Tuesday 28
We can
all breath again now that the official 5G logo has been announced! How many days
and nights have you and I spent wondering what it would look like and when it would
arrive (0 for moi)? Finally, here it is in all its
black and green glory (it actually looks pretty nice).
"The 3GPP has finally released an official logo for the 3GPP 5G specifications from
Release 15 onwards. The logo has a new wave pattern, and is based on the existing
LTE waves, using the green of the LTE-Advanced Pro version. The idea according to
3GPP, was to keep a familiar design aspect with ..."
Although not in the title as it used to be,
this is a "Mac's Service Shop" story by John T. Frye. If Mac and Barney
are the stars of the saga, then it can be none other. The story is about how the
misdeeds of a few dishonest operators can taint the reputation of an entire industry
- nothing new there. Barney is telling Mac about a 'sting' ploy pulled by a consumer
protection group whereby TV sets with a specific easy-to-troubleshoot problem introduced
to see how repair technicians from a suspect company would bill ...
"The
IEEE is seeking a new
executive director,, announcing this week that E. James Prendergast
will retire next year after nearly nine years at the helm of the prestigious technical
organization. E. James Prendergast Prendergast joined IEEE as executive director
in 2009. Under his tenure, the organization expanded its influence and global presence,
opening new offices in Vienna, Austria and Bangalore, India while expanding in China
and Singapore, IEEE said. The IEEE said its board has retained an executive search
firm, Korn Ferry ..."
"Skyworks Solutions today introduced a suite
of solutions targeting emerging
small cell applications. The new family of industry leading power
efficient amplifiers meet stringent data rate and power consumption requirements
for indoor and outdoor network systems. These innovative devices support the world's
most popular frequency bands and can be incorporated in FDD and TDD 4G LTE, 4.5G
and 5G systems, as well as the recently launched Citizen's Broadband Radio Service
(CBRS) ..."
"Two satellites with Amateur Radio transponder
payloads have been selected for future NASA launches.
AMSAT reports that the TJREVERB CubeSat, developed by students
at Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology in Alexandria, Virginia,
will carry a 435/145 MHz FM transponder. The University of Washington-Seattle's
HuskySat-1 has a 145/435 MHz SSB/CW transponder and was developed by students at
the University of Washington ..."
"Scientists at the U.S. Northwestern University
have accidentally created a semiconductor junction with the newly-discovered material
borophene, that might offer a route to determining if it is electronically useful.
Borophene is a molecule made of boron atoms. Like graphene, borophene
is a two-dimensional sheet-like molecule, but thought to be a better conductor of
electrons than graphene. Unlike graphene, it is not thought to occur in nature and
so there are no handy lumps of borophite from which ..."
Monday 27
After spending four years as a USAF radar
technician, I do not recall ever hearing the term 'radician,' which, according to
this article and a few obscure sources on the Internet, is the name given to a radar
technician. OK, so I'm a former radician, but I digress. The DEW Line, or
Distant Early Warning Line, was a string of radar installations
running across the U.S., Canada, and Greenland, just above the Arctic Circle. It
was established to protect against potential attacks and/or surveillance by aircraft
and/or missiles from the U.S.S.R. Although the radar systems were ...
"The FCC's office of engineering and technology
has authorized the first
LTE unlicensed (LTE-U) devices for operation in the 5 GHz Wi-Fi
band. According to a release from the FCC, the action followed a successful industry
collaboration to ensure that LTE-U can co-exist with Wi-Fi and other unlicensed
devices operating in the band. The FCC noted that industry has developed various
standards, including Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and ZigBee, that share the ..."
Centre for Terahertz Science and Engineering: The growing and vibrant Terahertz
R&D community is creating major breakthroughs in science & engineering and
now offers the realistic prospect of commercial exploitation for niche applications.
has a critical impact on free-space THz applications, ranging from metrology in
the laboratory to hitting the perceived 'THz brick wall' in any future spectral
expansion beyond 5G. Moreover, further exploration ...
"Someday
indoor location could be as widely used as GPS maps. Taking steps toward that day,
six vendors certified at least eight chips for a new
Wi-Fi
Location service while another company announced new software for similar services
over 4G cellular. Both new alternatives aim to provide a better approach than today's
Bluetooth and ultrawideband beacons. All sides hope to enable a market that's expected
to be big. ABI Research estimates as many as 500 million ..."
