High-Power Microwave Weapons
"U.S. Air Force researchers are asking industry
to develop power sources and antennas for future
high-power microwave weapons and for other aerospace and defense
uses. Officials of the Air Force Research Laboratory at Kirtland Air Force Base,
N.M., released a solicitation Tuesday for the source and antenna portion of the
High-Powered Electromagnetics (HPEM) research program. The overall HPEM project
seeks to develop high-power electromagnetics technologies not only for directed-energy
weapons, but also for cyber warfare, EW, electronics-killing weapons "
Antenna Range Sticks Its Neck Out
Cobham Antenna Systems announces the launch of a dual-band, Gooseneck addition
to the
'Universal' spring mount range of omni-directional antennas. The
Gooseneck antenna, along with a selection of the 'Universal' spring mount antennas,
will be available to view on Cobham's booth #1319 at (AUVSI's) XPONENTIAL 2016 in
New Orleans, Louisiana. The OA2-2.3V-5.2V/2358 is a ground plane independent, dual
band antenna which covers the frequency ranges 2.10 – 2.60 GHz and 4.40 – 6.00 GHz,
offering 4 dBi gain in the higher frequencies
Coaxial Rotary Joints
"API Technologies offers a standard line of
rotary joints,
formerly manufactured by Sage Labs, suitable for use in commercial and military
applications. The term rotary joint describes a device used to transmit energy from
a stationary RF line to a rotating RF line." The 345 and 351 series covers DC to
40 with VSWRs in the 1.2:1 to 1.75:1 range. Peak power handling is 500 W. Max rotation
rate is 100 rpm. SMA & 2.92 mm connectors. WOW is the per revolution variation,
same as with audio equipment
of Radio Amateurs
How well received do you think this social
concept would be in today's easily offended world: "To bring together socially the
Wives and Mothers of Dallas Radio Amateurs; to promote mutual
sympathy, counsel, and interest in our husband's and our son's hobby; and with a
realization that theirs is an outstanding, fascinating, far-reaching and educational
hobby, it is our desire to further their interests in whatever way may present itself."
It would be roundly criticized as a backward, misogynistic, 1930-era mindset intended
to subject women to yet another form of domestic slavery beyond housekeeping and
child rearing - no doubt thought up by a man. Anyone thinking so
and Greatest Engines
I've said before that if you want a place
to see great engineering-related slideshows, it's hard to beat the subjects that
Charles Murray and Rob Spiegel come up with on the
Design News website.
Motorheads will definitely appreciate these images of some of the most high-tech
production engines ever built. The blue anodizing on Ford's 1.0-liter, turbocharged,
three-cylinder
EcoBoost engine is incentive to do like in the 1950s-70s and cut
a hole in the hood to show off the craftsmanship. However, its diminutive size would
allow it to fit into an airplane's overhead luggage compartment so the effect would
not be as impressive as a big block Chevy engine with a raised intake manifold,
blower, and four-barrel Holley carburetor sticking out "
My introduction to a
tesseract
was during an episode of Carl Sagan's "Cosmos" series in the 1980s, where he was
demonstrating how beings in of dimension N would perceive items of dimension N+1.
The tesseract, Sagan explained, is a 3-dimensional projection of 4-dimension hypercube.
Watch the embedded video for more information. The Tesseract website, which has
nothing to do with a hypercube as far as I can tell, deals in some very cool antique
scientific instruments. I learned of it from an article in Astronomy magazine where
an editor recommended it when researching the potential value of a collectible telescope.
