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Tuesday 31
 Unlike with the Mac's Service Shop episodes
that typically were published in monthly issues that jived with the story setting,
the Carl & Jerry plots did not necessarily correspond with the month in which
they appeared. To wit, this "How to Haunt a House" story appeared in the February edition of
Popular Electronics. I saved it for Halloween. As always, author John Frye
mixes technical descriptions with the storyline to lend credibility to the teens'
escapades. Modern teenagers might use slightly different methods and materials,
but the end results are the came. Enjoy the adventure
 Although not routinely referred to as plasma
displays at the time, the "thin TV displays" reported in this 1973 article in Popular
Electronics magazine was one of the first instances of commercially viable schemes.
According to Wikipedia, Fujitsu introduced the first full-color
plasma display panel (PDP) in 1992 - with a 21" screen - two decades
after this device 80x212-pixel monochrome designed by Zenith. I remember seeing
the 42" Fujitsu plasma TVs in Best Buy with a $10,000 price tag sometime in the
mid 1990s, which jives with Fujitsu's stated plan of selling the first units at
around
 A few days ago, Mr. Adam Guha sent me a short
note along with a couple of photos of a vintage
Crosley Model 03CB console radio that he refurbished for a friend.
Note that unlike the Crosley 03CB that I refinished, Adam's still has the striped
burl trim pattern on the chassis and dowels in front of the speaker - very nice!
They appeared to be plastic decals because when I stripped the varnish off mine,
they melted away. It would have been nice if it was actual wood veneer with that
pattern. Said Adam: "I found your website upon searching to see who else had a Crosley
03CB and what issues they had with it. Very nice job on the cabinet on yours, it's
tough to deal
Saelig has introduced the Kaltman Invisible
Waves RF-ResQ™
(Receiver Enhancement System) - an eight-channel antenna signal processor that can
open up portions of unusable RF spectra, while substantially reducing channel interference.
Working with industry standard antennas and with both analog and digital wireless
microphones in the 470 MHz to 928 MHz range, this solution solves many
of the RF congestion issues that plague the professional audio industry. Housed
in a rugged 1U rackmount unit, the RF-ResQ is a standalone wireless microphone
 "In their search for silicon-compatible
photonic materials for the on-chip integration of optical communications,
a group of researchers at MIT investigated MoTe2, a two-dimensional transition-metal
dichalcogenide (TMD) yielding promising results. While III–V light sources grown
on silicon through heteroepitaxy suffer from inherent lattice mismatch and surface
defects (as well as requiring high process temperatures which may damage underlying
CMOS circuitry), 2D MoTe2 layers can be directly adhered to a silicon substrate
via van der Waals interactions. Publishing their "
Monday 30
 "This week, Albert Einstein's 'Theory of
Happiness' fetched a record
$1.56 million at a Jerusalem auction house. If you're thinking
this is a misprint from an editor or an unreleased companion piece to the Theory
of Relativity, you're wrong. It's actually no more than a couple of hand-written
notes. The story behind why the note was written, however, is almost as interesting
as the document itself. In 1922, a relatively young Albert Einstein was a guest
at the Imperial Hotel in Tokyo. His star was definitely on the rise in this "
 If you are a seasoned reader of episodes
of "Mac's Service Shop," you might have noticed that the stories almost
always begin with either Mac or Barney commenting on the weather, which corresponds
to the time of year in which the story was originally published. Note the reference
to the "bleak, cold November morning" in this November edition of Popular Electronics.
This time around, the boss and trusty employee discuss the value of electronics
kits, Heathkits in particular. BTW, Heathkit is now making an impressive comeback
into the kit realm with new designs. Manuals for some of the more popular vintage
Heathkit projects are available again, which are a welcome thing
 "When a spacecraft falls to earth, where
does it end up? Most fallen large satellites, space stations, and other space objects
end up in
Point Nemo, an area miles off the southeast coast of New Zealand.