, an international Radio Frequency (RF) and Microwave solutions provider, announces
their broadband low noise amplifier covering C- to X-Band frequencies, extending
the frequency range and potential applications over which the HILNA™ family of low
noise amplifier (LNA) products can operate. The HILNA™ CX is the latest addition to the NuWaves' High Intercept
Low Noise Amplifiers (HILNA™) family of LNA's, covering C- to X-Band ...
"Intel, Qualcomm and Samsung have issued
a flood of announcements all apparently designed to show how incredibly
5G-ready they are. Having regularly dropped the ball on mobile
over the past decade Intel is especially desperate to be seen as a viable 5G player
and is bombarding tech hacks with relatively open messaging intended to convince
us of just that. 'Intel is accelerating the 5G future,' wrote Aicha Evans, GM of
the ..."
Sunday 26
For the sake of avid cruciverbalists amongst
us, each week I create a new
engineering crossword puzzle that has a theme related to engineering,
mathematics, chemistry, physics, and other technical words. Clues in this puzzle
with an asterisk (*) are pulled from this past week's (2/20 - 2/24)
"High Tech News" column on the RF Cafe homepage (see the
Headline Archives page ...
Friday 24
"Researchers
at Aalto University in Finland have discovered large uniform reversible changes
in electrical resistance as oxygen ions migrate in an oxide material. The discovery
could open a route to
ionotronic memories. Aalto University ion migration probe It transpires
that potential difference drives oxygen ions away from one electrical contact, causing
an abrupt change in oxide lattice structure and an increase of electrical resistance.
Reversal of the voltage polarity fully restores the original material ..."
If you thought that
custom ringtones have only been around since the mobile phone,
you will be surprised to learn that according to this news brief in a 1956 issue
of Popular Electronics, Bell Telephone Labs was experimenting with such
features. Bell was exploiting the convenience, small size, and relatively inexpensive
transistor to enable customers with deeper pockets to hear something other than
the standard mechanical bell ringer. The irony is, of course, that some people nowadays
use a ringtone in their smartphones that sounds ...
"Semiconductors, as thin as a
single layer of atoms, are no longer a dream of the future: Researchers
in Germany, the United States and Poland have together developed a two-dimensional
material that could revolutionize electronics. Its semiconducting properties make
this material appear suited for advanced applications even much better than graphene.
The new material, introduced to the public in the scientific magazine ACS Nano ..."
Arduino has been a sensation in the techie
world for about a decade now. Not too long ago electronics 'starter kits' consisted
of a battery, a solderless breadboard, a handful of Rs, Ls, and Cs, LEDs, a neon
bulb, a couple simple ICs and transistors, and some jumper wires. Compare that to
this kit with an
Arduino microcontroller and code IDE, LCD, joystick, remote controller,
motion and ultrasonic sensors, stepper motor controller, keypad, RFID module, and
much more PLUS all the
stuff you got with the old type starter kits
- all for a paltry $60 (equiv. to $15 in 1977). Many add-ons available like an
übercool robotic arm ...
"A high-altitude
Amateur Radio balloon, K2BSA-11, will be launched from the 2017
National Boy Scouts of America Jamboree in West Virginia. The balloon is expected
to reach an altitude of 48,000 feet and will transmit on 144.390 MHz APRS. An onboard
GPS/computer will shift APRS frequencies based on the balloon's location around
the globe. Carrying out the July 20 launch from the Summit Bechtel Reserve will
be Bill Brown WB8ELK; Keith Kaiser, WA0TJT, and other members of the K2BSA Radio
Scouting team. They are hoping that the balloon will ..."
"The new antennas – including the 5-6 GHz
Adaptrix CMM200.A – feature a patent-pending,
modular interlocking system to help operators scale capacity –
when more capacity or speed is needed at a location, another module is clipped to
the side of the existing installation. This first-in-the-industry antenna system
means that when you need to add capacity, you simply attach extra panels. You can
build them up vertically or horizontally like Lego blocks. You don't need to worry
about spacing, alignment or ..."