Run by Drs. David and Yola Coffeen, Tesseract has a huge inventory of items
15 dB Gain Limit on Amateur Amps
Well it's about time this antiquated rule
was abolished! "Expert maintains that the 15 dB gain limitation is an unneeded holdover
from the days when amplifiers were less efficient and the FCC was attempting to
rein in the use of Amateur Service amplifiers by Citizens Band operators
(aka CBers). While the FCC proposed in its 2004 Notice
of Proposed Rulemaking and Order in WT Docket 04-140 to delete the requirement that
amplifiers be designed to use a minimum of 50 W of drive power and subsequently
did so, it did not further discuss the
15 dB gain limit in the subsequent Report. 'There is no technical
or regulatory reason an amplifier capable of being driven to full legal output by
even a fraction of a watt should not be available to Amateur Radio operators "
Maybe I suffer from cranial rectumitis at
the moment, but I'm having a hard time with a statement made about coaxial feedline
impedance, to wit, "102-ohm line (52-ohm lines in series)." I must be missing something
because I don't understand how placing two 52-ohm transmission cables in series
results in twice the impedance. Aside from that, author John Avery presents an interesting
article on
multi-impedance dipole antennas. Empirical data is presented on
how the feedpoint impedance of a dipole varies with distance above the ground. His
results are very close to theoretical values which assumes non-sagging elements,
perfectly linear alignment, a perfectly conductive ground, etc. He then extended
his investigation into 2-wire (4x impedance)
4G/LTE and 5G Semiconductors
MACOM Technology Solutions Holdings, a leading supplier of high-performance analog
RF, microwave, millimeterwave and photonic semiconductor products, today announced
that it has initiated legal action against Infineon Technologies and International
Rectifier (acquired by Infineon in 2015), to defend
its rights to use the pioneering and patented (acquired
by MACOM in 2014) in MACOM's core markets. GaN is a next-generation technology
that promises to improve network data service and cell coverage of 4G/LTE and 5G
basestations while reducing their energy consumption and associated carbon footprint
Gen 5G/IoT Wired Communications
Free downloadable whitepaper from Anritsu.
"This paper outlines some high-speed standards for next-generation communications
and describes some physical-layer measurement techniques, targeting the era of
5G and IoT. • Need
for 5G/IoT Generation • Wired Networks Faster • Wired Communications Measurement
Challenges in Next-Generation Interconnects "
New Ground for Data Storage
"EPFL scientists have built a single-atom
magnet that is the most stable to-date. The breakthrough paves the way for the scalable
production of
miniature magnetic storage devices. Magnetic storage devices such
as computer hard drives or memory cards are widespread today. But as computer technology
grows smaller, there is a need to also miniaturize data storage. This is epitomized
by an effort to build magnets the size of a single atom. However, a magnet that
small is very hard to keep 'magnetized,' which means that it would be unable to
retain information for a meaningful "
Continued Support!
Windfreak Technologies was created with the
vision of providing low cost, quality, innovative RF products that can be
used in a wide range of highly technical applications
for a wide range of customers, from hobbyists to education facilities to government
agencies. Windfreak 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. Please visit Windfreak today!
Created for Heat-Free Soldering
"Martin Thuo likes to look for new, affordable
and clean ways to put science and technology to work in the world. His lab is dedicated
to an idea called frugal innovation: 'How do you do very high-level science or engineering
with very little?' said Thuo, an assistant professor of materials science and engineering
at Iowa State University and an associate of the U.S. DoE's Ames Laboratory. 'How
can you solve a problem with the least amount of resources?' That goal has Thuo
and his research group their materials expertise to study soft matter, single-molecule
electronics and renewable "
Down Amateur Radio During WWII
"Do you think that F.C.C. would be engaged
in the present terrific expense and effort of getting our fingerprints and citizenship
histories if there were intention of shutting us down shortly?" That statement was
printed by the QST magazine editor in the issue that preceded the December
7, 1941, attack on Pearl Harbor by thirteen months. A few things about it are troubling.
First, the FCC was
collecting fingerprints of licensed amateur radio operators. Second,
the FCC was assimilating information about licensed amateur radio operators' citizenship
histories. Third, a combination of short-sightedness and apparent naiveté concerning
the FCC's willingness to shut down amateur radio operations once
Reveals Its Magnetism
"Hydrogen atoms can induce
magnetism in graphene and be used to create a uniform magnetic
order across the 1D material. That is the finding of researchers in Spain, France
and Egypt, who also demonstrated that it is possible to atomically manipulate hydrogen
atoms on graphene to control the local magnetic state. Graphene is a sheet of carbon
just one atom thick that has a number of unique properties. But it is not magnetic.
