Search RFC: |                                  
Please support my efforts by ADVERTISING!
Serving a Pleasant Blend of Yesterday,
Today, and Tomorrow™

Vintage Magazines

Electronics World
Popular Electronics
Radio & TV News
QST | Pop Science
Popular Mechanics
Radio-Craft
Radio-Electronics
Short Wave Craft
Electronics | OFA
Saturday Eve Post

Formulas | Data

Electronics | RF
Mathematics
Mechanics
Physics

Calvin & Phineas

kmblatt83@aol.com

Archive | Sitemap

Resources

Articles | Radar
Cogitations
Magazines | AI
RF Museum
Software | Videos
Radio Service
Tech Notes

Entertainment

Crosswords
Humor | Podcasts
Quotes | Quizzes
Tech Comics

Parts | Services

1000s of Listings

About RF Cafe
Software: RF Cascade Workbook | RF Symbols for Office | RF Symbols & Stencils for Visio | Espresso Workbook
Please Support My Advertisers!
Transcat | Axiom Test Equipment - RF Cafe
Aegis Power | Centric RF | RFCT
Empower RF | Reactel | SF Circuits
Alliance Test | Isotec
Johanson Dielectrics EMI Filters - RF Cafe

Windfreak Technologies Frequency Synthesizers - RF Cafe

Werbel Microwave power dividers, couplers - RF Cafe		 Innovative Power Products (IPP) RF Combiners / Dividers - RF Cafe

KR Electronics (RF Filters) - RF Cafe

Exodus Advanced Communications Best in Class RF Amplifier SSPAs

Please Support RF Cafe by purchasing my ridiculously low-priced products, all of which I created.

RF Cascade Workbook for Excel

RF & Electronics Symbols for Visio

RF & Electronics Symbols for Office

RF & Electronics Stencils for Visio

RF Workbench

T-Shirts, Mugs, Cups, Ball Caps, Mouse Pads

These Are Available for Free

Espresso Engineering Workbook™

Smith Chart™ for Excel
Johanson Technology Prototyping Kit - RF Cafe

Plasma Antennas Answers to RF Cafe Quiz #43
minimum height spacer

RF Engineering Quizzes - RF CafeAll RF Cafe Quizzes make great fodder for employment interviews for technicians or engineers - particularly those who are fresh out of school or are relatively new to the work world. Come to think of it, they would make equally excellent study material for the same persons who are going to be interviewed for a job. Bonne chance, Viel Glück, がんばろう, buena suerte, удачи, in bocca al lupo, 행운을 빕니다, ádh mór, בהצלחה, lykke til, 祝你好運. Well, you know what I mean: Good luck!

Click here for the complete list of RF Cafe Quizzes.

Note: Some material based on books have quoted passages.

Return to RF Cafe Quiz #43

Plasma Antennas - RF Cafe Featured BookThis quiz is based on the information presented in Plasma Antennas, by Theodore Anderson.

Note: Some of these books are available as prizes in the monthly RF Cafe Giveaway.

 

1.  When the frequency of operation of a plasma antenna decreases, what is the corresponding requirement for plasma density?

c)  Plasma density must decrease

A rule of thumb is that the plasma frequency should be about twice or greater than the operating frequency of the plasma antenna consider the plasma antenna to behave as an effective metal antenna.  (see page 4)

 

2.  How does plasma density affect signal phase during reflection and/or refraction?

c)  Plasma density affected by both reflection and refraction

This property allows flat panel plasma tube arrays to be programmed as scanning phased arrays, adaptive parabolic, or just about any other shape antenna.  (see page 5)

 

3.  How is characteristic impedance controlled in a plasma antenna?

d)  All the above

The text specifically cites the plasma density's role in affecting impedance, but the plasma antenna's shape and plasma material also determines impedance.  (see page 34)

 

4.  What commonly available component is useful as a plasma antenna demonstrator?

a)  Fluorescent bulb

Probably the most useful fluorescent bulbs are the ones with a U shape that have electrode ends which can be placed inside a metal enclosure with only the glass tube exposed as an antenna.

  (see page 38)

 

5.  What is plasma, by the way?

b)  An ionized gas

Duh.  (see page 45)

 

6.  In a multiple frequency nested plasma antenna, where is the highest frequency antenna element located relative to the lowest frequency antenna element?

b)  Lowest frequency element on the outside, highest frequency element on the inside

Placing the denser, higher frequency at the innermost location and layering outward with progressively lower densities with correspondingly lower frequencies allows the inner layers to see through the outer layers (see page 47)

 

7.  What is plasma "windowing?"

a)  Creating electronically switched portal regions around an antenna array

Plasma regions can be made transparent or opaque to the radiating (or receiving) antenna inside the enclosure in order to shape the field beam.  (see page 54)

 

8.  What is a "smart" plasma antenna?

d)  An antenna that use adaptive techniques to control beam patterns

Computer control can be used to determine angle of arrival, timestamp, and characterize signals, as well as do beam forming to target specific intended recipients.  (see page 79)

 

9.  How can plasma materials be used to provide filtering?

b)  Layering regions of plasmas allows specific frequencies to be selected and others rejected

Each frequency-selective (FSS) layer has to be modeled using numerical methods and layers are stacked in such a way to create the desired filtering.  (see page 113)

 

10.  Who is undoubtedly the master of using commercial fluorescent tubes for constructing plasma devices like antennas, filters, and switches?

a)  Theodore Anderson

Hands down. No question about it.  (see entire book Plasma Antennas)

Quizzes from vintage electronics magazines such as Popular Electronics, Electronics-World, QST, Radio-Electronics, and Radio News were published over the years - some really simple and others not so simple. Robert P. Balin created most of the quizzes for Popular Electronics. This is a listing of all I have posted thus far.

RF Cafe Quizzes

Vintage Electronics Magazine Quizzes

Vintage Electronics Magazine Quizzes

Kirt Blattenberger - RF Cafe Webmaster

Copyright: 1996 - 2026
Webmaster: Kirt Blattenberger
   BSEE - KB3UON - AMA92498
   USAF Radar Technician

About RF Cafe

RF Cafe began life in 1996 as "RF Tools" in an AOL screen name web space totaling 2 MB. Its primary purpose was to provide me with ready access to commonly needed formulas and reference material while performing my work as an RF system and circuit design engineer. The World Wide Web (Internet) was largely an unknown entity at the time and bandwidth was a scarce commodity. Dial-up modems blazed along at 14.4 kbps while tying up your telephone line, and a lady's voice announced "You've Got Mail" when a new message arrived...

Copyright  1996 - 2026

All trademarks, copyrights, patents, and other rights of ownership to images and text used on the RF Cafe website are hereby acknowledged.

My Hobby Website:
AirplanesAndRockets.com

My Daughter's Website:
EquineKingdom