for Manchester-
and NRZ-Coded Buses
Rohde-Schwarz-RTO-RTE-Trigger-Decoder-Manchester-NRZ-Buses-85-GHz-7-31-2015.htm" >
Rohde & Schwarz has again expanded its range
of trigger and decoder options for the
R&S RTO and R&S RTE. With the R&S
RTx-K50, the oscilloscopes help users debug serial protocols that employ Manchester
or NRZ coding. The option can be used with a variety of standardized buses such
as PROFIBUS, DALI or MVB as well as with proprietary serial protocols such as are
typically found in industrial environments and in the aerospace & defense sector.
Developers of products that use these types of interfaces can easily find implementation
errors and so test and release their designs more quickly. The option, which covers
data rates of up to 5 Gbit/s, supports Rohde-Schwarz-RTO-RTE-Trigger-Decoder-Manchester-NRZ-Buses-85-GHz-7-31-2015.htm"
...
Electronics World &
Popular Electronics
Here for your Friday afternoon wind-down are
these
electronics-themed comics from vintage issues of Electronics
World and Popular Electronics magazines. The sign on the Telco Rectifier
Components president's wall is especially good. These comics make good fodder for
opening your technical presentations
...
The basics of
power transistor specification and selection have not changed
much since they became widely commercially available in the 1960s. Although available
package shapes, power handling, cutoff frequencies, and other parameter options
have been greatly expanded, still the most important aspect is not just selecting
a power transistor but properly mounting it to ensure that the rated heat dissipation
capacity will be realized. This article touches on some of those considerations
and how to effectively deal with them
...
RF Signal Generator
+ Power Detector
Saelig-34d4-MHz-4d4-GHz-Signal-Generator-Power-Detector-7-29-2015.htm" >
Saelig Company announces the
SynthNV - a programmable 34.4 MHz to 4.4 GHz software-tunable
RF signal and sweep generator with a built-in RF power detector. It is controlled
and powered from any device running Windows, Linux or Android OS via a USB port.
The included onboard RF power detector can be used as a generic RF power meter or
combined with the SynthNV's sweep function to create a basic Saelig-34d4-MHz-4d4-GHz-Signal-Generator-Power-Detector-7-29-2015.htm" >RF
network analyzer. When the RF signal generator frequency is set, RF power can be
measured in less than 400 uS. The SynthNV design also includes nonvolatile
memory so it can be programmed to wake up with any frequency, power, sweep, and
Saelig-34d4-MHz-4d4-GHz-Signal-Generator-Power-Detector-7-29-2015.htm" ...
Intros 4 New RF
Products
PMI-Intros-4-New-RF-Products-7-29-2015.htm" >
Planar Monolithics Industries (PMI) has introduced
4 new RF components that include an 18-40 GHz successive detection log video
amplifier (SDLVA), a 6380 to 7440 GHz voltage variable attenuator (VVA),
a 1.0-1.1 GHz single pole, two throw (SPDT) hermetically sealed reflective switch,
and a 0-180° bi-phase modulator / phase shifter PMI-Intros-4-New-RF-Products-7-29-2015.htm"
...
1963 Electronics World
Magazine
Fellow cruciverbalists, here from a 1963 edition
of Electronics World is an
electronics-themed crossword puzzle for your end-of-the week enjoyment.
You can click on the grid for a larger, printable, write-on-able paper version.
If you are an avid worker of crosswords and don't already know it, I have created
hundreds over the last decade+ that are available
here. Unlike this
crossword from Electronics World (and most others
for that matter), my puzzles have only hand-picked words related to engineering
and science
...
of Ultra-LNA Device
Guerrilla-RF-Ramps-Ultra-LNA-7-29-2015.htm" >
Guerrilla RF, a leading provider of high performance
MMICs, today announced it has received volume production orders for its premier
ultra-low noise amplifier (Ultra-LNA) devices with industry-leading noise figure, gain
and linearity. The GRF2051, along with the higher gain GRF2052, support a wide range
of high performance LNA applications including macro base stations, small cells,
distributed antenna systems (DAS) and other high performance applications requiring
the absolute lowest possible NF along with the highest possible input-referenced
linearity."Guerrilla RF is pleased Guerrilla-RF-Ramps-Ultra-LNA-7-29-2015.htm" ...
