See Page 1 |
2 |
3 |
4 |
5 | of the August 2020 homepage archives.
 Frequent RF Cafe visitor who goes by the
moniker "Unknown Engineer" sent me a hyperlink to a PDF file on Amazon's CloudFront*
content delivery network (CDN - basically a file server) that contains no fewer
than 17 amazing radar and vacuum tube related line
drawings published by Varian Associates' TWT Division, Palo Alto
Tube Division, Solid State Division, Eastern Tube Division, Western Tube Division,
Solid State West Division. These highly detailed and busy drawings were done around
1975 by British illustrator/artist C.E.B. Bernard; a search for his works did not
reveal much. The events shown are fictitious, as are the accompanying hand-printed
stories. Some of the puns are pretty clever, but are somewhat dated for today's
readers. To wit, the name Memamadun Ptolemy, which for the uninitiated is an allusion
to the movie "Blues in the Night," where the actual words are "My momma done 'tol
me..." (get it?). Another worthy mention is, "Tube V or not Tube V, that is the
question," an obvious play on Shakespeare's "To be or not to be, that is the question"
line by Prince Hamlet. If you recognize those, you'll find other familiar takeoffs
as well...
 "The life-givers of
integrated circuits and quantum devices in silicon are small structures
made from patches of foreign atoms called dopants. The dopant structures provide
charge carriers that flow through the components of the circuit, giving the components
their ability to function. These days the dopant structures are only a few atoms
across and so need to be made in precise locations within a circuit and have very
well-defined electrical properties. At present manufacturers find it hard to tell
in a non-destructive way whether they have made their devices according to these
strict requirements. A new imaging paradigm promises to change all that. The imaging
mode called broadband electric force microscopy..."
 When I think back at the
engineering
labs from my days in school, I wonder how much things have really changed from
then until now. It is hard to believe that freshman and sophomore labs are not still
consumed with radial lead resistors, inductors, and capacitors, solderless breadboards,
and a variety of light bulbs, motors, transformers, relays, and rheostats. By the
time you move into the junior year, labs have gotten a bit more intense with microprocessor
controls (mine used an 8088 CPU with machine language programming for the serial
port), some high voltage apparati[sic], digital logic circuits, and a chance to
lay out/fabricate/populate a PCB. On-hand test equipment consists of 2nd or 3rd
generation oscilloscopes, signal generators, and power supplies. I did a search
for photos of labs from back in the early to mid 1900s to see if much had changed
from then until the time I was in college...
 On July 28, 2020, Apple was granted patent
number US10727570 titled "Electronic devices having antennas that radiate through a display."
Abstract: "An electronic device may be provided with a display and a phased array
antenna that transmits radio-frequency signals at frequencies greater than 10 GHz.
The display may include a conductive layer that is used to form pixel circuitry
and/or touch sensor electrodes. A filter may be formed from conductive structures
within the conductive layer. The conductive structures may include an array of conductive
patches separated by slots or may include conductive paths that define an array
of slots. The filter may include an additional array of conductive patches stacked
under the array of conductive patches to allow the slots to be narrower than would
be resolvable to the unaided human eye. The periodicity of the conductive structures
and the slots in the filter may be selected to tune...
RF Superstore launchedin 2017, marking the return of Murray Pasternack, founder
of Pasternack Enterprises, to the RF and microwave Industry. Pasternack fundamentally
changed the way RF components were sold. Partner Jason Wright manages day-to-day
operations, while working closely with Mr. Pasternack to develop RF Superstore into
a world class RF and microwave component supplier. RF coaxial connectors & adapters,
coaxial cable & cable assemblies, surge protectors, attenuators. Items added
daily. Free shipping on orders over $25. We're leading the way again!
 Heathkit's claim to fame was that it was
able to offer user-assembled kits of high quality electronic products at a price
lower than what equivalent factory assembled equivalents would cost. While that
is probably generally the case, it is difficult to gauge what the relative quality
really is. Some of the kits were easy to assemble for even people with little experience,
but a good portion of them required familiarity with soldering and how electronics
were put together. The instructions provided were very thorough, complete with photos
and drawings of how each step should look. In fact, according to a 1972 installment
of Mac's Service Shop titled "Philosophy of a Kit Manufacturer," every Heathkit
kit instruction booklet goes through a rigorous cycle of writing, testing, and rewriting
before being released for production...
