom Capacity 16x
"A pair of 'mesh reflectors' used to boost capacity on the
U.S. Navy's space-based mobile phone network have deployed successfully on the newest
satellite in the constellation, antenna manufacturer Harris Corp. announced this
week. The unfurling antennas were launched September 2 aboard the fourth payload
in the Navy's constellation of Mobile User Objective System (MUOS) satellites. Built
by Lockheed Martin, the MUOS
..."
RF Filter Applications for Dummies®, RF
Filter Technologies for Dummies®
Qorvo (formerly RFMD)
has published two new books under the very popular "... for Dummies®"
instructional series produced by John Wiley & Sons, Inc. One is titled "RF Filter Applications
for Dummies®" and the other is "RF Filter Technologies
for Dummies®." As you might expect, these books are basically
advertisements for Qorvo, but that's OK because they contain useful information
and they are made available for FREE. Per the Qorvo website: "These two books explain
how various filtering technologies, including Qorvo's LowDrift™ and NoDrift™ filters,
address unique
...
The Mysteries of the Van Allen Belts
"In 1958, US satellite Explorer 1 transmitted
valuable information about radiation back from above the Earth. Professor
James Van Allen discovered a group of charged
particles which were creating two distinct belts of radiation. These belts appeared
to be protecting the planet from harmful space particles and are now known as the
Van Allen radiation belts. Scientists wanted to know more about it and that's when
things got weird. They sit in a toroidal or donut shape around the planet but the
..."
An Excellent Envelope Tracking Video
Tutorial by Radio-Electronics
Ian Poole, of the
Radio-Electronics
website, has produced an excellent video tutorial on the subject of
envelope
tracking usage in modern radios (aka cellphones). A combination of clear diagrams,
interviews with design engineers, and live screen shots of signal behavior is used
to effectively illustrate the principles without going into gory mathematical detail.
If you have ever wondered why cellphone power amplifier (PA) companies like Qorvo
(RFMD), Skyworks, and Peregrine also make and sell DC-DC converter and DC power
management ICs, this video will answer the question
...
Researchers Develop Fastest and Most Flexible Silicon Phototransistor
Ever
"Researchers at the University of Wisconsin-Madison
(UW-Madison) have developed
a flexible phototransistor based on single-crystalline silicon nanomembranes (Si
NM). They claim that this phototransistor is the fastest and most flexible one
ever produced. The flexible phototransistor could be incorporated into a wide range
of applications. In a digital camera, for example, it could result in a thinner
lens that would capture images faster and yield higher quality still
..."
RF Engineer Needed by RR Media - Teleport
RR Media - Teleport has an opening for an RF
Engineer. The position requirements include but are not limited to: Planning, execution,
control and maintenance of technical TX (uplinks) & RX (downlinks.) Independent
worker; capable of leading projects; shows initiative in a challenging and dynamic
work environment; testing, QA & deployment of new technologies; Supervision
and execution of antenna building and dismantling; Installation and maintenance
of RF cables (indoors and outdoors); installation of external downlink gear and
wiring it to the compression room and uplink gear from the compression room ...
Measuring Distortion in Audio-Frequency Amplifiers
As with so many topics, the basics of something
like making
harmonic distortion (and other forms of
distortion) in an amplifier circuit has not changed much - if at all - over
the decades. Test equipment and circuits being measured get more advanced, but especially
if you are new to the concept, articles like this one on audio-frequency distortion
from a 1941 edition of Radio-Craft are as useful today as it was when it was written
...
ΞΞ
RF Cafe App v1.00 ΞΞ Now Available
It's
been a lot of work with a steep learning curve, but at long last the first
RF Cafe App
is now available for download from the Google Play website! An iPhone version will
probably be created if my motivation level is elevated enough by a huge number of
downloads for this Android version. This first release is meant to 'test the waters'
for the usefulness of an app whose purpose is to provide reference material rather
than a collection of calculators. Whether you are in the lab, at your desk doing
design work, or operating in the field, there are times when you need data. These
first few screens are some of the most often needed information. If enough support
is received, the RF Cafe App can be greatly expanded into a vast volume of formulas,
sketches, tables, definitions, and other encyclopedic content not
...
