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Wednesday 20
 ConductRF's skill in the manufacturing of
Phase Matched
RF Cable Solutions is second to none. We have phase matched a diverse array
of solutions from Low Frequency RG and LMR Cables to more premium exotic cables
up to 70 GHz. Flexible, conformable & semi-rigid, phase & amplitude
stable, low loss & high power, phase differential as low as ±0.2 °/GHz,
many connector types, indoor & outdoor solutions. A broad base of standard connectors
and cables in stock, we turn solutions around fast
 "As demand grows for more versatile, advanced
robotics and other technologies, the need for components that can enable these applications
also increases. Producing such components en masse has been a major challenge. But
now, in ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces, researchers report that they have
developed a way to help meet this need by printing
electronics that can fold themselves into a desired shape. Creating
small electronic pieces with specific architectural designs can now "
 Each month (unless I forget) I post a list
of articles with advice on
career enhancement including tips on preparing resumes, conducting
yourself properly at interviews, getting along well with co-workers, handling a
difficult boss, etc. I also post links to polls and studies done on career
satisfaction, pay rates, education and experience levels, years in the field, etc.
Those types of articles have been around since Johannes Gutenberg invented the movable
type printing press. In the 1970s, Popular Electronics rand a series of
articles titled "Opportunity Awareness" that offered such advice, much of which
in principle is still valid today. One of the biggest advantages you can give yourself
 "There, his
new specimens joined his collection and waited patiently
as only rocks can until he could find time to analyze them." -
Kat McGowan,
"Where
Did It Begin?" September / October 2017 Popular Science (p41).
 Glenn Robb, owner / engineer from Antenna
Test Lab Company sent me this very excellent whitepaper he just wrote titled "Circularly Polarized Antennas Explained, Without the Math." As
promised, his tutorial introduces the concept of circular polarization in electromagnetic
waves and then describes how he measures and reports results in a spreadsheet using
automated antenna positioning and frequency sweeping. Antenna Test Lab Co's evaluation
service includes fully circular polarization antenna evaluations at no extra charge.
Practical antenna evaluations with 2D or 3D patterns in hundreds of test directions
(and frequencies) are available for $450
 "Chang Gung University and Episil-Precision
in Taiwan claim the first demonstration of in-situ silicon nitride (SiNx) gate dielectric
aluminium gallium nitride (AlGaN) barrier metal–insulator–semiconductor high-electron-mobility
transistors (MISHEMTs) on 6-inch silicon on insulator (SOI) substrates. The devices
showed improved DC, dynamic and radio frequency (RF) performance over the same structures
grown on HR Si "
Tuesday 19
 "Under development by an MBDA-led consortium
which includes Qinetiq, Leonardo-Finmeccanica, Arke, BAE Systems, Marshall and GKN
the so-called Dragonfire system will be a 50 kW class directed energy weapon
designed for use on both land and sea. Laser weapons have key advantages over traditional
systems: the munition is potentially unlimited, and it operates at the speed of
light so the time from when you say "fire" to the weapon hitting its target is more
or less instantaneous. According "
 Maybe I'm just easily impressed by effective
simplicity, but I really like the Bluetooth homepage animation demonstrating the
ubiquitous connectivity theme of "mesh is here." Interconnecting lines in the mesh moving in relation
to all the nodal points is a great way to illustrate the flexibility of the system.
The one scenario the Bluetooth SIG doesn't show is how "mesh" enables tracking of
your movement, which can easily be correlated with cellphone activity, credit card
usage, etc. Surely the collective data would never be abused. If you're not doing
anything wrong, then there's nothing to worry about -- right?
