Today in Science History -
 Try as I did, I could not find any instance of the Ness Clocks all-digital liquid crystal display (LCD) desktop clock which appeared in this 1973 Popular Electronics article. There must not have been many produced. LCDs had only been commercially available for a year or so when this went on sale. Of the relatively few digital display clocks and watches available in the 1970, the vast majority used light-emitting diodes (LEDs), and most sold for north of $100 (~$600 in today's money). Portable devices with digital displays really began to flourish with the advent of both CMOS circuitry and LCD displays; i.e., low current devices that extended battery life. Wrist watches, which could only accommodate very small batteries with limited energy storage capacity, were amongst the greatest beneficiary...
 "A computer chip can process and store information using two different devices. If these devices could be combined into one or put next to each other, there would be more space on a chip, making it faster and more powerful. Engineers have developed a way that the millions of tiny switches used to process information (transistors) could also store that information as one device. The method accomplishes this by solving another problem: combining a transistor with higher-performing memory technology than is used in most computers, called ferroelectric RAM. Researchers have been trying for decades to integrate the two..."
 ConductRF's close partnership with TE in its development of its new Nano-miniature RF Solutions for VITA67.3 has put us in a great position to support your VPX RF cable assembly needs. Modular solution supports 8 to 18 positions, flexible 0.047" diameter cable, supports frequency up to 70 GHz, use with standard solutions (SMA, SMPM, etc.), 2x density of Vita67.1. ConductRF's PFT33 Series of Micro Flexible Cable Assemblies has been designed directly with TE Connectivity involvement and in partnership to maximize the capabilities of TE's new Vita67.3 NanoRF VPX modular connector system. ConductRF offers its soft FEP jacketed ø0.047" cable to facilitate maximum flexibility and provides solutions for jumper cables ...
 RF Cascade Workbook 2018 is the next phase in the evolution of RF Cafe's long-running series, RF Cascade Workbook. It is a full-featured RF system cascade parameter and frequency planner that includes filters and mixers for a mere $45. Built in MS Excel, using RF Cascade Workbook 2018 is a cinch and the format is entirely customizable. It is significantly easier and faster than using a multi-thousand dollar simulator when a high level system analysis is all that is needed. An intro video takes you through the main features...
 PCB Directory is the largest directory of Printed Circuit Board (PCB) Manufacturers, Assembly houses, and Design Services on the Internet. We have listed the leading printed circuit board manufacturers around the world and made them searchable by their capabilities - Number of laminates used, Board thicknesses supported, Number of layers supported, Types of substrates (FR-4, Rogers, flexible, rigid), Geographical location (U.S., China), kinds of services (manufacturing, fabrication, assembly, prototype), and more. Fast turn-around on quotations for PCB fabrication and assembly.
 Lee de Forest, upon whom was conferred the honorary title "Father of Radio" by Radio-Craft editor Hugo Gernsback (and others), exemplifies personal traits of most great inventors: high intelligence, stick-to-itiveness, courage, passion for his subject, determination, and a willingness to endure a lot of personal and financial abuse. The January 1947 issue of Radio-Craft magazine celebrated the 40-year anniversary of Mr. de Forest's invention of the Audion vacuum tube by including a large number of articles by various authors who knew him personally and attest to his greatness. I will be posting a few of those pieces, and you will probably be shocked at some of the shenanigans that went on by conniving people and naysayers who tried to deny de Forest due credit. For example, based on his work to make more sensitive receivers a judge in a lawsuit brought by Marconi strictly enjoined him "to forever desist from the manufacture, sale or operation of any system of wireless telegraph...
 This article entitled "Rad-Hard Microelectronics for Space Applications," from the February issue of Aerospace & Defense Technology magazine, does a nice job of boiling down the most significant problems and solutions faced by engineers and scientists. Due to the high weight and volume required to sufficiently shield electronics from the effects of damaging space-borne particles and rays, methods have been devised to live with some of the damage while still being able to function - even if in a crippled mode. Redundancy is a big part of the strategy, as is actively monitoring and avoid ejecta from the sun, known debris from asteroids, comet tails, asteroids, and man-made space junk.
 Here is another exciting episode of the sleuthing adventures starring Popular Electronics' tech savvy teenagers, Carl and Jerry. The Hardy Boys of electronics are the creation of author John T. Frye, who created short story adventures for many years - long enough to at one point require a major modification in the boys' appearances to reflect more modern attire and eyewear (Carl's "The Far Side"-style glasses had to go). This particular adventure begins with Carl considering whether his ham radio hobby is more useful from the standpoint of its technical aspects or of its social aspects.
 "U.S. Marines with Information Group II Marine Expeditionary Force (II MIG) participated in an amateur radio general licensing course January 27 – 31 on base as part of the group’s High Frequency Auxiliary Initiative. Members of the Brightleaf Amateur Radio Club of Greenville, North Carolina, helped the Marines in the class learn the principles of HF radio operations as a contingency against a peer-to-peer adversary in real-world operations. During the course, Marines learned ham radio theory, band allocations, conventional and field-expedient antenna theory, and general ham radio operation and control. II MIG Commanding Officer Colonel Jordan Walzer created the High Frequency Auxiliary Initiative after recognizing the need for additional options in combat environments..."
