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5 of the April 2019 homepage
archives. Friday 19
 There's not a much better way to finish up
a hard week at the office than reading a new episode of John T. Frye's "Mac's
Radio Service Shop." Mac McGregor and his trusty sidekick technician Barney tackle
nearly every issue associated with an electronics sales and service establishment
back in the heyday of radios and televisions. You might recognize the title of "Pride and Prejudice" as being borrowed from Jane Austin's classic,
which, to summarize, deals with, well, pride and prejudice based on one's social
status, and how it results in lost opportunities. To be honest, I have not read
the book (Melanie's the designated book reader in our household) but I did see the
movie version starring Keira Knightly. Anywho, you'll need to read the second half
of the story to get to the actual pride and prejudice part...
 This is part 3 of a 5-part series of articles
by Farron Dacus. You can access this and the previous two articles and "Noise and its Shaping in Ultra-Low-Noise Synthesizer Design" on
the MW&RF website. "This third part in our low-noise synthesizer design series
is the medium-length online version. In print are the abridged versions, while full-length
versions are available at www.longwingtech.com.
Part 1 (Dec. 2018) covered basic design for functionality and stability. Part 2
(Feb. 2019) covered the many noise sources in the synthesizer outside of the actual
synthesizer IC. This third article looks into synthesizer IC noise, the closed-loop
shaping of noises, and related issues such as optimum bandwidth. Here, a key metric
for characterizing synthesizer IC noise is developed. This material also leads directly
to analysis of optimum loop bandwidth ..."
 Antennas have been deployed in difficult environments
using many ingenious methods over the years both by professionals and amateurs.
The process typically involves first propelling a lightweight string or wire across
and/or up to a supporting structure (a tower, tree, building, whatever) and then
using that lead line to draw the antenna and its accompanying coaxial or twin lead
cable into its final position. Sometimes simply tying a line to a rock and tossing
it over a tree branch does the trick, but usually deployment requires a more powerful
launch such as a a bow and arrow or even a model rocket. Many years ago R/C
Modeler magazine reported on a large radio controlled airplane (Senior Telemaster)
that towed a lead line across a wide gulch...
 Skyworks Solutions, an innovator of high performance
analog semiconductors connecting people, places and things, today unveiled its newest
family of mini circulators for
5G infrastructure. Circulators, which play a critical role in
protecting RF elements from excessive signal reflection, help eliminate performance
risks and safeguard vital equipment. Given footprint constraints in 5G, solution
size is also a key factor. Leveraging proprietary materials and processes, Skyworks'
ultra-small circulators occupy up to 50 percent less board space than competitive
products without compromising functionality - making them ideal for 5G massive MIMO
and small cell applications. Skyworks' mini circulator family represents just one
segment of the company's expansive 5G infrastructure...
 "This
new
memristor mimics the activity of neural networks, but can be thrown
into water and dissolved if data is at risk of falling into the wrong hands. Neurons
are remarkable. Simply by firing in certain patterns and at particular frequencies
in concert with one another, they endow us with something incredibly valuable: memory.
It's no wonder that scientists have long sought to mimic neural networks, which
are both compact and efficient, with electronic devices. One way is with the development
of memristors, devices that retain a 'memory' of the direction and amount of electrical
charge ..."
 Rohde & Schwarz develops, produces and
markets
test & measurement, information and communications technology.
Focus is on test and measurement, broadcast and media, cybersecurity, secure communications,
monitoring and network testing. Markets serviced are wireless, the automotive industry,
aerospace and defense, industrial electronics, research and education, broadcast
and media network operations, consumer electronics, cybersecurity for business and
governments, communications and security solutions for critical infrastructures
and the armed forces, reconnaissance equipment for homeland and external security,
and much more...
Thursday 18
 According to the Oxford English dictionary,
the definition of an anagram is: a word or phrase made by using the letters of another
word or phrase in a different order; e.g. "Neat" is an anagram of "a net." Therefore,
the title of this puzzle appears to be misnamed. Sometimes an anagram crossword
puzzle is created in which the clues are in the form of anagrams, but even that
is not the case here. With any due apologies to author Comstock, I hereby re-title
this a "High-Fidelity Crossword Puzzle." The "high-fidelity" part is entirely
appropriate since it refers to the musical nature of the clues and words. As mentioned
previously, the late 1950s through the early 1980s was a major era for interest
in high fidelity radio receivers and playback gear. It represented the transition
from powerful vacuum tube amplifiers to hybrid amplifiers, clear through to high
power transistorized amplifiers. "Man caves" of the day were outfitted with the
latest...
 MFJ Enterprises, probably the largest manufacturer
of Ham radio equipment, is for a limited time offering a free downloadable copy
of their e-book entitled, "73 Dipole
and Long Wire Antennas." While on the MFJ website, you might want to take a
look at the vast variety of products offered, including VSWR meters, high power
attenuators and terminations, frequency counters, field strength meters, filters,
amplifiers, EMI/RFI suppressors, antennas, antenna analyzers, coaxial switches,
tuners, panel meters, and much more. While some stuff is specific to Ham bands,
most can be used across very wide bandwidths...
 At VidaRF, the phrase 'Providing Simple Solutions
for Complex Connections' is more than just a slogan – it's a mindset, a mission,
and a driving force behind everything we do. Their pledge is to design and distribute
high performance, cost effective
RF Microwave products to fit each customer's unique applications.
Please visit VidaRF today to see how their lines of Attenuators & Terminations,
Directional Couplers, Power Dividers, Coaxial Connectors, and Circulator & Isolators
can be of use to your project. "When the standard just will not do, VidaRF has the
solution for you!"...