 Popular Electronics ran a monthly
news roundup feature titled, simply, "Communications." Included were tidbits on CB, SWL, HAM, RTTY,
FAX, TV, SSB, AM, FM, CW, and ISB. I know that because those are the acronyms in
the string along the perimeter of the page's title. This particular column was chosen
because of the weird-looking Elser-Mathes Cup that will commemorate the 1st amateur
radio 2-way communications between Earth and Mars." I thought it as an artifact
of some primitive tribe's religious rite, but in fact those are Martians in the
carving, not Earthly savages
 "Building on a half century of unprecedented
chip scaling and technology innovation, DOD is going back to basics in an attempt
to reseed a U.S. electronics sector that has contributed mightily to the nation's
economic and national security. The
Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency put more skin in the
game with a batch of program announcements worth $75 million over the next year
as part of its Electronics Resurgence Initiative (ERI) launched in June "
 I made the rounds of
employment
advice websites and pulled out these useful ones for September. A rather strange
result is two articles written for Monster, one suggesting jobs for introverts and
the other for extroverts. The strangeness lies in how both list contain the same
job types - not sure of that was intentional or not.
•
Can Your Alma Mater Influence Lifetime Earnings?
•
How to Bargain for the Best Possible Salary
•
Resume Tips & Career Advice for Entry-Level Engineers
• Gender Quotas in the Workplace
• How Americans Perceive the Workplace <more>
 "The Amateur Radio Club at Yale University
(W1YU) was the host for the 2nd annual
Collegiate Amateur Radio Initiative (CARI) forum at the ARRL New
England Division Convention, September 8–10, in Boxboro, Massachusetts. ARRL CEO
Tom Gallagher, NY2RF, who — in light of the increasing number of reactivated and
newly formed radio clubs at colleges and universities — has been a prime mover behind
the League initiative, opened the session. Four presentations by participating institutions
followed. Sean Barnes, N3JQ, of Harrisburg ..."
Monday 18
 KR Electronics part number
3012-160
is a 160 MHz bandpass filter designed for Positive Train Control (PTC) applications.
Encapsulated for enhanced shock and vibration resistance, 50 Ω source and load,
N(F) to N(M) connectors. The filters are encapsulated/ruggedized for enhanced shock
and vibration resistance. Thousands are currently installed and operating successfully
in the field with major rail companies. Other frequencies and bandwidths are available
Sainty-Tech
Communications (STC） is an ISO 9001 certified company. We provide our customers
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RF & microwave products including coax connectors & cable assemblies,
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and isolators, and precision machined parts. All the products are 100% tested before
shipping. Customization is also possible. Please visit STC today
 Reading this kind of article takes me back
to my days of
building prototype circuits as an electronics technician at Westinghouse
Electric's Oceanic Division in Annapolis, MD. It was without a doubt the best technician
job I ever had. In fact, working with über engineer Jim Wilson and a few others
is what really drove my determination to get an electrical engineering degree of
my own. Laying out perf boards for resistors, capacitors, inductors, LEDs, switches,
etc., and soldering all the point-to-point connections, then testing (and sometimes
fixing miswirings) was a great gig. Drilling and labeling the project box with the
dry transfer rub-ons in an attempt to make everything look as "real"
 Axiom Test Equipment, a provider of efficient
and cost effective solutions customers' test equipment needs, offer the following
special deals on their inventory. Axiom offers our customers several practical,
efficient and cost effective solutions for their business or projects' test equipment
needs. Whether you need to
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buy test equipment, repair test equipment, sell or trade equipment, we are committed
to providing superior customer service and high quality electronic test equipment
 "Nut & Volts" is one of my favorite magazines
because of all the good project and theory articles presented in layman's terms.
I have to read it online nowadays because my print subscription ran out last year.
This article by Matthew Bates shows how to build a simple - but very functional
- induction charger for wirelessly charging appropriately fitted
devices. It uses a PICAXE 08M2 microcontroller to generate the 12 kHz signal,
but you could substitute something else like a 555 timer if you do not have the
equipment to program the 08M2
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. 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!
