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3 of the April 2018
homepage archives.
Monday 30
 This rare
HP 5212A Electronic Counter was found in a second-hand shop
sitting in with a bunch of random electronic gear. The "HP" on the front panel piqued
my attention, so I carried it to the sales desk and asked the nice lady to plug
it in, figuring if the front panel lit up and none of the smoke that makes electronics
work leaked out, I'd buy it. It did, it didn't, and I did, respectively. The outside
condition is pretty good, with most of the scratches being on the top and bottom.
Some oxidation is present on the bare aluminum chassis components, but a little...
 "U.S. military researchers are asking for
industry's help in developing a constellation of small, secure, and affordable military
satellites that not only are able to operate in
low-Earth orbit (LEO), but also that capitalize on modern commercial
satellite technologies. Officials of the U.S. Defense Advanced Research Projects
Agency (DARPA) in Arlington, Va., issued a broad agency announcement on Thursday
for the Blackjack program to develop SWaP-optimized military communications and
surveillance satellites designed to operate in LEO..."
 The July 1966 issue of Popular Electronics
began a series of
anecdotal instances of stupid and/or funny remarks made by
people about electronics. Some are supposedly by those who are in the trade and
should know better. I have to take issue with and question the veracity of one
instance in this first sequel, which claims a technician coming out of military
service are apt to make statements such as fuses being bad because they are
"shorted." It must have been submitted by an anti-military hippie of the era,
because there's no way anything other than a vanishingly small minority of techs
who have spent two to four years or more years servicing real electronic
equipment would say...
 Withwave's
End Launch
Connectors are specially designed for well-used high frequency substrates to
minimize electromagnetic effects including impedance discontinuities from coaxial
to GCPWG (Grounded Coplanar Waveguide) and Top Ground Microstrip structure. The
types of connectors are 2.92 mm, 2.4 mm and 1.85 mm. We solve your performance and
cost problems...
 "The internal structure of the thorium-229m
nuclear state has been studied in detail for the first time by physicists in Germany.
Thorium-229m is a metastable (or isomer) excited state of thorium-229 that decays
via the emission of an ultraviolet (UV) photon. This photon has much lower energy
than most nuclear emissions and could form the basis of a 'nuclear clock' that would be much more precise than existing atomic
clocks. Atomic clocks work by keeping a laser in resonance with electronic transitions
between energy levels in atoms or ions - with the 'ticks'..."
Sunday 29
 Each week, for the sake of all avid cruciverbalists
amongst us, I create a new
technology-themed crossword puzzle using only words from my custom-created
lexicon related to engineering, science, mathematics, chemistry, physics, astronomy,
etc. You will never find among the words names of politicians, mountain ranges,
exotic foods or plants, movie stars, or anything of the sort. You might, however,
see someone or something in the exclusion list who or that is directly related to
this puzzle's theme, such as Hedy Lamar or the Bikini Atoll...
Friday 27
Triad RF Systems has released the TTRM1200, a wideband GaN BDA
that operates from 30 MHz to 2700 MHz and produces over 8 W of TX
power. Measuring only 3.25 x 2.42 x 0.54 inches, this feature rich BDA is also one
of the most efficient. While producing 8W of RF power, it only consumes 24 W
of DC power. It also produces over 2 W of linear 16 QAM power with <9%
EVM. In order to operate on various existing platforms, the unit features a wide
DC input range of +11 to +28 VDC. Switching between Tx...
 When you think about wireless (radio) saving
the day for reporting trouble at sea, most of us (including, until now, me) think
of the RMS Titanic incident that occurred on 14 April, 1912. Her telegraph operator,
Jack Phillips, managed to get off an SOS (actually "CQD" in the day) message that
was picked up by the ship Carpathia. In fact, this story of the SS Republic recounts
events on January 23, 1909 when the good ship collided with Italy's Florida. Radio
operator Jack Binns managed to get off a CQD message using backup batteries once
he discovered the ship's power had gone down. Jack Phillips had the...
 Make your voice heard in the largest industry-wide
salary survey of its kind Last year, in our third annual engineering
salary survey, we asked UK engineers from across industry to tell us how they felt
about their jobs and how much they get paid. With almost 3000 engineers from across
11 sectors of UK industry taking part, the survey provided an illuminating picture
of life in engineering, from levels of job satisfaction and how pay and benefits
in some sectors differ to others, to the number of women...
Saelig Company
announces the availability of the
Fast Rise Time Pulse Generator - the first
analog edge converter with the ability to provide 5 V pulses with less than
70 ps rising and falling edges. Available in 2 or 4 channel versions, the Model
765 offers a repetition rate of up to 240 MHz with a period jitter specification
of under 25ps. The unit is conveniently and easily controlled via a 7" 1024x600
capacitive touch LCD that runs Windows 10. The Model 765's innovative hardware architecture
can generate advanced pulse sequences such as double...