'The incorporation of magnetism to the long list of graphene capabilities "
and the U.S. Copyright Office
"The Congress shall have Power … To
promote the Progress of Science and useful Arts, by securing for limited Tımes to
Authors and Inventors the exclusive Right to their respective Writings and Discoveries."
- United States Constitution, Article I, Section 8. Therein lies the authority for
legislation and prosecution of rights for virtually every human creation within
the jurisdiction of the country. Each nation has it own version, and international
agreements help assure universal protection of a creator's rights of ownership;
e.g., the "Convention for the Protection of Literary and Artistic Works" of 1886
and the World Intellectual Property Organization. America has the U.S. Copyright
Office. Those of us involved in presenting information and referring to legally
protected
Flexible Transistors
"Engineers at the University of Wisconsin-Madison
have found an inexpensive, easy way to make
flexible transistors. The manufacturing method can easily be repeated
and scaled up, but the most exciting development is the transistor itself. It is
faster than any other silicon-based flexible transistor, and it is capable of wirelessly
transferring data or power. The transistor operates at a record 38 GHz, and the
researchers estimate that it could even operate as fast as 110 GHz, which would
give computers incredibly fast processing speeds. The transistor's record-setting
performance is because of a unique, 3-D current-flow pattern that makes it "
Support of RF Cafe - Thanks!
Nova Microwave, located
in Clearwater, Florida specializes in the design, engineering and manufacturing
of a broad range of Ferrite
Circulators and Isolators. Nova Microwave is a leader in technically differentiated
electronic and radio frequency Ferrite circulators and isolators that connect, protect
and control critical systems for the global microwave electronics market place including
commercial and military wireless telecommunications. Our staff is dedicated to research
and development of standard and custom design quality ferrite circulators and isolators
from 380 MHz to 26.5 GHz
in Integrated Photonic Circuit
"Using
fiber optic cables as waveguides for transmitting light that is
ultimately converted into voice calls or data has been a mainstay for the telecommunications
industry for decades. But it's been a massive struggle to adapt this kind of technology
to the scale of a microchip so that photons carry data through an integrated circuit
instead of electrons. Now researchers at Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT)
in Germany have tackled a major problem in making integrated optical circuits a
reality by creating nanoscale photonic emitters with tailored optical "
"We are an operational squadron. We are supposed
to be flying jets, not building them." -
Lt. Col. Harry Thomas,, commanding officer of VMFA-312, a Marine
Corps F/A-18 squadron based at Beaufort, remarking in a story about how only 30%
of the USMC air fleet is actually air worthy.
It is always nice to read an article that
encompasses more than one of my hobbies, whether it be amateur radio and amateur
astronomy like this one, amateur radio and model rocketry, or amateur radio and
radio controlled airplanes. I don't recall ever seeing an article that combined
astronomy and model airplanes. In this QST piece, author Hollis French
expounds on the necessity for Hams to understand the effects that
atmospheric phenomena, caused primarily by our sun's periodic
and intermittent activity, have on radio signal propagation. Properties of the ionospheric
layers had by 1943 been pretty well surmised based on cause and effect relationships
since at the time no sounding rockets had been launched into the upper atmosphere
to obtain in situ
5.9 GHz to Expand WiFi Access
"FCC Jessica Rosenworcel told a group of industry
representatives that the 5.9 GHz band is "our best near shot for having more WiFi"
and called for tests to ensure that it can be effectively used for this purpose.