Once again, electronics and overall tech
visionary
Hugo Gernsback prognosticated in the 1930s what was then a pipe
dream but what is today commonplace - remote control of multi-functioned apparati
via secure wireless digital communications. Adolph Hitler had risen to power a year
earlier and precursors of what would officially become World War II in 1937
had nations thinking about what kinds of technologies would be necessary should
the little mustachioed dictator decide to invade his neighbors' countries in an
attempt to rule over the Earth. That this was so is apparent in many magazine articles
in the decade of the 1930s: The Saturday Evening Post, Life,
Popular Mechanics, and even Good Housekeeping
...
Featured Book: Essentials of RF and
Microwave Grounding
"Essentials of RF and Microwave Grounding,"
by Eric Holzman. Grounding is a widespread and serious problem in microwave and
RF engineering and, up until now, there hasn't been a practical, authoritative resource
dedicated to the topic. This first-of-its-kind volume offers professionals a comprehensive
understanding of the proper grounding techniques to use when working on varied microwave
circuit and antenna design projects. Practitioners learn what problems can occur
when grounding design is inadequate, and how to avoid them. The book covers a wide
range of critical topics, from the fundamentals of low frequency
... [Please support RF
Cafe through your purchases.]
Rel RF &
Microwave Power Amplifiers
Fairview-Microwave-High-Reliability-RF-Microwave-Power-Amplifiers-7-28-2015.htm" >
Fairview Microwave Inc., a supplier of on-demand
microwave and RF components, has released a complete portfolio of coaxial
high reliability power amplifiers with broadband
frequencies ranging from 0.5 MHz to 20 GHz that can operate over extreme temperatures
across -55°C to +85°C. These high-rel amplifiers are commonly used in demanding
environments for applications involved with electronic warfare, instrumentation,
military communications, radar, point-to-point radio, telecom, test & measurement,
medical, and SATCOM industries. The new families of hi-rel power amplifiers from
Fairview are designed to overcome the electrical and Fairview-Microwave-High-Reliability-RF-Microwave-Power-Amplifiers-7-28-2015.htm"
...
of Copper-Oxide Rectifiers
While reading through this article on
copper-oxide rectifiers, I am once again reminded of how much
we take for granted the conveniences of electrical test equipment on today's shop
benches. The advent of FET-input multimeters was a huge step forward because the
meter input impedance is so high that it has practically no impact on the circuit
being measured. Prior to that, most simple meters drew their power from the circuit
under test, thereby altering the true value of current or voltage being measured.
Of course there were vacuum tube voltmeters (VTVM)
with high input impedances, but few hobbyists or laymen could afford them. This
piece reports on how the advent of a non-tube-based rectifier permitted AC measurements
to be made by DC-driven d'Arsonval meter movements so as to not excessively
...
M8000 Series BER
Test Solutions
Keysight-Technologies-PAM-4-M8000-BER-Test-Solutions-7-28-2015.htm" >
Keysight Technologies today expanded its PAM-4
measurement solutions with support for PAM-4 data formats and built-in error counters
on the M8000 Series BER
test solutions. PAM-4 support and the ability to integrate a device's built-in
error counter helps R&D and test engineers characterize and test high-speed
digital receivers for the data-center networking, storage and computer industries.
R&D and validation teams characterizing next-generation digital designs face
several test challenges. With data rates continuously increasing, emerging data
center standards like OIF CEI and IEEE 802.3 Ethernet are moving to PAM-4 multilevel
signaling formats. In addition, many ASIC Keysight-Technologies-PAM-4-M8000-BER-Test-Solutions-7-28-2015.htm"
...
at European Microwave Week
NI-AWR-European-Microwave-Week-7-28-2015.htm" >
NI (formerly AWR Corporation)
announces that NI AWR Design Environment™ V12 will be featured in a host of
activities at NI-AWR-European-Microwave-Week-7-28-2015.htm" >European Microwave
Week 2015 (EuMW2015), being held September 8 to 10 in Paris. New load-pull and antenna
features, ease-of-use and speed enhancements and third-party integrated flows will
be on display in Booth #E112. In addition, key new features will be showcased in
several MicroApps presentations and at the combined European venue of AWR Design
Forum 2015 (ADF)/European User Group Meeting NI-AWR-European-Microwave-Week-7-28-2015.htm"
...
