|
 This set of three circuit analysis challenges
appeared in the January 1963 issue of Radio-Electronics magazine. Readers,
staff, and even come companies submitted the "What's
Your EQ?" (EQ = Electronics Quotient) content. As an example of the latter,
Cleveland Institute of Electronics provided "Draw the Waveform." Don't let the diode
vacuum tube deter you from the puzzle. Just mentally replace the tube with a solid
state diode symbol with the anode at the top where the tube's plate (anode) is shown.
The negative element of a tube is called the cathode, same as the solid state diode.
"Capacitor Charge" is easy enough. "Another 2-Box Light"...
 "Despite increasingly intense competition
for skills across all sectors of industry and a growing appetite amongst
engineers for a new challenge, engineering salaries appear to have stagnated
over the past 12 months. This is just one of the key findings of The
Engineer's tenth annual salary survey, which is published in full on
The Engineer's website in a new interactive digital format. Attracting
responses from 621 engineers working across 12 different sectors, this year's
survey was carried out between December 2024 and January 2025. As ever, the
results provide a fascinating insight into
UK engineering salaries and how engineers are feeling about their careers..."
 In this 1963 issue of Radio-Electronics
magazine, editor Hugo Gernsback reflects on the early days of television, noting
that the first regular daily TV broadcast began on August 13, 1928, over radio stations
WRNY and W2XAL, which were associated with his former publication, Radio News.
Initially, these
broadcasts were silent, featuring only moving images the size of a postage stamp,
and it wasn't until 1931 that TV broadcasts included sound. Gernsback critiques
the slow progress in improving the audio quality of television receivers, pointing
out that despite advancements in high-fidelity and stereo audio technology, most
TV sets still lacked these features due to regulatory restrictions by the FCC. He
expresses hope that recent petitions to the FCC...
 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
AMP20081 high power solid state power amplifier (SSHPA) is ideal for broadband
EMI-Lab, communications, and EW applications. Class A/AB linear design accommodates
all modulations & industry standards. It covers 80-1000 MHz, producing
600 W nominal, with a 500 W P1dB and 56 dB minimum gain. Excellent
flatness, optional monitoring parameters for forward/reflected power, VSWR, voltage,
current & temperature sensing for superb reliability and ruggedness...
 In that these
comics from Radio-Craft magazine have an electronics
theme, you can claim looking at them is work-related. The themes of the comics reflect
common scenarios of the 1944-1945 era in which they were published, but with not
much modification can be applied to today's environment. People will always expect
more features from products, will be critical of everything presented to them, and
will want to haggle for the best deal from the used camel salesman. You might consider
using one of them for your next conference or project status presentation. There
is a list of many more similar comics at the bottom...
 In a groundbreaking announcement that will
forever transform global communications, QentComm®©™ (Quantum Entanglement Communications)
has unveiled the world's first
commercially viable quantum entanglement communication system. Dubbed QeG®©™
(Quantum entanglement Generation, pronounced kwee-gee), supplementing the traditional
4G, 5G, and 6G nomenclature, this revolutionary technology eliminates the limitations
of traditional radio-based systems, delivering instantaneous, unlimited connectivity
across any distance without reliance on satellites, cell towers, or fiber optics.
Under the leadership of Kirt Blattenberger, QentComm (pronounced kwent-kōm) has
created a system that defies conventional physics by utilizing quantum entanglement
for real-time, secure communication between devices anywhere in the universe - including
here on Earth...
 In this "Carl & Jerry" technodrama from
a 1957 issue of Popular Electronics magazine, the two boys start out enjoy a casual
day of kite flying, using a homebrew radio-controlled camera attached to the kite
to capture an aerial view of Round Island in a lake. After successfully taking a
picture, they develop the film and discover two men and an odd setup on the island.
Curious, they return the next day, find a hidden tunnel, and stumble upon an illegal
liquor still. As you might expect, the teens run into a heap of trouble when the
moonshiners nab them. Using their combined ingenuity and knowledge of communications
methods common to Ham radio operators of the era, contact was made and help was
on the way. Read about Carl and Jerry's exploit and exactly what it was that saved
the day - and their hides!