Wizard: The Life and Times of Nikola Tesla - Biography
of a Genius
"Seifer's vivid, revelatory, exhaustively
researched biography rescues pioneer inventor
Nikola Tesla from cult status and restores him to his rightful
place as a principal architect of the modern age. Based largely on firsthand documents
including Tesla's writings, his patents and those of competitors, it credits the
Croatian-born Serb, who moved to New York in 1884, with the invention of the induction
motor, long-distance electrical power distribution, fluorescent and neon lights,
the first true radio tube and remote control, besides making vital contributions
to the technology underlying television, wireless communication, robotics, lasers,
the facsimile machine and particle-beam weaponry anticipating the space-based "Star
Wars" defensive shield. Though often depicted as a recluse, flamboyant nouveau-riche
Tesla
..."
Precision Connector, Inc., Added to RF Connector Manufacturer
Page
Precision
Connector, Inc., located in Franklin, IN, has been added to the
RF Connectors, Adapters, Sockets, & Terminal Blocks Manufacturers &
Services listing page on RF Cafe. Precision Connectors designs and manufactures
precision RF and Microwave coaxial connectors for both military and commercial applications.
A full line of common coaxial connectors are available, including 1.0mm, 1.8mm,
2.4mm, 2.92mm, 3.5mm, SSMA, SMA, SMPM, SMP, TNC, and N, along with in-series and
inter-series adapters. Please contact them at 317-346-0029 for assistance
...
Why Every GPS Overestimates Distance Traveled
"Runners, mariners, airmen, and wilderness
trekkers beware: Your
global positioning system (GPS) is flattering
you, telling you that you have run, sailed, flown, or walked significantly farther
than you actually have. And it's not the GPS's fault, or yours. Blame the statistics
of measurement. Researchers at the University of Salzburg (UoS), Salzburg Forschungsgesellchaft
(SFG), and the Delft University of Technology have done the math to prove that the
distance measured by GPS over
..."
An 18 Metal-Tube All-Wave Superhet
As I have written in a couple articles recently,
there was a huge push in the mid 1930s to adopt the revolutionary new
metal-encased vacuum tubes over established glass-encased tubes.
Today, interest in vacuum tube amplifiers is building among audio enthusiasts both
from a nostalgic perspective and from a long-perpetuated belief that sound from
vacuum tube circuits have a distinctively richer quality than that of solid state
devices. I post this stuff for the benefit of those who otherwise might not be able
to find the information otherwise. Your patience indulgence is appreciated
...
Glass-"Metal" Tube Shield
While working on vacuum tube based USAF air
traffic control radar and radio systems, and having seen many tube television and
radio sets I never recall seeing one of these form-fitting
metal shields. All the ones I've seen are simple cylinders that
slide over the tube and either twist into a receiving rim slot or they have spring
metal fingers that grab the glass envelope. As you might guess, utilizing a metal
shield around a tube for anything other than a low frequency application like an
audio amplifier or poser supply requires circuit design that takes into account
the capacitive effects of the large metal plates
...
Notable Tech Quote: Craig Young
"Anything that's always connected, always
sending data—that's something a nearby attacker can latch on to," says
Craig Young, senior security researcher at the
risk management firm Tripwire, as quoted in October 2015 issue of This Old House
magazine column "How to Hack-Proof Your Smart Home."
Top 100 Government (Defense) Contractors for 2015
Washington Technology just published its
list of the
Top 100 Government Contractors for 2015 in terms of total taxpayer
dollars awarded for contracts in IT, systems integration, engineering, and professional
services (i.e., defense).
1: Lockheed Martin, $11.7B
2: Northrop Grumman, $6.89B
3: Boeing,
$5.26B
4: Raytheon, $4.82B
5: General Dynamics, $4.07B
6: Hewlett Packard,
$3.87B
7: Booz Allen Hamilton, $3.67B
8: SAIC, $2.57B
9: Harris, $2.55B
Total contract value for 2015 is $98.5B. That's a lot of wampum, but the amount
is down about 25% from 2011 levels. Consider that the total
Federal welfare budget in 2013 was about $1Trillion
(10x the above).