Rosenworcel was speaking at the
WiFi Now conference held at the Sheraton Hotel here. The conference
featured looks at some innovations in WiFi as well as new ways to monetize this
primarily free service. Perhaps the most important innovation came from Edgewater
Wireless, which has developed a means for producing radio chips with three discrete
"
When Melanie's mother
needed to be moved into an extensive care facility, we inherited the family's
antique dining room table. It was manufactured by the James Pleukharp
company, located in Ohio. Similar models were made sometime in the late 19th and
early 20th centuries. The rounded end panels drop down and the center section expands
to hold up to six leaf panels to a total of 105". With no leaves the table is nearly
round with a 45" diameter. A very greenish poplar comprises the solid 3/4" tabletop
and turned legs, with oak used for the sliding expansion mechanism. Surprisingly,
a thick walnut plank ran across the frame to support the center leg
Electromagnetic Spectrum
"The Vice-Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of
Staff is taking a "very serious" look at to making the electromagnetic spectrum
a formal "domain" of military operations, a top aide to the Pentagon's chief
information officer told me this morning. The move would elevate the ethereal realm
of radio waves and radar to the same level of importance as land, sea, air, space,
and cyberspace, with ramifications rippling across the military's budget, training,
and organization. We've written for years about the military's anxiety that it has
"lost the electromagnetic spectrum" to increasingly sophisticated adversaries like
Russia and China, who can jam or spoof "
Microwave Components
A little over a year ago, I posted photos
and info on a few really cool-looking RF devices that make me wish I had a use for
them, or at least had examples to put on display as conversation pieces. Usually
the components look the way they do purely due to functional necessity, but sometimes
I think the designers intentionally add a little bit of 'wow' factor to them. Waveguide
components tend to dominate. At the time, I could not find a hyperlink to Sage Millimeter's
Space Qualified 26.8 GHz Integrated Transmitter Module; however,
thanks to a recent e-mail from a nice lady from the company, there is now a link
to the datasheet
Secretive iPhone Factories
This story reminds me of carefully scripted
'tours' given by Communist regimes to outside agencies to demonstrate how humane
and open their society really is. "A few minutes past 9 a.m. at Pegatron Corp.'s
vast factory on Shanghai's outskirts, thousands of workers dressed in pink jackets
are getting ready to make
iPhones. The men and women stare into face scanners and swipe
badges at security turnstiles to clock in. The strict ID checks are there to make
sure they don't work excessive overtime. The process takes less than two seconds.
This is the realm in which the world's most profitable smartphones are made "
The weekend is over and it's time to hunker
down for five long days of grueling work. Most of the
electronics-themed comics that appeared in QST magazine
were associated directly with particular columns. For example, the cartoons featuring
'Jeeves,' the overtaxed manservant of a never-seen house master, was part of the
"How's DX" feature. Drawn by artist Phil Glidersleeve (aka 'Gil'), W1CJD, poor Jeeves
was often found doing his boss's will in the most precarious situation with intemperate
weather making his assignments tough to complete. Situations involving Podunk Hollow
Radio Club were frequent subjects of Gil's drawing pen as well. Enjoy
an RF Power Amplifier" Videos
Keysight EEsof EDA has released a series of five intended to provide engineers
with the building blocks to design more complex PA classes (i.e., A, AB, B, F, E
and J). While PAs are used everywhere, their large signal nonlinear nature makes
designing them difficult. Moreover, the idealized waveforms that define textbook
classes of operation are problematic, if not impossible, to realize using a real
device
Antenna Design Time
"The antennas for smartphones capable of
operating anywhere in the world at 4G and in the future at 5G, are becoming progressively
more difficult to design with all the different frequencies they must transmit and
receive. The answer, already being used in advanced design is multiple-input multiple-output
(MIMO) antennas (also called multi-port
antennas) that can dissect the frequency band cheaply and efficiently. Unfortunately,
today's experienced antenna designers use "black magic" (their
experience and savvy) to guess at what "
for It's Continued Support!
Res-Net Microwave
manufactures a complete line of precision
RF & microwave components
including microwave attenuators, microwave terminations, microwave resistors, and
now diode detectors for commercial, military, and space applications. The company
is a leader in development and production of the films required for these type of
RF/microwave components. In addition to an extensive selection of standard products,
Res-Net offers custom designed and manufactured products using their state-of-the-art
CAD/CAM resources for all their
Helps Double Wi-Fi Speed
"Full-duplex radio ICs that can be implemented
in nanoscale CMOS to enable simultaneous transmission and reception at the same
frequency in a wireless radio were first invented last year by Columbia Engineering
researchers. That system required two antennas, one for the transmitter and one
for the receiver. Now the team has developed a breakthrough technology that needs
only one antenna, thus enabling an even smaller overall system. 'Our circulator
is the first to be put on a silicon chip "
VHF - S-Band RF Power Amplifier
NuWaves Engineering, an international RF and microwave solutions provider, announced the upcoming release
of an upgraded broadband RF PA for VHF to S-band transmitters and data radios, the
model, featuring high power efficiency and multi-octave operation in a compact package.
