Homepage Archive #2

These archive pages are provided in order to make it easier for you to find items that you remember seeing on the RF Cafe homepage. Of course probably the easiest way to find anything on the website is to use the "Search RF Cafe" box at the top of every page. About RF Cafe.

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Measurement Challenges of

160 MHz 802.11ac MIMO

Webinar: Addressing Measurement Challenges of 160 MHz 802.11ac MIMOWebinar: Addressing Measurement Challenges of 160 MHz 802.11ac MIMO, by Agilent, Thursday, August 9, 1:00 PM EDT. With the latest incarnation of Wi-Fi, or 802.11ac, designers are leveraging signal frequencies, modulation bandwidths, spatial demultiplexing and modulation schemes to meet the throughput needs of 802.11ac. This has posed several challenges for test equipment vendors as they try to meet the stringent demands of 160 MHz bandwidths, MIMO streams, 256 QAM all at frequencies of 5.8 GHz.

Hittite's MMIC LNA Covers 0.3-3 GHz, Only 4.5 sq.mm

Hittite's Compact New MMIC LNA Covers 0.3 to 3 GHz and Occupies Only 4.5 mm2 - RF CafeThe HMC374SC70E is a high dynamic range pHEMT MMIC LNA which delivers 1.6 dB noise figure, +34 dBm output IP3 and 14 dB small signal gain at 900 MHz. With saturated output power up to +19 dBm and output IP3 to +36 dBm, the HMC374SC70E is also ideal for driving the LO port of high linearity mixers and for transmitter pre-driver applications.

Engineering & Science News for August 8, 2012

LTE Revenues Expected to Grow 8x by 2016

National NFC Service to Go Live in Singapore This Month

Explore the Upper Reaches of the Amateur Radio Spectrum

   in the ARRL 10 GHz and Up Contest

Apple Patent Trial: Samsung Scrutinized iPhone to Improve

   Galaxy UI (will this set precedent for teardowns & reverse engineering efforts?)

India Can Monitor BlackBerry Without Codes

Our Edisons are Alive and Well at NIWeek 2012

Nuclear Generator Powers Curiosity Mars Mission (no solar

    panels)

Discordant Bits and Single Photons Boost Quantum Power

Gov't Motors (GM) Outsources $559M Advertising Deal

   (imagine Dinah Shore singing "See the UK in your Chevrolet")

RFMD Intros CW and CCW 860-960 MHz Circulators

RFMD® Intros RFCR2207 (Clockwise Rotation) and RFCR2208 (Counterclockwise Rotation) 860 MHz to 960 MHz Single Junction Drop-In Circulators - RF CafeRFMD's new small profile, low-cost, drop-in RFCR220x circulators are designed for various wireless applications. They feature robust construction for high reliability, low insertion loss, excellent IMD (Inter-Modulation Distortion) performance, and are magnetically shielded.

WB Downconverter Multi-Standard Diversity Receivers

Hittite's Wideband Downconverter RFIC is Ideal for Multi-Standard Diversity Receivers - RF CafeHittite Microwave Corporation, the world class supplier of complete MMIC based solutions for communication & military markets, has released a new Broadband High IP3 Downconverter RFIC which operates from 700 to 3500 MHz. The HMC1090LP3E is ideal for space constrained frequency conversion applications in wireless infrastructure equipment such as base transceiver stations, remote radio units, small cells and repeaters.

RFMW Introduces 30 W GaN PA from TriQuint

RFMW Introduces 30 W GaN PA from TriQuint Semiconductors - RF CafeRFMW, Ltd. announces design and sales support for TriQuint Semiconductor's TGA2576-FL, 30 W GaN on SiC power amplifier with frequency coverage from 2.5 to 6 GHz. Designed for the rigors of electronic warfare (EW) and test instrumentation, the TGA2576-FL comes in a 11.4 x 17.3 x 3 mm flange package with 25 mil CuW base for improved thermal management. Small signal gain is 26 dB with a power added efficiency (PAE) of >30%. The TGA2576-FL draws 1.55 A from a 30 V supply and is fully matched to 50 ohms with integrated DC blocking caps on both I/O ports.

