See Page 1 |
2 | of the June 2025 homepage archives. Friday the 13th
 In 1988, the
National Bureau of Standards (NBS) was re-named National Institute of Standards
and Technology (NIST) because a government bureaucrat needed to justify his/her
position and the financing to change all the signs, brochures, and letterhead would
be paid for with OPM (Other People's Money, pronounced like "opium"). Regardless
of its name, the NBS is charged with establishing, maintaining, and enforcing standard
units of measure for the country, as well as with coordinating standard units with
other countries. It is interesting to read how standards have changed over the years,
and what methods have been suggested for establishing those standards; e.g., the
Ohm (Ω) could have been based on a foot of copper wire weighing 100 grains, an English
mile of No. 16 copper wire...
 This should have been done long ago. The
night is filled with
shiny satellites streaking across the sky, severly impacting astronomical observations.
"Surrey NanoSystems and Surrey University are working together to tackle the increasing
issue of satellite brightness, a phenomenon that threatens ground-based astronomical
research. Over 8,000 low Earth orbit (LEO) satellites orbit Earth and projections
estimate a rise to 60,000 by 2030, partly driven by the development of mega-constellations.
The rate of growth means the issue of light reflecting from satellites back to Earth
is pressing for astronomers and star gazers. To combat this problem, satellite operators
have begun experimenting with mitigation strategies including dark coatings and
changes to satellite position, though the negative..."
 Freon has for so long been demonized as
a destroyer of the ozone layer and has so thoroughly disappeared from consumer grade
products that I had forgotten that many moons ago I and others used it on a regular
basis for
cleaning electronics assemblies. Freon 12, methyl chloroform
(aka 1,1,1-Trichloroethane ), and methyl ethyl keytone (MEK, aka butanone) were
all very common cleaners for removing contaminants prior to soldering and for removing
flux after soldering in the days of 60/40 Sn/Pb solder and RMA (rosin, mildly activated)
flux. Call me a heretic of the green movement, but I still use 60/40 rosin core
solder for all my electronics work. In fact, I just ordered a new 1-pound roll of
it from Kester, along with a bottle of liquid RMA flux. I have changed over to Pb-free
solder for plumbing, although I'm still a bit nervous...
• FCC's
37 GHz Sharing Rules
• ARRL
Teachers Institute Set for Record Year
• EU Sets Plan to Be
AI Tech Global Leader
• Intelsat
Vehicle Satellite Connectivity Test
• Canada
Needs Strategy to Scale Chip Talent
 Exodus Advanced Communications, is a multinational RF communication equipment
and engineering service company serving both commercial and government entities
and their affiliates worldwide. Exodus'
AMP20072
is designed for EMI/RFI, lab, CW/Pulse, and all communication applications. It
is an excellent replacement for old TWT amplifiers. A compact, rack-mounted
Class A/AB linear amplifier utilizing high-power advanced technology devices.
Covers 6.0-18.0 GHz with instantaneous ultra-wide bandwidth, 300 W minimum
output power, and 55 dB gain. Built-in protection circuits with extensive
monitoring...
Thursday the 12th
 Here is another of the "Electronic Sticklers" challenges from Popular Electronics
magazine - good for ratcheting down at the end of the week. These are fairly basic
circuit analysis problems that often can be solved by inspection, but sometimes
a pencil and paper are necessary. Re-drawing the circuit in a different configuration
to make the connections more obvious often helps when solving total resistance,
capacitance, inductance, etc., as in question #1. In this case, though, you need
to be able to recognize a common configuration to be able to simplify the circuit;
otherwise, you'll be writing and solving mesh equations. #2 has a simple answer
and a more elaborate possibility. #3 and #4 are simple inspection problems...
 Anatech Electronics offers the industry's
largest portfolio of high-performance standard and customized RF and microwave filters
and filter-related products for military, commercial, aerospace and defense, and
industrial applications up to 40 GHz.
