Today in Science History -
 This set of six
electronics-themed comics appeared in the March 1956 issue of
Radio-Electronics magazine. The one on page 84 is pretty clever, but would need
to be modernized in our semiconductor era. I'm not quite getting the page 114
comic. Computer dating is a fairly recent phenomenon - or is it? The page 142
comic suggest otherwise. In fact, I know three married couples who met via an
online dating service, all within the last ten years; my daughter is one of
them! The shopper in the page 145 comic might have misinterpreted the gist of
the signs, but taken literally maybe her assumption isn't so unreasonable. The
page 148 comic shows how a "futuristic" concept proposed in the middle of the
last century has not only been realized by 2022, but has evolved much farther
than imagined...
 Copper Mountain Technologies (CMT) has a
whitepaper available entitled, "Near
and Far Field Measurement." It begins, "To obtain optimal performance in an
over the air RF system, the antennas must be chosen to meet specific
requirements. Performance parameters such as size, wind-loading, environmental
ruggedness, transmission pattern, bandwidth, and power handling capability
should be considered. Especially important in an RF system design is the 'link
budget.' This parameter determines the end-to-end RF loss and is affected by
transmitter output power, feedline loss, transmit antenna gain, path loss
through the air, receiver antenna gain, feedline loss once again and receiver
noise-figure among other factors. A failure to meet the link budget in an RF
system design will result in noisy performance and loss of coverage. In this
application note, methods of measuring the transmission (or reception) pattern
which determines antenna gain with a VNA will be examined. Most antennas possess
some directionality to their performance..."
 Radio & Television News magazine
was not normally in the practice of instructing retail outlet salesmen and service
shop owners in techniques for hacking their wares, but this article in the June
1951 issue is an exception. In it, A.W. Bernsohn, Managing Director of the
National Appliance & Radio Dealers Association, extensively outlines many
tried and true schemes for use in convincing customers that they really do need
a new, reconditioned, or rental portable radio for those lazy, hazy, crazy days
of summer*. Those were the days long before iPods, Walkmans, and smartphones, when
"portable" meant maybe smaller than a breadbox, but powered by batteries rather
than an AC outlet. If any of the featured models appeal to your sense of nostalgia
and you want to lay you hands on one again, try eBay; eventually just about everything
shows up there. M. Bensohn even covers the ramification of Regulation "W" of
the Federal Reserve Act...
 "DARPA looks to build on previous success
in radio frequency power output with new
transistor-focused THREADS
program. Military and civilian uses for radar range broadly, and the possibilities
for radar applications expand almost every day. Whether they are being used to navigate,
control air traffic, track weather patterns, carry out search-and-rescue missions,
map terrain, or countless other functions, radar technologies are constantly advancing.
As radio-frequency (RF) systems, radar capabilities hinge on the ability to sense
and communicate across long distances while maintaining signal strength. Powerful
RF signal capabilities extend mission-critical communications and situational awareness,
but the microelectronic technologies that strengthen RF output - specifically, high
power density transistors..."
 When Government controls the media and
deploys military and police forces
against citizens as a show of force to discourage and suppress protesting
against injustice, Government wins and Citizens die. No, I'm not referring to
the U.S. In this case China's "Zero Covid" policy resulted in political
prisoners burning to death in a quarantined apartment building. The "White Paper
Revolution" consists of people symbolically waving blank sheets of paper.
Communists cannot abide a challenge to authority, so any measure to end the
situation is justified - including murdering human beings. The world's opinion
is irrelevant, especially since global economies depend heavily on China.
Politicians, university heads, and corporate titans are all sold out to them,
therefore will comply as directed. Evidently, though, most people don't mind
because Communism is being adopted across the Earth. You've been warned...