 "In late January 2025, 17 students and staff
members from Las Animas High School (LAHS) in Colorado visited the
Deep Space Exploration Society Radio Telescope (DSES) located at the Plishner
Radio Astronomy and Space Sciences Center near Haswell, Colorado. They also got
an introduction to amateur radio. 'This first field trip visit of high school students
reflected the dreams of Michael Lowe, former DSES board president, who sought to
create a center for radio astronomy and space science education in southeast Colorado,'
said DSES President Myron Babcock, KL7YY..."
 Making format changes to magazines after
many years of an established standard always ruffles the figurative feathers of
a significant portion of regular readers. Two magazines I read monthly, Model
Aviation and QST, recently underwent a format change - both of which
I considered very nice. However, reader comments in the aftermath showed a few who
were not impressed. Popular Electronics magazine in 1966 made announcements
regarding plans to adopt some of the
newer base units for physical measurements, including this one for beginning
to use "Hertz" (Hz), along various numerical prefix forms, instead of "cycles per
second" (cps). The editors give sound reason...
 The
Beverage Antenna, very familiar to amateur radio operators, is
a simple but efficient, highly directional, non-resonant antenna that consists of
a single straight wire of one or more wavelengths that is suspended above the ground.
It is orientated parallel to the direction of intended reception. One end is terminated
to ground through a resistor, and the other is connected to the receiver. The following
quote comes from the patent (US1,81,089) text: "In accordance with theoretical considerations,
if an antenna were to be freely suspended and if the surface of the earth constituted
a perfectly conducting parallel plane, current waves would travel through...
 This letter was sent to Hugo Gernsback,
publisher of Radio-Electronics magazine, in response to the "30-Day
Record Response" article penned by noted scientist and inventor Mohammed Ulysses
Fips. In it, Stephen A. Kallis, Jr. heaped laud upon the "Most Revered and Esteemed
Fips" for his long-term recording device (remember, 1961 was many decades before
microminiature terabyte memory and microprocessors) were available, and chastises
Mr. Gernsback for evidently calling into question the authenticity of the recorder.
Kallis, a self-proclaimed stereo enthusiast, bolsters Fips' case by citing "A Proposed
Listening Area," by the Institute of Synergistic Statics Proceedings...
 Raise your hand if you're old enough to
remember doing printed circuit board layout using
Rubylith tape. My hand is up. Back in the early 1980s, I did prototype
PCB designs in an engineering development lab at Westinghouse Electric's Oceanic
Division. Most of it was for analog and RF substrates that would be photographically
reduced in size for use with bare integrated circuit die and surface mount passive
components (Rs, Ls, and Cs), upon which I would later epoxy-mount those components
and wire-bond everything using 1-mil gold wire. However, there were projects where
full-size leaded components were used on a through-hole PCB that used not only the
Rubylith tapes but also sheets with special electronics shapes for solder pads around
the holes for components leads, ground and power planes, board-edge connectors...
 "Quantum systems don't just transition between
phases - they do so in ways that defy classical intuition. A new experiment has
directly observed these
dissipative phase transitions (DPTs), revealing how quantum states shift under
carefully controlled conditions. This breakthrough could unlock powerful new techniques
for stabilizing quantum computers and sensors, making them more resilient and precise
than ever before. A new frontier phase transitions, like water freezing into ice,
are a familiar part of everyday life. In quantum systems, however, these transitions
can be far more extreme, governed by principles like Heisenberg's uncertainty..."
 In
this November 1940 issue of the Boy Scouts Boys' Life magazine, amateur
radio operators, or "hams," are described as having the ability to communicate across
vast distances, connecting far-flung locations such as Goulds, Florida, Cali, Colombia,
Cairo, Kenilworth, England, Bombay, and Brisbane. These operators, licensed by the
Federal Communications Commission, engage in various activities such as talking
to distant stations, participating in contests, and providing emergency communication
during natural disasters. With call letters assigned by international treaty, these
stations use a combination of code and phone to make contact, exchanging reports
and QSL cards. The
Radio merit badge was first offered in 1918 and has been...
 ConductRF is continually innovating and
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and phased matched VNA applications as well as standard & precision RF connectors.
Over 1,000 solutions for low PIM in-building to choose from in the iBwave component
library. They also provide custom coax solutions for applications where some standard
just won't do. A partnership with Newark assures fast, reliable access. Please visit
ConductRF today to see
how they can help your project!