Three new filter models have been added to the product line in June, including
a 9580 MHz waveguide bandpass filter with a bandwidth f 9.53-9.63 GHz, a 902 MHz
ISM cavity notch filter with a notch frequency range of 892-912 MHz, and a
1060 MHz ceramic bandpass filter with a bandwidth of 90 MHz. Custom RF
power filter and directional couplers designs can be designed and produced...
 Short wave radio was a boon to both professional
and amateur radio operators because of its ability to be received over longer distances
using significantly lower transmitter power. The problem was (and still is) that
short wave bands typically suffer from atmospheric ionization
effects that vary depending on time of day, local weather, solar activity, pollution,
and other phenomena. Long wave's advantage was that although it required higher
power and longer antennas, it was (and is) extremely reliable. For other than the
most critical applications, idiosyncrasies of short wave communications were accepted
as the price of more convenient and lower cost operation. Widespread adoption of
short wave communications brought extensive studies and characterization of atmospheric
influences in particular frequency bands. Discovery of distinct "F" layers (regions)
in the ionosphere and their effects on radio transmission has allowed...
 Exodus Advanced Communications is a multinational
RF communication equipment and engineering service company serving both commercial
and government entities and their affiliates worldwide. Power amplifiers ranging
from 10 kHz to 51 GHz with various output power levels and noise figure
ranges, we fully support custom designs and manufacturing requirements for both
small and large volume levels. decades of combined experience in the RF field for
numerous applications including military jamming, communications, radar, EMI/EMC
and various commercial projects with all designing and manufacturing of our HPA,
MPA, and LNA products in-house.
Wednesday the 11th
 With even a modicum of familiarity with
vacuum tube terminology, you will fairly easily complete the custom crossword puzzle.
This
Electron Tube Crossword Puzzle appeared in the May 1959 issue
Electronics World, which was the first sporting the name change from
Radio & TV News. If you are a hard-core crossword puzzle worker, then
check out my weekly RF Cafe crossword puzzles that draws upon a custom dictionary
of thousands of engineering, science, chemistry, and other technical words, along
with words from current news items. Bon chance...
 For
over a quarter of a century, RF Cafe has stood as a beacon of free, high-quality
engineering knowledge - serving professionals, students, and hobbyists without paywalls,
data harvesting, or corporate influence. Founded and single-handedly maintained
by Kirt Blattenberger, this one-man passion project has grown into an indispensable
repository of RF/microwave engineering resources, vintage technical literature,
and practical tools. Now, RF Cafe needs your help to ensure its survival in an era
of rising costs, intrusive ads, and corporate-controlled information. Donations
via gofundme are tax-free per IRS rules, so the
full amount is received. Thank you for your support!
 Audio
distortion is most often expressed as total harmonic distortion (THD) as opposed
to
intermodulation distortion (IMD). As the name suggests, THD is
a measure of harmonic power content relative to the fundamental frequency (a single
tone) from which harmonics are created. IMD on the other hand, is generated from
the nonlinear mixing of two or more tones, with the products being non-harmonically
related to the original tones. The author's discussion of audio frequency IMD applies
equally to radio frequency IMD. Intentionally generated harmonic components can
enhance sound quality due to being consonant, whereas IM products create dissonant
tones not directly related to the originals...
 Withwave is a leading designer and developer
of a broad range of RF, microwave, and millimeter-wave test solutions and subsystems
with a focus on electromagnetic field analysis and signal processing. Withwave's
Solder Flow Board Edge SMA Connectors are a newly designed connector that ensures
thermal and electrical stability during SMT (surface mount technology) processing,
supporting signals ranging from DC to 26.5 GHz. It features an internal structure
using LCP (liquid crystal polymer) material, allowing it to withstand temperatures
exceeding 200°C while maintaining reliable performance when mounted onto PCB substrates...