 This is a must-read article for all persons
interested in the history of wireless communications. Seriously. Stop what you are
doing and read it. I guarantee the vast majority have never heard of this challenge
to the veracity of Mr. Guglielmo Marconi's bestowed title of "father
of wireless telegraphy." Most of us are at least passingly familiar with challenges
to Samuel Morse's, Thomas Edison's, and a few other notables' claims to being the
first at a particular technical breakthrough, but herein, as penned by of Lieutenant-Commander
Edward H. Loftin, is a first-hand account of multiple successful challenges by the
U.S. Patent Office against Mr. Marconi and his company, Marconi Wireless Telegraph,
Ltd., regarding filings for patent protection. As with the other aforementioned
individuals, history writers long-ago grew tired of reminding the public of often
dubious assertions of creative individuals - other than that it seems every December
17 the media is sure to bring up Whitehead's and Chanute's claims...
 RF Cafe's raison d'être is and always has
been to provide useful, quality content for engineers, technicians, engineering
managers, students, and hobbyists. Part of that mission is offering to post applicable
job openings. HR department employees
and/or managers of hiring companies are welcome to submit opportunities for posting
at no charge. 3rd party recruiters and temp agencies are not included so as to assure
a high quality of listings. Please read through the easy procedure to benefit from
RF Cafe's high quality visitors...
 Please take a few moments to visit the
everythingRF website to see how they can assist
you with your project. everythingRF is a product discovery platform for RF and microwave
products and services. They currently have 267,269 products from more than 1397
companies across 314 categories in their database and enable engineers to search
for them using their customized parametric search tool. Amplifiers, test equipment,
power couplers and dividers, coaxial connectors, waveguide, antennas, filters, mixers,
power supplies, and everything else. Please visit everythingRF today to see how
they can help you.
 This "Operation
of a High-Quality CCTV Camera" article from a 1965 issue of Electronics
World magazine interests me not necessarily because I am interested in CCTV's
but because it has many similarities to the video mapper system used in the radar
system I worked on in the U.S. Air Force. It was probably built around the same
era, so no surprise there. The combination of analog and digital electronics is
likely one of the earliest examples of such an integration. The digital portion
is for timing, not video processing. An electromagnetically scanned vidicon tube
is the heart of the system. Rather than using the television type composite timing/amplitude
signals that require complex circuits to deconstruct and direct portions of the
signal to appropriate circuits, this is truly digital timing. In fact, the timing
diagram show here is one of the earliest I recall seeing in these vintage magazines...
 How did we ever accomplish research without
the Internet? Sure, that is a rhetorical question, but I find myself asking that
often when I find information on something I figured there was no way anything would
be available. Such was the case when looking up this
Kolster
K20 radio. Its Radio Service Data Sheet appeared in the October 1930 edition
of Radio-Craft magazine. Mr. Gordon Bell, WA2YQY, provided the photo of the
one to the left, which I found on the RadioAtticArchives.com website. As with nearly
all radios of the era, is has a nicely styled wooden console cabinet. Note the simplicity
of the tuning indicator...
 Copper Mountain Technologies (CMT) has a
webinar coming up in league with Eravant as part of our VNA 101 Bootcamp Webinar
series titled "Software
Tips & Tricks." The CMT vector network analyzer software has a lot of features
and capabilities. During this session, we will review some aspects of the software
in more detail to help users understand how to get the most out of the software.
This is a follow-on to the previous "Fixture Requirements to Accurately De-Embed
DUTs from VNA Measurements" Webinar. Automatic Fixture Removal software may be used
to remove the effects of fixtures from the measurement of a Device Under Test. It's
fast and easy to use, but it is imperative to understand the extent to which fixture-related
measurement impairments may be compensated. During this webinar, we will review
the possible pitfalls during de-embedding and measurement of a DUT on a fixture...
 While not specifically related to RF Cafe
type content, this article on the Physics.org website entitled, "Fun Research
on Cold War-Era Ads About Flying Saucers, UFOs Finds Themes That Remain Relevant
Today," is an interesting bit of sci-fi techno-nostalgia. A study found that
although not exactly the same methods and subjects are being used to influence today's
consumers, the motus operandi (MO) are basically the same. "While ads with flying
saucers and UFOs may use them differently than in the past, desired messages and
reactions from those who place the ads have not changed. Emotion and sensation continue
to motivate purchases, and advertisers consistently seek to share messages about
quality and technology. Plus, the appetite of consumers for big events has never
waned..."