Question on GSM Power Measurement

RF Cafe Forums visitor ljoseph posted the following question: Suppose I have one GSM carrier with all 8 TS on and each slot has 10W power. Because of the guard period in GSM structure, the actual power read by the power meter will be 0.25 dB low. So in this case power meter will read 40-0.25=39.75 dBm. Now consider the case where TS0 has 10W, TS1->8W, TS2->10W, TS3->5W, TS4->3W, Ts5->10W, TS6->8W, TS7->9W. In this case what will be the reading of power meter?

Engineering & Science News

Congressman Proposes "Cell Phone Right to Know Act" Requiring Cancer Notice on Phones (Nov's time to clean House)

Startup Demos 60-GHz Wi-Fi

Intelsat Demos Broadband Delivery to Airborne Terminal for Comms on the Move

Apple Account Hack Raises Concern About Cloud Storage

Short-Duration Clock Approach Thwarts RFID Attacks

Rising Usage in Consumer Electronics Drives 22% Growth for Magnetic Sensor Market

Is FM Chip Gaining Support in Congress?

Expanded Line of Precision Low PIM Adapters

Pasternack Expands Line of Precision Low PIM Adapters - RF CafePasternack Expands Line of Precision Low PIM Adapters. The new low passive intermodulation (PIM) adapters from Pasternack are perfect for applications requiring high performance at ultra low VSWR. Pasternack's new line of precision low PIM adapters is ideal for portable PIM testing and portable sweep testing. Other low PIM adapter applications include installations in cellular/PCS, RF wireless.

Miniature 0-180° Bi-Phase Modulator / Phase Shifter

PMI (Planar Monolithics) Intros Miniature 0-180° Bi-Phase Modulator / Phase Shifter with TTL Control Logic for 2,856 ±15 MHz - RF CafePMI (Planar Monolithics) Intros Model PS-90-2040-SY Miniature 0-180° Bi-Phase Modulator / Phase Shifter with TTL Control Logic for 2,856 ±15 MHz. This model provides low loss of 1.0 dB maximum and offers a fast switching time of 50 nsec maximum. This model is designed to handle an input power level of 1 watt.

Humans Have... Created Continent-Size Antennae

"Humans have effectively created continent-size antennae - all exquisitely tuned to soak up currents caused by space weather" - John Kappenman of Storm Analysis Consultants, re the vulnerability of our massively networked electrical supply grids. He was quoted in the July 2012 edition of Popular Mechanics in an article titled Welcome to the Next Solar Maximum. Activities on our sun can effect profound consequences here on Earth, both in the form of communications disruptions and in the form of electrical supply grid disruptions. Both can be dire with the potential of crippling worldwide commerce. News agencies often to refer to the violent spewing of copious quantities of high-speed electrons, protons, and neutrons as sunspot activity, but in fact, the phenomenon is termed coronal mass ejection (CME). Billion-ton belches of sun guts can be sent hurling earthward. Fortunately for us, not all CMEs are directed toward...

Engineering & Science News

Seeing Through Walls: Laser System Reconstructs Objects

   Hidden from Sight

AT&T Continues to Hammer Away at PCAST's Shared

   Spectrum Vision

In the Olympics of Software Algorithms, a Russian Keeps

   Winning Gold

Organic Electronics Ready for Boom Years 

'Scrapyard Challenge' to Make Nuclear Fusion More

   Economical

Radio Still #1 Reason Consumers Purchase New Music  

Wireless LAN Market to Expand by More Than 50% in 2016

Forum Responds to Black Hat Presentation on NFC

   Vulnerabilities

Delay in Plans for a $1B Science Ghost Town (I wrote about it)

Wikipedia Goes Down Due to Cut Cables

Amateur Radio Quiz - ARRL

Amateur Radio Quiz: The Ins-and-Outs of the Bits-and-Pieces - RF CafeAmateur Radio Quiz: The Ins-and-Outs of the Bits-and-Pieces "Once the homebuilding bug bites, you'll be using a whole new set of jargon: acronyms, color codes, numbering conventions, parameters, measurements and more. Here are some questions about the many interesting methods - and short-cuts - we use to describe our electronic components..."

NASA's Curiosity Lander

Arrives 1:31 am EST

NASA's Curiosity Set to Land on Mars - RF CafeUpdate: Curiosity Has Landed!!!