6-Way Power Divider
Werbel-Microwave-500-6000-MHz-6-Way-Power-Divider-7-27-2015.htm" >
The 6-way power divider model
WMPD06-0.5-6-S is the newest edition to the 500
- 6,000 MHz family of power dividers from Werbel Microwave LLC. This unit comes
with SMA connectors; type N is also available. Measures 9.0 x 6.0 x 0.9 inches.
Input and output return loss is -11 and -15 dB typ. respectively, isolation
is -20 dB typ. and insertion loss is 2.2° max. Phase and amplitude balance
are typically 3°/0.4 dB. Rated ta 50 watts input power as a splitter
only. Part of Werbel Microwave's growing series Werbel-Microwave-500-6000-MHz-6-Way-Power-Divider-7-27-2015.htm"
...
Notable Quote: Henri Poincaré
"Science is built up of facts, as a house
is built of stones; but an accumulation of facts is no more a science than a heap
of stones is a house." - Henri Poincaré, mathematician, in
Science and Hypothesis
A mathematics professor explained to students through various lectures and examples:
It became obvious not everyone understood after one student submitted the following
on a pop quiz:
- originator unknown.
RCA Victor and Philco
Radios
At least for now, I am going to only scan
and post Radio Service Data Sheets in graphical format, and run OCR on them to separate
the textual content and make it searchable. These featuring
the
RCA Victor Model R-78 B1-Acoustic 12-Tube Superheterodyne floor
console radio and the
Philco Model 15 Series, 11-Tube Superheterodyne Chassis, are among
what has been added already, with lots more to come. There are still many people
who restore and service these vintage radios, and often it can be difficult or impossible
to find schematics and/or tuning information. I will keep a running list of all
data
...
Bi-Directional
Power Amplifier
Triad-RF-Systems-4d4-5-GHz-Bi-Directional-PA-7-27-2015.htm" >
The
TTRM1008 is a high linearity GaAs FET bi-directional
SSPA suitable for use with any modulation and signal type. It is currently utilized
in UAV data links and long range point-point COFDM video links. High speed T/R switching
and sequencing of the PA, LNA, and switch driver circuitry is performed by an on-board
CPLD, where switching timing can be adjusted in firmware based on system requirements.
The transmit section produces over 25 watts of BPSK power, and over 5 watts of 64
QAM. The unit also features a manual digital gain setting and a three color status
LED on the front panel that shows if the SSPA is in transmit or receive mode, or
if an alarm condition exists. The amplifier Triad-RF-Systems-4d4-5-GHz-Bi-Directional-PA-7-27-2015.htm"
...
It seemed weird to read of
microelectronics device density expressed in parts per cubic foot
of semiconductor substrate. Describing density that way makes some sense when considering
3-dimensional devices with vertically stacked elements, but this was in a 1963 article
in Electronics World, so that could not have been the case. The motivation, evidently
was to be able to compare microcircuit density with that of the human brain in terms
of neuron density. In fact, there is an interesting chart presented that shows the
evolution in circuit density beginning with vacuum tube circuits, progressing through
the state of the art in 1963, projecting for future years, and finally peaking with
the brain's density. Interestingly, the brain density shows as about 5x1011/ft3,
while the "nonredundant semiconductor device" limit is
...
1 Hz-100 MHz Signal
Generator
Saelig-Intros-TDDS100-48-1-Hz-100-MHz-Signal-Generator-7-22-2015.htm" >
Fairport, NY, USA: Saelig Company, Inc., announces
the availability of the USB-stick-sized
TDDS100-48 - a laboratory quality Direct Digital Synthesized
RF signal source with a frequency range of 1 Hz to 100 MHz and a minimum
of 0dBm output power that is available from its SMA female socket. The TDDS100-48
is the smallest USB-controlled DDS synthesized source available and is priced significantly
below other offerings. The high purity source can be swept in steps as low as 1Hz
between any two frequencies in its specified range. Frequency changes are phase-continuous,
so there are no glitches and phase noise is better than -140 dBc @ 100 kHz
Saelig-Intros-TDDS100-48-1-Hz-100-MHz-Signal-Generator-7-22-2015.htm" ...