 "The fourth-tallest building in San Francisco
continues to sink after
sinking over 17 inches already. Engineers are working to quickly
find a solution to save the multimillion-dollar condos inside the building. One
of the largest luxury towers in the San Francisco area is rapidly sinking, and engineers
don't know how yet to fix the problem. Since being finished, the building has sunk
17 inches (43 cm) and tilted 14 inches (36 cm) toward the street. Millennium Tower
is a high-rise luxury residential complex "
Sunday 17
 For the sake of avid cruciverbalists amongst
us, each week I create a new
crossword puzzle that has a theme related to engineering, mathematics,
chemistry, physics, and other technical words. At least 10 clues in this puzzle
with an asterisk (*) are pulled from this past week's (9/11 - 9/15)
"Tech Industry Headlines" column on the RF Cafe homepage (see the Headline Archives
page for help). Enjoy
Friday 15
Keysight Technologies today announced the latest release of its SystemVue electronic
system level (ESL) software. Offering unique phased-array antenna and other 5G functionality,
Keysight EEsof EDA's SystemVue 2017 provides designers with the industry's first 5G
design and verification process. SystemVue is the industry's premier simulation
platform for system design and verification. The software enables users to combine
existing baseband, RF and channel models for evaluation of the entire system
 "Engineers at the University of California,
Davis have designed a new high-frequency electronic computer chip with amazing capabilities.
The chip has the potential to transmit tens of gigabits of data in mere seconds,
and dramatically change the course of information technology by making it faster,
more streamlined, and far more effective than current models. The chip is designed
using a
phased array antenna system. The system takes energy from various
sources and funnels them into a single beam. The final product is a chip that operates
at 370 GHz with 52 GHz of bandwidth "
 Uh-oh, I'd better issue a sensitivity warning
before going on, because this article reports on electrocution data gathered via
empirical testing that demonstrates a difference between men and women, especially
since men fared better. Charles Dalziel, inventor of the ground fault interrupter
(GFI) circuit, subjected men and women to increasing electrical current levels to
determine how much each could take and still be able to release the small wire carrying
the shocking current to their hands. The average "let-go current" was found to be
16 mA for men and 10.5 mA for women. Clearly sexism is present somewhere
in the test
Skyworks today announced that its and diversity receive (DRx™) modules
for mobile applications have been adopted by some of the world's leading machine-to-machine
(M2M) module manufacturers to provide high performance, high speed 4G LTE capability.
These fully integrated and tested systems, packaged in extremely small form factors,
enable M2M suppliers including Fibocom, Sierra Wireless, and Telit to extend plug
and play, high-speed cellular connectivity across an endless array of IoT
 "The Intelligence Advanced Research Projects
Activity (IARPA) agency is looking for ground-based imaging technology powerful
enough to clearly capture satellites in faraway geosynchronous earth orbit (GEO),
according to the Office of the Director of National Intelligence. Advanced
interferometry technology will be the key to rapid and accurate
imaging of GEO satellites that travel some 36,000 km above the earth, according
to the IARPA broad agency announcement. One solution "
Thursday 14
Pasternack, a leading provider of RF, microwave and millimeter wave products,
has released a new series of
relay controlled programmable attenuators. Typical applications
include signal conditioning and level control, matching impedances of sources and
loads and measuring the gain or loss of two-port devices. Relay Controlled Programmable
Attenuators offer accurate and stable performance with very low harmonic distortion
(IMD) and cover multiple RF frequency bands down to DC
 This is another of a series of articles (PCBs)
that appeared in the October 1969 issue of Electronics World, reporting
on the latest and greatest advances in printed circuit board technology. Already
in production were rigid
multi-layer laminates, flexible plastic laminates, and special-purpose
laminates for hazardous duty applications. Author Norman Skow does not mention how
many layers were routinely accomplished at the time. Plated-through holes were a
relatively recent thing for high volume manufacturing. Of course population of PCB
components was still a completely manual procedure since pick-and-place machines
were still a couple decades away
 Anatech Electronics, a manufacturer of RF
and microwave filters, has published its August newsletter. In it, Sam Benzacar
discusses the Federal Communication Commission's relatively new (2015) three-tiered
"spectrum sharing" scheme titled
Citizens Broadband Radio Service (CBRS). It provides for 150 MHz
of spectrum between 3550 and 3700 MHz. Don't be fooled by the name, though.