Thursday 23
Wireless power distribution has been in the
news a lot for the last couple years. It began with a goal of just
wirelessly charging mobile devices like cellphones, smart watches,
and tablet computers. Next came articles about charging electric cars wirelessly
while sitting in a parking lot or garage, or even at a stop light. In each instance,
the item being charged needed to sit in close proximity to an electric induction
coil to be effective. Just a couple days ago, however, a new item ...
"Wi-Fi feature delivers indoor navigation,
asset tracking, and network management. Wi-Fi® now includes advanced capabilities
that bring location determination indoors to meet growing market demand for mobile
location-based services.
Wi-Fi CERTIFIED Location™ brings the same great user experience
indoors as is expected from outdoor location-based services (LBS), and enables the
creation of new, feature-rich applications and services that will benefit many markets
including ..."
Z-Communications announces a new Fixed Frequency Synthesizer model
SFS0990C-LF. The
SFS0990C-LF is a preprogrammed synthesizer that is phase locked at 990 MHz
to an external 10 MHz reference oscillator. This PLL features an exceptionally
low typical phase noise of -119 dBc/Hz at 10 kHz, -100 dBc/Hz at
1 kHz, and -141 dBc/Hz at 100 kHz offsets. The RoHS compliant SFS0990C-LF
is designed to deliver a typical output power of +1 dBm ...
"Now that the world has become addicted to
portable electronics, billions of people have come to see the companies providing
these gadgets as the most innovative, and the people who head those companies as
the most exalted, of all time. 'Genius' is a starter category in this discussion.
But clever and appealing though today's electronic gadgets may be, to the historian
they are nothing but the inevitable
fifth-order elaborations of two fundamental ideas: electromagnetic
radiation, the theory of which was formulated by James Clerk Maxwell in the 1860s
..."
Triad RF Systems designs and
manufactures RF power amplifiers and
systems. Triad RF Systems comprises three partners (hence
'Triad') with over 40 years of 
accumulated knowledge of what is required to design,
manufacture, market, sell and service RF/Microwave amplifiers and amplifier systems.
"We view Triad more as a technology partner than a vendor for our line-of-sight
communications product line." Please check to see how we can help your project ...
When I first saw this picture of Dr. Martin
L. Klein, I though he was Superman. No, it doesn't take a superman to teach
electronics on television, but the familiarity of George Reeves as the star of the
"Adventures of Superman" series in from 1953 through 1958 would have been a good
reason to use him in the "Wires and Pliers" TV show. Dr. Klein and his techie sidekick
Aram Solomonian performed a weekly show presenting basic electronics to the audience.
BTW, as long as I am ...
"Xilinx has integrated RF-class analogue
technology into its 16nm MPSoCs resulting in a family of
RFSoCs which eliminate discrete data converters resulting, claims
Xilinx, in a 50-75% power and footprint reduction for 5G massive-MIMO and millimeter
wave wireless backhaul applications. Xilinx Large scale 2D antenna array systems
will be key to the increase in spectral efficiency and network densification needed
for 5G ..."
Wednesday 22
"Mobile phone provider EE has demonstrated
helium balloons
and drones that could provide 4G mobile coverage following damage to existing
infrastructure. The devices are fitted with small mobile sites that include a base
station and an antenna. They could also be used to connect remote parts of the UK
where coverage is thin. EE said it planned to deploy such a network in a UK rural
area this year. The drones can stay airborne for up to an hour at a time and the
"helikite" balloons for several weeks as they have ..."
When this story was written in 1938,
India was a country of roughly 2 million square miles, while the
48 United States had about 3.1 million square miles. Radio station growth in the
U.S. already had a 3-decade head start in establishing a nationwide network of broadcast
and receiving stations. Manufacturing of the required equipment was well established
within our borders. India, by contrast, relied heavily on outside sources for equipment
and the training of operators and servicemen. The U.S. never has ...
"Nokia has successfully implemented the world's
first connection based on the 5GTF (5G Technology Forum) 'pre-standard', marking a further milestone
in Nokia's momentum to make 5G a commercial reality. The test adds another key component
to the development of 5G and the implementation of the first 5G applications, demonstrating
the ability to provide fast pace implementation based on early standards including
device ..."