The Curiosity rover is set to alight on Mars at 1:31 am EST on Monday. This will be by far the coolest descent ever attempted. A mother ship will hover above the surface to lower the rover via cable, then dispose of itself. This method eliminates the need to harden the rover for a hard landing. Mars is currently 154 million miles from Earth (14 minutes for communications, calculator), so everything is totally automated. The Mars Odyssey orbiter will relay messages to/from Curiosity. NASA has an amazing interactive simulator that displays solar system spacecraft, planets, etc., in 3D. The collective accomplishments most of mankind boggles the mind (excluding the same old groups who elect rather to destroy).

Many Thanks to RF Dude for Support

Expert consulting experience in medium volume production where "design for manufacturing", "design for test" and overall solution cost have been very important. All phases of project execution...

Science Theme Crossword

for 8/5/2012

For the sake of avid cruciverbalists, each week I create a new crossword puzzle that has a theme related to engineering, mathematics, chemistry, physics, and other technical words. You will never be asked the name of a movie star unless he/she was involved in a technical endeavor (e.g., Lamar)

Engineering & Science News

India Approves Starting Price for Spectrum Auction

Boosting Transparent Conduction in Graphene with Gold

   Nanoparticles

Hopes Dim for Sharp Amid Japan's TV Industry Sunset

Best Science Photos of the Week

Triad RF Systems' 5 Watt, 500-2800 MHz PA Module

Triad RF Systems Intros 5 Watt, 500 - 2800 MHz Wideband PA Module - RF CafeThe Model TA1007 wideband GaAs amplifier module is ideal for CW or pulsed applications. It is very linear, and highly efficient. Due to several state-of-the-art circuits, this unit is highly immune from damage due to any out of spec DC voltage conditions that may be applied. It rugged construction guarantees fault-free operation in the most extreme...

Thanks to 3Gmetalworx for Support

RF/EMI PCB-level shielding. Basic shielding cans for permanent installation single-cavity shield sets. Cover can be removed and re-installed on multi-cavity shield sets....

Microwave Engineering - David Pozar

Microwave Engineering, by David Pozar - RF CafePozar's new edition of Microwave Engineering includes more material on active circuits, noise, nonlinear effects, and wireless systems. New and updated material on wireless communications systems, including link budget, link margin, digital modulation methods, and bit error rates...

Notable Quote

Notable Quote - RF Cafe"The radio craze... will die out in time" - Thomas Alva Edison

Engineering News

UK Tech Start-up Scene Boosted by New Investments

China Takes 27% of Global Smartphone Shipments

Electron-Electron Interactions in Graphene

Component Prices Plunging on Economic Uncertainty

Can You Get a Patent on Being a Patent Troll?

•  Wi-Fi Traffic Wardens Police Comms at Olympics

Telecom Italia Starts to Stem Decline in Italy

SK Telecom Profits Off by 3/4 on LTE Start-up Costs

June Global Chip Sales Stay Soft on U.S. Weakness

Chinese Buying U.S. Business at Record Pace 

An Officially Bogus Patent Application

A For-Real, Officially Bogus Patent Application - RF CafeAs you might imagine, the staff at the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) has seen some real doozies over the year in the form of applications. An RF Cafe visitor who is a registered patent agent sent a note about his office's reaction of hilarity to United States Patent Application # 20040161257 . The link goes directly to the official document on file with the USPTO, so it is real. Look at number nine in the opening "Claims" section: 9. The method of providing user interface displays in an image forming apparatus which is really a bogus claim included amongst real...

Engineering Articles & Resources

How to Measure High-Frequency Signals Over Multiple Channels, Yves M. and Jean Manuel D.

Smokin' CFL, by Martin Rowe

Testing Radar and EW Systems for the Real-World

• Thanks to everything RF for Ongoing Support

Sherlock Ohms: Inaccurate Measurements Skew Data

How a Cellphone's Case Can Imitate Its Maker

Pulling a Wireless Signal Out of Thin Air

Oversampling Reduces Quantization Errors - Jon Titus

• Many Thanks to Skyworks Solutions for Longtime Support!

