|
See Page 1 |
2 |
3 of the May 2017 homepage
archives.
Friday 19
 In 1969 when this article appeared in
Electronics World magazine,
laser technology was still in the realm of rare earth elements
and bulky gas chambers with monster power supplies. Efficiencies for conversion
of input line AC power to output laser light power was measured in the low single
digits. Real science was a long, long way from the predictions of science fiction
in terms of size and capability of lasers. Although laser technology has made much
better progress than futurists' visions of flying cars and nuclear fusion power
generation, we are just now deploying the first serious laser weapons. Semiconductor-based
lasers have enabled
A new NI AWR Design
Environment application note describes how the original design of a simple coffee-can
radar from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) OpenCourseWare (OCW)
online course was redesigned and optimized using the system, circuit and electromagnetic
(EM) analysis capabilities of NI AWR software. The redesign was done using Visual
System Simulator™ (VSS) system-level design software and AXIEM and Analyst™ EM simulators
such that the "re-caffeinated" radar system
This year at
IMS 2017, Pasternack's team of engineers will be in booth #514
promoting hundreds of newly released products. Since the 2016 exhibition, the company
greatly expanded its portfolio of waveguide products including waveguide direct
read attenuators, waveguide directional couplers, waveguide bends, transitions and
much more. Additionally, Pasternack will be exhibiting new active components including
USB controlled PLL synthesizers, high-power GaN amplifiers, active frequency
 "RF and microwave experts at the Raytheon
Co. are helping U.S. Air Force researchers find ways to integrate
high-power electromagnetics (HPEM) technology into military cyber
and electronic warfare (EW) systems. Officials of the Air Force Research Laboratory
(AFRL) Directed Energy Directorate's High-Powered Electromagnetics Division (RDH)
at Kirtland Air Force Base, N.M., announced a $10 million contract Wednesday to
the Raytheon Missile Systems segment in Tucson, AZ, for the High Power Electromagnetics
Cyber Electronic Warfare Applications (HPEM "
 General Electric engineers were really thinking
'outside of the box' when designing the 1938-vintage
Model G-106 console radio. In addition to its stylish wooden cabinet,
the 13-station, piano-keyboard-like 'Touch-Tuning' tuning scheme employed a motor-driven
variable resonant tank circuit. No doubt the sound of a motor spinning inside was
a major selling point for hooking techno-audiophiles of the era. There are some
good photos of a restored GE Model G-106 console radio on the Radio Museum website
that includes details of the tuning mechanism
 Axiom Test Equipment, a provider of efficient
and cost effective solutions customers' test equipment needs, publishes a blog containing
how-to articles and tutorials
covering the use and application of many types of test equipment. Examples include
"Measuring Phase Noise And Why It Matters," "Gain Some Guidance On Amplifier Measurements,"
"Add an Amplifier for High-Power RF Testing," and "Considerations In Choosing an
Environmental Chamber." Since 2005, Axiom Test Equipment has
Troll's
LinkBox manages IP network payloads, cameras, antennas, encoding,
decoding, encryption, reception and transmission using DVB-T, TCDLs and MIMO. The
LinkBox is compatible with leading mapping interfaces and provides seamless network
bridge between air and ground operations. Its multi-port Ethernet switch and power
distribution systems allows for the rapid integration of third-party equipment,
ensuring that
 Anatech Electronics,
a manufacturer of RF and microwave filters, has published its April newsletter.
As always, it includes both company news and some tidbits about relevant industry
happenings. In it, Sam Benzacar discusses, among other topics, the challenge the
Department of Defense will have with commercial services looking to operate in the
millimeter-wave bands for 5G, where military satellite and radars now operate without
significant threat of interference. He also mentions research in progress that allows
Wi-Fi to generate 3D tracking maps
Thursday 18
 "Massive ray guns that use microwaves to instantaneously down a
swarm of incoming enemy drones are approaching prime-time reality, and could propel
New Mexico into a leadership role in the next wave of modern defense technology.
The Air Force Research Laboratory at Kirtland Air Force Base is leading an effort
to move such weapons out of the lab and into the hands of war fighters, with help
from industry partners like Raytheon Missile Systems' Ktech division in Albuquerque.