 Axiom Test Equipment, an electronic test
equipment rental and sales company has published a new blog post titled "Practical Solutions for Measuring Phase Noise" that examines phase
noise, what it is, why too much noise and frequency instability can be a problem
in testing, and how to find the right method and equipment for measuring it. Phase
noise can often be measured directly using different measurement approaches such
as residual and cross-correlation techniques, which are explored more in-depth in
the blog. Most importantly, the blog explains what specifications to look for in
a spectrum or signal analyzer to ensure the best fit for the job. A few equipment
examples are given as guides...
 Universum, a self-proclaimed "global employer
branding leader" that conducts research studies on career expectations,' surveyed
52,000 engineering students between October 2019 and April 2020 on their preferred
places of employment. They were asked who is your preferred employer upon graduation.
Design News created a slideshow of the results showing their
top 50 dream employers. Numbero uno is Tesla, a U.S. e-car maker,
whose stock just approved a
5:1 split after skyrocketing in value after its related (by ownership)
sky rocket (SpaceX - the #2
choice) business recently succeeded in launching and returning two American astronauts
to the ISS. #3 was Lockheed Martin. Google only rated #4, Apple #7, Microsoft #8,
. Lego - the plastic block people, came in at #31. The USAF was #39. General Dynamics
completed the list at #50. If the list had gone to #51, RF Cafe would probably have
been there.
 "Scientists said they had discovered a way
to
detect space debris even in daylight hours, potentially helping
satellites to avoid the ever-growing cloud of junk orbiting the planet. Defunct
rockets, satellites and spacecraft parts continue to orbit Earth after they are
discarded. The estimated 500,000 objects circling the globe range in size from a
single screw to an entire rocket fuel tank. Travelling at thousands of miles an
hour, they pose a huge and rising collision risk to satellites. Using lasers, it
is possible to detect the debris from the ground..."
 One very satisfying aspect of 'rolling your
own'
audio frequency coils (aka chokes, aka inductors), is how well
the simple inductance equations match measured end results. Unless you really manage
to mangle the job, if you use the right equation and are reasonably careful to observe
wire size, spacing (including insulation), and core diameter, you will be amazed
at how close practice matches theory. Although strictly speaking audio frequencies
run from a few Hertz up to maybe 15 kHz for people with really good hearing.
My experience is that similar success can be had even into the low MHz realm with
just a little tuning required. It's not until you get into the realm of self-resonance
that everything starts falling apart with basic equations...
"Anatech-Electronics-Cavity-Filters-8-11-2020.htm" target="_top">
 Anatech Electronics offers the industry's
largest portfolio of high-performance standard and customized "Anatech-Electronics-Cavity-Filters-8-11-2020.htm"
target="_top"> RF and microwave filters and filter-related products for military,
commercial, aerospace and defense, and industrial applications up to 40 GHz.
The P/N AE1200-1400DB5450 passes DC-1200 MHz and 1400-3000 MHz with a
crossover insertion loss of 5 dB at 1300 MHz crossover frequency at 1300 MHz
and in band insertion loss of less than 1 dB. The AE2310B11640 passes the LTE
band of 2305-2315 MHz with an in-band insertion loss of less than 1 dB.
The 2305-2315 MHz bandpass filter exhibit a very sharp transition to the rejection
band with a power handling of 20 W...
Reactel has become one of the industry leaders in the design and manufacture
of RF and microwave
filters, diplexers, and sub-assemblies. They offer the generally known tubular,
LC, cavity, and waveguide designs, as well as state of the art high performance
suspended substrate models. Through a continuous process of research and development,
they have established a full line of filters of filters of all types - lowpass,
highpass, bandpass, bandstop, diplexer, and more. Established in 1979. Please contact
Reactel today to see how they might help your project.
 This "Electronic Crossword" appeared in the September 1958 issue of
Radio & TV News magazine. Its creator, John Gill, designed specialty theme crossword
puzzles for many other editions of Radio & TV News and Electronics World (see
the big list at the bottom of the page). He considered this crossword to be
a "fooler" because he claims to include many "unusual definitions and a number of
obscure words which you will have to work around if your vocabulary of 'exotic words'
is rusty." It really doesn't seem so difficult to me, and anyone used to working
my custom RF Cafe Crosswords will have no problem with it.