Crossword Puzzle
This
Famous Scientists crossword puzzle took a long time to make because
of all the names that I managed to squeeze into the matrix. The way this one works
is the person's first initial and completely spelled-out last name, indicated by
(FI+LN) in the clue, is used as the answer. For instance, filter transfer function
developer Stephen Butterworth would be written as SBUTTERWORTH. There are at least
sixteen names here with which you should be familiar. Good luck
...
General Purpose VNA
Calibration Kits
Pasternack-General-Purpose-VNA-Calibration-Kits-7-22-2015.htm" >
Pasternack, a leading manufacturer and supplier
of RF, microwave and millimeter wave products, has expanded their portfolio of
general purpose VNA calibration kits with new
50 and 75 Ohm versions. These new cal kits offer excellent performance characteristics
that are specially designed for the fine-tuning and calibration of sensitive test
equipment in engineering labs, production environments and quality testing facilities.
All of Pasternack's calibration kits are built to withstand years of rigorous use
and provide accurate RF equipment calibration for the life of the product. Pasternack's
new line of general purpose VNA calibration kits come in three economical versions
including a Pasternack-General-Purpose-VNA-Calibration-Kits-7-22-2015.htm" ...
Bio & Vintage Test Equipment
Ads
This could prove to be a popular feature if
other RF Cafe visitors care to get involved. Yesterday,
Neil Blaho (aka "EMI Guy" - see his helmet
for proof), having seen all the vintage magazine articles and advertisements
posted here over the years, sent me an e-mail with the ads pages below attached.
Wrote Neil, simply, "I'll never admit to using these items years ago…." His statement
alludes to what many of us veteran communications electronics industry types recognize
as the uncomfortable number of years that have slipped by while we were busy making
a living and raising families. I wrote back asking him for permission to post the
images and requested a short biography that could be posted along with them. To
wit: "Greetings Neil: That's quite an interesting lineup of stuff. I'm sure there
are lots of guys like you out there who wax
...
OptiView XG
Network Analysis Tablet
ATEC-Rental-Distributor-Fluke-OptiView-XG-Network-Analysis-7-23-2015.htm" >
Advanced Test Equipment Rentals (ATEC) today announced
an expansion of its authorized rental distributor agreement with Fluke Networks
to include the
Fluke Networks OptiView® XG Network Analysis Tablet,
the first tablet specifically designed for network engineers. Fluke Networks is
the world-leading provider of network test and monitoring solutions. ATEC is a leading
rental company nationwide of test equipment for telecoms, aerospace, semiconductor,
consumer electronics and many other sectors, and now the only Fluke Networks authorized
rental partner to provide the next generation in network ATEC-Rental-Distributor-Fluke-OptiView-XG-Network-Analysis-7-23-2015.htm"
...
Service Men's Association,
Inc.
As the advertisement for membership in the
Official Radio Service Men's Association says, structured organizations
for people of like mind and interests have long been the hallmark of an advanced
society where there is a need for directed socialization and the 'strength in numbers'
benefit. I suppose most people reading this piece belong to at least one such association
like the Institute for Electrical and Electronics Engineers
(IEEE), American Radio Relay League
(ARRL), Armed Forces Communications and Electronics Association
(AFCEA), Association of Old Crows
(AOC), Electronics Technicians Association
(ETA), etc. Having significant representation in government
in the form of lobbyists is essential these days in order to obtain and retain fair
treatment
...
RFMW Intros Peregrine 9 kHz
T&M Switch That Handles
4 W to 8 GHz
RFMW-Peregrine-9kHz-Broadband-Switch-4W-8GHz-7-23-2015.htm" >
RFMW, Ltd. announces design and sales support for Peregrine
Semiconductor's
PE42553 SPDT capable of handling 36 dBm
of CW input power and 38 dBm of pulsed power at 8GHz. The RFMW-Peregrine-9kHz-Broadband-Switch-4W-8GHz-7-23-2015.htm" >PE42553
covers a broad frequency range of 9 kHz to 8 GHz and is ideal for applications
in test and measurement products, automated test equipment
(ATE) and general purpose Tx/Rx switching. This Peregrine
switch is internally terminated for 50 ohm circuits and offers high linearity
(IIP3 is 66 dBm) for performance critical applications
such and switched filter banks. Typical mid-band isolation for the RFMW-Peregrine-9kHz-Broadband-Switch-4W-8GHz-7-23-2015.htm"
...