Anatech Electronics,
a manufacturer of RF and microwave filters, has published its February newsletter.
As always, it includes both company news and some tidbits about relevant industry
happenings. In it, Sam Benzacar discusses, among other topics, the continuing and
even growing problem of passive intermodulation (PIM) products that are generated
at the contact point of dissimilar metals - particularly where corrosion is present
- and the resulting nonlinear junction. Even coaxial cable connectors than have
the same type of plating can develop scratches ...
While looking around the Web for good
job
search and career enhancement articles, an article by The Savvy Intern's Lauren
Kirkpatrick titled "Millennial Stereotype Busted: 'Paying Your Dues' is Bullsh*t,"
struck a chord. It's a short piece and, as you might guess from the title, somewhat
naively attitudinal (a 2013 graduate). However, she
does bring up a good point about how the world has changed from even as recently
as the 1980s when I first hit ...
•
College Activities that Help You
Build Career Skills
•
5 Tricky Engineering Job
Interview Questions
•
Looking for a Job? Don't Tell
LinkedIn <more>
"Fast radio bursts (FRBs) are brief spurts of radio emission, lasting
just one-thousandth of a second, whose origins are mysterious. Fewer than two dozen
have been identified in the past decade using giant radio telescopes such as the
1,000-foot dish in Arecibo, Puerto Rico. If [an FRB occurred in out galaxy], astronomers
suggest that it would be 'loud' enough that a global network of cell phones or small
radio receivers could 'hear' it. The search for nearby ..."
Tuesday 21
"Engineers at the University of California
San Diego have developed a material that could reduce signal losses in photonic
devices. The advance has the potential to boost the efficiency of various light-based
technologies including fiber optic communication systems, lasers and photovoltaics.
The discovery addresses one of the biggest challenges in the field of photonics:
minimizing loss of optical (light-based) signals in devices known as
plasmonic metamaterials ..."
"Military communications experts at the Rockwell
Collins Government Systems segment in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, are starting full-rate
production of a secure and jam-resistant
very low frequency (VLF) radio for the U.S. Air Force B-2 stealth
bomber to enable the aircraft crew to communicate with national command authorities
while on long-range missions. Officials of the Air Force Life Cycle Management Center
at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio, are awarding a $12.9M ..."
Since 2001,
Antenna Test Lab Co has evaluated countless antennas and RF transmitter
products. With a fully anechoic chamber, antennas can be quickly developed and RF
products refined and deployed. Antenna maximum test size is 24" x 24" with a depth
of 24" or less. Mounting surfaces like drywall, glass, wood, and even curved metal
simulated automobile available. The price for
a standard resolution
2D or 3D field pattern plot is only $450
- for a passive or radiating antenna. That is an incredible deal!
This is both funny and spooky: "It's nice
to have a friend who's a good listener, but a doll called My Friend Cayla listens
a little too well, according to German regulators who say the toy is essentially
a stealthy espionage device that shares what it hears and is also vulnerable to
takeover by third parties. "Cayla ist verboten in Deutschland," says Jochen Homann, the president
of Germany's Federal Network Agency, announcing a ban on the doll in Germany on
Friday. His agency oversees electronic ..."
"Disney Research has developed new method
that enables users to charge electronic devices wirelessly by transmitting power
throughout a room, like a Wi-Fi Network, thereby eliminating the need for electrical
cords or charging cradles. The researchers demonstrated the method, called
Quasistatic Cavity Resonance (QSCR), inside a specially built
16-by-16-foot room in their lab. They safely generated near-field standing magnetic
waves that filled the interior of the room, making it possible to power several
cellphones, fans and lights ..."
Lasers Give Space Research Its
Broadband Moment
"Thought your Internet speeds were slow? Try
being a space scientist for a day. The vast distances involved will throttle data
rates to a trickle. You're lucky if a spacecraft can send more than a few megabits
per second (Mbps) - a pittance even by dial-up standards. But we might be on the
cusp of a change. Just as going from dial-up to
broadband revolutionized the Internet and made high-resolution
photos and streaming video a given, NASA may be ready to undergo a similar ..."