It's also referred to as the most remote place on Earth. 'It's in the Pacific Ocean
and is pretty much the farthest place from any human civilization you can find,'
NASA reiterated. Astronauts aboard the International Space Station (ISS) orbit closer
to this spacecraft graveyard than any other object on earth. ISS orbits 250 miles
above Earth. This graveyard "
Fairview Microwave Inc., a supplier of on-demand microwave and RF components,
has launched a new line of
low-PIM, plenum-rated SPP-250-LLPL cable assemblies for use in
wireless infrastructure. Typical applications include multi-carrier communication
systems, indoor wireless systems, distributed antenna systems (DAS) and PIM testing.
Fairview's 36 new low-PIM jumper cables feature a maximum PIM level of -155 dBc
and are made with UL910 plenum-rated SPP-250-LLPL cable. The PIM levels
Sunday 29
 For the sake of avid
cruciverbalists amongst us, each week I create a new technology-themed
crossword puzzle using only words related to engineering, science, mathematics,
chemistry, physics, astronomy, etc. At least 10 clues in this puzzle with an asterisk
(*) are pulled from this past week's (10/23 - 10/27) "Tech Industry
Headlines" column on the RF Cafe homepage (see the Headline
Archives page for help). Enjoy
Friday 27
 Precision Ruggedized VNA Cables from ConductRF
offer RF Engineers great alternatives to costly OEM cables that are now past their
best days. We have many standards for applications at 18 GHz, 27 GHz and
40 GHz. Our torque resistant connector heads and phase stable constructions
ensure great performance for many tests to come. ConductRF VNA series provides customers
with reliable ruggedized solutions for lab and production VNA testing
 "Researchers have discovered a new way to
produce high energy photon beams. The new method makes it possible to produce these
gamma rays in a highly efficient way, compared with today's technique.
The obtained energy is a billion times higher than the energy of photons in visible
light. These high intensity gamma rays significantly exceed all known limits, and
pave the way towards new fundamental studies. 'When we exceed the limit of what
is currently possible, we "
 Phased-locked loop (PLL) oscillator circuits are the standard implementation for tunable
frequency sources these days, as opposed to LC tank circuits with either mechanical
(variable capacitor and/or inductor) or electrical (varactor) control elements.
Crystal oscillators have been around for many decades, nearly a century in fact,
but it was not until the advent of PLL circuitry using solid state digital ICs that
such stability and accuracy was available across a wide range of frequencies. As
author Klaus Peter states, using a huge bank of fixed frequency crystals with selector
switches, even when using double and triple conversion schemes, is totally impractical
from physical implementation, production, and cost perspectives. These
 Here is a great opportunity to help design products
that millions of people will use. The Sr. RF Design Engineer will play a central
role in the development and design of important new products where RF performance
is very important for our remote controls and connected products. You will be able
to take pride in seeing your designs used by your friends, neighbors, and in seeing
them on the shelves at home stores. This highly visible senior role will involve
close collaboration with the rest of the new product development team to produce
new sub-gigahertz (UHF) remote ...
 "Brown University researchers have demonstrated
for the first time a method of substantially changing the spatial coherence of light.
In a paper published in the journal Science Advances, the researchers show that
they can use surface
plasmon polaritons - propagating electromagnetic waves confined
at a metal-dielectric interface - to transform light from completely incoherent
to almost fully coherent and vice versa. The ability to modulate coherence could
be useful in a wide variety of "
Thursday 26
 "Electronics design is often limited by the
shape of the battery - a critical, but frequently uncompromising product component.
A new kind of battery conforms to meet the specific shape of a given device. The
battery, developed by the Columbus, Ohio-based technology R&D company Battelle,
won the Consumer category award in this year's 'Create the Future' Design Contest.
Steven Risser, Research Leader at Battelle, spoke with Tech Briefs about how the
battery innovation could radically impact design as consumers "
 For many years now I have been scanning and
posting Radio Service Data Sheets like this one featuring the
Clarion De Luxe Models AC-280 and 25-280, 12-tube superheterodyne
radio receiver. 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. The
Majestic Model 290 is a tabletop, vacuum tube, superheterodyne
radio receiver of the popular 'tombstone' configuration. Grigsby-Grunow produced
radios under the trade name of "Majestic."
 I
have noticed with my reading of the history of radio communications that in the
early days - during Marconi's time - most people referred to radio as "wireless."
