 Thursday 31
 Prior to modern flat screen LED, LCD, and
(rarely anymore) plasma television displays, image projection systems ruled. Cathode
ray tubes (CRTs) dominated image displays from around the 1940 through the early
2000s. Prior to that electromechanical projection schemes were used to basically
magnify a small picture and display it on a larger screen - either from the front
or from the back. Some of the gizmos were pretty complicated with whirling plates
and clacking shutters. Dr. Vladimir Zworykin, who wrote this 1948 Radio-Craft magazine
article, is widely credited for making television practical with his
image orthicon, or iconoscope, "camera" tube for capturing real-time moving
images in the transmitter. He also made significant improvements in the cathode
ray tube for projecting the images in the receiver. RCA, for whom ...
 SF Circuits' specialty is in the complex,
advanced technology of
PCB fabrication and assembly, producing high quality multi-layered
PCBs from elaborate layouts. With them, you receive unparalleled technical expertise
at competitive prices as well as the most progressive solutions available. Their
customers request PCB production that is outside the capabilities of normal circuit
board providers. Please take a moment to visit San Francisco Circuits today.
 Ward Silver (N0AX) retired from writing his
"Hands-On
Radio" monthly column in QST magazine back in 2017, but his sage-ness
continues to appear in QST,
Nuts & Volts, and other publications.
The
November 2019 QST (login required) issue
contains a very nice article of his entitled, "About Impedance Matching with Transmission
Lines." If you are studying for a Ham license, you'll want to read it. Mr. Silver
also has an excellent presentation video on
 YouTube entitled, "The Basics of Impedance Matching" that is well worth your time
if you're at all fuzzy on the topic. Here is the "Impedance Matching 101," Power Point presentation
used. Oh, RF Cafe is referenced in the QST aforementioned article!
 "At next week's annual Association of Old
Crows (AOC) Symposium, Teledyne Defense Electronics (TDE) will be featuring its
latest advancement in VPX modular technology, a
66U
VPX Transceiver with the fastest tuning and lowest phase noise performance available
on the market today. Teledyne developed the Transceiver on a modular platform to
address the industry's interest in compressing development cycles and planning for
technology insertion in program life extensions. This broadband 6-18 GHz VPX card
is ideal for meeting the increasingly demanding requirements of today's microwave
Transceiver applications in an open systems-based platform. In addition to its new
standard-setting phase noise and tuning performance levels, the 6U Transceiver offers
a high dynamic ..."
 "North Sea Link, a
subsea electricity cable linking the UK with
Norway, will be the longest interconnector of its kind in the world. Jon Excell
explores the engineering challenges behind this milestone energy project It's perhaps
surprising, given the increasingly divisive nature of the Brexit conundrum. But
at a time when all we seem hear about is the severing of political ties to Europe,
the UK is becoming ever more closely connected to the European mainland via an ambitious
series of underwater power cables linking its energy network with the grids of its
nearest continental neighbors. Across Europe, these so-called interconnectors, which
enable countries to trade and transfer electricity across borders ..."
 Alliance Test sells
used /
refurbished test equipment and offers short- and long-term rentals. They also
offer repair, maintenance and calibration. Prices discounted up to 80% off list
price. Agilent/HP, Tektronix, Anritsu, Fluke, R&S and other major brands. A
global organization with ability to source hard to find equipment through our network
of suppliers. Please visit Allied Test Equipment today to see how they can help
your project.
Wednesday 30
 Hmmm... this is the first time recall either
of Carl's or Jerry's father, at least where either was present in the story. Their
mothers are mentioned on occasion for providing sandwiches or uttering words of
caution when embarking on a sleuthing mission. In this episode entitled "Two
Tough Customers," creator and author John T. Frye have the techno-teens
set out on an adventure to shop for a good deal on a fundamentally sound car - which
they would own in a partnership set up by their fathers. As you would expect if
you are an ardent C&J follower, their effort includes inspecting not just the
mechanical integrity but also the electrical system health. Frye always used his
stories as the basis for a lesson on some technical aspect of everyday life. The
boys broke teenage car owners into three groups: Hot-Rodders, Show-Offs, and Mechs.
They seemed to assign one trait or the other, but not a combination thereof. Personally,
I was a bit of all three with my first car - a 1969 Camaro SS. While reading,
see if you notice what I did about the battery measurement ...
 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 (of course
a gratuity will be graciously accepted). 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 ...
 ThinkRF Corporation, the leader in software-defined
spectrum analysis, today announced the new
ThinkRF D4000 RF Downconverter. The platform is the industry's first 40 GHz
downconverter, allowing engineers to quickly and reliably analyze the new 5G wireless
standard by extending the range of their existing RF test equipment. To leverage
the performance, latency, and capacity that 5G promises, you need equipment which
can properly analyze the higher frequencies and wider bandwidths of these new signals.