 The date approacheth when, according to
Western customs, every body needs to stand a vigil against the attempt of another
body to make him or her a fool. That date is of course April 1st, aka, April
Fools' Day. Many of the technical magazine we grew up with - and some still today
- engage in the ruse. Innovator and publisher Hugo Gernsback, who's long list of
accomplishments includes this Radio-Electronics magazine, often contributed
his own wit to the April editions. The usual scheme is to make the article just
authentic enough to be possibly real, while including features outrageous enough
to clue the read that he is being "had." Experienced subscribers knew that the Mohammed
Ulysses Fips byline was sure to deliver an April Fools delight. Here, Mr. Fips
expounds on the newfangled "Electronics
Razor..."
 "Quantum computing has long struggled with
creating
entangled photons efficiently, but a team of researchers has discovered a game-changing
method using metasurfaces - flat, engineered structures that control light. By leveraging
these metasurfaces, they can generate and manipulate entangled photons more easily
and compactly than ever before. This breakthrough could open the door to smaller,
more powerful quantum computers and even pave the way for quantum networks that
deliver entangled photons to multiple users..."
 Here is a chart you don't see every day
- "Temperature Rise in Rigid Waveguide." The company, Engineering
Antenna Systems, of Manchester, New Hampshire, that published the chart in a 1965
edition of Engineering magazine, does not exist anymore. They were probably
bought by someone else, but I could not even find an honorable mention of them in
a Google search. Given the very low attenuation of properly sized and installed
waveguide, it is hard to imagine a temperature rise of 500°F; however, when megawatts
are pumped into it even a couple tenths of a decibel of attenuation per 100 feet
results in a lot of power loss. Noted is how attenuation - and therefore temperature
rise - is greater for frequencies at the lower end of the waveguide's operational
range. Temperature rise numbers are for natural convection in free air...
 Here is an inspiring interview of
Werbel Microwave's Ernest Werbel - a case of pulling oneself up by one's own
bootstraps --- everything RF recently interviewed Ernest Werbel, the Chief Design
Engineer of Werbel Microwave. He is from Livingston, NJ, and got his associates
in EE Technology, at County College of Morris. Ernest completed his Bachelors in
Electronics and Computer Engineering Technology from NJ Institute of Technology.
He founded Werbel Microwave in 2014. Q. Can you tell us about Werbel Microwave?
When did you start the company and how has it evolved over the years? Ernest Werbel:
Firstly, thank you for the opportunity to participate in the everything RF community.
I appreciate everything that Raghav and his team have done for us since the beginning,
getting our products listed on everything RF and featuring our products in the email
blasts... As a child and teen in the 90s, I was always interested in electronics.
When I was very young, a radio was a magical box with a voice. Later, when my grandparents
passed in '97, my parents and I were cleaning out their home in Brooklyn. Among
other things were many old and broken consumer electronic items...
 Today we have
missing persons notices printed on milk cartons and computer-aged
pictures of missing kids on bulletin boards at Walmart, and of course the Internet
with all its various forms of publicity. In 1935, evidently, an electronics magazine
was a proper venue for placing a missing person ad. At the time there was no convenient
and accessible way for family members to reach out to a nationwide audience other
than to place ads in magazines and/or newspapers in remote locations. I thought
it odd to see such a placement in this edition of Short Wave Craft magazine,
but considering the aforementioned, doing so is entirely reasonable for a worried
family. I wonder how much it cost to place the notice? It's heartbreaking, really...
• 2025 Tech Jobs Expected
to Take Off
• Semiconductor
Industry Faces a Seismic Shift
• 76% of
News Consumers Still Use AM/FM
• FCC
Spectrum Rules to Support Advanced Flight Technologies
• Radio
Attracts High Purchasing Power Consumers
 I'm always aware of the old saying that
it is better to remain silent and thought a fool, than to open your mouth and remove
all doubt, but I'll take the risk here. The ARRL's QST magazine has for
decades in the April issue published at least one unannounced "April Fool" item.
I think I found at least two for 2025. While enthusiastically reading "Turn Your
Vertical Antenna into a Rotatable Beam," (p60), it didn't occur to me that this
was the April issue, and I was in awe of Jay Kolinsky's (NE2Q) intuition and creativity
in devising a scheme to get directivity from his standard vertical whip antenna.
By sliding a carbon fiber tube with a narrow slit along the length over top of the
antenna, a 14 dB increase was realized in the direction of the slit. NE2Q has
named his invention the Loof Lirpa Slot (LLS). What's in a name -
Juliet?.