Tuesday the 10th
 "This month marked a significant step in
the development of intelligent mining, with Chinese energy giant Huaneng Group deploying
the world’s largest fleet of
unmanned electric mining trucks. The 100 cabinless vehicles have begun operations
at the Yimin open-pit coal mine in Inner Mongolia, China, each capable of loading
and hauling up to 90 tonnes of material across the site. Powered by electric batteries,
this new fleet is carbon neutral and can operate continuously for 24 hours a day
without human intervention. Perhaps most importantly, these autonomous vehicles
remove the need to expose human workers to the mine's inhospitable environment,
where temperatures can reach as low as -48.5°C..."
 We
take for granted most of the technology that surrounds us. Unless you were alive
60 years ago at the dawn of microelectronics and space flight, it would be difficult
to imagine a world without cellphones, desktop computers, color TVs, the Internet,
and even
satellite-base weather forecasting. Everyone likes to make jokes about weathermen
being no better at predicting the weather than your grandmother's roomatiz[sic],
but the fact is that, especially for short-term (2-3 days) predictions, we get pretty
good information. As a model airplane flyer, I check the wind level forecast nearly
every day to see whether my model plane can handle it. AccuWeather's free hourly
forecast is usually pretty darn accurate for today's and tomorrow's wind...
Monday the 9th
 The October 1952 issue of Boys'
Life magazine story entitled "Tiny But Tremendous Transistors," contained the first mention
of transistors I can find in the Boy Scouts of America (BSA) flagship publication.
Germanium was still the primary element used for semiconductors at the time, although
silicon would soon replace it - and at a much lower cost. Whereas silicon is found
on beaches all over the world (and everywhere else for that matter) in the form
of sand, germanium at the time was obtained as a by-product of smelting zinc ore
(which I didn't know until reading this story). Today, of course, both elements
are abundantly available. Mr. Cavanaugh points out that although wonderful
things are being done with transistors in the way of improving performance, lowering
power requirements, and reducing product sizes and weights...
 "Since
the first observations of interference from unknown events with AM radios in the
early 1920s, the field of
electromagnetic
interference (EMI) has continued to evolve and involve more than AM radios.
Today, any product with a power cord or that is battery-operated can and will generate
electromagnetic fields. Electromagnetic compatibility (EMC) testing is required
for any product that has electrical, digital, and/or radio components. With the
growth of the variety and volume of those products, the time to complete EMC testing
typically takes longer, due to competition for lab time, and for surprises in tracking
down short-burst or impulse-type emissions. The automotive industry, for example,
requires exacting methodologies to measure all emissions..."
 Interesting how suddenly nuclear power is
Ok now that AI and Cryptocurrency requires massive energy. "Tech
sector carbon emissions continued their rise in recent years, fueled by rapid
advances in artificial intelligence (AI) and data infrastructure, according to Greening
Digital Companies 2025. The report, produced by the International Telecommunication
Union (ITU) - the UN agency for digital technologies - and the World Benchmarking
Alliance (WBA), tracks the greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, energy use, and climate
commitments of 200 leading digital companies as of 2023, the most recent year for
which full data is available. While the annual report calls on digital companies
to address their growing environmental footprint, it also indicates..."
 It was a big deal in 1944 when Austrian
physicist Dr. Felix Ehrenhaft announced that he had discovered "magnetic charges," aka magnetic monopoles. He claimed based on
numerous kinds of experiments that a reversible "magnetic current" existed around
current-carrying conductors. It seems based on my reading of this Radio-Craft article
that he believed there existed mono-magnetic particles of some sort analogous to
electrons and protons. Later experiments seems to indicate that high intensity light
beams could also produce evidence of magnetic currents. Dr. Ehrenhaft widely
promoted his conclusions and invited doubters to examine his apparatus. Based on
some Web searches on the topic, independent researchers were not able to reproduce
his findings, so his work eventually faded into the background. Some credit his
experiments with light for demonstrating the particle nature of light's ability
to accelerate masses. The most profound implication of proving the existence of
magnetic monopoles...