A person would say he has a "wireless set" or "wireless receiver" in his home. Sometime
around World War II the vernacular migrated to speaking of "radio." That lasted
through the mid to late 1990s as the current "wireless" phenomenon took hold. Everything
today is "wireless," even though you and I know that means a radio of some sort
is involved. Even smartphones are a form of radio - but don't tell your typical
Millennial that lest a safe space be breached.
 "U.S. Air Force researchers are kicking off
a program to develop new trusted computing microelectronics technologies to enable
broader use of
commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) electronic components in military
systems. Officials of the Air Force Research Laboratory have issued a presolicitation
(FA8650-18-S-1201) for the Assured and Trusted Microelectronics Solutions (ATMS) "
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
Wednesday 25
 "Tech workers of all ages think older engineers
are highly qualified, have good experience, and can share wisdom. But many older
engineers are worried about losing their jobs as the tech workforce skews heavily
towards Millennials. That's the conclusion of a survey of 1011 currently employed
U.S. tech workers conducted by job site Indeed.com. The study had a number of startling
- and some not so surprising - takeaways. First surprise: an
'old' tech worker is defined as over 40 "
 You probably know that it was Scottish engineer
Robert Watson-Watt who pioneered the first successful radar systems. During World
War II, America benefitted from improved magnetron designs from Great Britain
to help build both ground-based air defense radars and, later in the war, airborne
radars. This article from a 1972 issue of Popular Electronics reports on
state-of-the-art
marine radars from England for pleasure boats. In 1972, a radar
with a 16-mile range was priced at around $2,000, which is equivalent to a little
more than $11,000 in 2017 dollars. By comparison, you can now buy a compact microprocessor-controlled
color marine radar
 "Air Force officials at Kirtland Air Force
Base, N.M. are working with microwave experts from companies including Raytheon
and Booz Allen Hamilton to conduct experiments with high power electromagnetic (HPEM) technology. The work offers the potential to enhance missile
defense and electronic warfare capabilities. 'AFRL will innovate the technology
for future warfighter needs,' said Erin Pettyjohn, Deputy Division Chief of the
High Power Electromagnetics Division of the Air Force Research Laboratory Directed
Energy Directorate "
 Telegartner Inc. has been added to the
Coaxial Connectors & Adapters and
Coaxial Cables
vendor page listings. Per their website: "From the bell wire to the fibre optic
cable." Since the company was set up in 1945, Telegärtner has seen steady growth
and has continually expanded its range in response to market demands. Now one of
the top addresses for coaxial connectors, network components, high-precision turned
parts, plastic injection mouldings, industrial electronics and cable assembly
Wednesday, October 24, 1 hour beginning at 11:00 am EST. In this "RF Co-Site Interference Simulation in Complex Electromagnetic Environments"
webinar presented  by Patrick DeRoy,
we will demonstrate how a 3D full-wave simulation can be used to analyze the antenna
to antenna coupling for an Unmanned Aircraft System (UAS). The coupling data will
then be used to estimate possible RF interference using the CST Studio Suite Interference
Task
Rohde & Schwarz presents new vector network analyzer calibration equipment:
the R&S ZN-Z32 and
R&S ZN-Z33 inline calibration units. These calibration units
are ideal for satellite component testing in thermal vacuum chambers (TVAC) and
for multiport component testing on production lines. Unlike conventional automatic
network analyzer calibration units, the new R&S ZN-Z32/33 inline calibration
units from Rohde & Schwarz are permanently connected to the test setup
Tuesday 24
 "Amateur Radio's two newest bands came to
life on Friday the 13th. Both 630 meters (472-479 kHz) and 2200 meters (135.7-137.8
kHz) bands now are available to radio amateurs who have notified the
Utilities Technology Council (UTC) of their intention to operate
and did not hear anything back during the ensuing 30 days. 'Many of us filed notices
with the Utilities Technology Council on September 15, the day the notification
procedure was announced,' said Fritz Raab, W1FR, who coordinated the ARRL WD2XSH
630-Meter Experiment "
Electro-Photonics LLC, a market leader in RF and Microwave components has released
a new broadband surface mount (SMT) hybrid coupler:
Q3XB-4000R. Our new Q3XB-4000R, 90° hybrid coupler operates from