Is a patent in the works?
 The other suspect is the CW Corp. of America's
"Snappy
Training Key," reported on page 95 by Ellwood Brem (K3YV). You need to log in
to read the articles, or borrow a hard copy from a Ham friend.
 "A major scientific leap has been made with
the creation of the longest
ultra-secure quantum satellite link between China and South Africa, spanning
nearly 13,000 km. This unprecedented achievement, marking the first quantum satellite
link in the Southern Hemisphere, relied on real-time quantum key distribution to
transmit encrypted images between continents. World’s Longest Quantum Satellite
Link Established Scientists from South Africa and China have successfully created
the world’s longest intercontinental quantum satellite link, spanning 12,900 kilometers
(~8,000 miles). This ultra-secure connection was made possible using China's Jinan-1..."
 According to the science and mechanics magazine
I read during the 1960s through 1980s, we should all have personal nuclear power
generators powering our houses, watches, cars, and just about anything that runs
on electricity. Like with flying cars and robotic domestic servants, were not even
close to that a quarter of the way through the next century (2025). This news item
appears to be a good start on the promise. "Imagine never charging your phone again
or having a pacemaker that lasts a lifetime. Scientists are developing tiny
nuclear batteries powered by radiocarbon, a safe and abundant by-product of
nuclear plants. Unlike lithium-ion batteries, which degrade over time and harm the
environment, these new designs use beta radiation to trigger an electron avalanche
and generate electricity. The technology could one day make nuclear power as accessible
as your pocket device..."
 FM (frequency modulation) radio certainly
was a hot topic beginning in the middle to late 1940s. With the war out of the way,
energies and resources were being redirected back to peacetime production. Major
Edwin Armstrong announced his FM scheme in 1935, and as with many new inventions,
it was met with skepticism by many who doubted his claim of static interference
immunity. For many, it was a lack of understanding that caused the negative reaction,
caused primarily by the increased level of sophistication of the transmitter and
receiver circuitry. Amplitude modulation (AM) was so easy even a caveman could understand
it, but adding phase relationships into the equation (literally) left many in the
dust. This
FM Radio Quiz from a 1950 issue of Radio & Television
News magazine tests your grasp of frequency modulation principles...
 Stan Goldberg is a familiar name to comic
book aficionados for his artistry in Spider Man, the Incredible Hulk, and the Archie
series. QST magazine had him listed in the "Silent Keys" column in the
November 2014 issue because he passed away in August. A Silent Key, in Hamdom, is
usually a title reserved for a deceased licensed operator (the 'key' reference being
a Morse code key), but a search of the Internet and the FCC license database web
page did not turn up a call sign for him. Unless his record has been dropped from
the database, Mr. Goldberg might never have actually been a Ham, but earned the
Silent Key acknowledgement because of his involvement in a 1986 special edition
comic book titled "Archie's
Ham Radio Adventure." It was quite an extensive story...
|
 1449: The first known British patent was issued to John of Utynam for a method of making stained glass. 1827: German physicist Ernst Chladni, known as "the father of acoustics," died. 1829: James Carrington patented his coffee mill - a very important invention! 1860: Pony Express... more
 Having recently struggled a little with re-stringing
the dial cord on a vintage Realistic (Radio Shack) Patrolman-50 Radio, it really
became apparent why the
Sams Photofact Folders were of such value to electronics servicemen.
Unlike the tangled mess of dial cord shown in the ad, I had the advantage of being
able to carefully open the chassis and photograph the routing and wrapping of the
broken dial cord around pulleys and shafts. Even so, a lack of experience required
some trial and error to get the tensioning correct. No doubt many unqualified radio
owners attempted to fix their own broken dial cords prior to breaking down and committing
to spending a few bucks to have a pro do it correctly. The tight quarters in my
portable radio had me using tweezers to do some of the routing...
 These "Radio
Term Illustrated" and "Technical Term Illustrated" electronics-themed comics
are amongst the best I can remember seeing. They appeared in two 1946 issues of
Radio-Craft magazine. For the uninitiated, WAVES is an acronym for Women Accepted
for Volunteer Emergency Service. They were a World War II phenomenon established
on July 30, 1942, half a year after the Pearl Harbor attack. Their Navy Reserve
status granted both commissioned officers and enlisted women official service duty
status for the duration of the war and entitled them to the privileges (and in some
case dangers) that came with it. As with women occupying manufacturing and even
airplane ferrying jobs previous dominated by men, WAVES freed up men to go fight
the war. The artist, Frank Beaven (FB), solicited suggestions from readers and then
turned them into a sort of double entendre form of comics...