 "Europe's
neutron facilities are leading the world in terms of the number
and quality of publications - but their pre-eminence could be threatened in the
coming decade as new facilities in Asia ramp up. That is the conclusion of a new
analysis carried out by researchers at Forschungzentrum Jülich in Germany and published
on arXiv. They found that in the 10-year period from 2005 to 2015, some 42,689 papers
were published by researchers based on experiments carried out at neutron labs worldwide,
with Europe..."
Thursday 62
 "Professional biologist and amateur mathematician
Aubrey de Grey has partially solved the
Hadwiger-Nelson problem, which has vexed mathematicians since
1950. He has published a paper describing the solution on the arXiv preprint server.
The Hadwiger-Nelson problem came about when Edward Nelson and Hugo Hadwiger wondered
about the smallest number of colors necessary to color all of the points on a graph,
with no two connected points using the same color. Over the years, mathematicians
have attacked..."
Mini-Circuits announces the availability of four new devices in
its lineup of
. Included are an Ultra-wideband coaxial
amplifier with flat gain from 5 to 20 GHz, Flexible test cables with SMA-Male
to N-Male connectors for DC to 18 GHz, a Reflectionless highpass filter for
580 to 3000 MHz with high stopband rejection, and a Surface-mount dual-directional
coupler with 300 W power handling from 20 to 1000 MHz...
 Is it permissible to say, "Pig Latin," these days without being jailed for engaging
in hate speech or being accused of cultural insensitivity? ...not that I really
care. Carl Kohler's story from the November 1966 issue of Popular Electronics
had me waxing nostalgic over a similar scenario from my own boyhood. It begins with
Mrs. Kohler (aka "Goodwife") suggesting that she and Mr. Kohler resort
to speaking in Pig Latin in order to prevent their mischievous sons from learning
where the Christmas presents were being hidden. My parents did exactly the same
thing to my sisters and me - and that...
 "Radio reaches nearly everyone in America,
as Nielsen's most recent Audio Today report detailed. On a weekly basis, 93% of
all adults
tune in to radio, the most of any platform, and radio has 243
million listeners in a given month. It's clear that radio has broad appeal for consumers
both young and old. So it's no surprise that as we judge the results of the March
portable people meter (PPM) ratings, several formats that have mass appeal saw rises
in listener share during the first quarter of the year. By combining the January,
February and March surveys to create..."
A new playlist for AntSyn™ automated antenna
synthesis technology has been added to the AWR.TV YouTube channel and a new video
titled "Antenna Synthesis Overview and Guided Tour" has been added to
both the AntSyn and Antenna Synthesis playlists. This new video explores AntSyn
technology as a complement to NI AWR Design Environment software and provides a
step-by-step description for using the tool. Available immediately...
 "Walls are what they are - big, dull dividers.
With a few applications of conductive paint and some electronics, however, walls
can become smart infrastructure that sense human touch, and detect things like gestures
and when appliances are used. Researchers at Carnegie Mellon University and Disney
Research found that they could transform dumb walls into
smart walls at relatively low cost - about $20 per square meter
- using simple tools and techniques, such as a paint roller. These new capabilities
might enable users to place or..."
Wednesday 25
 SF Circuits' specialty is in the complex,
advanced technology of PCB fabrication and assembly, producing high quality
multi-layered PCBs from elaborate layouts. With them, you receive unparalleled technical
 expertise at competitive prices as well as
the most progressive solutions available. Their customers request PCB production
that is outside the capabilities of normal circuit board providers. Please take
a moment to visit San Francisco Circuits today...
 1965 was near the beginning of the transition
from vacuum tubes (plasma state) to semiconductors (solid state). If you are not
familiar with tube circuits, when deciding what type of
mathematical operation is being performed by each circuit, mentally
replace the tube with a FET or a BJT. The tube plate becomes the transistor drain
or collector, the cathode is the source or emitter, and the control grid is the
gate or base, respectively. Don't worry about biasing. Circuits A, D, and I should
prove to be the easiest. Circuit F is pretty obvious if you look at the input and
output waveforms...
 RF and Microwave Microelectronics Packaging II,
published in 2017 by authors Ken Kuang and Rick Sturdivant. This book presents the
latest developments in packaging for high-frequency electronics. It is a companion
volume to 'RF and Microwave Microelectronics Packaging' (2010) and covers the latest
developments in thermal management, electrical/RF/thermal-mechanical designs and
simulations, packaging and processing methods, and other RF and microwave...
 Nuhertz
Technologies will be hosting a
Filter Design Workshop at IMS 2018, Philadelphia, June 12, 2018, beginning at
10 am. It is titled "Exceptionally Fast, Easy, and Flexible Optimization of the
Electromagnetic (EM) Planar Filter Frequency Response Using Nuhertz FilterSolutions."
Guest speakers include John Dunn of AWR Group, NI, Brian Rautio of Sonnet Software,
and Larry Dunleavy of Modelithics. The focus will be use of the FilterSolutions'
NI AWR Design Environment interface and supporting Microwave Office circuit design
software tool rapidly...
 "In a piece called 'Smartphone FM Radio Capabilities Enhance Public Safety at No Cost,'
Forbes contributor Steve Pociask points out how vital radio is during times of emergency.