The NuPower 11B02A model, part number NW-PA-11B02A, will replace the NuPower Mini
Multi-Octave Power Amplifier model, part number NW-SSPA-MINI-10W-0.225-2.6, delivering
a minimum of 7 Watts, and typically 10 Watts, of RF power from 225 to 2600 MHz when
driven with a 3 dBm RF input signal
"The microscopic world is governed by the
rules of quantum mechanics, where the properties of a particle can be completely
undetermined and yet strongly correlated with those of other particles. Physicists
from the University of Basel have observed these so-called
Bell correlations for the first time between hundreds of atoms.
Their findings are published in the scientific journal Science. Everyday objects
possess properties independently of each other and regardless of whether we observe
them or not. Einstein famously asked whether the moon "
Kite- and balloon-lifted antennas are very
popular in the amateur radio realm. They are primarily used for short-term activity
such as during a contest or during an emergency; however, some operators use them
on a more extended basis. A really good series of articles on the use of balloons
and kites for suspending antennas can be found
here. Equations
for calculating necessary balloon and kite sizes and predicting wind effects are
included along with lists of 'Dos' and 'Don'ts.' This is not a new phenomenon. A
1940 edition of QST magazine described how to employ weather and sounding
balloons to provide needed antenna configurations
Ultra-Fast Wireless Speeds
"Buried in the wilderness between microwaves
and infrared light is part of the electromagnetic spectrum known as the terahertz
gap. The term comes from the relative lack of wireless technology that is capable
of transmitting or receiving these ultra-high frequency bands. Now, researchers
from the Ecole Polytechnique Federale de Lausanne (EPFL) and University of Geneva
have invented a
graphene filter that could make terahertz antennas more efficient
and practical. The new microchip blocks out rouge signals that interfere "
and Buran Spaceplane
A lot of people view the videos I post of
giant scale radio controlled model airplanes, so this one should be of interest.
It shows a Russian
Antonov AN-225 performing a mid-air launch of a piggybacked Buran spaceplane
(which by pure coincidence looks like the U.S. Space Shuttle).
Drama ensues during the separation phase. As is often the case, we thank our German
modeling brethren for for this magnificent craft
Battlefield SATCOM
"The Army has been speeding up its global
satellite constellation, designed to give soldiers quick access to global communications
using portable equipment, into service. The
Wideband Global Satellite, or WSG-1, operates at 12 times of the
speed of the legacy Defense Satellite Communications System. Users in the western
Pacific recently transitioned to WSG-1 following six months of testing, the Army
said in a release. DSCS, which has been in operation since the 1960s, with
the latest versions launched in the 1980s and '90s, transmitted "
Cascade Laser on Silicon
"A team of researchers from across the country,
led by Alexander Spott, University of California, have built the first
quantum cascade laser on silicon. The advance may have applications
that span from chemical bond spectroscopy and gas sensing, to astronomy and free-space
communications. Integrating lasers directly on silicon chips is challenging, but
it is much more efficient and compact than coupling external laser light to the
chips. The indirect bandgap of silicon makes it difficult to build a laser out of
silicon, but diode lasers can be built "
for Long-Time Support!
Anatech Electronics (AEI) manufactures and
supplies RF and microwave
filters for military and commercial communication systems, providing standard
and custom RF filters, and RF products. Standard RF filter and cable assembly products
are
published in our website database for ease
of procurement. Custom RF filters designs are used when a standard cannot be found,
or the requirements dictate a custom approach. Please visit Anatech today to see
how they can help your project succeed!
Bandpass Filter
KR Electronics has introduced a new design, part number
3260-1100.
