Radio, Radar, RF, Microwave, & Wireless Engineering Resources

While on a software theme for the Cool product (Maple math software featured last week), I ran across a demo for wind analysis software that architects and civil engineers for predicting building structural loads, wind velocity at street level (recall stories of gale-force winds generated between tall buildings due to venturi effect), land erosion, and more. Both 2-D and 3-D simulations are possible. Vasari Ecotect Wind Tunnel color-coded graphs look a lot like many of the finite element analysis (FEA) and computational fluid dynamics (CFD), vector field plots that we are accustomed to seeing for electric and magnetic field analysis, thermal maps, and load stress analysis on mechanical structures. It is no coincidence since many of the equations and techniques are either exactly the same or very closely related. Recall in physics and circuit analysis classes how often mechanical analogies were used for explaining electrical principles, and vice versa. This is actually part of Autodesk's Project Vasari which was created specifically to analyze conceptual building layouts. Remcom's Wireless InSite looks a lot like the Wind Tunnel software in that it models fields surrounding and even through buildings in an urban environment. The difference is that Wireless InSite projects EM fields rather than wind fields. Anyone in the wireless network planning business might want to look into this software since it appears to include multipath effects on signal integrity...

Notable Quote

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"Emcomm is what saves Amateur Radio from losing spectrum." – Curt Bartholomew (N3GQ), FCC Senior Emergency Manager

Featured Book

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Managing Research, Development and Innovation: Managing the Unmanageable, by R. Jain, H. Triandis, and C. Weick

Your Help Requested

No cost is involved. My daughter, Sally Cochran, is vying for a $250k grant to expand her horse riding academy into a therapeutic riding center. Please vote for her Equine Kingdom Riding Academy. Just click the link above, click Learn More, then Log In & Support (it uses your Facebook login). Type Equine Kingdom into the "business name" box and hit Search, then click Vote. Thank-you very much!

Video for Engineers

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I ran across this full-length video of the documentary titled, "Nikola Tesla - Master of Lightning," which was aired by PBS in 2000. It is the most extensive visual resource of information on Tesla that I have seen. Most people, if they have ever even heard of Nikola Tesla, associate him with gigantic high voltage generators making his hair stand on end, but his contributions to the world of electricity go far beyond that. Aside from the lightning machines, he also developed almost single-handedly the basic concept of alternating current (AC) power generation, distribution, and motors. The battle, both personally and corporately, with Thomas Edison and his proposed direct current (DC) system is epic and tragic. Documentaries like this one tend to flourish the tale a bit with exaggerations that build sympathy for the featured good guy du jour, so keep that in mind when viewing. A similar documentary on Edison likely conflicts a bit when relating who tried to hose whom in the AC-DC battle. One of the most interesting aspects of the long-running contest (aka "The War of the Currents") Tesla had with Edison was how down and dirty the fight got. If you think mud slinging in business and politics is something new, wait until you see how public demonstrations were conducted to "prove" how dangerous one form of voltage was compared to the other. Actual footage is presented where Edison's camp electrocuted an elephant...

Smorgasbord

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It has been a while since I reported salary data for chieftains in the electronics industry. With all the violence being threatened against achievers in the corporate world these days, I was a bit reluctant to throw fuel on the fire by pointing out what long hours and hard work can achieve. No, not every one can get there, but the promise of a higher goal motivates people to apply themselves to a greater degree than others. Natural-born intelligence and drive, plus a helping of luck, can and often is the discriminator between who becomes king of the hill; however, there are lots of prince and knight positions available for the rest of us (I'm more of a court jester in the regal line of ascension). Fierce Wireless' 2011 list shows Apple CEO Tim Cook reaping $1/3B (up from $1/20B in 2010), with the #2 slot earning less than 1/10th of that. The #10 position in 2010 yielded $5.9M for U.S. Cellular CEO Mary Dillon, whereas #10 in 2011 only netted $5.0M. 2011 had a 75:1 ratio between the #1 and #10 position (x=$52M, std dev=$115M). 2010's spread was only 10:1 (x=$17M, std dev=$16M).