Those efforts have strong backing from New Mexico's congressional delegation "
The new
IsoLOG 3D Mobile, Aaronia's latest development, is an ultra-light
and small isotropic antenna which is compatible to any spectrum analyzer. It is
directly ready for use and is a perfect plug and play solution for 3D measurements
in limited time frames. The antenna requires no software installation, no power
connection and no hardware changes. It is connectable via the N (male) connector
to any analyzer or oscilloscope. Each IsoLOG 3D Mobile includes an internal, rechargeable
battery, offering a run-time of 6 hours, and a switchable low
 Since Tuesday,
May 16, I have received half a dozen orders from people using e-mail addresses in
EU countries that return sever error notices when I reply to the e-mail address
provided by PayPal. It happens both with and without a file attached. The strange
thing is all the order amounts are for $20 items, and every e-mail fails. I called
PayPal and they claim no knowledge of any problems. Please contact me ASAP if you
placed an order and have not received your file.
 Here are a couple more
electronics-themed comics from vintage Popular Electronics
magazines. Only one comic appeared in each of the May 1962 and April 1974 issues,
so I combined them onto a single page. The comic from 1962 has a message I had not
considered before about otherwise unassociated businesses horning in on a traditional
business' purview, in this case drug stores selling replacement vacuum tubes, thereby
robbing sales from the electronics repair shops
 "Mobile operators will spend more than $21
billion on standardized
5G New Radio (NR) infrastructure by the end of 2025, according
to SNS Research. Of course, pre-standards 5G work is already well underway and SNS
Research previously released an estimate saying that by the end of 2017, pre-standards
5G network investments are expected to account for over $250 million. Based on early
contract wins, it is evident that existing vendors including Ericsson, Nokia, Samsung
and Huawei will benefit the most "
 On Tuesday, June 6th, Empower RF's CTO, Paulo
Correa, will be presenting the topic "Multi-Use Interoperable RF Amplifier" to an audience of IMS attendees
at the Exhibitor Workshop, 1pm to 3pm, Room 318/319 of the Hawaii Convention Center.
The RF system amplifier has not evolved in any significant way since the inclusion
of the microcontroller twenty years ago. That's a remarkable statement given the
advancements seen in virtually every other application of RF products and test systems.
In this workshop, we will define and evaluate power amplifier
Microwave Journal
has released a redesigned web site on ePublishing's latest responsive platform for
the best viewing experience on all types of devices and screen sizes. The ePublishing
platform is a SEO-friendly, taxonomy-driven web site that automatically presents
related content, community, commerce, advertising and special offers. The new Microwave
Journal home page is more image-driven providing a more visual experience for the
user and features embedded video, featured stories, white papers, current issue,
buyer's guide
 "A team of researchers at Duke University
have 3-D printed potent
electromagnetic metamaterials, using an electrically conductive
material compatible with a standard 3-D printer. The demonstration can revolutionize
the rapid design and prototyping of radio frequency applications such as Bluetooth,
Wi-Fi, wireless sensing and communications devices. Metamaterials are synthetic
materials composed of many individual, engineered devices called cells that together
produce properties not found in nature. As an electromagnetic wave moves "
Triad RF Systems introduces the
TTRM1019 broadband bi-directional low SWAP amplifier utilizing
GaN devices, making it well suited for EW / SIGINT applications. Its extremely fast
switching speed and high linearity also make the TTRM1019 an ideal solution for
JTRS applications. This class AB GaN module is designed for both military and commercial
applications. It is capable of supporting any signal type and modulation format,
including but not limited to 3-4G telecom, WLAN, OFDM, DVB, and CW/AM/FM
Wednesday 17
 "Smartphones with batteries that fully charge
in five minutes could be available to consumers next year. The technology was first
shown off in 2015, when Israeli start-up StoreDot demonstrated its FlashBattery
at the CES tech show in Las Vegas. Chief executive Doron Myersdorf told the BBC
it is now expected to enter production in early 2018. However, Ben Wood, a technology
analyst at CCS Insight, said he had doubts about the claims. Mr Myersdorf said he
could not reveal which manufacturers were "
 Innovative Power Products, Inc., is proud
to introduce one of its newest broadband Dual Directional Couplers, Model
IPP-3206, a 200 watt coupler covering 20-520 MHz., in
a very small 1.16" X 1.76" package with SMA connectors. Insertion loss is <0.40 dB,
main line VSWR is <1.25:1, coupled flatness is +/-0.60 dB and directivity
is greater than 20 dB
 'DXing,' or long distance communications, has been a goal of amateur
radio operators since the inception of radio. The sport is a popular today as it
was in 1959 when this article appeared in Popular Electronics magazine.