Power Line Communication – Design archive

Northrop Grumman's 850 GHz Receiver

Northrop Grumman Demos Record 850 GHz Integrated Receiver - RF CafeU.S. defense contractor Northrop Grumman Corp has demonstrated an 850 GHz integrated receiver that brings the firm much closer to being first to reach a DoD goal for developing transistor-based electronics that can operate at center frequencies beyond 1 terahertz (THz)...

Engineering News

Is Balance of Power Shifting in Mobile Patent Disputes?

Navy Asks Industry for Rugged, High-G Electronics and Guidance for Hyper Velocity Projectile Program

Mobile Communication is Breaking Down the Barriers • Between Work and Leisure

Extraordinarily Strong Negative Refractive Index Obtained

Direct Imaging Confirms the Importance of Electron-Electron Interactions in Graphene

$20K Fine for Failing to Properly Light Antenna

Electromagnetic 'Swamps' Don't Always Bog Electrons Down

Sharp to Slash 5,000 Jobs

Research in Motion Announces a 4G LTE Blackberry Playbook

NOAA Hi-Def Radar Gives You the Straight Scoop

AT&T to Acquire NextWave -and Its WCS Spectrum - for $650M

R Grammar Gaffes Ruining the Language? Maybe Not

Question from Antenna Forum Poster

A new member of the RF Cafe Antenna Forum, who is a student, has a question for the experts regarding signal power and conservation of energy. 

USAF Radar Tech Paul Fowler Checks In

AN/MPN-14 Mobile Radar - RF CafePlease welcome Paul Fowler as the newest former radar technician to contact me with his service info. Paul began his 20+ year career in the 1950s, working on the MPN-1! Read his extensive list of assignments...

RF & Microwave Webinar

IC, Laminate, Package Multi-Technology PA Module Design Methodology, by Agilent TechnologiesIC, Laminate, Package Multi-Technology PA Module Design Methodology, by Agilent Technologies, Thursday, August 2, 1:00 pm EDT...

Electronics and IGY

Electronics and IGY, March 1958 Popular Electronics - RF Cafe"The International Geophysical Year (IGY) was an international scientific project that lasted from July 1, 1957, to December 31, 1958. It marked the end, after Joseph Stalin's death, of a long period during the Cold War when scientific interchange between East and West was seriously interrupted. As many as 67 countries participated among which were all major ones with the exception of mainland China. The IGY encompassed eleven Earth sciences: aurora and airglow, cosmic rays, geomagnetism, gravity, ionospheric physics, longitude and latitude determinations (precision mapping), meteorology, solar activity (communications)...

Lunar Libration with Phases

Tom Ruen released this animation of the moon showing its monthly phase progression. We have all witnessed the phases of the moon, but have you noticed that its apparent size varies due to its elliptical orbit (0.0549 eccentricity) around the earth? What the animation really emphasizes is something you may have never noticed - a libration motion, also due to the elliptical orbit and the moon's 6.7° axial tilt wrt its orbital plane. Libration causes the pronounced rocking motion. If you viewed the planets from the sun, they would all display the same combination of motions because all have eccentric (elliptical) orbits...

4-Level Wooden Bleacher Plans

4-Level Wooden Bleachers Plans - Airplanes and RocketsI designed these 4-level wooden bleachers for use at my daughter's Equine Kingdom Riding Academy in North Carolina. They are very sturdy and are built to last forever. Pressure treated lumber, galvanized hardware, and deck screws are used throughout. Closely spaced safety rails help prevent small kids from crawling through. The 10-foot length in a modular format lets you bolt them together for any length you need. A high resolution PDF version of the bleacher plans is downloadable...

Please Welcome Bittele Electronics

Bittele Electronics is a Turn-Key PCB assembly services provider for prototype and low volume electronic contract manufacturing. Headquartered in Canada, they offer low cost 1-Stop PCB Assembly Services including PCB fabrication, parts procurement and final circuit board assembly. Circuit board assembly services make use of their own PCB manufacturing facility, electronic components procurement team and PCB assembly house. This is an ideal service for PCB prototyping and low volume production runs...

World Peace and Amateur Radio

World Peace and Amateur Radio, April 1967 Popular Electronics - RF CafeIt hasn't been just Miss America contestants that have wished for world peace over the years. In April 1967, this article titled "World Peace and Amateur Radio" was published extolling the efforts of Ham radio operators in attempting to break through communications barriers erected by governments. Amateur signals could reach into the USSR, Cuba, China, North Korea, and all the other hopelessly oppressed regions of the world to let people know that there is hope beyond the Iron...