This portable, plug-and-play ThinkRF downconverter allows mobile operators and military
systems integrators (SIs) to easily upgrade ...
 The concept of a
field effect transistor (FET) has been around in theory for a long time*, but
manufacturable devices arrived in designers' labs not until the early 1960s. This
article from the October 1966 edition of QST magazine gives a good introduction
to the physics of a basic FET as well as the junction FET (JFET) and the insulated
gate FET (IGFET), all of which are still in widespread use today. What you learn
about them here is applicable today. In fact, I swear some of the drawings are the
same ones that appeared in my college semiconductor physics text books (admittedly
from the late 1980s, so not too much of a surprise) ...
 Exodus Advanced Communications'
18.0 to 40.0 GHz, 40W+ Solid State Amplifiers (SSA) are designed for general
EMC testing applications as well as Mil-Std 461(RS103) standards. Models AMP4065-LC
(18.0-26.5 GHz) and AMP4066-LC (26.5-40.0 GHz) compact designs provide
superb RF performance with unprecedented P1dB power as compared to TWT's. The SSA's
exhibit 46 dB minimum gain, monitoring parameters for forward and reflected
power, VSWR, and voltage, current and temperature sensing for outstanding reliability
and ruggedness. Suitable for all single channel modulation standards. Rack mounted
system ...
 "Amazon responds to recent FCC questions
about the odds that any of its Kuiper communication satellites will collide with
space debris. For the first time, we have a complete, representative number for
the overall orbital collision risk of a satellite mega-constellation. Last month,
Amazon provided the U.S. FCC with data for its planned fleet of
3,236 Kuiper System broadband Internet satellites.
If one in 10 satellites fails while on orbit, and loses its ability to dodge other
spacecraft or space junk, Amazon's figures show that there is a 12% chance that
one of those failed satellites will suffer a collision ..."
 At VidaRF, the phrase 'Providing Simple
Solutions for Complex Connections' is more than just a slogan – it's a mindset,
a mission, and a driving force behind everything we do. Their pledge is to design
and distribute high performance, cost effective
RF Microwave products to fit each customer's unique applications.
Please visit VidaRF today to see how their lines of attenuators & terminations,
directional couplers, power dividers, coaxial connectors, and circulator & isolators
can be of use to your project. "When the standard just will not do, VidaRF has the
solution for you!"
Tuesday 29
 Here is another example of how enthusiastically
both manufacturers and consumers were met news of the impending end of World War II.
Amateur radio operators were amongst those most affected during the war years
because of the FCC having issued a moratorium against transmissions, for security
purposes. The same thing happened during World War I, in fact*. Back in the
day when citizens were fiercely patriotic and appreciative of their freedoms, many
Hams of service age answered a call to donate certain kinds of equipment (panel
meters, tuning capacitors, transformers, etc.) for use in repair and retrofitting
of field gear. They also enlisted by the tens of thousands to lend their radio skills
in the service of their country. To the government's credit, the sacrifices were
repaid handsomely ...
 The 2019 IEEE BiCMOS and Compound Semiconductor Integrated
Circuits and Technology Symposium (BCICTS) is being held next week, November
3-6, in Nashville, TN. BCICTS is sponsored by the IEEE Electron Devices Society
and technically co-sponsored by the IEEE Solid State Circuits Society and the IEEE
Microwave Theory & Techniques Society. BCICTS will unify the long, rich, and
complementary technical legacies of BCTM (31 years) and CSICS (39 years) into one
exemplary symposium. In addition to the strong technical program, BCICTS will include
a vibrant technical exhibition and several social events that allow participants
to interact and network in a relaxed setting.
 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 ...
 This
electronics analogy quiz is a little easier than many of the others published
in Popular Electronics magazine because all of the electrical and mechanical
objects depicted here are very familiar. The concepts might seem trivial to those
of us who have been immersed in the science for decades, but I for one can remember
when first hearing these analogies how helpful they were. Not only that, but I also
recall during physics and mechanics courses in college being amazed at the similarity
of equations shared by electrical and mechanical processes. Wikipedia has a huge
page describing many of the most familiar mechanical-electrical analogies ...
 Custom MMIC, a leading designer and manufacturer
of high performance monolithic microwave integrated circuits (MMICs), is proud to
be this year's recipient of the
Massachusetts Manufacturer of the Year Award for Eastern Massachusetts Middlesex
District. Over the past four years this prestigious award has been presented to
those companies that embody the entrepreneurial spirit and passion for continued
growth using innovation and determination as their guiding principles. This award
is especially gratifying knowing Massachusetts is home to so many unique and successful
small businesses pushing the boundaries of what is possible every day. "Custom MMIC
was founded in 2006 on the three basic tenets of innovation, integrity and quality.
To this day we carry on those ...