As you might expect, achieving success at making contacts like-minded hobbyists
half-way around the world has been made quite a bit easier both by vastly improved
transmitters, receivers, and antennas and by a much greater knowledge of propagation
paths and accommodating atmospheric
The latest release of the Modelithics COMPLETE Library™ for NI AWR Design Environment™,
version 17.1, is now available, containing 44 new models and introducing several
new model features. New advanced scalable simulation models for RF and microwave
components from twenty (20) different vendors have been added to the version 17.1
release, including Microwave Global Models™ for capacitors from ATC, AVX, IPDiA
(now part of Murata), Johanson Technology, KEMET, Murata, ST Microelectronics, and
Taiyo Yuden. New inductor models are
 "The Army's Rapid Equipping Force is testing
a wave relay radio technology that enables soldiers to connect with one another
while fighting underground, service officials said. When in a subterranean
environment, line-of-sight radio connectivity and other forms of networking are
often compromised. To address the issue, the Army is evaluating a small terrestrial-based
ad hoc radio that uses frequency modulation, said Lt. Col. Dominic Ciaramitaro,
Chief of Outreach and Assessments "
Saelig Company announces the availability of the
Spectran HF-80200
V5 RSA rack-mounted real-time 9 kHz-20 GHz Spectrum Analyzer that
can capture even intermittent signal transmissions. Most spectrum analyzers take
time to scan through the frequency range and can miss sporadic signals. But the
Spectran HF-80200 V5 RSA has been designed with a remarkable scanning speed and
recording time: the analyzer scans from 9 kHz to 20 GHz in less than 20 ms,
so that even erratic transmissions or interference can be captured
 "JFW Industries, specialists in attenuation
and RF switching, designs and manufactures a wide range of solutions fortesting military radios. For those test engineers wanting to build
their own testbed by piecing together individual components, JFW provides the necessary
programmable attenuators, as well as the power divider/combiners to be cabled together.
JFW also provides RF test systems with components already packaged together with
a computer interface for test engineers in need of an all-in-one solution. These
test "
Tuesday 16
 This new resource by author Geoff Varrall
provides key insight into future 5G radio systems and the technical and economic
impact on industries, communities and end-users.
5G Spectrum and Standards offers a comprehensive understanding
of the options available for teams tasked with bringing 5G products and services
to market or developing supporting standards and regulatory frameworks
 Just leaked from the super-secret laboratories
of RF Cafe are these screen shots of a new cascade calculator code named "Wireless System Designer!" For more than a decade, "RF Cascade
Workbook 2005" has been the de facto standard for spreadsheet-based RF system cascade
analysis. "Wireless System Designer" is the next (at last!)
phase in the evolution. Detailed information will be provided as the planned release
date of June 1, 2017 gets nearer, but for now feast your eyes upon these screen
shots of what is to come. Following hundreds of hours of user interface, formula,
and VBA design, I am in the final testing and tweaking phase. Sure, neither Keysight
Technologies nor NI AWR have anything to worry about in terms of overall capability,
but "Wireless System Designer
 Copper Mountain Technologies has made available
a whitepaper titled
How to Test an RF Coaxial Cable using a VNA. "RF coaxial cables
are high precision test assemblies, which along with a calibration kit, adapters
and a torque wrench ensure the integrity of the measurements taken by test equipment
such as a Vector Network Analyzer. An ideal cable transfers maximum RF energy while
incurring as little loss as possible. To choose the best cable for a test solution,
one has to consider several factors such as: operating frequency "
 I'm old enough to remember the
1973 Oil Crisis era (the subject of Mac
McGregor's and Barney's discussion) that resulted from an oil embargo instituted
by Arab oil producing nations during the Yom Kippur War where Egypt and Syria launched
a surprise attack on Israel. I didn't get my driver's license until Fall of 1974
(turned 16 on August 18th), so the worst of it was
pretty much over by then. However, I clearly remember sitting in long lines at the
gas station with my father, and then being limited in the amount that could be purchased
(i.e., no fill-ups). Gas prices jumped from a national
average of 38.5¢/gallon in May 1973 to 55.1¢/gallon in June 1974
 Centric RF is a company offering from stock
various RF and Microwave coaxial
components, including attenuators, adapters, cable assemblies, terminations,
power  dividers,
and more. We believe in offering high performance parts from stock at a reasonable
cost. Frequency ranges of 0-110 GHz at power levels from 0.5-500 watts. Order
today, ship today! Centric RF is currently looking for vendors to partner with them.
Please visit Centric RF today
Skyworks has launched its new ultra-low loss DPDT switch, the
SKY13698-694LF, which is designed for smartphones, data cards,
and MiFi® hotspots. This device delivers the lowest insertion loss, high isolation
antenna swap DPDT switch currently available on the market. With industry-leading
insertion loss across all cellular bands, the switch maintains isolation >30 dB
at 3.8 GHz, preventing signal leakage and mitigating Rx desense issues. Its
wide frequency range of 0.4 to 5.9 GHz makes it the first cellular antenna
swap device to support
 "An Iranian immigrant in Silicon Valley is
challenging the $500 million behemoths and touting night shots that pierce cloud
cover. A young company in Palo Alto called
Capella Space, which announced $12M in new funding on May 9,
has figured out a way to create much smaller, cheaper versions of SAR satellites.