The filter has a minimum 2 dB bandwidth of 400 MHz. An elliptic type filter
is used for high selectivity. Typical insertion loss is 1 dB . The filter is
supplied in a small surface mount package measuring .2" x 0.38" x 0.25". Other frequencies
and bandwidths are available. Please visit KR Electronics today to see whether their products can be of use
to you.
Double Wireless Capacity
"Pentagon-funded researchers have achieved
a breakthrough that could double the capacity of wireless communications, leading
to faster Web searches and downloads, by allowing devices to send and receive signals
with a single antenna. Smartphones and tablets tend to use at least two antennas
for transmitting and receiving signals. But Columbia University electrical engineers,
working as part of DARPA's
Arrays at Commercial Timescales (ACT) program, have managed to
miniaturize the electronic components and get radio frequency signals to work in
"
The Internet Foretold?
Sci-fi writer William F. Jenkins, who went
by the pen name "Murray Leinster," wrote a short story titled
A Logic Named Joe,
that appeared in March 1946 issue of Astounding Science Fiction. In the story, an
amazingly prescient description of the modern Internet is laid out. The works is
copyrighted so I will not replicate the entire thing here, but these are a few excerpts
that sound a lot like Mr. Leinster was in cahoots with DARPA during the development
Magazine Articles
Many great new RF-type magazine articles that
have appeared in the trade magazines in the last couple weeks. Since the majority
of people no longer receive paper copies of the magazines, I try to drive a little
traffic to their websites by highlighting titles that appeal to my interest and
like-minded RF Cafe visitors
...
•
Virtual Thru-Reflect-Line (TRL)
Calibration, J. Penn
•
Process Wide Bandwidths in
Aerospace/Defense Systems,
I. Beavers
•
Multi-Tone Testing Multiplies Test
Solutions, C. DeMartino
•
First Pass Success with ASICS,
A. Rehman <more>
Peregrine Semiconductor has created a quiz
titled "What's Your RF Integration IQ?" that tests your knowledge on RF
SOI (RF Silicon on Insulator), MCMs
(Multi-Chip Modules), Intelligent Integration, the
Ron Coff figure of merit, MPAC (monolithic phase and amplitude
controller), and other topics. The winner, which will be announced at IMS
2016, gets awarded $500. Attendees at the IMS show can submit their information
at the Peregrine booth (#2129) for another entry into
the $500 giveaway.
for April 2016
PMI Model No.
PEC-53-12-10-15-SFF is a 1.0 to 2.0 GHz LNA. This amplifier
has a minimum gain of 53 dB with ±0.75 dB flatness, OP1dB of +16 dBm
minimum and a noise figure of 0.7 dB typical. PMI Model No. P4T-100M50G-100-T-RD is an absorptive, SP4T PIN diode switch
operating over 0.1 to 50.0 GHz, with low insertion loss, high isolation, and
a TTL compatible. Specifications include insertion loss of 5 dB @18 GHz
and 14 dB @ 50 GHz, Isolation of 80 dB @50 GHz, switching speed
of 50 ns max, input power 20 dBm CW
Nanotubes to Self Assemble
"Nikola Tesla conjured up all sorts of interesting
experiments for his famed 'Tesla Coils.' Today, however, their main use has been
relegated largely to impressing visitors at science museums. That is about to change.
Researchers at Rice University have used Tesla coils to get carbon nanotubes to
self-assemble into long chains, a phenomenon the scientists have dubbed 'Teslaphoresis.' Controlled assembly of nanomaterials from the
bottom up could be useful in applications including regenerative medicine where
the nanotubes would act as nerves as well as fabricating electronic circuits
without touching "
At first I thought maybe this was intended
to be an April Fools joke, being that it appeared in an April issue of QST,
but it is probably just a coincidence. One of the two topics refers to a 'door knob
for UHF,' which in reality was a glass-encased vacuum tube that was shaped a
lot like one of the old glass door knobs. The author penned a humorous take-off.