'The value of FM radio has been demonstrated again and again.' Pociask cites several
examples, storm after storm, where residents affected by disaster turned to radio.
One of those examples was Hurricane Isaac in 2012. 'Most of New Orleans was without
power for three to five days. Across the city, cell phone service didn't work, power
outages prevented access to TV..."
Tuesday 24
 "In this commissioned report by The MVNOs
Series, we cover a number of topics, such as the changes in the mobile wholesale
market,
Wholesale-as-a-Service and the impact on digitalization, network
innovation and the impact of virtualization, what to expect from a future with 5G
and the new opportunities it brings. The mobile market is well-established as one
of the most strategically important sectors of the global economy. The wider mobile
ecosystem is estimated to deliver $3.6T in value added, accounting for 4.5% of global
GDP..."
 Empower RF is announcing the production release
of our proven
Model 2215 for EMC, RF Product Test, Communications, and Electronic
Warfare applications. The 2215's inherent rugged design is based off Empower's COTS
family of NEXT GEN patented architecture that virtually eliminates every internal
connector found in the typical RF/Microwave system amplifier. With Power supply
options that include 28 V DC, 400 Hz AC, and single phase AC, the unit
is equally suited for land mobile vehicle, airborne, and shipboard deployments...
 When I ran across this article in a 1966 issue
of Popular Electronics, it reminded me of a fairly recent situation that
happened to me at home. People in the 1960's were at the beginning of the consumer
electronics revolution, and anytime you could work some newfangled high tech gadget
into an activity it was a good thing. A lot of the Carl by Jerry stories by John T.
Frye, published in the same era, illustrate the point. My tale has to do with hearing
an unidentifiable
woman's voice coming from "somewhere" that seemed to be inside
the house. There are some times when a combination of...
 IEEE COMSOC and Rohde & Schwarz have
jointly published this white paper titled, "Fundamentals of RF Design." This paper, downloadable at no cost,
provides practical knowledge for designing an RF system. It covers design fundamentals
such as transmission medium, wave propagation, free space path loss, and key components.
It also includes an overview of test equipment and ideas to consider through the
design, development and verification process...
 "By now pretty much everyone has heard that
the U.S. DoD is flush with cash. It's probably more money than the military has
had in decades. Yet once we get beyond the initial euphoria, several big questions
come up: - How is the Pentagon going to spend all that money? - How can military
leaders transform money into meaningful readiness? - What might be the disruptive
new technologies that theDOD's sudden new wealth should help promote most aggressively?
- Can we trust the U.S. military..."
Monday 23
 "The first known superconductor in which
spin-3/2 quasiparticles form Cooper pairs has been created by
physicists in the US and New Zealand. The unconventional superconductor is an alloy
of yttrium, platinum and bismuth, which is normally a topological semimetal. The
research was done by Johnpierre Paglione and colleagues at the University of Maryland,
Iowa State's Ames Laboratory, the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory and the
Universities of Otago and Wisconsin. Conventional superconductivity arises in a
material when spin-1/2 electrons form 'Cooper pairs..."
 Very few people these days would have any
clue as to the causes of the CRT-type
TV picture problems shown here - I certainly don't, even after
looking at the answers (except for #4, which is pretty obvious given the choices
offered). What I can claim is to have likely seen each one of those types of issues
with all the cheap TV sets I've owned (especially #9). My current 26" LCD television
(I only own one TV), which is ten years old this year, is still working fine and
never displays any of those funny patterns. In the days of the Macs TV Service Shop
stories, survival in the business...
 Boonton / Noisecom and Microwave Journal
will present the
RF/Microwave Power and Noise Measurement webinar on April 25,
2018 at 11am ET. "This webinar will provide an overview of power and noise measurement
at RF and microwave frequencies. The webinar begins with a review of basic power
measurement theory before describing a range of equipment types and detectors commonly
used to measure RF and microwave power, highlighting the limitations of each type.
Noise will then be reviewed, including basic noise concepts such as noise figure...
 "Autonomous vehicles and the
connected car have been one of the front-runners for 5G investments,
but in demonstrating 4G can be used as low-latency connectivity for vehicles, has
Nokia undermined its 5G mission? This is part of the issue for the telcos when it
comes to investments for 5G; the messaging is very messy. It will be an expensive
mission to upgrade the world to the fifth generation of mobile networks, therefore
sound business cases for ROI are needed, with autonomous vehicles and the connected
car near the top of the list. But if this use case can be delivered over 4G, does
this..."
Sunday 22
 Each week, for the sake of all avid cruciverbalists
amongst us, I create a new
technology-themed crossword puzzle using only words from my custom-created
lexicon related to engineering, science, mathematics, chemistry, physics, astronomy,
etc. You will never find among the words names of politicians, mountain ranges,
exotic foods or plants, movie stars, or anything of the sort. You might, however,
see someone or something in the exclusion list who or that is directly related to
this puzzle's theme, such as Hedy...
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