"Skyworks-High-Linearity-LNA-Small-Cell-MIMO-Base-Station-8-11-2020.htm" target="_top">
 To meet the challenging requirements of cellular
LTE and 5G NR infrastructure applications, Skyworks has released the "Skyworks-High-Linearity-LNA-Small-Cell-MIMO-Base-Station-8-11-2020.htm"
target="_top"> SKY67183-396LF and SKY67189-396LF low noise amplifiers (LNAs).
These LNAs feature ultra low-noise figure, exceptional linearity, and operate over
a wide range of frequencies. To reduce PCB board space, these devices are housed
in an ultra-compact 2 x 2 mm plastic surface mount package. The SKY67183-396LF and
SKY67189-396LF are ideal for 2G/3G/4G/5G TDD and FDD infrastructure applications,
including small cell, massive MIMO, and macro base stations...
 "After completing a countdown dress rehearsal,
Astra is gearing up for its first orbital launch attempt this week from Kodiak Island,
Alaska, but company officials said it will likely take multiple test flights before
the new
small satellite launcher successfully reaches orbit. Astra's small
satellite delivery vehicle was set for liftoff from the Pacific Spaceport Complex
in Alaska during a two-hour window opening at 10 p.m. EDT Sunday, or 6 p.m. local
time in Alaska. In social media updates, Astra said it fueled the small satellite
launcher with liquid propellants Sunday. But officials said out-of-limits upper
level winds and a boat in restricted waters offshore of the launch site..."
 When someone with the first name of "True"
writes an article about transmission line feeds for short-wave antennas, you should
probably take note. This very topic has been covered in detail many times since
the use of impedance-matched transmission lines have been in use (more than a century),
but since there are always people new to the concept, it is good to keep introducing
the topic on a regular basis."Transmission-Line Feed for Short-Wave Antennas" appeared in a
1932 issue of QST magazine. Even in this era of prefabricated everything,
it still often comes down to winding coils and adjusting cable lengths to get optimal
impedance matches between transceivers and antennas.
 I have extolled the virtues of Aerospace &
Defense Technology magazine many times for its variety of extremely interesting
articles on a wide range of topics. The August issue has a story on the
element Vanadium (atomic number
23) and the critical
role it plays as an alloy component of metals. At concentrations of less then 0.1%,
vanadium can nearly double the strength of steel and aluminum, as well as increasing
resistance to corrosion. It is also used as a catalyst (sometimes a substitution
for nickel and platinum), in electronics components, and in ceramics. Use of vanadium
is considered "green" because most of it is obtained from byproducts of other industrial
processes like ash from coal burning. Vanadium is the earth's 22nd most abundant
element and is found everywhere, but as you might suspect China provides 61% of
the supply while the U.S. does a mere 3% (Russia makes 14%). Fortunately, part of
the Dept. of Interior's 2018 charter was to include vanadium on its list of critical
commodities and must act to significantly increase domestic production rather than
be dependent on foreign sources. It's long past time.
"ConductRF-TSA89-TESTeLINK-RF-Cables-40-GHz-5-18-2020.htm" target="_top">
 Manufacturing
of all our products continues to operate at full capacity as part of the "Essential
Business" community. Professional high frequency "ConductRF-TSA89-TESTeLINK-RF-Cables-40-GHz-5-18-2020.htm"
target="_top"> TSA89 series of RF test cables with performance to 40 GHz.
Precision connector choices include; SMA, Type-N, 3.5mm, 2.92mm, & 2.4mm. Key
features: High-frequency point to point cable, light weight rugged double-shielded,
flexible cable, low loss <0.68 dB/ft @ 40 GHz, low VSWR < 1.35:1
(Typical < 1.25:1), RF leakage >-100 dB to 18 GHz, temperature rated
from -55ºC to 125ºC. 100% factory VSWR and insertion loss tested. Cables are in
stock and available immediately from Digi-Key. Made in the USA.
Electro-Photonics is a global supplier of
RF &
Microwave components. Their products include SMT hybrid and directional couplers,
wire bondable passive components, mounting tabs, filters, transmission lines, and
very useful test boards for evaluating components (spiral inductors, single-layer
capacitors). The Electro-Photonics team can support your small R&D design requirements
with RF & Microwave test fixtures and save you valuable design and characterization
time. Please take a moment to visit Electro-Photonics' website and see how your
project might benefit.