On second thought, maybe this is a Fool's edition now that I have read the second
item. All kidding aside, "Strays" concludes with a poem dedicated to those who became
'Silent Keys' as a result of World War II
Enhances E-Skin Display
"University of Tokyo researchers have developed
an ultrathin, ultraflexible, protective layer and demonstrated its use by creating
an air-stable,
organic light-emitting diode (OLED)
display. This technology will enable creation of electronic skin
(e-skin) displays of blood oxygen level, e-skin heart
rate sensors for athletes and many other applications. Integrating electronic devices
with the human body to enhance or restore body function for biomedical applications
is the goal of researchers around the world. In particular, wearable electronics
need to be thin and flexible to minimize impact where they attach to the body "
Peregrine Expands MPAC–Doherty
GaN Power Amplifier Line
Peregrine Semiconductor, founder of RF SOI (silicon on
insulator) and pioneer of advanced RF solutions, introduces two
UltraCMOS® MPAC–Doherty products—the PE46130 and PE46140. These
monolithic phase and amplitude controllers (MPAC)
join the PE46120 in offering maximum phase-tuning flexibility for Doherty PA optimization.
Designed for the LTE and LTE-A wireless-infrastructure transceiver market, the MPAC–Doherty
product family now extends from 1.8 to 3.8 GHz with three separate, pin-compatible
parts. "Phase and amplitude control is critical to the future of communications,
where everything from LTE and 5G to radar will rely on the efficient exchange of
data
Hypersonic Missile
"The U.S. military is pouring money into hypersonic
research, and it's making China and Russia - which have their own similar programs
- nervous. But the accelerating effort to build missiles that fly at speeds between
Mach 5 to Mach 19 is also alarming some in the nonproliferation community. Despite
Pentagon officials' assurances that superfast weapons will carry only conventional
warheads, some believe that other nations may well treat any hypersonic launch as
a potential nuclear strike "
Network Measurements
This quiz is based on the information presented
in
Spectrum and Network Measurements, 2nd Edition, by Robert
A. Witte. "This comprehensive treatment of frequency domain measurements successfully
consolidates all the pertinent theory into one text. It covers the theory and practice
of spectrum and network measurements in electronic systems. It also provides thorough
coverage of Fourier analysis, transmission lines, intermodulation distortion, signal-to-noise
ratio and S-parameters."
Launches Second Draft of GPS
"The Aerospace Corp. the people who brought
you the concept for GPS, are launching GPS 2.0. It all began when two Aerospace
Corps scientists J.R. Woodford Woodward and H. Nakamura penned a little-known briefing
In 1966, 'Navigation Satellite Study,' that paved the way. Tomorrow, the Aerospace
Corp. will issue a new study it hopes will pave the way for the next wave of GPS,
one much more resilient, much more resistant to jamming and tampering but boasting
accuracy that is at least as good as the current satellite-dependent system "
Who's Got Them?
"The map below tracks what we know, based
on press reports and publicly available documents, about the use of
stingray tracking devices by state and local police departments.
Following the map is a list of the federal agencies known to have the technology.
The ACLU has identified 61 agencies in 23 states and the District of Columbia that
own stingrays, but because many agencies continue to shroud their purchase and use
of stingrays in secrecy, this map dramatically underrepresents the actual use of
stingrays by law enforcement agencies nationwide. Stingrays, also known as 'cell
site simulators' or 'IMSI catchers,' are invasive cell phone surveillance devices
that mimic cell phone towers "
Bandpass Filter
KR Electronics has introduced a new design, part number
3260-1550.
The filter has a minimum 1.5 dB bandwidth of 500 MHz, with stopband rejection
maintained to 9 GHz. Typical insertion loss is <1 dB. The filter is
supplied in a small surface mount package measuring 0.88" x 0.38" x 0.235".
Other frequencies and bandwidths are available. Please visit
KR Electronics today to see
whether their products can be of use to you.
Notable Tech Quote:
Justin Trudeau, Canadian PM
"Don't get me going on this, or we'll be here
all day, trust me." -
Justin Trudeau, Prime Minister of Canada, after responding to
a snarky comment by a reporter who asked, "I was going to ask you to explain quantum
computing, but - when do you expect Canada's ISIL mission to begin again, and are
we not doing anything in the interim?" Trudeau slapped him down by answering, "Very
simply, normal computers work by either there's power going through a wire, or not.