RF Engineering Crossword - 7/29/2012

For the sake of avid cruciverbalists, each week I create a new crossword puzzle that has a theme related to engineering, mathematics, chemistry, physics, and other technical words. You will never be asked the name of a movie star unless he/she was involved in a technical endeavor (e.g., Lamar)...

RF Systems Engineering Opportunity Wanted

John Santillo, RF Systems Engineer/Manager Seeking Opportunity - RF Cafe Employment ForumJohn Santillo: Highly experienced in the development of electronic systems that result in marketable products for military and private applications. Expertise in digital, RF and Microwave testing and the use of laboratory test equipment...

Free Handheld DMM Visio Model

Free Handheld DMM Visio Model by Bob Stewart - RF CafeRF Cafe visitor Bob Stewart has generously made this fine handheld digital multimeter (DMM) Visio model available at no charge. Click on the image to download it. Both a grouped Visio format and a metafile format are included...

Please Welcome Reliance Engineering

Reliance Engineering is a specialized custom molder of Thermoplastics and Thermoset Plastic materials with a focus on demanding applications requiring high temperature materials and very close tolerance molding. Many of these same applications require Insert Molding which is one of our core disciplines. Strong background in material selection and part design for moldability...

Molecular Electronics

Molecular Electronics, April 1960 Popular Electronics - RF Cafe"A transistorized i.f. stage for a TV set can be built today to fit into a match box. But molecular electronics has made possible the production of a device that contains two such stages and is only a fraction of the size of a single transistor!" Nobody talks of molecular electronics today, but that really is an accurate term for what we have when compound semiconductors like GaAs, GaN, or any of the many-atomed exotic photovoltaic substrates are being discussed. When referring to pure elements like silicon that are being doped with impurities, I'm not sure those structures are considered molecules...

Graph Interpretation Quiz

Graph Interpretation Quiz, April 1967 Popular Electronics - RF CafeHere is a quick test of your graph reading skills. It appeared in the April 1967 edition of Popular Electronics. I missed #6 - a temporary (hopefully) case of cranial rectumitis on my part. Maybe you will do better...

Notable Quote

"I do remember being very good at diagramming sentences. Diagramming sentences must have been a precursor to a career drawing state diagrams and schematics." - Bob Davis - RF Cafe"I do remember being very good at diagramming sentences. Diagramming sentences must have been a precursor to a career drawing state diagrams and schematics." - Bob Davis, RF Cafe contributor.

Knowing that I at least attempt to achieve proper grammar in my writings, Bob sent me a link to an online test of writing style. Plugging in a few instances from past Kirt's Cogitations articles produced mixed results, with nothing exceptionally good or bad. I'm just average.

RF & Microwave Webinar - Free

Wideband Digital Pre-Distortion Modeling for LTE-Advanced - RF CafeWideband Digital Pre-Distortion Modeling for LTE-Advanced, by Agilent Technologies, Thursday, July 26, 2:00 pm EDT...

ITU-R Atmospheric Attenuation

Recommendation ITU-R P.676-9, Attenuation by Atmospheric Gases, P Series, Radiowave Propagation - RF CafeRF Cafe visitor Paul M., wrote asking where I got the data for my plot of atmospheric attenuation because he could not locate a table of data online. I told him it was generated by entering frequency / attenuation pairs from published charts into Excel and then plotting them. It was done that way to avoid a possible copyright violation. A month or so later, Paul wrote back providing a link to the International Telecommunications Union's (ITU) official document he finally found that provides this and lots of other data and charts. Thanks, Paul.

Sr. Field Sales Account Mgr. (Radar Products)

Employment Forums - RF CafeCobham is seeking a Senior Field Sales Account Manager to join the team in Exeter, NH to be responsible for the sale of all Microwave Components product lines to military, defense and commercial avionics customers. See Employment Forum.

Account Manager (Passive RF Products)

Employment Forums - RF CafeCobham is seeking an Account Manager for Passive RF products to join the team in Exeter, NH to be responsible for overseeing all activities associated with technical government program(s). See Employment Forum.