 The word prefix "para" can mean "above and
beyond" or "resembling" or "abnormal or incorrect." Ward Products probably preferred
first two be inferred by potential customers when naming their
PARA-CON television antenna, although it actually is a shortening
of "parabolic." The "con" part is a shortening of "conical." After reading the text
of this full-page advertisement from a 1951 issue of Radio & Television News
magazine, I'm inclined to assign the third prefix meaning of "para" to it. Then,
add in the "con" part where "con" can take on either the noun form meaning of "disadvantage"
or the verb form definition of "to trick or defraud," and you get what this antenna
truly represented in terms of achieving superior performance. At best the PARA-CON
exhibited the characteristics of a phased pseudo-[bi]conical antenna. The allusion
to a parabolic antenna...
 "Sensing devices have a range of industrial
uses - from carrying out ground surveys to monitoring volcanoes - and scientists
are developing ways to improve their sensitivity with quantum technologies that
are based on cold atoms. Machines using quantum technology are, however, bulky and
difficult to transport, making current designs unsuitable for most industrial uses.
According to Birmingham University, the researchers have used a new approach that
will enable
quantum sensors to shrink to a fraction of their current size.
The research was conducted by an international team led by Birmingham University
and SUSTech in China in collaboration with Paderborn University in Germany. Their
results are published in Science Advances..."
 Not everyone who visits websites like RF
Cafe is a seasoned electronics veteran. While I and most likely you, too, can do
series and parallel circuit analysis (and series/parallel for
that matter, possibly using Fourier or La Place transforms for reactive AC
circuits) in our sleep, many are recently getting into the wonderful world of electronics
who are just coming of age or have suddenly at a later point in life developed a
passion for the craft. Accordingly, this article from Radio News magazine
provides yet another tutorial on the fundamentals of series and parallel circuit
analysis. Only resistors and basic Ohms law are covered...
"Withwave-1mm-1.0mm-Adapters-DC-110-GHz-8-10-2020.htm" target="_top">
 Withwave's Precision "Withwave-1mm-1.0mm-Adapters-DC-110-GHz-8-10-2020.htm"
target="_top"> 1.0 mm to 1.0 mm Adapter Series are designed based
on precision microwave interconnection technologies. Configurations include 1.0 mm (F)
to 1.0 mm (F), 1.0 mm (M) to 1.0 mm (F), and 1.0 mm (M)
to 1.0 mm (M). These Adapters are manufactured to precise microwave specifications
and constructed with male and female gender on both side. The precision microwave
connector interfaces ensure an excellent microwave performance up to 110 GHz.
Features: Frequency range = DC to 110 GHz, VSWR (max) = 1.30:1, Body = stainless
steel (passivated)...
 Aegis Power Systems is a leading supplier
of AC-DC and
DC-DC power supplies for custom and special applications. Aegis has been designing
and building highly reliable custom power supplies since 1995. They offer a complete
line of switch mode power supplies and power converters for a variety of markets
including defense, industrial, aircraft, VME, and telecom. Supports military, aircraft,
EV, telecom, and embedded computing applications. Design and manufacture of custom
power supply solutions to meet each customer's exacting specifications. Please visit
Aegis Power Systems today.
 Here are a couple more
tech-themed comics from a vintage electronics magazine (Popular
Electronics). The one from page 101 reminds me again about how different the
world of retail sales is today compared to just two short decades ago. Prior to
the advent of online marketing and sales, you either walked into a brick and mortar
(a term rarely heard before the Internet era) type store and walked out with your
purchased product, or you thumbed through a catalog and placed an order either by
mail or telephone. Most people opted to pay for a postage stamp rather than pay
the long distance phone charge (a term rarely heard today). Free overnight or 2-day
shipping from many e-stores makes online shopping nearly as instantaneous as walking
into a store. People under 20 years old have never known much different, but some
old-timers still find the paradigm change strange. The way things are going...