Alion Science & Technology Has an Immediate Opening
for an RF Engineer
Leads projects and provides technical direction
to and coordinates the efforts of engineers and technical support staff in the performance
of assigned projects. Develops and applies advanced Radio Frequency engineering
theories, methods and research techniques in the investigation and solution of complex
technical problems and projects. Supports senior technical level personnel and program
managers in the planning, oversight, and execution of complex and advanced projects
related to system and technical product development. Typically supports multiple
project activities and may support multiple programs within the organization. Provides
technical guidance and mentoring to lower level technical ...
everything RF Adds New Web Page for the SATCOM Industry
everything-RF-Adds-New-Page-SATCOM-Industry-11-2-2015.htm" >
everything RF has introduced a new technology
hub for the SATCOM
Sector. This is a single page on the site which summarizes all activity that
takes place in this industry. News, White Papers, New Products and more. Two new
categories for the SATCOM Industry have been added to everything RF -
Block Up Converters (BUC) and
Low
Noise Blocks (LNBs). Products from the leading manufacturers in each of these
categories have been listed and users can find products here based on specification
- Frequency everything-RF-Adds-New-Page-SATCOM-Industry-11-2-2015.htm" > ...
Radio a la Cortlandt Street!
New York City has forever, it seems, been
the place to be for street vending. A famously large pedestrian populace creates
an ideal venue for hacking goods of all sorts to passers-by. A phenomenon in radio
was created in the early 1930s with the rapid advances in technology and high volume
manufacturing techniques, coupled with increasingly efficient transportation of
goods on interconnecting roadways and delivery trucks. The photos included in this
Radio-Craft magazine story illustrate the level of enthusiasm by the public for
radio. A plethora of
replacement components for repairing malfunctioning sets and for
scratch-built sets at fantastically low prices helped fuel the fire. An offer of
'aluminum chassis' with pre-punched and drilled holes was really surprising not
because of the holes, but for
...
Focus on Growth Markets Generates Strong Year-End Results
for Rohde & Schwarz
Rohde & Schwarz has successfully closed fiscal
year 2014/2015. Order income was 6.1 percent higher than in the previous year, with
revenue up 4.1 percent. With its advanced technologies and trailblazing products,
the electronics group was able to maintain its leading market position. Business
development focused on test and measurement and secure communications. In addition,
the group substantially expanded its cybersecurity activities.
Google's Balloons to Provide Internet to Rural Indonesia
"Starting next year, three mobile network
operators in Indonesia will begin testing Google's Project Loon balloon powered
Internet. Over the next few years,
Google said that it hopes that Loon will help put LTE based
internet connections within reach of more than 100 million Indonesians. In Indonesia
today, only about 1 out of every 3 people are connected to the web, and most of
their connections are often slow. Many people live in areas without existing Internet
infrastructure; on an archipelago
..."
Radio set Prints Newspaper!
Writing about 'outdated' methods of radio-based
facsimile machine implementation in 1934 seems a bit incredible considering how
relatively new both technologies were at the time. Nevertheless, Radio-Craft editor
Hugo Gernsback reported on the new era of
fax machines that were on display at the 1933 World's Fair in
Chicago. Of course fax machines of that time were not exactly desktop models that
could be located in a corner of your office or cubicle (not that cubicles were common).
If you substitute transistors for vacuum tubes, stepper motors for simple DC motors
and solenoids, and solid state lasers and LEDs for incandescent light sources, the
fundamentals have not
...
Bell Telephone Laboratories Ad
Development of the
cavity magnetron during World War II helped change the destiny
of Allied forces as high frequency radar with enough power to detect distant targets
while being out of the easy detection bands of Axis forces' receivers. It was considered
a top-level secret with great concern that the technology not fall into the hands
of German and Japanese scientists. According to this early post-war advertisement
in Radio News, Bell Labs was totally consumed by the development of magnetrons,
and was relieved to finally be able to boast of its critical role now that the war
...
Radar & Radio Engineering Crossword Puzzle
It's confession time. While it is true that
all of the
RF Cafe crossword puzzles contain only words, abbreviations, and
phrases that pertain to topics in engineering, radar, radio, science, mathematics,
astronomy, chemistry, etc., the actual title of the puzzle is made up mainly to
look attractive to search engines. There are puzzles, however, with titles like
"Famous Scientists" where I do go through and specifically fit
in names of people like DeForest, Einstein, Edison, Bell, et al. This crossword
falls into the former category
...