 "A key objective of electronics engineering
studies focusing on radio communication is the development of increasingly smaller,
lighter, and low-power radio components. This could be achieved by integrating all
radio components into a single chip, for instance by combining acoustic microelectromechanical
systems (MEMS) with complementary metal oxide semiconductors (CMOS). Researchers
at Purdue University have recently used this approach to develop an
acoustic resonator based on commercially available field effect transistors
(FETs), which was presented in a paper published by Nature Electronics. FETs are
a class of transistor that control the flow of electrical current in a semiconductor
using an electrical field, which are commonly used to amplify signals and are the
building blocks for all logic circuits. "This paper is a culmination of years of
work involving multiple graduate students and collaborations with semiconductor
companies. 'It began with the recognition of a need for high-Q frequency sources..."
 Back in the 1970s while taking flying lessons,
I used to enjoy watching the
Civil Air Patrol run through its exercises at
Lee Airport,
in Edgewater, Maryland. For some reason, I never bothered to look into joining.
I wish I had. A few years later while in Basic Training (BT) for the USAF at Lackland
AFB, Texas, there were a couple guys in my squadron who had been long-time members
of the CAP and guess what? They only had to spend the first two weeks in BT, just
long enough to do all the paperwork processing, take a few of the classroom sessions,
get shots, examinations, a head shave, and to have uniforms issued. Then, immediately
before leaving for technical school, they got to sew a stripe onto their shirtsleeves
as an Airman 1st Class. High school ROTC guys got to do the same thing. I don't
know if the Air Force still has that policy; you might want to check it out if you're
planning on joining...
 New Scheme rotates
all Banners in all locations on the page! RF Cafe typically receives 8,000-15,000
website visits each weekday.
RF Cafe is a favorite of engineers,
technicians, hobbyists, and students all over the world. With more than 12,000 pages
in the Google search index, RF Cafe returns in favorable positions on many
types of key searches, both for text and images. New content is added on a daily
basis, which keeps the major search engines interested enough to spider it multiple
times each day. Items added on the homepage often can be found in a Google search
within a few hours of being posted. I also re-broadcast homepage items on LinkedIn.
If you need your company news to be seen, RF Cafe is the place to be.
 The
Wireless Telecom Group,
comprised of Boonton, CommAgility, Holzworth, and Noisecom, is a global designer
and manufacturer of advanced RF and microwave components, modules, systems, and
instruments. Serving the wireless, telecommunication, satellite, military, aerospace,
semiconductor and medical industries, Wireless Telecom Group products enable innovation
across a wide range of traditional and emerging wireless technologies. A unique
set of high-performance products including peak power meters, signal generators,
phase noise analyzers, signal processing modules, 5G and LTE PHY/stack software,
noise sources, and programmable noise generators.
 This "Glass
for Electronics" article in a 1965 issue of Electronics World magazine
provides some really interesting information about the properties of glass which
I, for one, either never knew or have forgotten. One such point is that glass is
typically defined with a "softening" temperature rather than a melting temperature.
That is because the final characteristics of the glass is highly dependent on the
cooling down time/temperature profile. Those of us having been in the world of automated
printed circuit assembly (PCA) solder oven operation are familiar with the criticality
of time/temperature profiles, so the concept is not new. In the case of PCA's, profiling
is necessary to accommodate the often widely varying thermal dimension changes over
temperature to prevent fracturing. With glass, it is the final atomic alignment
(or misalignment) that is dependent on the cooling process, akin to tempering of
metal (although the metal is not heated to the point of liquidus flow). At the time
of this article, Corning Glass Works claimed to have >100k unique formulas for
glass using various mixes of elements...