Please Welcome Marvelous Microwave

Marvelous Microwave is a manufacturer of microwave/RF components, for WiFi, cellular, Bluetooth, GPS, DVB-T/S/C, and SatComm. Attenuators, adapters, amplifiers, circulators & isolators, DC blocks & bias Tees, directional couplers, filters & duplexers, power dividers, switches, transformers. They are now helping to support RF Cafe through advertising...

The Amazing Maser

The Amazing Maser, the jewel that conquers space, April 1960 Popular Electronics - RF CafeEarly masers (microwave amplification by simulated emission of radiation), like the lasers (light amplification...), began life with the requirement of a rare earth-based mineral at its core - in this case a ruby. Early applications of the maser, as reported in this 1960 Popular Electronics article, were centered on radars. High amplification and high power was beyond the capability of common semiconductors like Si, GaAs, or GaN. Required substrate impurities, gate widths, and thermal control was well beyond the state of the art of the day. As always, the early pioneers like Dr. Charles H. Townes, inventor of the maser, accomplished incredible feats with rudimentary tools, including the venerable slide rule...

Lazy American Dream

Lazy American Dream, by Troy Cook - RF CafeChances are anyone reading this is a hard worker or, through no fault of his/her own, would like to be so once again. Government regulation and political ineptitude has driven our economy into the crapper with no relief in sight. Lavish Welfare "entitlements" and paying people 99 weeks not to work exacerbate the situation. Politicians love dependent voters. Those of us pulling the metaphorical wagon, a shrinking portion of the populace, are fed up. This song came on the radio this morning (needless to say not NPR). It perfectly sums up the situation...

America's 1st Female Astronaut Dies

Sally Ride (NASA Photo S84-37256) - RF CafeDr. Sally K. Ride died of pancreatic cancer at age 61. She became America's first female astronaut with her flight on Space Shuttle Challenger that began on June 18, 1983. She flew again in 1984. Sally left NASA in 1987, then in 1989 she became a professor of physics at U of C San Diego, and was director of the University of California's California Space Institute. Can you believe it's been 30 years???

Free Book from IEEE

Personal Positioning for Engineers - RF CafeThrough July 31, the IEEE is making an e-book titled, "Personal Positioning for Engineers," by Paul J. Kostek available at no charge to members. I was able to download it without signing in, so maybe it's available to everyone - at least until they figure out it is not locked. "In this e-book, we'll look at several different employment and career options for engineers to help you determine which ones will work for you. Not all of the options will work for each person, and the key to succeeding is to understand yourself, how you respond to change, and what level of risk you can deal with..."

RF Calibration Technician Needed

Employment Forums - RF CafeAdvanced Test Equipment has an immediate opening in the San Diego area for an experienced RF Electronic Calibration Technician to work in our Lab. This role is responsible to successfully troubleshoot, repair and calibrate a wide variety of test & measurement equipment in a fast paced environment. See Employment Forum.

Rationalizing Pi (π)

Rationalizing Pi, Kirt's Cogitation #262 - RF CafeWhile torturing myself on the elliptical exercise machine in my basement, I often do mental exercises to help pass time during the utterly boring, albeit beneficial, endeavor. Often the routine is no more complicated than dividing elapsed calories by time to get a burn rate, then figuring how much longer it will take until my goal is reached, all without the benefit of paper, pencil, or calculator. Of course by the time I finally come up with a number, I'm way past the point where the calculations began, so I start over. That reminds me of the old episode of Beverly Hillbillies where Jethro is showing off his new watch to Uncle Jed. Jed asks what time it is, and Jethro says, "Well, the big hand is on the 2 and little hand is on the 12 and the second hand is on the 10, so that makes it...

Internet Created for Business

to Make $$$ ?

"The Internet didn’t get invented on its own. Government research created the Internet so that all the companies could make money off the Internet." - POTUS  -  RF Cafe"Government research created the Internet so that all the companies could make money off the Internet." - POTUS. Most people reading this are aware that what we now refer to as the Internet began its life as ARPANet in October of 1969. Dig this excerpt from the early ARPANet handbook in the Rules and Etiquette section: "It is considered illegal to use the ARPANet for anything which is not in direct support of Government business... Sending electronic mail over the ARPANet for commercial profit or political purposes is both anti-social and illegal." So much for the veracity of the claim.