 "Just a few weeks ago a very heated discussion
erupted in my Denver neighborhood's Nextdoor social networking channel. The reason
for the debate was the appearance of new 30-foot 5G small cell tower on a nearby
block. The discussion thread contained warnings of how RF emissions can cause all
type of
serious health problems ranging from headaches
to cancer. Eventually neighbors moved onto to other topics but this wasn't the first
time I had heard 5G being blamed for health problems. A few months ago a friend
sent me a link to a news segment from a group called RT America in which 'experts'
warned that 5G signals might cause all kinds of dire health problems including brain
cancer and autism ..."
 RF Superstore launched in 2017, marking
the return of Murray Pasternack, founder of Pasternack Enterprises, to the RF and
microwave Industry. Pasternack fundamentally changed the way RF components were
sold. Partner Jason Wright manages day-to-day operations, while working closely
with Mr. Pasternack to develop RF Superstore into a world class RF and
microwave component supplier. RF coaxial connectors & adapters,
coaxial cable & cable assemblies, surge protectors, attenuators. Items added
daily. Free shipping on orders over $99. We're leading the way again!
Monday 28
 With a last name like Blattenberger and an
unusually spelled first (Kirt), I learned a long time ago not to poke fun at anybody's
name, but surely the parents of Dr. Hal F. Fruth had a sense of humor when
assigning their little bundle of joy in such a manner (HalF Truth?). Maybe I assume
too much. Anyway, the good doctor published in this issue of Radio News
magazine a very extensive treatise on the art and science of mass producing
radio frequency crystals at a time when the country - and free world - was in
urgent need of them. He notes that, "Prior to Pearl Harbor Day, the world production
of these plates and bars could be counted by the thousands. The present production
rate has skyrocketed more than one hundred fold so that the present production rate
is nearly 30,000,000 units per year ...
 VidaRF, a manufacturer of high performance
RF and microwave high performance circulators, isolators, couplers, power dividers,
and other passive components, has expanded its line of
broadband directional couplers to cover 2 to 40 GHz for all wireless applications
from cellular through 5G mm-wave with 2.92 mm interfaces. Features include
10, 16, 20 and 30 dB coupling values, low VSWR, high directivity, broadband operation,
compact size, and operating temperature range of -55°C to +85°C. Sealed and painted
to meet IP65 standards. Custom designs to meet your needs are available ...
 This is another installment of the Hams in
Combat series that QST ran during WWII. I enjoy waxing vicariously nostalgic
of a time before I was born, at time when there was still honor, courage, selflessness,
and pride of country. During World War II, it was an ingrained part of most citizens,
whether or not they happened to be serving in the military. Our modern day troops
still have it, but sadly fewer and fewer people see their own country as any place
special in the world. Sure, as General William Tecumseh Sherman famously said, "War is hell,"
but then again so is witnessing the tearing apart of your country from forces within ...
 Anatech Electronics offers the industry's
largest portfolio of high-performance standard and customized
RF and microwave filters and filter-related products for military, commercial,
aerospace and defense, and industrial applications up to 40 GHz. In their mid-October
Product Update, Anatech has introduced a 1000-4000 MHz 2-way power divider
with SMA connectors, a surface mount 4400-5000 MHz isolator, and a 2 dB
1 watt SMA attenuator. Custom RF power directional coupler designs can be designed
and produced when a standard cannot be found, or the requirements are such that
a custom approach is necessary ...
 "ReQutech and Forsway together with a research
team from the Linköping University of Technology have collaborated to develop a
new
phased array antenna solution for Satcom applications on mobile
platforms. This project is supported by the strategic innovation program 'Smarter
Electronic Systems' - a joint venture by Swedish innovation agency Vinnova, Formas
and the Swedish Energy Agency to promote Swedish technology. This program is a part
of a pivotal development initiative by ReQuTech within Phased array antennas. The
company aims to introduce the completed solution to the global market once it is
complete ..."
Reactel has become one of the industry leaders in the design and manufacture
of RF and microwave
filters, diplexers, and sub-assemblies. They offer the generally known tubular,
LC, cavity, and waveguide designs, as well as state of the art high performance
suspended substrate models. Through a continuous process of research and development,
they have established a full line of filters of filters of all types - lowpass,
highpass, bandpass, bandstop, diplexer, and more. Established in 1979. Please contact
Reactel today to see how they might help your project.
Sunday 27
 Here is the last
engineering- and science-themed crossword puzzle for October. These custom-made
crosswords are done weekly for the brain-exercising benefit and pleasure of RF Cafe
visitors who are fellow cruciverbalists. The jury is out on whether or not this
type of mental challenge helps keep your gray matter from atrophying in old age,
but it certainly helps maintain your vocabulary and cognitive skills at all ages.
A database of thousands of words has been built up over the years and contains only
clues and terms associated with engineering, science, physical, astronomy, mathematics,
chemistry, etc. You will never find a word taxing your knowledge of a numbnut soap
opera star or the name of some obscure village in the Andes mountains. You might,
however, encounter the name of a movie star like Hedy Lamarr ...
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