The "Citizens [broad]Band" nomenclature harkens back to Citizen Band (CB) radio
(27 MHz), but CBRS spectrum will be sold to the highest bidder in 10 MHz
chunks that are subordinated to primary user claims. So, don't be looking
Radiocrafts
AS, a leading provider of RF modules and wireless connectivity solutions, provides
a new ultra-low power radio module platform for Smart Metering, Internet of Things
(IoT) and Wireless Sensor Networks applications. The new compact RF module is also
suitable for 6LoWPAN based IP networks. The RC18x0 Radio Module platform is a series
of compact surface-mounted ultra-low power RF modules based on the CC1310 system-on-chip
from Texas Instruments. The modules
 "Despite earning lower salaries on average
than their colleagues in other sectors, UK
engineering
academics are considerably happier in their jobs, according to The Engineer's
2017 Salary Survey. Based on responses from 2743 engineers working across 11 different
sectors, this year's survey – which was published earlier this summer – found that
despite receiving the lowest average annual salary amongst UK engineers (£43,809),
61% of academics are content in their current roles "
Wednesday 13
 "Engineers at Australia's University of New
South Wales have invented a radical new architecture for quantum computing, based
on novel 'flip-flop qubits', that promises to make the large-scale manufacture
of quantum chips dramatically cheaper - and easier - than thought possible. The
new chip design, detailed in the journal Nature Communications, allows for a silicon
quantum processor that can be scaled up without the precise "
 "Circuit prototyping traditionally requires
tedious layouts using CAD tools, transfer of those plans to a
printed-circuit board maker, precise placement of components on
the pc board using pick-and-place robots, and then a wave soldering step to establish
electrical contact between the components and the board. Prototyping engineers wait
weeks before they can test the circuit board, find its flaws, and repeat the process
until they get it right. The Charles Stark Draper "
 The October issue of Electronics World
magazine included many articles written by
printed circuit board (PCB) industry leaders regarding the state
of the art. Multi-layer PCB technology was still in its infancy at the time, with
most prototype and production boards being 1- or 2-sided. As with the switch from
vacuum tubes to transistors, there were hold-outs who resisted the change to PCBs
- for good reason in some cases. A list of advantages and disadvantages is presented
both for and against, respectively, use of printed circuit boards. One of the biggest
advantages to point-to-point wiring was that circuit modifications
VidaRF offers DC to18 GHz hand formed semi-flex cable assemblies. The outer shield is copper braid,
silver plated to minimize signal leakage and maintain flexibility for ease of bending
to your requirement. Option to include insulated clear or blue jacket reducing risk
of shorting. Available in a wide variety of connector combinations. Excellent return
loss and insertion loss
Saelig Company announces the availability of the compact
RTSA7550 Real-Time
Spectrum Analyzer - a powerful, full-featured spectrum analyzer designed to
analyze wireless signals in real-time (not progressively scanned). This is essential
for seeing intermittent and frequency-varying signals. The Model RTSA7550 has all
the standard features of a conventional spectrum analyzer such as frequency controls,
marker functions, and multi-trace functionality. Instead of scanning through a frequency
range, the RTSA sees all frequencies at once, thus catching intermittent signals
 "The Pentagon's recently completed
Electronic Warfare strategy calls for increased investment in
advanced electronic warfare technology designed for defense, as well as a proactive
use of emerging electromagnetic spectrum systems to attack enemies. While the new
strategy is described by DOD as being 'For Official Use Only' - to be shared with
relevant U.S. military developers and defense industry sources "
Tuesday 12
 A press release came in yesterday from the
folks at Peregrine Semiconductor boasting (deservedly) about their ranking at 4th
place in the Semiconductor category of the
IEEE's 2016 Patent Power
Pipeline report. An interactive bar chart and world map allows you to select
from 17 categories (singularly or mixed). Semiconductor Energy Laboratory (SEL)
came in at #1, RF Micro Devices (RFMD, now Qorvo) ranked #9 (BTW, there are some
very talented former RFMD people I know who now work for Peregrine). Qorvo is in
11th place. Rankings are based on records from the USPTO
 This is great! "This Brazilian pilot is in
big trouble for taking selfies thousands of feet up, even though the photos are
fake. Pilotganso is a well-known Instagrammer with 72K followers; he's gained a
rabid following thanks to the incredible selfies on his page showing the aviator
hanging out the cockpit of a
Boeing 737 thousands of feet above the earth. His shots have many
scratching their heads as to whether they are in fact real. No, they're not. The
Instagrammer, real name Daniel Centeno achieves these aerial shots using "
 Experienced RF engineers, technicians, and
hobbyists employ
decibels in their writings and speech with the fluidity and familiarity
of chemists discussing pH levels, geneticists recommending DNA sequencing enzymes,
astrophysicists calculating gravitational lensing constants for massive galaxies,
or vintage car motorheads calling out ignition timing in reference to TDC (top-dead-center).