It's 1, or a 0, they're binary systems. What quantum states allow for is much more
complex information to be encoded into a single bit." He then talks about matter
being both particles and waves at the same time, etc. This, from a politician? Whoa.
Electrifies Materials from Distance
"Scientists at Rice University have discovered
that the strong force field emitted by a Tesla coil causes carbon nanotubes to self-assemble
into long wires, a phenomenon they call 'Teslaphoresis..' The team led by Rice chemist Paul Cherukuri reported
its results this week in ACS Nano. Cherukuri sees this research as setting
a clear path toward scalable assembly of nanotubes from the bottom up. The system
works by remotely oscillating positive and negative charges in each nanotube, causing
them to chain together into long wires. Cherukuri's specially designed "
Here is a fairly major treatise on
folded and loaded antennas that appeared in a 1953 issue of
QST magazine, with "Suggestions for Mobile and Restricted-Space Radiators."
It is not for the faint of heart or anyone with mathphobia. Integral calculus is
part of the presentation, although an understanding of calculus is not required
to get the gist of the article. Equations for calculating the antenna configuration
radiation resistances are given for the 3λ/4-wave folded dipole, the λ/8-wave
folded monopole, the bottom-, center- and top-loaded λ/8-wave monopole, the bottom-loaded
λ/16-wave monopole, and the λ/4-wave monopole folded twice, to name
Creates a Laser-Net in the Sky
"Facebook's goal of networking the world means
extending communications to everyone on the planet. Facebook has started to test
new approaches to ground-based systems. And it's continuing to work on its futuristic
drone-based communications system,
Aquila. At the company's F8 developer conference held in San Francisco
today, Facebook vice president of engineering Jay Parikh talked a little more about
Aquila's development, and how it would use laser links to bring
the internet to rural areas in developing countries. According to Parikh,
Facebook's UAV platform looks like a giant boomerang. 'We need to fly "
of High Power Spiral Antennas
Cobham Antenna Systems is pleased to announce the
FPA-0.7-2.7R/2319,, which is the first in a new range of high
power, directional spiral antennas. The FPA-0.7-2.7R/2319 offers high power, high
gain and circular polarisation within a compact, low profile, rugged housing. It
is suitable for multi-band communications as well as cellular countermeasure and
security applications. The low profile housing means that this antenna can be used
to replace much larger and more expensive, Log-Periodic, Horn or Conical spiral
antennas and also be used in situations where height/profile is critical
""'A revolution is happening in the textile
industry,' said engineer Professor John Volakis. 'We believe that functional textiles
are an enabling technology for communications and sensing, and even medical applications
like imaging and health monitoring.' While looking into using fabric techniques
to make brain implants with scientist Asimina Kiourti, he and she decided to apply
their ideas to create
wearables antennas. 'We asked, how can we functionalise embroidered
shapes? How do we make them transmit signals at useful frequencies?' said Volakis
"
Author Howard Wright takes the opportunity
here to distill the
concept of modulation down to its basic operation while dispensing
with the garbled mix of "graphs, formulas, charts, vectors, diagrams, and Greek
letters which often enter into various discussions of modulation". Wright describes
how to the uninitiated radio dial spinner, the culmination of events occuring behind
the scenes in an AM reception is akin to knowing "that, to be reproduced, the picture
[in a magazine] was broken down into its primary colors, if all we had to go by
was the original print and the magazine?" That is a very apt comparison
and Failures of Tax Years Past
""Because we're nearing the end of tax season
here in the United States, I decided to examine the often volatile combination of
tax policy and IT systems. Tax-related problems are some of the most painful IT
failures, because they tend to hit citizens right where it hurts most: their bank
accounts. Below you'll find some of the most noteworthy operational glitches of
the past decade, but as with previous timelines, the incidents listed here are merely
the tip of the iceberg, and should be veiwed as being representative of
tax-related IT problems rather than comprehensive. It doesn't
even include incidents of tech-assisted fraud, data breaches, or failed modernization
projects "
