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Sunday 10
 For the sake of avid cruciverbalists amongst us, each
week I create a new
crossword puzzle that has a theme related to engineering, mathematics, chemistry, physics,
and other technical words. At least 12 clues in this puzzle with an asterisk (*) are pulled
from this past week's (9/4 - 9/8) "Tech Industry Headlines" column on the RF Cafe homepage
(see the Headline Archives page for help). Enjoy! ...
 Darryl Mayo, president & CEO of Res-New Microwave
and Nova Microwave, offers the following:
"Even though Hurricane Irma is heading straight for us and
our Clearwater, Florida facility, Res-Net Microwave and Nova Microwave
will still be displaying at the EDI CON show in Boston next week. We will be at booth #610
on Tuesday September 12th and Wednesday the 13th. We hope that everyone who is in the storm's
path stays safe. You will be in our thoughts and prayers."
Friday 8
 "NOAA's Space Weather Prediction Center (SWPC) has issued
a strong (G3)
geomagnetic storm watch for September 7 through 9. The SWPC said the watch
for September 7 remains in effect due to the arrival of a coronal mass ejection (CME) and
the effects of a CME on September 4. 'Additionally, a G3 watch is now in effect for the 8
and 9 September UTC days in anticipation of the arrival of another CME associated with the
X9.3 flare (R3 — strong radio blackout) on 6 September ..."
I contacted David and Vicky, at Windfreak
Technologies, this morning to check on their status. The company is based a few miles
north of Tampa, Florida. They offered the following statement to customers and to well-wishers:
"The team at Windfreak Technologies has safely evacuated
New Port Richey in Florida and driven to Tennessee for Hurricane Irma. They extend their best
wishes to anyone else in the path of Irma. They have also evacuated their product inventory
and can still ship product with minimal extra delay."
 "Does a choice transmitting antenna always constitute
the best receiving antenna?" That question alone, by author Carl Eller, piques my interest
and gives confidence that this article is the type I have long said is lacking in the amateur
antenna system design realm. Most treatises, it seems, address only the transmit half
of the operation. Just as with the old aviation adage that with enough power you can make
a brick fly, in the non-professional world the attitude is often that a really crappy base
antenna / transmission line / power amplifier mismatch is fine as long a tuner is capable
of brining the VSWR into an acceptable range ...
 You have
probably heard about the massive data breach at
Equifax.
I figured it might be a good idea to use their service to determine whether it affected me.
I stopped short, however, when Equifax required 6 out of 9 characters of my SSAN along with
my last name. Bad plan Equifax; that means another hacker only needs to guess at most 1000
combinations to get a name-number match - a hacker's dream. Per
MarketWatch: "After Equifax Inc. discovered a massive data breach that
may have endangered the personal information of up to two-thirds of Americans, but before
the company divulged the information, three executives sold their Equifax stock, according
to Securities ..."
 Southwest Antennas, an industry leader in MIMO / MANET
antenna solutions, is pleased to announce the introduction of two new C-Band RHCP & LHCP
body worn
patch antennas. These new antennas join their existing line of body worn antenna solutions,
including options for L and S band radios. Designed to be light weight and easily worn and
hidden in tactical clothing, these body worn antennas are ideal for use in multi-antenna MIMO
/ MANET radio applications such as handheld ...
 "The Defense
Advanced Research Projects Agency's Intrachip / Interchip Enhanced Cooling (ICECool)
program, which teamed IBM and the Georgia Institute of Technology to solve the liquid cooling
problem for 3-D chip stacks, has yielded an approach that uses an insulating dielectric refrigerant
instead of water. Researchers who worked on the prototype say the approach will lower the
cost of cooling supercomputer CPUs by pumping refrigerants through microfluidic ..."
Thursday 7
 Anatech Electronics, Inc. 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 ceramic RF duplexer
filters for your convenience: a surface mount 1880 / 1960 MHz duplexer; a connectorized 770.5
/ 715.5 MHz duplexer, and a surface mount 2535 / 2655 MHz duplexer ...
 "With the chip scaling framework known as
Moore's Law clearly running out of steam, the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency
(DARPA) is attempting to reinvigorate and leverage a vibrant domestic chip sector with a $200
million initiative designed to push the boundaries of chip architectures such as graphics
processors. DARPA recently announced that its Electronics Resurgence Initiative seeks to move
beyond Moore's Law chip scaling. Among the new fronts to be opened by the defense agency are ..."
 Mr. Lothar Stern, of Motorola Semi, published a 3-part
series on
transistor theory in Popular Electronics magazine in 1973. This is part 2.
Part 1 introduced the basics of the bipolar transistor, and this follow-on article starts
addressing transistor circuit configurations - common emitter, common gate, common collector,
Darlington, differential - as well as presenting gain equations and delving a bit into the
physical construction of the semiconductor elements ...
 Planar Monolithic Industries (PMI) recently introduced four new products
in their extensive line of RF and microwave components.
Included are a 2-18 GHz threshold detector, a 0.5 to 18 GHz high power limiter, a 6.0
to 18.0 GHz 8-bit digital phase shifter, and a 0.1 to 2.0 GHz successive log video amplifier.