 These before and after satellite photos
of
Ukraine's nighttime lighting shows the profound effect of a barrage of power
grid infrastructure attacks by Russia's military. While billions of American dollars
and state-of-the-art technology are funneled into the domonstratably corrupt government
of Ukraine, and inept, agenda- and money-driven media coverage describes how Russian
troops are being decimated, Ukraine is looking like
North
Korea at night. That's about what the whole Earth would look like if we did
a wholesale switchover to solar power;-) "It was only a matter of time. The recent
Russian pull-back of troops clearly indicated a broad shift in tactics, and the
one thing that the Kremlin avoided for several months seemed like the next most
logical step - Full spectrum strikes on Ukrainian infrastructure. Initially, Ukraine's
media spin suggested that the precision strikes were 'ineffective,' with western
news outlets showing only a handful of images of craters in streets and some scarred
apartment buildings..."
 Author Howard Wright takes the opportunity
here in a 1936 issue of QST magazine to distill the concept of modulation
down to its basic operation while dispensing with the garbled mix of "graphs, formulas,
charts, vectors, diagrams, and Greek letters which often enter into various
discussions
of modulation." Mr. Wright describes how to the uninitiated radio dial
spinner, the culmination of events occurring behind the scenes in an AM reception
process is akin to this: "...it might be compared to the reproduction of a color
photograph in a magazine. How would we ever know that, to be reproduced, the picture
was broken down into its primary colors, if all we had to go by was the original
print and the magazine?" That is a very apt comparison...
 IEEE's Spectrum magazine has an
interesting article entitled "The State of the Transistor
in 3 Charts." Although the first transistor was built in Bell Labs in late 1947,
commercial products did not appear until the mid-1950's, and integrated circuits
until the early 1970's. Hence that's where the charts timelines begin. An accompanying
article entitled, "The Ultimate
Transistor Timeline" accounts for all major developments from the first point-contact
transistor on Christmas Eve Eve (sic) in 1947 through to today's newest transistor
innovation, the complimentary FET. Note in the chart that there are four transistor
types which have been invented but not yet commercialized (as indicated by no black
line at the end of the red bar)...
 Anyone who has been in aeromodeling for
more than a decade or so is familiar with the name William (Bill) Winter. Bill has
been in the model airplane realm for longer than a lot of us have been alive and
is one of the true pioneers of the sport. He has served as editor for a couple aircraft
modeling magazines, and has written countless articles both for the magazines he
edited and for other special interest magazines. When Popular Electronics
came on the scene in the mid 1950s, Bill was editor of Model Airplane News
magazine. Radio control was beginning to mature from its infant state when only
hobbyists with an intimate knowledge of electronics were able to participate. Oliver
Read, editor of Popular Electronics, tapped Bill's ample knowledge and
skill to craft quite a few articles for his own magazine. This one, "Radio
Control Installations," appeared in the February 1955 issue. As always when
reading this type of vintage material, it is amazing how much innovation has occurred
between then and today in the fields of electronics, materials, and construction
techniques...
RF Cafe's raison d'être is and always has
been to provide useful, quality content for engineers, technicians, engineering
managers, students, and hobbyists. Part of that mission is offering to post applicable
job openings. HR department employees
and/or managers of hiring companies are welcome to submit opportunities for posting
at no charge. 3rd party recruiters and temp agencies are not included so as to assure
a high quality of listings. Please read through the easy procedure to benefit from
RF Cafe's high quality visitors...
 LadyBug Technologies was founded in 2004
by two microwave engineers with a passion for quality microwave test instrumentation.
Our employees offer many years experience in the design and manufacture of the worlds
best vector network analyzers, spectrum analyzers, power meters and associated components.
The management team has additional experience in optical power testing, military
radar and a variety of programming environments including LabVIEW, VEE and other
languages often used in programmatic systems. Extensive experience in a broad spectrum
of demanding measurement applications. You can be assured that our Power Sensors
are designed, built, tested and calibrated without compromise.
 November 27th's
crossword puzzle sports an electronics theme. All RF Cafe crossword puzzles
are custom made by me, Kirt Blattenberger, and have only words and clues related
to RF, microwave, and mm-wave engineering, optics, mathematics, chemistry, physics,
and other technical subjects. 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., Reginald Denny, Hedy
Lamarr, or the Tunguska event in Siberia). The technically inclined cruciverbalists
amongst us will appreciate the effort. Enjoy!