License Plates - 2015
According to my research, in the year 2015,
there are 29 states out of 50 that issue
specialty license plates commemorating amateur radio. Those states
that do not issue specialty plates offer a vanity plate with an FCC call sign. All
require proof of call sign ownership. Some plates simply say "Amateur Radio," while
others have a graphic symbol of some sort. I expected Connecticut, being the home
base of the ARRL, might have a really nice design, but it is a simple lightning
bolt type thing - better than nothing. Vermont is the only state that uses the schematic
symbol portion of the ARRL logo. Ohio, host to the world's largest annual Hamfest,
merely says "Amateur Radio." Sheesh, how about a tent with an antenna or something,
guys? My own favorite is that of New York due to its simple but eye-catching design
that includes the
...
Featured in NIWeek
Academic Forum
NI-AWR-Design-Environment-Academic-Forum-5G-RF-Pavilion-NIWeek-7-22-2015.htm" >
NI (formerly AWR Corporation)
announces that NI AWR Design Environment™ will be on display within the
NIWeek 2015 Academic Forum, 5G/RF Pavilion and two technical
sessions - High-Efficiency PAs for High PAR Signals Using an NI-Based Platform and
Improving the Semiconductor Design-to-Test Flow. Communication and radar signals
have increased peak-to-average power ratios and bandwidths for efficient spectrum
use, which implies reduced transmitter average efficiency. Doherty, supply-modulated
(ET), and out-phasing transmitters offer possible
efficiency improvements. At this session, learn about various microwave monolithic
NI-AWR-Design-Environment-Academic-Forum-5G-RF-Pavilion-NIWeek-7-22-2015.htm" ...
Made from Crutches
I had to check the publication month printed
on the cover of the latest Nuts & Volts magazine when I ran across
this article last night. It is labeled "August 2015" and not "April 2015,"
but take a look at the photo below that accompanied an article titled "Build a 50 MHz
Dipole out of Crutches" (p25). Author and amateur
radio operator Bob Fischer (WB8BEL), aka "The Antenna
Sculptor," actually fashioned a working 50 MHz dipole out of a pair of metal-framed
crutches. The ones featured in the article were purchased new, but he advises suitable
crutches can be bought second-hand for a couple bucks. Admittedly, he says, "I'm
certain this novel antenna would never survive high winds or ice loads, but it was
not built with permanent installation in mind. I think the best uses for these crutches
are teaching antenna ...
Worldwide Distribution
Agreement
RFMW-ParkerVision-Worldwide-Distribution-Agreement-7-22-2015.htm" >
RFMW and
ParkerVision have announced a worldwide
distribution agreement for ParkerVision products and services. ParkerVision is a
developer, manufacturer and marketer of semiconductor technology solutions for wireless
applications. RFMW is a specialized, technology based component distribution organization
providing customers and suppliers with a solutions oriented sales and marketing
team. RFMW is dedicated to offering the highest levels of customer service and specialized
component-engineering support RFMW-ParkerVision-Worldwide-Distribution-Agreement-7-22-2015.htm"
...
Repair service businesses have always gotten
a bad rap for deliberately inflating part and labor costs - often deservingly so
- but it's a shame the honest brokers are dragged down by the scum
('or 'gyps' as this article calls them). Come to think
of it, the word 'gyp' is likely short for 'gypsy,' which is sure to offend someone
these days. Along with admonishing customers to beware of shyster servicemen, there
is an example of an orchestrated
'sting' operation whereby a radio set was intentionally 'broken'
in a certain way with witnesses as to the fault, and then a couple dozen repair
services were called upon to troubleshoot and fix it, then present a bill for their
work. The result is interesting, and even resulted in one guy being
...
Featured Book - RF Positioning:
Fundamentals,
Applications, and Tools
RF Positioning: Fundamentals, Applications, and
Tools, by Campos, Rafael Saraiva. The book is organized to allow readers to
progress at a fast pace, from the fundamentals of
RF positioning, to the use of advanced tools
such as artificial intelligence algorithms and application development environments.
The first part of the book covers the fundamentals of RF localization. The second
part addresses the application of those fundamentals in several types of wireless
networks and technologies as cellular networks, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, sensor networks,
UWB, and GPS, GNSS,
... [Please support
RF Cafe through your purchases.]