Contact PMI today for more information ...
 "The
FCC Technological Advisory Council (TAC) is looking into FCC
technical regulations to determine if reforms or changes might be in order.
Greg Lapin, N9GL, represents ARRL on the TAC and chairs the ARRL RF Safety Committee. The
FCC Office of Engineering and Technology (OET) announced the TAC public inquiry (ET Docket
17-215), which seeks comments by October 30 regarding technical regulations and the process
for adopting and updating ..."
 RF/Microwave Training Webinar Title: Mixers and Frequency Conversion Date: September 28, 2017 Time: 8am
PT / 11am ET Sponsored by: National Instruments Presented by: Allen Podell
Outline: Frequency conversion is a critical function in all wireless systems. A key component
used to accomplish this is the mixer. Designers need to understand different mixer topologies
and specifications in order to meet their system requirements. This webinar provides a brief
overview of frequency conversion ...
Wednesday 6
 September 19, 2017 at the Hotel Mercure Paris Massy
Gare TGV. The presentations dedicated to the
Teledyne
e2v Space Forum will now be made available at our Paris Tech Day following the cancellation
of the Space Forum event including: ADX error-correction IP for time-interleaved, high-speed
ADCs systems, Improving economics of SatCom Payloads with UWB data converters, Next-gen radar
Earth observation enabled by UWB data converters, GaN power solutions ...
 Channel Master has been making state-of-the-art television
antennas since 1949. Back in the day, there were many TV antenna manufacturers because over-the-air
(OTA) broadcasts were the only means of receiving programs. The advent of cable, satellite,
and Internet television has caused a steady decline of OTA users even though most locations
still broadcast from towers. It is a shame because aside from the more on-demand aspect of
some of those other venues, Chanel Master notes: "Live Broadcast Television - It's 80% of
what you watch. And it's free." The wireless ...
 Saelig Company has introduced the
GW Instek MDO-2000E
Series Oscilloscopes which combine several test instruments in one enclosure. An actual
spectrum analyzer is included in the design, not just an FFT calculation to display the frequency
domain. The series includes two instrument combinations: MDO-2000EG and MDO-2000EX. MDO-2000EG
models have a built-in true spectrum analyzer and a dual channel 25 MHz arbitrary waveform
generator, while the MDO-2000EX models feature ...
 Available for viewing now. "What are the challenges
related to the creation and generation of
complex
radar signals and what are the tools to help make this task more efficient? Gain these
insights and learn how to avoid common traps when creating and generating complex signals
with this hour long webinar. You'll learn: • Why radar signals are particularly difficult
to create and generate. • Methods that will help reduce the complex ..."
 "The Air Force is looking for the next generation of
Very Low Frequency communications to maintain contact with its ICBMs and
bombers. In particular, the Air Force wants to address the problem that different strategic
forces use different communications systems. For example, the Air Force has different 'VLF/LF
receiver variants for its bombers, wing command posts, strategic mobile command posts and
the intercontinental ballistic missile systems.' So the Air Force is searching for receivers,
antennas, and waveforms that will create ..."
Tuesday 5
 "Electronic waste is the fastest-growing form of waste. Could recycling
be a new revenue stream and an environmental boon? Japan is a small, island nation, but its
efforts in electronic waste recycling are attracting international attention. Could the United
States learn from the Japanese model? With a population of more than 127 million, Japan recycles
more than 2 million tons of electronic waste annually. America only recycles about 679,000
tons annually, and that figure ..."
 ConductRF is offering standard
D38999 RF coaxial cable
assembly configurations with RF Contacts including; BMA to 20 GHz SMPM to 60 GHz
Size #8 to 18 GHz Size #12 Mil-Spec. Size #16 Mil-Spec. Cable choice include Low Loss
Flexible and standard RG styles. Custom marking and also ruggedization coverings including
Nomex weave available ...
 Common sense never goes out of style, especially as
it pertains to safety in the presence of electricity. Most people who have worked in the electrical
/ electronics realm for a while are aware that lethal
electrocution can occur with currents as low as 100 mA when it passes through the
heart. Lower values cause progressively less profound maladies, but in practice any level
of current great enough to be felt is not a good thing. I have written before about having
received a few pretty scary shocks when working on high voltage equipment and many lesser
jolts throughout my 45± years of exposure. Other than observing my father's being scared
sh**less of anything with an ...
 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. Whitepaper topics include careers,
manufacturing, and engineering, while magazine titles include Microwaves & RF,
Military & Aerospace Electronics, and Microwave Product Digest ...
 "You wouldn't dip
a glass in the ocean, come up with no fish inside and conclude, 'No fish exist.'" - astronomer
Jill Tarter
regarding where humans are with SETI (Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence). July / August
2017 Discover magazine.
 Triad RF Systems designs and manufactures
RF power amplifiers and systems. Triad RF
Systems comprises three partners (hence 'Triad') with over 40
years of  accumulated knowledge of what is required to design, manufacture,
market, sell and service RF/Microwave amplifiers and amplifier systems. "We view Triad more
as a technology partner than a vendor for our line-of-sight communications product line."