This article by William Miller takes yet another shot at helping those uninitiated
in the realm of decibels to be effectively functional until an eventual - and necessary
- firm grasp of the concept is obtained
 "Scientists across Europe have hailed the
dawn of a new era of molecular research, thanks to the official opening of The European
X-ray
Free Electron Laser (XFEL), the largest and most powerful X-ray laser in the
world. Based in the German city of Hamburg, the billion Euro facility consists of
a superconducting linear accelerator and a photon beamlines housed in a 3.4 km
long underground tunnel running from the DESY research centre in Hamburg "
will be featured in a variety of activities at EDI CON USA 2017, being
held September 11-13 in Boston. Software demonstrations in Booth #317 and conference
presentations within the Low-Power RF & IoT, Radar / Defense, 5G Advanced Communications
and RF and Microwave Design technical tracks as well as a power amplifier (PA) design
workshop will all be showcased
 This is a good review for anyone who hasn't
written code in many moons. "Embedded C and C++ programmers are familiar with signed
and unsigned integers and floating-point values of various sizes, but a number of
numerical formats can be used in embedded applications. Here we
take a look at all of these formats and where they might be found. One reason for
examining different formats is to understand how they work and where they can be
applied "
Monday 11
KR Electronics part number
3012-916
is a 916 MHz bandpass filter designed for Positive Train Control (PTC) applications.
Encapsulated for enhanced shock and vibration resistance, 50 Ω source and load,
N(F) to N(M) connectors. The filters are encapsulated/ruggedized for enhanced shock
and vibration resistance. Thousands are currently installed and operating successfully
in the field with major rail companies. Other frequencies and bandwidths are available
 "When it comes to design, there is likely
no better teacher than nature. While humans have produced an impressive number of
gadgets, devices, and systems, most of them are far less efficient and require far
more in the way of inputs than nature's designs do. The advent of
3D printing has changed all that, allowing for the possibility
of producing objects, with continuously variable properties from a single "
 "Mariner" was the project name given to NASA's first fleet of interplanetary
spacecraft, headed for both Venus and Mars. When Mariner 4 launched for Mars
in 1964, it marked the first time mankind had successfully sent a probe to "the
red planet." It radioed back Mars surface images at a resolution of 2 miles across.
Mariner 4's radio subsystem transmitted data back to Earth at 2300 MHz.
Depending on where Earth and Mars are in their orbits, it can take anywhere between
4 and 21 minutes for signals to span the ether between them. That means if a command
signal is sent from Earth to a Mars craft and a response is immediately signal sent
back to
 "Chasing the perfect battery is a fool's journey:
a catchpenny, a sensation, a mechanism for swindling the public by stock companies,"
wrote Thomas Edison in 1883. "Working on the latest, greatest battery
brings out a man's 'latent capacity for lying." July / August 2017 Discover magazine
 ConductRF
invites you to visit their design and sales team in booth #528 at Electronic Design
Innovation Conference & Exhibition (EDI CON) in Boston. The event runs September
11-13 at the Hynes Convention Center. ConductRF offers off-the-shelf and custom
RF coaxial connector and cable solutions for applications up to 110 GHz
 "Unmanned underwater vehicles (UUV) may not
require on board crew to operate them, but they do require power. Re-charging used
to mean surfacing at the nearest ship or land base. Now, scientists at the Space
and Naval Warfare Systems Center Pacific (SSC Pacific) are developing technology
that can
re-charge UUVs underwater. 'This type of technology is going to
widen the array of missions the Navy can use UUVs "
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