Intros 5 New RF
Products
PMI-Intros-5-New-RF-Products-7-21-2015.htm" >
Planar Monolithics Industries (PMI) announces
the release of 5 new products in its line of RF components. Included are a surface
mount high power limiter (18-40 GHz), and a connectorized
a SP8T (20-6000 MHz) solid state switch, a phase shifter
(2-18 GHz), and two power dividers
(3.1-3.5 GHz) PMI-Intros-5-New-RF-Products-7-21-2015.htm"
...
w/Superior
Phase Noise Performance
Saelig-G326-Ultraminiature-VCXO-7-21-2015.htm" >
Saelig Company has introduced a new series of
ultra-miniature
VCXO that use fundamental mode crystals for superior phase-noise performance.
Available in frequencies from 1.0-50 MHz, the new G326 series VCXOs feature
integrated phase jitter of 200 fs (typical) and
suit a wide range of timing applications, such as PLLs, SONET, ATM, set-top boxes,
MPEG, audio-video modulation, video game consoles and HDTV, ONET, 10GbE, Fiber Channel,
wireless repeaters, transponders, FPGAs, data acquisition, etc. Unlike standard
clock oscillators that have a fixed output frequency, the output of Saelig-G326-Ultraminiature-VCXO-7-21-2015.htm" >G326
VCXOs can be tuned 50 to 200ppm up or Saelig-G326-Ultraminiature-VCXO-7-21-2015.htm"
...
This is an all-star cast of
radio pioneers if there ever was one. It's not comprehensive by
any means, but most of the first-string players are here in this 1936 Radio-Craft
article. One thing I like about reading these old pieces is that they, for the most
part, are reporting on contemporary events; they are not merely a historian's interpretation
of what the original witnesses recorded. That is not to say early writers did
not editorialize, err, or outright lie about content, but I give these guys the
benefit of the doubt based on the sources. You have certainly heard of people like
Hertz, deForest, and Marconi, but what about coherer (early
detector) inventor
Edouard Branly and ground-breaking commercial radio broadcast
engineer Frank Conrad? Magazine editor, publisher, and inventor Hugo Gernsback properly
give a short
...
Notable Tech Quote: Benjamin Franklin
"An iron rod being placed on the outside
of a building from the highest part continued down into the moist earth, in any
direction strait or crooked, following the form of the roof or other parts of the
building, will receive the lightning at its upper end, attracting it so as to prevent
it's striking any other part; and, affording it a good conveyance into the earth,
will prevent its damaging any part of the building." - Benjamin Franklin Of
Lightning, and the Method (now used in America) of securing Buildings and Persons
from its mischievous Effects, Paris 1767. See also
Mac's Radio Service Shop - A Little Lightning story.
The use of
intermediate frequency (IF) coils
and interstage coupling transformers were a major feature of vacuum tube based receivers.
Both served the dual purpose of impedance matching and frequency selectivity. Resistive
losses in the relatively large passive components required careful attention to
matters that affect signal sensitivity, especially in the front end where losses
add significantly to the overall noise figure. This article appeared in an early
1930s edition of Radio-Craft magazine at a time when
superheterodyne receivers were just coming into popularity and
were a new challenge for many designers
...
Waveguide Detectors
for 26.5-110 GHz
Pasternack-Waveguide-Detectors-26-110-GHz-7-20-2015.htm" >
Pasternack, a leading manufacturer and supplier
of RF, microwave and millimeter wave products, rolls out a brand new collection
of high performance zero biased
waveguide detectors that exhibit optimum performance
in Ka, Q, U, V, E and W frequency bands. These waveguide detectors are widely deployed
in various aerospace, defense and commercial wireless applications used in instrumentation,
power detection, power monitoring, direct detection receivers, high frequency communications,
radar, SATCOM, point-to-point radio, telecom, data Pasternack-Waveguide-Detectors-26-110-GHz-7-20-2015.htm"
...
Senior RF Design Engineer
EchoStar, in Englewood, CO, is looking for a
Senior RF Design Engineer who will create RF and electrical engineering designs
employed in EchoStar set top boxes. Responsibilities include RF and electrical engineering
designs employed in EchoStar set top boxes involving QPSK, 8PSK, QAM, 8VSB and future
digital communication methods, RF and electrical engineering designs involving MoCA,
RF4CE, Bluetooth, WiFi, and other wireless networking technologies, use and apply
RF, Digital, Power, and Analog principles and design techniques, circuit design
from specifications, part selection, schematic entry, layout, optimization, validation,
to final mass production ...