Embedded Software Engineer Needed

Employment Forums - RF CafeSymmetricom, a manufacturer of precise time and frequency products for communication, computation, transportation, space and electronic systems, is seeking an Embedded Software (Firmware) Engineer with commercial product experience developing for low-power microprocessors used in integrated control environments, using TI MSP430, or similar microcontrollers. See Employment Forum.

Why Good People Can't Get Jobs

Why Good People Can't Get Jobs: The Skills Gap and What Companies Can Do About It - RF Cafe Featured BookRF Cafe visitor Bob B. read a story I linked to (Why Bad Jobs - or No Jobs - Happen to Good Workers) and suggested it be featured more prominently. It has to do with the supposed difficulty employers are having finding qualified employees. IEEE's Steven Cherry talked to Peter Cappelli, author of Why Good People Can't Get Jobs: The Skills Gap and What Companies Can Do About It for some insight. Cappelli's opinion is that employers have created the myth based on unreasonable expectations. They tend to only want workers who have already done the exact job, not ones who are capable of doing the job. Internships, mentoring, and in-house training are deemed too expensive because of high employee turnover. Cappelli takes apart the argument of inadequacy of schools (vo-tech, college) and wage expectations. "Diamonds are very expensive. They cost a lot, but you can buy all the diamonds you want as long as you're willing to pay." - Peter Cappelli is a professor of management at Wharton.

The Hobbyist - Techie Comics

Here are a few comical, uh, comics from the April 1967 edition of Popular Electronics depicting the perception of techies during the era. Things really haven't changed much. Popular Electronics went out of print in 1985 after a 31 year run...

RF & Microwave Webinar

Webinar: Phase Noise Measurement Methods and TechniquesPhase Noise Measurement Methods and Techniques, by Agilent Technologies, Thursday, July 19, 1:00 pm ET

Engineer Confesses to Pranks in Obituary

Engineer Confesses to Pranks in Obit - RF Cafe59-year-old Val Patterson, who died of cancer, said his life motto was "Anything for a laugh." In his auto-obituary he wrote , "Now that I have gone to my reward, I have confessions and things I should now say." His biggest secret: "What happened was that the day I went to pay off my college student loan at the U of U, the girl working there put my receipt into the wrong stack, and two weeks later, a PhD diploma came in the mail. I didn't even graduate, I only had about 3 years of college credit." Read more...

Edison vs. Tesla Battle Correction

Correcting a Misquote in the Edison vs. Tesla re "Battle of Currents" - RF Cafe"...an awful spectacle, far worse than hanging." You will find that quote used many places in reference to the well-known battle between Thomas Edison with his DC power distribution system and Nikola Tesla with his AC power distribution system (aka the "War of Currents"). It derives from a headline in the August 7, 1890 edition of the New York Times that read thus: "Far Worse Than Hanging." Edison and his attack dogs did constantly and mercilessly haunt Tesla and his underwriter, corporate magnate George Westinghouse, with a lot of vicious quotes and actions. Most nastiness attributed to Edison is factual. As normally misrepresented, the article is an attack directed specifically against the horror of Tesla's AC current being used in an execution by electrocution as opposed to the - to be inferred by the reader - more humane form of execution by Edison's DC current. However, after scanning...

Carl and Jerry: El Torero Electronico

Carl and Jerry: El Torero Electronico, April 1960 Popular Electronics - RF Cafe"So if I can work out a really efficient way of changing part of this wasted noise into electrical energy, it can be charging batteries and taking some of the load off the plane's generating plant." That passage, from the April 1960 Carl and Jerry adventure story, reads like a modern day energy harvesting project. Each month Popular Electronics included an electronics saga that normally included some high tech sleuthing by the teenagers a la the Hardy Boys. This is a particular favorite of mine because it involves a radio controlled airplane model...

RF Engineering Crossword - 7/15/2012

For the sake of avid cruciverbalists, each week I create a new crossword puzzle that has a theme related to engineering, mathematics, chemistry, physics, and other technical words. You will never be asked the name of a movie star unless he/she was involved in a technical endeavor (e.g., Lamar)...