 This new release of RF Cafe's
Espresso Engineering Workbook has been reformatted for easier viewing of the
calculator pages, and a Sound Energy Calculator has been added which calculates
wavelength, travel time, and number of cycles over a given distance for air, fresh
water, salt water, glass, rubber, and steel. Standard textbook equations are used
to account for media type, temperature, and altitude or depth. As always, Espresso
Engineering Workkbook is provided free of charge, compliments of RF Cafe's
sponsors. Download a copy today, and let others know.
Friday the 6th
 Remember the Sunday comics feature for kids
where there was a picture drawn with things wrong in it, and you had to find them
all? This 1950 advertisement for the Sangamo Electric Company's line of capacitors,
which appeared in Radio & Television News magazine, could server as a modern-day
version for the Cancel Culture "woke" crowd that believes it has a duty to criticize
and impugn everything it happens to fear, not like, or not understand. My list is
at the bottom of the page if you want to compare it to yours. On other Sangamo ad
post pages I have provided a bit of research on the background of "Samgamo" to try
to determine whether the use of Native Americans (aka "indians" at the time) was
based on a local tribe. No link has ever been found. Below the ad are a few of the
items discovered...
 Anritsu is announcing the launch of a new
Simultaneous
Sweep capability for its ShockLine™ MS46131A Vector Network Analyzer (VNA) -
the world's first 1-port VNA supporting frequencies up to 43.5 GHz. This advanced
capability enables simultaneous 1-port S-parameter measurements across up to four
MS46131A units. Each unit can be independently configured with custom test settings
- such as start and stop frequencies, IF bandwidth, and number of points - while
all units perform sweeps in parallel. The result is significantly reduced test time
and enhanced flexibility for a wide range of measurement scenarios. The Simultaneous
Sweep feature allows coordinated sweep triggering through an external signal, synchronizing
the start...
• Supply Chains Becoming
Security Weak Link
• AI,
Layoffs Fuel Surge in Job Scams
• Ericsson
Commits €200M to Irish R&D
• Ambient
Energy Harvesting IoT Devices $1.1B in 2030
• India Guidelines for
Electronics Components Manufacturing
 Back in the early 1990s, while working for
a fine Midwestern company that made automated utility meter reading (AMR) equipment,
an older gentleman was hired as a contractor to do some design work. He was an instant
hit with everyone not just because of his engineering prowess, but because of his
stories of the mechanical and analog electronic computers he worked on for the U.S.
Navy. After being commissioned as an ensign at the U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis,
Maryland, he spent time studying, researching, and designing massive
radar-directed gun pointing systems for battleships. Just as contraptions
like Babbage's difference engine was a marvel of contemporary engineering, so, too,
were those fantastic shipboard amalgamations of gears, switches, vacuum tubes, rheostats,
flywheels, cams, and bearings. Calculations of azimuths and elevations were made
using sum, difference, integrating, and multiplication circuits built of discrete
analog components and electronic valves...
 Alliance Test Equipment sells
used / refurbished test
equipment and offers short- and long-term rentals. They also offer repair, maintenance
and calibration. Prices discounted up to 80% off list price. Agilent/HP, Tektronix,
Anritsu, Fluke, R&S and other major brands. A global organization with ability
to source hard to find equipment through our network of suppliers. Alliance Test
will purchase your excess test equipment in large or small lots. Blog posts offer
advice on application and use of a wide range of test equipment. Please visit Allied
Test Equipment today to see how they can help your project.
Thursday the 5th
 Whether you are a DIY'er, tinkerer, hobbyist,
experimenter, roustabout, odd-jobber, handyman, jack-of-all-trades, innovator, or
any sort of electronics dilettante to any degree of adeptness from mere abecedarian
to seasoned professional polymath, chances are you can learn something useful from
just about all of John T. Frye's "Mac's Radio Service Shop" techno-drama stories. They appeared
on a monthly basis in Radio & TV News magazine, and then continued
when it became Electronics World in 1959. The varied collection of "dogs"
that piled up on Barney's bench while Mac was on vacation provided a convenient
excuse to touch on a wide variety of equipment types, from record players to radios,
including sets that had fallen victim to "home-talentitis" at the hands of a not-so-capable
owner...