For decades, spy agencies have had access to a magic-seeming technology known as
SAR, or synthetic aperture radar. A satellite with SAR onboard can send radar beams
from space that bounce off Earth and then return to a sensor, which assembles the
information "
Monday 15
"Recent Radar and Phased-Array Breakthroughs" webinar sponsored
by Microwave Journal and Rohde & Schwarz on Thursday, May 18, 2017
at 11:00 am EDT. Presented by Dr. Eli Brookner. Abstract: The advent of
the active phased array enabled significant improvements in radar capabilities.
Beyond just the change in architecture, however, system capabilities are increasing,
the confluence of improvements in microwave and signal processing technologies:
GaN power amplifiers, MMIC and Extreme MMIC integration, T/R module cost reduction
 Did you happen to see Dilbert's take on
global warming
in yesterday's comics? Scott Adams is a brave man for taking on the issue and its
fervent congregation of believers. The publication was followed today with an article
on his Scott Adam's Blog titled, "How to Know You Won a Political Debate on the Internet."
"Pasternack, a leading provider of RF, microwave and millimeter wave products,
has released 18 new
4.3-10 connectors and adapters with maximum operating frequency
of 6 GHz and VSWR as low as 1.08:1. Typical applications include custom cable assemblies,
feeder cables, mobile communications systems, base stations, distributed antenna
systems (DAS) and small cells. Pasternack's new 4.3-10 connectors and adapters feature
low coupling torque and low-PIM performance "
 Believe it or not, there are still people
out there - engineers and hobbyists - who design circuits using
discrete transistors. Sure, there is a plethora of integrated
circuits that combine multiple functions into a single package that performs often
nearly like ideal components, and for a lot less money than building an equivalent
circuit from individual components. Still, sometimes a lone transistor with a couple
biasing resistors will do the job, and sometimes the designer just wants to do something
different. There are also plenty of instances where you need to find a replacement
of a failed transistor that has similar
 ConductRF's skill in the manufacturing of
Phase Matched RF Cable Solutions is second to none. We have
phase matched a diverse array
of solutions from Low Frequency RG and LMR Cables to more premium exotic cables
up to 70 GHz. With a broad base of standard connectors and cables in stock, we turn
solutions around fast. Phase Matched cables are required in many applications and
for various reasons. Common application include Phase Arrayed Radar & Broadcasting
systems to allow directional focus, but
 This free 49-page "Test & Measurement Fundamentals" e-Book from Microwaves & RF
and National Instruments. "This book addresses the knowledge needs of engineers,
managers, and other technical professionals already working in or new to the wireless
field who have not learned the basics of test and measurement (T&M), either
through experience or other means. With fundamental T&M knowledge foundation,
engineers will be better prepared to dig deeper as required by their work with "
 "'There's a great deal of interest in being
able to control cell behaviour in relation to semiconductors – that's the underlying
idea behind bioelectronics,' said Albena Ivanisevic, a professor of materials science
and engineering at NC State and corresponding author of the study. 'Our work here
effectively adds another tool to the toolbox for the development of new bioelectronic
devices.' The new approach is said to make use of
persistent photoconductivity. Materials that exhibit persistent
photoconductivity become more conductive when light is shone "
 LadyBug Technologies means Peak Performance
in Power Sensors: 9 kHz - 40 GHz and 80 dB dynamic range. LadyBug makes a broad
line of First Tier NIST traceable USB power sensors that  are compatible with Windows systems, along
with Linux. LadyBug has the only SPI & I2C sensor available. Patented NoZero
NoCal feature - Simply connect and measure to receive a high accuracy measurement.
Please contact LadyBug today to find out how they can help you
Sunday 14
 Avid cruciverbalists amongst us will appreciate
this new RF & Microwave 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., Hedy Lamarr). Enjoy!
Friday 12
 This
crossword puzzle appeared in the May 1963 edition of Electronics
World. If you happen to be an avid cruciverbalist, then you might want to try
a few of the RF and microwave engineering themed crosswords that I have been publishing
weekly for a decade. Unlike the crosswords I create that use only science- and technology-related
words and clues, this one does contain a few irrelevant words
NI will sponsor an upcoming Microwave Journal technical webinar on . Presented
by Dr. Bob Froelich, an RF and microwave engineer with 30 years of experience in
designing circuits and systems for radar, radio astronomy and wireless communications,
the webinar introduces attendees to core filter concepts, parameters and topologies.