Free Engineering Magazine Subscriptions

Free Broadcast Engineering MAgazine Subscription - RF CafeFree Mission Critical Communications Magazine Subscription - RF CafeMost of the "important" technical magazines offer you a free subscriptions if you are qualified - often that means you still have a pulse. Their advertisers pay according to circulation, so higher subscription numbers mean higher sales prices for them. A few of the most useful for us are MicroWaves & RF, Broadcast Engineering, Mission Critical Communications, and Product Free Product Design & Development Magazine Subscription - RF CafeDesign & Free microWaves & RF Magazine Subscription - RF CafeDevelopment. There are a couple hundred magazines and white papers to choose from (I make about $1 on each one you subscribe to)...

Product &

Company News

- Archive-

RFMW Introduces 2W Highly Linear Amplifier from TriQuint Semiconductors

Q-Par Develops Novel High Power, 180° Power Divider

Empower's “Compare for Yourself” Campaign

AWR Exhibits Within the RF and Wireless Pavilion During NIWeek 2012

M/A-COM Technology Solutions Introduces New Push Pull CATV Amplifier

MILMEGA is Pleased to Announce the Release of the New AS0728 Product Range

Richardson RFPD Introduces Three New Low Noise Amplifiers Available from Stock for Prototype or High-Volume Production from Skyworks

Skyworks Intros Two New, Enhancement Mode, Low Noise Amplifiers

Analog Devices Expands Its Industry Leading D/A Converter Portfolio

Richardson RFPD Introduces 1/2-Watt RF Driver Amplifier from ADI

Radiometrix Intros Fast-Switching, Long Range, Wireless Link for Industrial & Commercial Applications

Highland Technology Announces the T240 Single-Channel Externally-Triggered Complementary-Output Pulse Generator

Hittite Expands Clocks & Timing Product Line

Reliance Engineering Completes Purchases of Automated Vision Inspection System

Hittite's 2 Watt Power Amplifiers with On Chip Power Detectors Cover 9-14 GHz

After Class Feature: Crystals

After Class Feature: Crystals, April 1960 Popular Electronics - RF CafeThe fundamentals of crystals has not changed since this article appeared in a 1960 edition of Popular Electronics. The way they are grown, cut, and packaged has changed fairly significantly, however. An understanding of how they work at the atomic level has advanced significantly. The number of devices in which they are contained has increased significantly. However, except for the vacuum tubes in these oscillator circuits being replaced by transistors, nothing much has changed...

Featured Book

RF-Fronted Design

RF-Frontend Design for Process-Variation-Tolerant Receivers,

Pooyan Sakian, Reza Mahmoudi, Arthur van Roermund

7/13/2012

Post Job Openings on RF Cafe - FREE

Employment Forums - RF Cafe Employment ForumIf your company has opportunities available for engineers, technicians, managers, sales, etc., in the tech arena, you are welcome to post at no charge on the RF Cafe Employment Forum. If you do, please send me an e-mail and I'll be glad to also add it to the list on the RF Cafe homepage and on the separate Jobs page.

Notable Quote

"Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic." - Arthur C. Clarke - RF Cafe Notable Quote-Archive-

"Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic." - Arthur C. Clarke, Profiles of the Future, 1961. This is also referred to as Clarke's 3d Law. Flashback: The Wireless World magazine articles by Mr. Clarke: Extra-Terrestrial Relays, and Peacetime Uses for V2

LEGO 1/2-Scale Rolls-Royce Turbine Engine

LEGO Rolls-Royce Trent 1000 Turbine Engine - RF Cafe Cool PicDid you wish when you were a kid that you could get paid for building stuff out of LEGO blocks? It probably never occurred to me at the time (not much did), but obviously it occurred to the people at Bright Bricks. While a lot of artists create their LEGO sculptures out of a sense of artisty[sic] je ne sais quoi, for these folks it's serious business. Bright Bricks has paying customers who use the talent of the team to design and build promotional LEGO Motorola Brick Phone - RF Cafe Cool Picprops. In this case, Rolls-Royce contracted with them to prepare a half-size scale modela href="../cool-pics/lego-rolls-royce-trent-1000.htm">...

I also added a few new LEGO models of electronics gear like a mobile radar van and the Motorola "Brick" phone...

 

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