 "Variable-stiffness
electronics are at the forefront of adaptive technology, offering the ability
for a single device to transition between rigid and soft modes depending on its
use case. Gallium, a metal known for its high rigidity contrast between solid and
liquid states, is a promising candidate for such applications. However, its use
has been hindered by challenges including high surface tension, low viscosity, and
undesirable phase transitions during manufacturing. A team of researchers from KAIST
and Seoul National University has now developed a electronic ink that enables room-temperature
printing of variable-stiffness circuits capable of switching between rigid and soft
modes. This advancement marks a significant leap toward next-generation.."
 RF Cafe visitor Nathan Coonrod let me know
about a unique type of reistor calculator he created. Hosted on the Difftronic website,
his
Resistor Ratio Calculator will find the two standard resistor values which comes
closest to with a resistance ratio, or a voltage divider ratio using two standard
value resistors. For the test case in the thumbnail image, I specified a resistance
ratio of π. The algorithm can limits its values
to a particular tolerance class, or it can select from all classes. The error value
(deviation from ideal) is also presented. I thought that might be difficult, but
an error of only half a percent is easily achieved. Hint: Be sure to enter a Target
Value <1 on the Vout/Vin calculator. Per the webpage, "Often when developing
embedded electronics there are reasons you need to incorporate specific resistor
ratios or voltage ratios. Common uses include feedback networks for regulators,
op-amp feedback, and bias networks..."
 "PCBs? We ain't got no PCBs in our TV sets†...
We don't have to give you no stinking PCBs." That is effectively what the Zenith
television advertisement from a 1958 edition of Radio-Electronics magazine
told its potential customers. According to the Zenith communications department,
even though their head R&D guy, Dr. Alexander Ellett, was "the daddy of printed circuit boards," they stuck with the traditional
point-to-point wiring in all their TV chassis. I have to agree with them from a
troubleshooting and component replacement perspective. There's nothing easier than
heating a solder lug or terminal post to unwrap a leaded R, L, or C either to measure
its value, isolate it from the rest of the circuit for making tests, or to replace
it. There is no worry about solder splatter or bridges, overheating the PCB material
to cause delamination, or lifting metal traces from the surface. There is also no
issue with getting a component lead out of a plated-through hole. Yes, of course
modern circuits need multilayer, high density circuit boards...
 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. "Printed Circuit Fabrication &
Assembly with No Limit on Technology or Quantity."
Wednesday the 4th
 The first electronic circuit I remember
building as a budding teenage tinkerer was a
"whistler" detector, aka a "sferic." Instructions and a schematic came from
a project book I bought at Radio Shack. A whistler is a time-varying electromagnetic
signal that decays in both frequency and volume over a short time - like sounds
made by the eponymous fireworks genre. Having always had an interest in weather
phenomena as part of my flying hobbies, it seemed like an apt learning endeavor.
To my recollection, the whistler detector was a simple diode circuit with a couple
Rs, Ls, and Cs strewn around in a particular configuration, and a long wire antenna.
I can't honestly say whether or not any whistlers were ever heard with it. My interest
was a layman's curiosity, but elsewhere in the world, professional scientists were
expending a lot of effort in their attempts to analyze and quantify a whitler's
particulars...