Topics covered will include low-pass filters with lumped elements, using filter
tables, transformation to band pass, the importance of Q, the impedance inverter
concept and coupled-resonator filters
 Model 2PSZ525 from Werbel Microwave is a low
frequency broadband splitter,
covering 5-2,500 MHz in a continuous band. Werbel's own, hand-wound coils make
it possible to achieve such broadband performance. Typical SWR is 1.4:1, typical
isolation 20 dB across the band. Phase and amp balance is 5 degrees, 0.7 dB
max across the entire band. Case measures 1.8x1.5x0.9 inches. SMA or N female options
available
 Saelig
sells and supports a wide range of electronic control and instrumentation equipment
and components to customers ranging from Fortune 500 industrial users, military,
educational institutions and hospitals to individual end-users. They've found remarkable
test equipment and components from around the world with specs or prices you won't
find anywhere else. Please visit Saelig today for your test equipment needs
As wireless devices and systems spread across every industry, spectrum analyzers
serve as an essential RF test tool for characterizing signals and making frequency
measurements. Download Rohde & Schwarz's definitive guide to understanding the
technology behind spectrum analyzer measurements. In this primer you will learn
about:
Basics of Spectrum Analysis: Time and frequency domains, FFT analyzers,
analyzers using the heterodyne principle, settings for using a spectrum
 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.
Anatech has introduced 3 new products for your convenience: a connectorized 1.300-1.530 GHz
circulator, a 10.7 MHz crystal filter, and a 902-928 MHz ceramic bandpass Filter
for the ISM band
 "Advanced electronics, such as
quantum computers,, have taken a huge step forward thanks to the
work of scientists at University of California, Irvine. The UCI researchers worked
in conjunction with physicists and scientists from a variety of institutions, including
Princeton University, Fudan University, the University of Maryland, UC Berkeley,
and Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, to create new 2D superconductor materials
that could change the future of the advanced electronics. Over the course "
Thursday 11
 Here are a few more tech-themed comics from
older editions (1962 and 1970) of Popular Electronics magazine. The first comic
with the transistors and fuse is really clever, IMHO. There is a hyperlinked list
at the bottom of the page of most of the other comics I've posted over the years.
It's a shame that comics rarely appear in contemporary technical
 After over 2 years in space, advanced U.S.
re-entry
X-37B Orbital Test Vehicle spacecraft successfully landed at NASA's
Kennedy Space Center. According to the US Air Force, the X-37B Orbital Test Vehicle
is 'the newest and most advanced re-entry spacecraft.' This was the fourth flight
of this vehicle. Boeing started the secret X-37B Orbital Test Vehicle project under
NASA's aegis in 1999. Originally, the reusable X-37 was intended to repair satellites
in orbit. However, in 2004 the program "
 The
National Company of Cambridge, Massachusetts, was one of the first
large distributors of electronics components and appliances. It began life as the
National Toy Company. Under the leadership of Mr. James Millen, W1HRX, National
quickly became a market leader in designing and marketing high quality radio products
for both amateur radio operators and casual listeners of shortwave radios. National
Company very often ran full-page advertisements in the American Radio Relay League's
QST magazine, that were more in the form
 "Walmart has long been active in the
RFID space, but now comes evidence that it's increasingly taking
on the internet of things (IoT) with a patent application unearthed by CB Insights.
The data provider says the system outlined in the application is reminiscent of
the Amazon Dash, the connected buttons offered by Amazon that let users quickly
reorder products. Walmart's system would require even less effort than Amazon's,
integrating IoT into the products themselves for automatic reordering with no user
input at all. The patent application, filed in October, described adding IoT tags
to products based on Bluetooth "
 Newly available is Empower RF Systems latest
brochure describing the capabilities and features of the most advanced RF amplifier
systems available in the world. Topics include: Big Power Best in Class SWaP, Industry
First Scalable Pulsed Power, Software Definable – Future Proof - Reconfigurable,
Interoperable – Multi Domain, Remote Control, Monitoring, and Debug, Multi Function
Building Block Modules. Empower RF Systems is the technological leader in smart
 "Internet of things (IoT) systems usually link networks of sensors via radio, but radios
demand battery power thus limit their usability. Disney Research has determined
that one solution may be to get rid of the radios all together and communicate via
the ambient radio waves from TV, radio and cell phones. Researchers led by Alanson
Sample, associate lab director and leader of Disney Research's Wireless Systems
group, devised an ultra-low-power system of sensors that transmit data to a central
receiver by reflecting the ambient radio waves from commercial broadcasting systems
that already bathe most office "
|