#	CEO	Company	Total Comp $U.S.
1	Tim Cook	Apple	377,996,537
2	Greg Brown	Motorola Solutions	29,329,052
3	Lowell McAdam	Verizon Comms	23,120,499
4	Randall Stephenson	AT&T	22,018,334
5	Paul Jacobs	Qualcomm	21,722,333
6	Dan Hesse	Sprint	11,882,651
7	Stephen Elop	Nokia	10,374,581
8	Ralph de la Vega	AT&T Mobility	9,898,542
9	Dan Mead	Verizon Wireless	5,660,641
10	Hans Vestberg	Ericsson	5,033,911

Cool Pic

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NPR has a nifty timeline out titled, "The Birth of Silicon Valley." Beginning with Bill Hewlett and Dave Packard's famous garage workshop in 1938, it progresses through tech world notables like Fred Terman at Stanford's Radio Research Lab, Varian Associates and Lockheed's freshly built complex in Stanford Industrial Park in 1953, and William Shockley's self-named semiconductor research lab in Mountain View. Jack Kirby's integrated circuit breakthrough at Texas Instruments led to Robert Noyce's and Jean Hoerni's production of the first commercial IC at Fairchild Semiconductor in San Jose. In 1968, Noyce and Gordon Moore (of Moore's Law fame) left Fairchild to start a little startup company called Intel. Electronic News (published by Fairchild Publications beginning in 1957) writer Don Hoefler, in an article titled, "Silicon Valley, USA," is unofficially credited with creating and christening the familiar moniker. Today we hear of versions of Silicon Valley all over the world: Zhongguancun, China; Bangalore, India; Daejeon, South Korea; and "Bit Valley" in Tokyo, Japan, to name a few. Surprisingly, there is no recognized equivalent in any European country of the EU as a whole.

Win a Free Book

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Each month, the winner can choose from a list of engineering books.
Congrats to Stanley Z. and Gin W. for winning the March drawing!

Daily Specials

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Thanks Again to Anatech Electronics for Continued Support

Engineering Leaders to Convene to Discuss Future of U.S. Engineering

IEEE: Telling Secrets of the Hidden Job Market

Techniques for Improving Noise and Spurious in PLLs, by Eric Drucker

Tales from the Cube: Long Shots, Short Shots, and Hip Shots

Sherlock Ohms: Case of the Failing 'C' Batteries

Please Thank BRL Test for Their Support

5/13/2012 Science Crossword Puzzle

Supreme Court Patent Opinion Paves Way for Expert Testimony

Court Spells Out ‘Red Flags’ to Watch for in Experts (IMS ExpertServices™)

Optoelectronics Company of Hertfordshire, UK Listing Added

Aethercomm Seeking Senior RF Design Engineers

Sherlock Ohms: Freight Train Kills Cellphone Signal

EE Times: Weigh in on the Greatest Hits in Electronics

Graphene As a See-Though Conductor (slideshow)

Much Appreciation to Wenteq Microwave for Continued Support

Avoid a Common S-Parameter Problem, byEric Bogatin and Alan Blankman

Improve Production Test of High-Speed RF Components, by Peter Sarson

Basics of Digital Signals and Their Measurement (p.34), by Gary Breed

Differential Versus Common Mode Currents (p.40), by Arturo Mediano

Thanks Also to Comdel for Helping Deliver RF Cafe

Sorting Out 4G: Are We There Yet?

Theory and Application of RF/Microwave Absorbers, by Paul Dixon

Please Welcome to USAF Radar Tech Doug Reed to Our Honored List!

Science & Engineering Crossword Puzzle for 5/6/2012

Please Visit NP Technologies in Appreciation of Their Support

G7KPF UK Quick Links URL Update

Edison's Revenge: The Rise of DC Power

Go inside Fluke's Electrical Metrology Lab

Ultracapacitor Applications in the Power Electronic World

Engineering Jobs

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- Senior RF Design Engineers,
   Aethercomm
- MicroElectronic Packaging
   Engineer, Skyworks Solutions
- Firmware Engineer III, Inovonics
- Software Engineer, Inovonics
(wireless sensor networks)
- RF/Microwave Filter Design
   Engineer, Anatech Electronics
- U.S. Sales Manager,
   Anatech Electronics
- RF Design Engineer (Level IV),
   FreeWave Technologies
- Sales Manager, Microphase Corp.
- Inside Sales Representative–
   Microwave Components,
   Wireless Telecom Group
- RF Test Technicians, Aethercomm
- Technical Director of RF
Engineering, Aethercomm


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