1.7-6 GHz, dissipates 85 W, and offers excellent coupling flatness and
isolation for the most critical applications. This coupler has a very small package
of .560 x .200 inches (14.22 mm x 5.08 mm). The Q3XB-4000R is manufactured in the
USA, and is RoHS compliant
 The April 1973 issue of Popular Electronics
concentrated on
antennas for everything from citizens band (CB) radios to televisions
and amateur radio. This article covers a compact, multi-band Ham antenna with a
minimal level of skill and components required. Construction tips are given. It
includes the popular 10-, 15-, 20-, 40-, and 80-meter bands. Standing wave ratio
(SWR) plots are shown for all four bands
 Since it
was established in 1979, Reactel has become one of the industry leaders in the design
and manufacture of RF and Microwave
filters, diplexers, and sub-assemblies. Through a continuous process of research
and development, we have established a full line of filters of all types. They offer
the generally known tubular, LC, cavity, and waveguide designs, as well as state
of the art high performance suspended substrate models. Please contact Reactel today
to see how they might help your project
 "The 12th Annual
ARRL On-Line Auction is on, with more than 250 items up for bid
this year. The list includes QST Product Review gear - already ARRL Lab tested -
as well as vintage books, previously owned gear, and one-of-a-kinds. The ARRL Lab
team also has contributed four of the very popular 'mystery boxes.' Some of the
premier Product Review items up for bid include the FlexRadio Systems FLEX-6500
SDR transceiver and updated SmartSDR software for Windows, Elecraft KX2 HF QRP transceiver,
Kenwood "
Monday 23
Saelig announces the availability of the
TekBox EMCView
Pre-compliance Testing Software. This PC-compatible software simplifies the
process of EMC pre-compliance testing of radiated and conducted emissions. EMCView
complements an emissions test setup of a spectrum analyzer, an LISN (Line Impedance
Stabilization Networks) and an EMI-quiet TEM Cell. Built-in amplitude correction
provides the correction and conversion coefficients for cables, amplifiers, attenuators,
LISNs, TEM cells, antennas, RF
 This article on
noise measurement is not about electrical noise, but rather on
audible noise. It appeared in a 1973 edition of Popular Electronics magazine
during an era when hi-fi stereo equipment was becoming a big deal. Author Carl Alsen,
an engineer at General Radio, reviews methods of sound level measurement and presents
values for some familiar sources. Radio manufacturers had/have a vested interest
in background noise that affects the satisfaction of their customers. Ambient noise
in all realms has been a rapidly growing problem in terms of information transmission
and reception
 Windfreak Technologies designs, manufactures,
 tests and sells high value USB powered and
controlled radio frequency products such as RF signal generators, RF synthesizers,
RF power detectors, mixers, up/downconverters. Worldwide customers include Europe,
Australia,
 and Asia. Please contact Windfreak today
to learn how they might help you with your current project
Here is a great opportunity to help design products
that millions of people will use. The Sr. RF Design Engineer will play a central
role in the development and design of important new products where RF performance
is very important for our remote controls and connected products. You will be able
to take pride in seeing your designs used by your friends, neighbors, and in seeing
them on the shelves at home stores. This highly visible senior role will involve
close collaboration with the rest of the new product development team to produce
new sub-gigahertz (UHF) remote ...
The HumPRCTM Series
by Linx Technologies is a complete wireless remote control system. It supports both
8-button remote control and mixed remote control/data networks. In addition to modules,
a finished remote (including plastics) is available which can be quickly modified
for a customized solution. No programming is required, making it the easiest solution
to implement. The HumPRCTM supports long-range operation at 868 MHz and 900 MHz
for multi-region operation
Sunday 22
 For the sake of avid cruciverbalists amongst
us, each week I create a new
technology-themed crossword puzzle using only words related to
engineering, science, mathematics, chemistry, physics, astronomy, etc. At least
10 clues in this puzzle with an asterisk (*) are pulled from this
past week's (10/16 - 10/20) "Tech Industry Headlines" column on the RF Cafe homepage
(see the Headline Archives page for help). cruciverbalist: [noun] cruci-
("cross") + verbal ("words") + -ist ("agent, person") -- A person who constructs
crosswords
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