 RF Cafe visitor Brian Beezley sent me a
note about the very nicely done S-Parameter
Plotter program he created (lots of other
info, too). "This Windows program plots S-parameters for one or two Touchstone
files. It generates impedance, admittance, and immittance Smith charts as well as
rectangular plots. It displays wrapped or unwrapped phase, filtered or unfiltered
group delay, file comments, and file data. It plots Z, L, Q, C, DF, and ESR using
the S11 reflection, S21 or Y21 series-through, and S21 shunt-through methods. The
program can renormalize the reference impedance. This lets you measure a device
at 50 ohms and plot the response at its design impedance. No matching network is
needed." It is amazing how long the EEsof
Touchstone .SnP file
standard has persisted. I used it in the late 1980s on Unix workstations.
 On December 8, 1941, the day after the Japanese
attack on Pearl Harbor, the FCC issued a "Notice to All Amateur Licensees" that
began thusly: "All amateur licensees are hereby notified that the Commission has
ordered the
immediate suspension of all amateur radio operation in the continental United States,
its territories, and possessions." The October 1945 issue of Radio-Craft magazine
announced the long-awaited planned resumption of transmitting operations. On November
15, 1945, amateurs were finally allowed back on the air, but only on the 10 and
2 meter bands. Another end to an FCC wartime policy announced was the requirement
to reduce output power by 1 dB (~20%) below normal maximum power, with the
motivation having been to extend the lifetime of tubes. Proving that engineers and
major corporations can have a sense of humor, get a load of the "sniffer" radar
dish shown here...
 Established in 1990,
dB Control supplies mission-critical,
often sole-source, products worldwide to military organizations, as well as to major
defense contractors and commercial manufacturers. dB Control designs and manufactures
high-power TWT amplifiers, microwave power modules, transmitters, high- and low-voltage
power supplies, and modulators for radar, ECM, and data link applications. Modularity
enables rapid configuration of custom products for a variety of platforms, including
ground-based and high-altitude military manned and unmanned aircraft. Custom RF
sources and receivers, components and integrated microwave subsystems as well as
precision electromechanical switches. dB Control also offers specialized contract
manufacturing and repair depot services.
Tuesday the 3rd
 Radio-Craft magazine's "Radio
Term Illustrated" feature of electronics-themed comics was very popular. Famous
artist Frank Beaven, who created illustrations for numerous publications at the
time, took ideas submitted by readers and turned them into clever word (or phrase)
pictures. You will need to consider some of them from the viewpoint of someone in
the 1945 era in which they were made. I don't know if women Navy personnel are referred
to as WAVES (Women Accepted for Volunteer Emergency Service ) anymore - probably
not. Arcing from motor armature brushes was a common cause of radio interference
in the days of AM broadcasting, hence "brush discharge." I colorized them for you.
Enjoy!
 Werbel Microwave's model
WM8PD-0.6-7.4-S1 (formerly known as D-8974) is an 8-way single-sided connector
configuration power splitter covering the continuous bandwidth of 600 MHz to
7.4 GHz in an enclosure measuring 6.50 x 5.60 x 0.55 inches with versatile
mounting options. The device is RoHS compliant. This part has versatile mounting
options. Thru holes allow for mounting to chassis on the broad side. Threaded holes
on the connector edges allow for through panel mounting. The product is suited for
Wi-Fi 6E extended band test and measurement systems but also extends down to upper
UHF...
 If you are going to write an article about
etching crystals for radio frequency circuits, having a last name
like Gene Brizendine's couldn't be much better. It just sounds like a mineral or
a compound (benzidine, etc.). Amateur radio operators have for a long time adjusted
the resonant frequency of their crystals by either grinding or chemical etching.
Mr. Brizendine recommends etching as a more controllable method that does not
reduce the quality of the crystal like improper grinding can do. Ammonium bifluoride
is mentioned as the etchant. It is said to have cost about $1/pound in 1954, and
sells on Amazon today for about $23/pound. According to the BLS Inflation Calculator,
$1 in 1954 is the equivalent of about $9.60/pound in 2020, so the price has gone
up considerably - not sure why. Of course it could be that the modern solution is
more concentrated than that used by the author...