 ...During my last session on the cursed elliptical
machine, for some reason I was
contemplating
pi (π).
Pi has been an enigma in the realm of mathematics and physics since it was first
recognized as being irrational The fact that the ratio of a circle's circumference
to its diameter is an inexact number has caused enormous amounts of consternation
for dogged investigators of the aforementioned phenomenon. Pythagoras is believed
to have first noticed the irrationality of certain numerical ratios when even something
as basic as the corner-to-corner diagonal of a unit square could not be calculated
to a finite precision. In some religious circles even contemplating such thoughts
caused souls to be burned at the stake for daring to assert that such an imperfection
could exist in a perfectly created world. Recall that Galileo was excommunicated
for asserting that the earth was not the center of the universe...
 For the majority of the last century,
Bell Telephone Laboratories (Bell Labs) led the telecommunications
industry, both for wired and microwave links. Whenever you learned of a
breakthrough in telephony, you could assume it was another Bell Labs innovation
and probably be right. Of course there were discoveries in other venues like
university research facilities, but often those were at least partially funded
by Bell. The company grew to be so large and influential that the government
decided breaking them into smaller pieces would reduce their influence over the
nature of communications systems. It is similar to how Google dominates Internet
search engines and advertising, and how Facebook dominates social media, except
nowadays those venues are considered vital to political futures so they are
permitted to continue to grow unabated. This item about how fiber optic
communications will provide a vital link to high capacity, high bandwidth
transmission lines...
 Once frequency modulation (FM) began making
inroads in the commercial radio broadcast world, it wasn't long until the pundits
were writing eulogies for
amplitude modulation (AM). There was/is no denying the superiority of FM in
terms of both natural (QRN; e.g., lightning, static, arcing contacts) and manmade
(QRM; e.g., another radio) interference, but there was already a large installed
base of AM radio receivers (and broadcast transmitters) that satisfied their owners'
expectations for listening to news, ball games, music, and the well-established
repertoire of drama and comedy shows. FM radios were generally more expensive to
manufacture, operate, and repair than AM - at least early on, especially since typically
FM sets included AM as well. This particular article from a 1944 issue of Radio
News magazine discusses class C amplifiers...
 Only a couple decades prior to when this
article on a newfangled
wireless automatic garage door opener appeared in Radio-Craft
magazine, there would have been no demand for such a device ... although maybe an
automatic horse barn door opener would have been in demand if a battery was available
on the coach. Amazingly, the system employed an early, albeit crude, form of both
spread spectrum and digital communications in order to trigger the receiver for
opening the door. The spread spectrum characteristic of the signal was the natural
consequence of using a spark transmitter. A digital 'Morse' code encryption allowed
multiple openers to be installed in close proximity. The opener did not have any
type of safety sensor to prevent people or things from being crushed, but then it
wasn't until sometime around the 1970s that the feature became standard...
 Biographical historians spend endless hours
searching old media for bits of information on their subjects. Finding useful material
on more renowned personalities is not a problem, but filtering out relevant bits
for a particular theme can be daunting. On the other hand, finding useful information
on lesser known people can be frustrating because there is so little information
readily available. Great Britain's World War II era superstar
Winston Churchill undoubtedly falls into the former category. While scanning
through my many vintage electronics and science magazines for interesting fodder
to post on RF Cafe, I'm always on the lookout for cameo appearances like this one
of Prime Minister Churchill talking on a walkie-talkie (aka 'handie-talkie' at the
time) in this 1942 edition of Radio-Craft. It shows him participating in a parachuting
exercise at the U.S. Army's Fort Jackson training base, in South Carolina...
 The world is full of geniuses who have ideas
with the potential to introduce history-making products and services to mankind.
Thankfully, many of them manage to draw the attention to themselves and make their
contributions available. Some of those same people have the talent to prepare their
inventions and concepts for distribution, while others require the know-how of others
- nowadays known as manufacturing engineers - to figure out how to mass produce
a product with enough efficiency to make things affordable. Thomas Edison, Henry
Ford, George Westinghouse, Lee de Forest, and other recognizable inventors
depended on assistance for ultimate success. I will soon be posting stories of de Forest's
long, hard-fought path to success with his Audion tube which will make you wonder
how people can have the fortitude to continue...