White Papers &
Magazines
The free
whitepapers,
pamphlets, books, magazines, and chapter examples listed here are a small sample
of a lot of new items that are offered for FREE through TradePub. The publishers
make them available to qualifying people as a promotional campaign for their full
line of offerings. Note: I earn a few pennies (literally)
when you download one of these or the many other pubs available, so please help
yourself ...
At least for now, I am going to only scan
and post Radio Service Data Sheets like these featuring the
Zenith Challenger Model 740 10 Tube Battery-Operated Superheterodyne
floor console radio and the
Clarion 5 Tube Model 423; 6 Tube 470, 471 and 472; and 10 Tube 480
radio in graphical format, and also run OCR on them to separate the textual content
and make it searchable. There are still many people who restore and service these
vintage radios, and often it can be difficult or impossible to find schematics and/or
tuning information. I will keep a running list of all data sheets to facilitate
a
...
Crossword Puzzle
News services have been busy lately reporting
on the latest feat of America's national space agency's resounding success with
its
interplanetary space probe's closest encounter with our solar
system's most remote [minor] planet. Prior to the
flyby, even the most powerful Earth- and space-based telescopes could never resolve
more than a few lightly contrasted splotches on the celestial orb's surface, and
its largest moon was a few pixels worth of indeterminate light. All that changed
on July 14, 2015. We now have, for the first time ever, high resolution images of
the surface, and are in the process of collection terabits worth of additional physical
data from onboard instruments. No doubt many Ph.D.'s will be earned through assimilation
...
RFMW Intros Qorvo/TriQuint
BAW Diplexer Serving B1 &
B3 Uplink
RFMW-Qorvo-BAW-Diplexer-B1-B3-Uplink-7-16-2015.htm" >
RFMW, Ltd. announces design and sales support
for a highly selective, LowDrift™ BAW diplexer created for use in Band 1 and
Band 3 uplinks. The Qorvo
TQQ1231 provides 60 MHz of bandwidth centered
at 1950 MHz and 75 MHz of bandwidth centered at 1747.5 MHz. Insertion
loss for both bands is 3.8 dB. BAW technology allows the Qorvo RFMW-Qorvo-BAW-Diplexer-B1-B3-Uplink-7-16-2015.htm" >TQQ1231
to handle 30 dBm of input power making it suitable for LTE infrastructure like
BTS transceivers/repeaters and high performance receivers. The TQQ1231 requires
no external matching and is offered in a 3x3 mm SMT package RFMW-Qorvo-BAW-Diplexer-B1-B3-Uplink-7-16-2015.htm"
...
Advertisement
This advertisement would never pass muster
with the politically correct crowd of today! Even though, as with the Washington
Redskins football team, Red Man chewing tobacco, Indian Motorcycles, Land O'Lakes
food company (see a huge list of official company
trademarks with Indians in them),
American Indians are without exception used as a depiction of
strength, high quality, high integrity, and beauty, a very, very, very tiny minority
of rabble rousers are having their way with the vast, vast, vast majority. Somehow
that has become the norm in society today. If the goal is to upset everyone and
to pit good people against each other, they
...
Lancaster, Pennsylvania, Plant
The old saying "Ignorance is bliss," is often misinterpreted as a happy thing
in that keeping one's mind free of uncomfortable facts and details makes for a more
content existence. It was probably some tyrannical statist ruler who came up with
the line in hopes the peons would simply comply with his edicts while trusting those
'in the know' to look out for their welfare. We see a lot of that today in all societies
- both controlling megalomaniacs and willing dupes. A more realistic interpretation
of the saying impugns the target as a figurative lemming who will go over a cliff
with a smile on his face as long as everyone around him is doing the same - while
praising the one who inspired the suicidal behavior. This report in a 1949 edition
of Radio & Television News includes a photo of an
RCA TV tube factory where part of the manufacturing process involved
workers (mostly women) handling
...