 Copper Mountain Technologies (CMT) has produced a series of videos to help users of its diverse line of vector network analyzers (VNAs) get the most out of their extensive capabilities. Proprietary features in both hardware and software supplies VNAs designed by CMT with capabilities far beyond similar equipment by other companies. In this video entitled, "In-Circuit Antenna Verification," CMT's Brian Walker, Senior RF Design Engineer, shows how there can be significant variation of performance of a PCB mounted antenna when it is close enough to other objects to disturb the near field response. It is best to measure the return loss of an embedded antenna in its final configuration and be prepared to add matching elements to improve radiation efficiency...
 Empower RF Systems is a global leader in power amplifier solutions. Empower RF Systems is an established and technologically superior supplier of high power solid state RF & microwave amplifiers. Our offerings include modules, intelligent rack-mount amplifiers, and multi-function RF Power Amplifier solutions to 6 GHz in broadband and band specific designs. Output power combinations range from tens of watts to multi-kilowatts. Unprecedented size, weight and power reduction of our amplifiers is superior to anything in the market at similar frequencies and power levels.
 Whereas this "Choosing the Right Antenna" from a 1958 issue of Radio & TV News magazine article concerns television antennas, the information applies generally for any application. Folded dipoles, conicals, Yagis, log periodic, and other types were used by homeowners sometimes desperate to receive a good signal from a far away broadcast station or from a location buried in obstacles (terrain, buildings, water bodies, automobiles, towers, etc.) blocking and reflecting otherwise strong signals, thus causing fading and multipath degradation. You might think the advent of cable and satellite TV, along with Internet access, might have removed the need for rooftop type over-the-air antennas, but it is not so. There are still plenty of people located in rural areas that struggle to get a good signal, as evidenced by RF Cafe visitor Dave Jones, (N1UAV) stacked 9- & 17-element yagi TV antenna project...
 "A team of physicists from the University of Würzburg is hard at work developing technology that could one day allow for the creation of nanoscale antennas with remarkable data transfer properties. Theoretically, these nanoscale-sized directional antennas would have the power to share data between different core processors at the speed of light. In a paper published in the journal Nature Communications, physicists explained how they were able to generate directed infrared light with the help of an antenna that is both electrically driven and made out of gold. But this was no typical antenna; known as a Yagi-Uda antenna after the researchers who invented it back in the 1920s, this device has a few special features that set it apart..."
 Unless you live with or interact regularly with someone who is blind, it is easy to forget the difficulty everyday life poses for him or her. I do not know any blind people. A lot of effort has been put forth to help facilitate those who are severely sight impaired or totally blind. Helen Keller is probably the most well-known blind person (she turned out to be an outspoken Socialist Party member - ugh), but I think of Ray Charles when the subject arises. Melanie and I visited the Florida School for the Deaf and Blind while in St. Augustine a few years ago, where we learned Mr. Charles was fortunate to have attended as a child. His rendition of "America the Beautiful" is by far my favorite. This article from a 1935 edition of Short-Wave Craft reports on efforts to make the electronics trade accessible to blind people via, in this case, pseudo-Braille versions of schematics. Although theoretical design and analysis activities were possible, the potentially lethal...
 Since the late 1950's, Custom Control Sensors (CCS) has been a leader in providing pressure, temperature and flow sensing products that include sensors and switches for the Aerospace, Defense, Industrial and Energy industries. Headquartered north of LA in California, CCS is a full service company offering complete build to specification design, research and development, 3−D modeling, prototyping, manufacturing, testing, quality control and aftersales support capabilities. CCS has pioneered many programs from the original NASA spacecraft to leading commercial aircraft, to USAF fighter jets and bombers, and International Space Station (ISS). Custom Control Sensors is now listed on RF Cafe's "Sensors" vendor page. Please visit them to see if they can help with your project needs.
 With more than 1000 custom-built symbols, this has got to be the most comprehensive set of Visio Symbols available for RF, analog, and digital system and schematic drawings! Every object has been built to fit proportionally on the provided A-, B- and C-size drawing page templates (or use your own). Symbols are provided for equipment racks and test equipment, system block diagrams, conceptual drawings, and schematics. Unlike previous versions, these are NOT Stencils, but instead are all contained on tabbed pages within a single Visio document. That puts everything in front of you in its full glory. Just copy and paste what you need on your drawing. The file format is XML so everything plays nicely with Visio 2013 and later...
 Anatech Electronics (AEI) manufactures and supplies RF and microwave filters for military and commercial communication systems, providing standard LP, HP, BP, BS, notch, diplexer, and custom RF filters, and RF products. Standard RF filter and cable assembly products are published in our website database for ease of procurement. Custom RF filters designs are used when a standard cannot be found, or the requirements dictate a custom approach for your military and commercial communications needs. Sam Benzacar's monthly newsletters address contemporary wireless subjects. Please visit Anatech today to see how they can help your project succeed.
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