 It is a rare occasion that Barney bests Mac when
it comes to electronics prowess. Good natured back and forth often goes on between them
during troubleshooting sessions and impromptu discussions about business practices, industry
trends, and customer interactions; indeed, John Frye depends on it to make the stories
interesting. This time, underling Barney exploits knowledge gained from a recently purchased
electronics reference book to trip up shop owner Mac over which of two metals has the
lowest resistance. Mac's choice is one many people would instinctively make - and
be wrong as Mac was. Here is a table of electrical resistivity values for various metals
and substances...
 If you think the ISM (Industrial,
Scientific, and Medical) unlicensed bands were a relatively new spectrum allocation,
you might find this 1960 Electronics World news piece interesting. Individual
countries generally acknowledge the ISM emissions specifications set forth by the International
Telecommunication Union (ITU), which created the bands in 1947. The 900 MHz, 2.4 GHz,
and 5.8 GHz WiFi bands are well known to most people. 24 GHz is gaining traction
as current spectrum gets more and more crowded and high bandwidth data channels are needed.
Interestingly, the first few ISM bands are integer harmonics of the lowest (6.78 MHz,
center of band 1). To wit: 2 * 6.78 = 13.56 MHz (band 2), 4 * 6.78 = 2 * 13.56 =
27.12 MHz (band 3), 6 * 6.78 = 2 * 13.56 = 40.68 MHz (band 4)...
 A While back I posted a page pointing to
the many laboratory wall charts offered by Keysight Technologies (formerly Agilent,
formerly Hewlett Packard). I mentioned how unlike modern charts that are full of
color, the old ones were usually a single color or black & white. Here is an
example from American Amphenol which appeared in a 1945 issue of Radio News
magazine. Something like this would make a really cool decoration for today. I just
looked on eBay and didn't see an
Amphenol Tube Socket Wall Chart for sale, but that would probably be the bet
place to latch on to one eventually...
 When many people hear the name of
Bell Telephone Company, the first thing they think of is the court-directed
breakup of Bell System into what became known as "Baby Bells" after being sued for
monopolistic policies. What is too often forgotten - or more likely never realized
- is the immense role Bell played in the building of America into an industrial
and technology giant. Vintage magazines like this 1949 issue of Radio-Electronics
as well as many other types including The Saturday Evening Post, Popular
Mechanics, Family Circle, and many other publications commonly found
in homes, contained full-page advertisements by Bell Telephone Laboratories promoting
their work and reminding subscribers of how their hard-earned money was being invested
on improvements. Along with the Interstate Highway System, America's robust, dependable,
and high quality personal communications...
 This
Engineering and Physics Theme crossword puzzle for February 7th contains
only words and clues related to engineering, mathematics, chemistry, physics,
and other technical words. As always, this crossword contains no names of
politicians, mountain ranges, exotic foods or plants, movie stars, or anything
of the sort unless it/he/she is related to this puzzle's technology theme
(e.g., Hedy Lamarr or the Bikini Atoll). The technically inclined cruciverbalists
amongst us will appreciate the effort. Enjoy!
 Here is an advertisement by
Emerson Radio and Television from the November 6, 1948, edition of the The Saturday
Evening Post. By 1948, America and the free world was well into the
conversion of wartime production back into commercial and consumer products.
After many long years of allocating factory space, personnel, and resources to
beating back the forces of Communism, Marxism, Socialism, and other evil forms
of 'isms," the good times were returning. FM radio broadcasting stations were
increasing rapidly in number, providing static-free listening even in areas of
weak reception. Television was still a relatively new phenomenon for most
households. The tabletop Model 571 "Image Perfection" television carried a price
of $299.50 in 1948, which is the equivalent of a whopping $3,186* in 2018...
 If you have been in the RF and microwaves
business for any length of time, you are probably familiar with a company named
Varian. In the days before you did your parts shopping online, Varian catalogs populated
the desks and bookshelves of many RF engineers who worked in the radar field, including
mine. Did you know that it is named after the brothers Russell and Sigurd Varian,
who started the business in 1948 to market their high power
klystron tubes? Following a number of reorganizations, it was
purchased by Agilent technologies in 2010. This story from Radio Electronics
magazine does a real nice job explaining the workings of a klystron without
getting too deep into the gory theoretical detail...