Exodus Advanced Communications
Intros X-Band High Power Pulse Amplifier
"Exodus-Advanced-Communications-X-Band-High-Power-Pulse-Amplifier-8-6-2020.htm"
target="_top">
 Exodus Advanced Communications' model "Exodus-Advanced-Communications-X-Band-High-Power-Pulse-Amplifier-8-6-2020.htm"
target="_top"> Exodus AMP5055P-SSC Pulse Amp (9.6-9.9 GHz, 150 W pulse)
is IP67 rated and fully qualified for outdoor applications. Designed for Pulse/Radars
in the harshest of environmental conditions up to a 20% duty cycle. The unit provides
outstanding Pulse fidelity, excellent band flatness, all in a compact lightweight
package with the highest reliability. Other frequency ranges & power levels
available. Features: Outdoor waterproof packaged high power SSPA, class AB Pulse,
GaN design, designed for high power X-band pulse applications, built-in control,
monitoring, and protection circuits, high reliability and ruggedness...
 Since this is a presidential election year,
I figured it would be a good time to post a tongue-in-cheek- story that appeared
in the November 1952 issue of QST magazine about a fictional American president
J. Willoughby Winkelspoof. The ARRL always has been and still is apolitical,
so don't take seriously anything you read here. If you are an astute follower of
politics, you might pick up on the nuances woven into the story, and might even
marvel on how much the political landscape has changed in the half century since
Pres. Winkelspoof graced the Oval Office. Incidentally, the 1952 presidential election
was between Dwight D. Eisenhower and Adlai Stevenson. You might wonder how many
U.S. presidents were/are Amateur Radio operators. Answer...
 Innovative Power Products (IPP) has over
30 years of experience designing & manufacturing RF & microwave passive
components. Their high power, broadband couplers, combiners, resistors, baluns, terminations
and attenuators are fabricated using the latest materials and design tools available,
resulting in unrivaled product performance. Applications in military, medical, industrial
and commercial markets are serviced around the world. Please take a couple minutes
to visit their website and see how IPP can help you today.
 Frequent visitor and contributor Joe B.
sent me a link to a page entitled, "40 Hilarious Ads For Technology From The Past That Look Insanely Expensive
Now." It fits in well with the theme of RF Cafe so you might enjoy being reminded
of (if you're old like me) or seeing for the first time (if you're not old like
me) what people were paying for technology which was bleeding edge then and is toy-quality
now. No kidding. Pick any microprocessor-driven toy from a shelf at Walmart and
it will have nearly as much memory and processing power. One example is a 10 MByte
hard drive costing $3,398 in 1981, which is the equivalent of $10,069 ($1k/MByte)
in 2020 money per the BLS
Inflation Calculator. These kinds of themes can be found all over
the Internet, and as usual, the same set of examples are repeated on those pages.
Do an image search on "10 mbyte hard drive ad" and you'll see what I mean.
"Teledyne-Energetics-UK-8-4-2020.htm" target="_top">
 Teledyne Aerospace & Defense Electronics
UK (TADE UK) announced the latest business unit addition to its brand portfolio,
"Teledyne-Energetics-UK-8-4-2020.htm" target="_top">Teledyne Energetics UK,
headquartered in Lincoln, England. Visit the home page of the company's new website
here. The new website gives an overview of the Energetics UK systems, subsystems,
and component offerings, which are ITAR-free and designed and manufactured exclusively
in the UK. The website promotes the company's extensive heritage in all major deployment
theatres including aerospace, land, surface maritime, subsea ASW and LEO launch.
Teledyne Energetics UK designs and develops solutions for the safety, arming, and
initiation technology sector, in particular military energetic devices...
NorthEast RF's comprehensive
antenna testing services include linear | circular polarized antenna
measurements and OTA cellular device pre-compliance. Up to 18" diameter and <10
kg weight. Antennas can be rapidly evaluated and optimized using our fast near field
spherical system. Test results supplied in data file with pattern viewer software.
A picture of the test configuration is included to help aligned axis. Our selection
of human head and hand phantoms are ideal for verification of body worn devices.
Turnaround time is usually 3-days.
 August 9th's custom
Amateur Radio crossword puzzle contains many words particular
to Amateur Radio (labeled with an asterisk *). Each week for two decades I have
created a new technology-themed crossword puzzle using only words (1,000s of them)
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, find someone or something in the otherwise excluded list directly
related to this puzzle's technology theme, such as Hedy Lamarr or the Bikini Atoll,
respectively. Avid cruciverbalists amongst us...
These archive pages are provided in order to make it easier for you to find items
that you remember seeing on the RF Cafe homepage. Of course probably the easiest
way to find anything on the website is to use the "Search
RF Cafe" box at the top of every page. Some quoted items have been shortened
to save space. About RF Cafe.
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