GaAs IC SPST
Non-Reflective Switch
Skyworks-DC-6-GHz-GaAs-SPST-Non-Reflective-Switch-7-17-2015.htm" >
Through its Isolink subsidiary, Skyworks introduces
a low-loss, high performance wideband DC-6 GHz hermetic GaAs SPST non-reflective
switch. The
ISO13316 is ideal for high reliability space,
satellite, and defense applications. The device performs with 45 dB isolation at
2 GHz and low loss of 1.1 dB at 6 GHz. Testing is available to the screening requirements
of MIL-PRF-38535 Class B and S, in addition to the required QCI. The ISO13316 die
is produced with Skyworks' GaAs pHEMT process that has shown radiation tolerance
to 100 kRad. The device is provided Skyworks-DC-6-GHz-GaAs-SPST-Non-Reflective-Switch-7-17-2015.htm"
...
Biography of Dr. Mahlon
Loomis
Black Friday is known to most modern-day people
as the frenzied first day of Christmas shopping season on the day after Thanksgiving
(the 3rd Thursday of November). It is named so because
supposedly on that day many retailers finally turn the ink in their accounting books
from red to black (net loss to net profit, respectably).
However, there was an infamous
Black Friday that occurred in the Fall of 1869, when the US. stock
market experienced a severe crash. Many know of the 1929 crash that precipitated
The Great Depression, but the other Black Friday, per this historical article from
a 1948 edition of QST magazine, caused its own 'great depression' in wireless
communications pioneer
DDr. Mahlon Loomis. Dr. Loomis was a dentist whose side
profession was being an electrical experimenter. Decades
...
MWJ's 'Most Valuable
Product'
NI-AWR-Design-Environment-V12-Featured-MWJ-MVP-7-15-2015.htm" >
NI announces that
NI AWR
Design Environment™ V12 has been awarded the Microwave Journal Magazine 2015
Most Valuable Product (MVP) for its productivity enhancements
that enable RF and microwave designers to streamline their design process, improve
end product performance and accelerate time to market. V12 emphasizes user productivity
by focusing on the design flow process for designers of all types of high frequency
electronic components, circuits and systems. Enhancements include new amplifier,
antenna and radar-specific features, expanded NI-AWR-Design-Environment-V12-Featured-MWJ-MVP-7-15-2015.htm"
...
"Just How Private Is Your Privacy?"
The world is a scary place. Someone or something,
somewhere, is watching most of what you do in public. Whether it be a traffic
or parking lot surveillance camera, a phone call, a text message or e-mail, it is
safe to assume it is all connected to an NSA (USA),
GCHQ (UK), MSS (China),
GID (Saudi Arabia), or MID
(Russia), a computer and/or human in one or more countries is privy to your
activities. They know, for instance, that you are currently reading this article
on RF Cafe.com. This interesting 'infographic' appears
...
-
How to Prepare for the Second
Interview
-
The Work-Life Equation: Solving
the Sad Office
-
Smart Career Advice for the
Class of 2015
<more>
Many New Books Added to the
RF Cafe Book
Drawing Selection List
It always amazes me how many people are notified
of having won a choice of a FREE, recently published engineering book from top publishers
like Artech House,
McGraw Hill, and
Cambridge University Press, but never respond. Each month for the past 8 years
I have contacted 1 or 2 people to apprise them of having won the
RF Cafe Book Drawing,
but probably 1/3 never respond. Maybe my e-mails are being routed into their spam
folders. I do not send unsolicited e-mail, so all have received a message from me
previously after having order my
software.
Please, for your own sake, if you have ordered during the month, be sure to watch
your inbox at the beginning of the next month - you might be a winner!
Controlled Phase
Shifter
PMI-2-18-GHz-8-Bit-Phase-Shifter-7-15-2015.htm" >
PMI Model No.
PS-255-2G18G-8B-SFF is a 2.0 to 18.0 GHz
8-Bit Digitally Controlled Phase Shifter with capability for phase shifting from
0° to 255° with resolution as fine as 1.0°. This unit has a typical insertion loss
of 18 dB and a typical VSWR of 2.5:1. The DC Voltage requirement is +12 V
to +15 V with typical current draw of 200 mA. The unit is supplied in
a housing measuring 2.0" x 2.1" x 0.5" PMI-2-18-GHz-8-Bit-Phase-Shifter-7-15-2015.htm"
...