 Just about everyone who has worked in the
radar field for a long time is familiar with the name of
Dr. Robert M. Page. He was the first to come up with
the concept of monopulse radar, and he invented the familiar Plan Position Indicator
(PPI) radar display and the RF duplexer which allows one antenna to be connected
to both the transmitter and the receiver. Amazingly, I recently received an e-mail
from Dr. Page's son, John Page. An interest in his father's career combined
with insight that only growing up under the loving care of Dr. Page can provide
has afforded him some unique tidbits of information that many (most, per John) historical
accountings omit. Rather than me summarizing his letter, you will want to read it
yourself as presented below. World War II aficionados will particularly appreciate
the information. John pays homage to his father's co-workers...
 Part 1 of this 3-part article, titled
"Influence of the Antenna of the Choice of Wavelength for Best Communications,"
appeared in the February 1952 issue of QST magazine. Unfortunately, I do
not yet own that edition. However, I do have Part 3, which subsequently appeared
in the August 1952 edition. It will eventually get posted here. QST does
not have a publicly available archive, but if you happen to be an ARRL member, you
can access Part 1 after signing in. In this series, author Yardley Beers discusses
propagation
effects, modulation systems, and receiver techniques. A particularly interesting
topic included in this installment is that of using a form of pulse modulation in
FM broadcasting in order to exploit the 'capture effect' whereby a signal in the
presence of noise will tend to suppress the noise. I don't think modern stations
use that method, possibly because of incompatibility with stereo channels and data
added for digital readouts...
 "After Class" is a long-running feature of Popular Electronics
magazine that covered a very wide range of topics. In most instances a single major
theme is presented, but in this May 1955 issue there are five separate areas: the
Faraday shield, binary notation, using a tuning fork to resonate a tank circuit,
and two quizzes (one on resistance and capacitance and another on power supplies).
On the topic of Faraday shields, I have to tell you about an e-mail I recently received
from an RF Cafe visitor. He wrote asking whether there was any atmospheric pressure
at which satellite radar could not penetrate to the Earth's surface. I could be
wrong, but usually questions like that are asked by people who believe in a government
conspiracy to surviel (and ultimately control) the populace. I used to dismiss such
notes as being from lunatics, but with all the cameras everywhere and the ability
to track movement via cell towers and Wi-Fi hot spots ...
 Before the advent of electrical distribution
systems and electronics, the
hazard of lightning was primarily from fire ignition and, to a
lesser extent, bodily injury (to humans and animals). In fact, it was Benjamin Franklin's
discovery that lightning was a form of electricity that led to his subsequent invention
of the lightning rod system that, after being installed on Philadelphia's tallest
wooden structures, significantly reduced the incident of lightning-related devastating
fires which had been ravaging the city for years. Once cities began installing electric
power lines, they were to lightning what trailer homes* are to tornadoes - strong
attractors. Line protection systems were soon developed to help stop strikes which
sometimes caused electrocution to people inside homes who happened to be touching
a light switch or plumbing fixture ...
 Take a look at the list of National Company's
employee list wishing their customers a
Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. Every one of them is a licensed
Ham radio operator. It appeared in the January 1941 issue of QST, but
was for the 1940 Christmas. National Company was a major producer of amateur
radio gear in the day. Little did they suspect that by the same time a year
later, America would be newly engaged in World War II after the Japanese attack
on Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941. Interestingly, the American Lung Society's
Christmas Seals stamp that appears in the upper left corner is authentic and
must have been applied by humans. That means thousands of copies had to be
manually stamped before mailing...
 A few days ago I mentioned that a popular
early form of radio detector circuit involved the used of a flame - yes, the flame
of a fire, not a romantic significant other. The subject arose in a couple articles
in the January 1947 issue of Radio-Craft magazine that celebrated the 40th
anniversary of
Lee de Forest's Audion vacuum tube invention. This particular piece was
authored by de Forest himself, who was a personal friend of Radio-Craft
editor Hugo Gernsback. It is a very interesting autobiographical account of the
early days of experimentation and the evolution of what eventually became the world's
first mass producible signal amplifying device. You will also read that de Forest
created the designation of the "B" battery for a reason he makes obvious. Also,
although you have probably seen pictures of the old household type gas light fixture... |