Please check to see how we can help your project ...
Monday 4
 It is Labor Day 2017 in the USA, so most people are
off work today (which seems antithetical to the "labor" part of the holiday name). For those
unfortunate enough to be at work, here is a bit of vintage
electronic
comic relief from a 1969 Electronics World magazine for your office-bound condition.
Actually, during my years of working for someone else, I used to work the holidays (except
Christmas) if I could get another day off instead. With very few managers around, those of
us at work would enjoy what we termed "IPV," of In-Plant-Vacation. Very little work ...
 The agendas have been set and registration is open
for the China and Taiwan leg of the seventh annual AWR
Design Forum (ADF 2017). The tour will visit Beijing and Chengdu on September 26 and 29
respectively, followed by a stop in Hsinchu, Taiwan on October 3. Highlights of the China
and Taiwan ADF 2017 agendas include: 5G: Multi-user multiple-in-multiple-out (MIMO), the active
phased array in 5G applications, MIMO and beam-steering ...
 "The International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC)
has released
IEC 60728-3:2017 PRV Pre release version. This includes 'Cable networks
for television signals, sound signals and interactive services – Part 3: Active wideband equipment
for cable networks.' This pre-release version is now available on the IEC webstore. Description:
'IEC 60728-3:2017 specifies the measuring methods, performance requirements and data publication
requirements for active wideband equipment ..."
Sunday 3
 For the sake of avid cruciverbalists amongst us, each
week I create a new
crossword puzzle that has a theme related to engineering, mathematics, chemistry, physics,
and other technical words. At least 12 clues in this puzzle with an asterisk (*)
are pulled from this past week's (8/28 - 9/1) "Tech Industry Headlines" column on the RF Cafe
homepage (see the Headline Archives page for help). Enjoy! ...
 I am
buying life insurance for the first time in 11 years. After being a model citizen for 59 years
and maintaining my health - regular exercise, 5'-8", 135 lbs., never smoked nor drank nor
took illegal drugs, no major health issues, never received welfare or unemployment - my rates
will be inflated because both my father and mother died at age 51 from heavy cigarette smoking
related illnesses (heart attack and lung cancer, respectively).
I am being forced to pay for the sins of my parents. The same government that permits penalizing
me wants illegal children of illegal adults to not pay for the sins of their parents; i.e.,
DACA. It is evidently OK to punish a legal citizen but not an illegal
alien.
Friday 1
 Antenova manufacturer of antennas and RF antenna modules
for M2M and the Internet of Things, is to launch Robusta part no.
SR4G031, a new antenna for metal surfaces - at the GSMA MWC Americas show.
The antenna operates in the 1559-1609 MHz bands and is designed for tracking metal objects
and smart city applications. Antenova takes antenna design a step forward with its REFLECTOR
family, which answer to the challenge of operating on a metal surface or housing, where it
is extremely difficult for an antenna ...
 When I entered electronics manufacturing in 1982, most
large companies had in-house PCB fab capability, then everything was outsourced. It's coming
back thanks to 3D printing. "Moving
PCB production in-house can save over 60% in prototyping time, produce
better products, and greatly reduce the supply chain. More companies and universities are
integrating 3D printing with their electronic design. The non-traditional process ..."
 You would be forgiven if you think a technology as crude
as
slow-scan television (SSTV) has gone out of vogue with live YouTube videos and webcams,
but such is not the case. What has changed is the portion of Amateur Radio spectrum allocated
to SSTV and which classes of license holders may use it. Of course the equipment used has
been modernized, but vintage systems still work. Originally, only Advanced class ticket holders
were allowed access, but nowadays all Hams may operate SSTV, including the entry level Technician
class. SSTV was used extensively on space exploration platforms including Apollo; in fact
the historic Apollo 11 video feed of astronauts Armstrong and Aldrin hopping around ...
 How many
times have I said it? The Germans sure know how to build magnificent machines. Some of the
most incredible giant scale model airplanes come from Deutschland. Baron von Richthofen could
only dream of his red triplane performing these maneuvers. Not to diminish the video pilots'
skills, but modern RC models benefit from computerized radio systems and onboard gyros to
help stabilize the aircraft during slow flight when it is the engine's raw power holding the
plane in the air.
I have also said many times that it is a shame how Germany now seems
to be committing national suicide with its open doors immigration policy.
 Skyworks has introduced the
SKY66403-11,
a new 2.4 GHz fully-integrated RF front-end module (FEM) designed to support ZigBee®, Thread
and next-generation Bluetooth® wireless protocols (including Bluetooth Low Energy "BLE").
This high-performance device is designed for ease of use and maximum flexibility for Internet
of Things (IoT) applications, particularly within the connected home, wearables and M2M markets.
This module is also suitable for coin cell ...
 "A collaborative team of researchers has developed
a new kind of transistor that could make your computer
1,000 times faster. The transistor uses graphene instead of silicon. Graphene
was discovered in 2004 and was soon being used in a wide range of applications, to the point
where it has become known as the 'wonder material'. It possesses a unique set of properties,
amongst them is the ability to conduct electricity ten times better than copper. Copper is
currently the most commonly used conductor in ..."
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