 Centric RF is a company offering from stock
various RF and Microwave coaxial
components, including attenuators, adapters, cable assemblies, terminations,
power dividers, and more. We believe in offering high performance parts from stock
at a reasonable cost. Frequency ranges of 0-110 GHz at power levels from 0.5-500
watts are available off the shelf. We have >500,000 RF and Microwave passive
components we can ship you today! We offer Quality Precision Parts, Competitive
Pricing, Easy Shopping, Fast Delivery. We're happy to provide custom parts, such
as custom cables and adapters, to fit your needs. Centric RF is currently seeking
distributors, so please contact us if interested. Visit Centric RF today.
Monday the 2nd
 Test your
diode switch analysis skills here with six circuits designed by
Mr. Robert P. Balin in the July 1961 issue of Popular Electronics. When
evaluating the equivalent circuits with the diodes biased on or off, don't make
the job more difficult for yourself by considering whether there is enough voltage
or current to turn a particular diode on or not, just whether the diode is forward
or reverse biased. Doing so reduces everything to simple series and parallel combinations.
Redrawing each circuit either with a short for a forward biased diode and an open
for a reverse biased diode makes the task easier...
 "IEEE
Spectrum interviewed Bertrand Piccard at a pivotal moment in the hydrogen-powered
aircraft project, with the plane, called
Climate Impulse,
about 40 percent built. Piccard spoke about the contributions of his corporate sponsors,
including Airbus, to the Climate Impulse project and about why he's confident that
hydrogen will eventually succeed as an aviation fuel. He'll fly around the world
in a hydrogen fuel-cell aircraft. Few explorers have reached the heights, literally
and figuratively, that Bertrand Piccard has. He is the quintessential modern explorer,
for whom every big mission has a purpose, which generally boils down to environmental
and climate-change awareness. In 1999, he was the first person to circumnavigate..."
For
over a quarter of a century, RF Cafe has stood as a beacon of free, high-quality
engineering knowledge - serving professionals, students, and hobbyists without paywalls,
data harvesting, or corporate influence. Founded and single-handedly maintained
by Kirt Blattenberger, this one-man passion project has grown into an indispensable
repository of RF/microwave engineering resources, vintage technical literature,
and practical tools. Now, RF Cafe needs your help to ensure its survival in an era
of rising costs, intrusive ads, and corporate-controlled information. Donations
via gofundme are tax-free per IRS rules, so the
full amount is received. Thank you for your support!
 The other day a song entitled "Western
Union" played on my local over-the-air oldies radio station. It was released
by the group The Five Americans in 1967. I've heard it many times before, but it
finally occurred to me that the use of Morse code-like symbols in the refrain made
it a perfect candidate for a spot here on RF Cafe. The full lyrics of "Western Union"
can be found at the bottom of the page, but notice the "Dah-Dit-Dah-Dit-Dah" repeats
in the refrain. Even though I'm a licensed (as of 2010) Ham, my shameful (according
to some veterans) status as a post-Morse-code era did not require demonstration
of code proficiency. As such, my lack of a Morse code deciphering ability required
that I rely on an online translator for considering what the code might be. Depending
on how you separate the dits and dahs, the string of characters can be interpreted
as TETET (- . - . -), TAA (- .- .-), KA (-.- .-), NK (-. -.-), CT (-.-. -) or other
combinations, none of which seem to mean anything in particular...
 Exodus Advanced Communications, is a multinational
RF communication equipment and engineering service company serving both commercial
and government entities and their affiliates worldwide. Exodus' model
AMP20084 solid state power amplifier operates from 80-1000 MHz with >750 W
output. The unit produces >1000 W nominal power with >600 W
P1dB. The minimum gain is 60 dB with excellent flatness. Included are amplifier
monitoring parameters for Forward/Reflected power, VSWR, as well as voltage, current &
temperature sensing for optimum reliability & ruggedness. Nominal weight is <40 kg,
and dimensions are 19"W x 27"L x 8.75"H...
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.
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- Christmas-themed
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