 With more than 1000
custom-built stencils, this has got to be the most comprehensive set of
Visio
Stencils available for RF, analog, and digital system and schematic drawings!
Every stencil symbol has been built to fit proportionally on the included A-, B-,
and C-size drawing page templates (or use your own page if preferred). Components
are provided for system block diagrams, conceptual drawings, schematics, test equipment,
racks (EIA 19", ETSI 21"), and more. Test equipment and racks are built at a 1:1
scale so that measurements can be made directly using Visio built-in dimensioning
objects. Page templates are provided with a preset scale (changeable) for a good
presentation that can incorporate all provided symbols...
 My first encounter with a
parametric amplifier was in the S-band search radar system I worked on in the
U.S. Air Force. That was in the late 1970's - early 1980's, and the radar was an
early 1960's era vacuum tube system with a few solid state upgrades. A silicon diode
in the receiver detector circuit, and a transistorized parametric amplifier in the
receiver front end are the only two that come to mind. I remember the etch school
instructors making a big deal out of the parametric amplifier being so great because
it could actually improve the SNR of the received signal. Even at the time, in my
youthful ignorance, it seems too good to be true, but if an ambassador of Uncle
Sam - especially one wearing five times the number of stripes on his sleeve that
had I - then surely it must be so. Leap forward a decade in time and I'm working
at General Electric Aerospace Division in Utica, New York, freshly endowed with
a BSEE degree, and while researching a design for an airborne early warning ECM
system, a thought of that miraculous parametric amplifier came to mind. There was
no Internet back then, but the place had a very nice technical library. Not much
information was available, so I asked a couple of the seasoned radar gurus about
it, but none were particularly enthusiastic, so I moved on. Over the years...
 I never engage in the "woke" practice of
promoting certain people because of real or imagined oppression. Nor do I denigrate
real or imagined "privileged" people. My decision to acknowledge accomplishments
is based on merit and character, regardless of history. If significant enlightening
information comes to my attention regarding any aspect of technology and I deem
it of value to RF Cafe visitors, it receives front page space. Such was the case
with the Hidden Figures movie, and is the
case with this "The Women
Behind ENIAC" article from IEEE's Spectrum magazine. "If you looked
at the pictures of those working on the first programmable, general-purpose all-electronic
computer, you would assume that J. Presper Eckert and John W. Mauchly were the only
ones who had a hand in its development. Invented in 1945, the
Electronic Numerical
Integrator and Computer (ENIAC) was built to improve the accuracy of U.S. artillery
during World War II. The two men and their team built the hardware. But hidden behind
the scenes were six women - Jean Bartik, Kathleen Antonelli, Marlyn Meltzer, Betty
Holberton, Frances Spence, and Ruth Teitelbaum - who programmed the computer to
calculate artillery trajectories in seconds. The U.S. Army recruited the women in
1942 to work as so-called human computers - mathematicians who did calculations
using a mechanical desktop calculator..."
 "It is anticipated that within a few years
if we do not have new methods and new machinery, there will be a
shortage of manpower to produce the goods and services needed to sustain the
American standard of living." Those words, noted in this 1960 issue of Electronics
World magazine, were uttered in the same year by U.S. Senator Hiram Fong, of
Hawaii (first name ring a bell?). His was an admonition against ignoring the need
for highly trained workers for the country's burgeoning technical fields. "A few
years ago, there were no electronics industries, no atomic energy projects, no missiles
or rockets or space vehicles. New vocations, created in the past ten or fifteen
years, run the full spectrum of man's pursuits and offer careers undreamed of only
a few decades ago." "Fifteen years from now, supersonic airplanes will bring Paris
within two hours of New York and Geneva about three hours from Los Angeles. Space
travel will approach reality. In 1961 we hope to launch our first man into space
with safe return; about 1970, to transport an American astronaut to the moon...
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