 I learned something from this poem... or maybe
I re-learned one of the many things taught to me that have been forgotten - the
definition of a vinculum. I admit to having to look up the word in the dictionary
after seeing it. How about you? Do you know what a vinculum is? A vinculum is a
horizontal line placed over a number or numbers to indicating repeating groups (7/11=0.63), or for negation in Boolean equations
(d=a-b+c), and it is also the dividing
line between the numerator and the denominator; e.g. (½)...
 "Engineers at Tufts University have 3D printed
metamaterials with unique
microwave and optical properties that go beyond, what can be achieved
by only using conventional optical or electronic materials. The fabrication methods
developed by the researchers demonstrate the potential of 3D printing to expand
the range of geometric designs and material composites that lead to devices with
novel optical properties. In one case, the researchers drew inspiration from the
compound eye of a moth to create a hemispherical device that can absorb electromagnetic
signals ..."
 Copper Mountain Technologies
develops innovative and robust RF test and measurement solutions for engineers all
over the world. Copper Mountain's extensive line of unique form factor
Vector Network Analyzers
include an RF measurement module and a software application which runs on any Windows
PC, laptop or tablet, connecting to the measurement hardware via USB interface.
The result is a lower cost, faster, more effective test process that fits into the
modern workspace in lab, production, field and secure testing environments...
Wednesday 17
 Parenthetically mentioned in this introductory
article on lasers is a "Mie" type particle. At first I thought maybe it was a typo,
but in fact it refers to
Mie scattering, which is the dispersion of electromagnetic waves
by isolated spheres, stratified spheres, infinite cylinders, or other geometries
where radial and angular dependence are independent. Two simple experiments are
described for demonstrating light scattering and absorption similar to what occurs
in the atmosphere. Whereas procuring the 2.5 mW laser source and to a lesser
extent suitable light meter would have been difficult and expensive in 1971 when
this was published in Radio-Electronics magazine, today's cheap equipment
puts them within the budgets of almost anyone. Many of the <$10 cat toy lasers
provide plenty of power...
 Altum RF, a supplier of high-performance millimeter-wave
to digital semiconductor solutions for next generation markets and applications,
announces
Greg Baker as its Chief Executive Officer. As founder and CEO,
Mr. Baker brings more than 25 years' experience to Altum RF in the RF and microwave
semiconductor industry, including component design, business development, marketing
and sales. With his extensive experience, Mr. Baker provides a clear understanding
of product development, operations and supply chain management, customer partnerships,
sales channels and strategic marketing. Most recently with MACOM as Senior Vice
President and General Manager, RF & Microwave BU, Mr. Baker also previously
served as CEO...
 It is not often that a feature article in
the ARRL's
QST magazine is devoted to a topic totally unrelated
to amateur radio. In fact, a cannot recall another instance in the 10+ years I have
been a subscriber. The May issue's "The Windsor Mystery Hum" is not about an unidentifiable encroachment
in the radio spectrum, but an audible and feelable vibration - in the sub-100 Hz
range - believed to be emanating from a steel mill on Zug Island in Canada, across
from Detroit. It began sometime around 2011, and no government will divulge its
source. As you might expect, lots of conspiracy theories exist, but to date no confirmation
of the origin. This is completely different from the 10 Hz "woodpecker" noise
heard on HF radio receivers that has been tied to the Russian
Duga over-the-horizon (OTH) radar...
 NI/AWR has an app note on the Aerospace &
Defense Technology website enentitled, "An Integrated Framework for Complex Radar System Design." "Modern
radar systems are complex and depend heavily on advanced signal processing algorithms
to improve their detection performance. At the same time, the radio front-end must
meet challenging specifications with a combination of available components, implementation
technologies, regulatory constraints, requirements from the system, and signal processing.
This application example shows how NI's Visual System Simulator™ (VSS) system simulation
software enables radar system architects and RF component manufacturers to design,
validate, and prototype a radar system..."
 "The National Science Foundation (NSF) funded
program, Platforms for Advanced Wireless Research (PAWR), and a consortium of 29
industry partners, have now completed the first phase of deployment of an advanced
wireless research testbed with end-to-end programmability of radio and edge compute
resources in Salt Lake City, Utah. It offers researchers the ability to test groundbreaking
communications technologies and to develop applications in a wide variety of virtual
network environments. The announcement marks the successful completion of the first
phase of a longer-term effort by the POWDER-RENEW team which consists of researchers
from the University of Utah's
Platform for Open Wireless Data-driven Experimental Research (POWDER) ...
 ERZIA serves critical aerospace and defense
missions by designing and manufacturing RF, microwave, and mm-wave amplifiers, integrated assemblies operating
from low frequencies up to 100 GHz, and by providing high reliable satellite
communications. The company was founded in 2002 to become a worldwide reference
of advanced engineering, performance, reliability and ruggedness. Their catalogue
of standard amplifier modules comprises more than 100 different models, having also
a high capacity of customization for amplifiers and integrated assemblies. Some
of products have space heritage and are used in aerospace, commercial, military
and scientific systems, having a wide range of final applications...
Tuesday 16
 Note that in the obituary of sorts for
Philo Taylor Farnsworth, which appeared in the June 1971 edition
of Radio-Electronics magazine, it specifically states that he was responsible
for the development of the electronic television system, as opposed to the simple
television system. That is because the earliest television schemes were as much
- if not more - mechanical than electronic (see "Television Forges Ahead" in the
March 1930 issue of Radio News). Philo invented the "image dissector" detector
tube used in his video camera. Reconstructing the image with a cathode ray tube
is a simple matter compared to first detecting the image. After his company was
swallowed up by International Telephone and Telegraph (ITT)...
 Sam Benzacar, of RF and microwave filter
company Anatech Electronics, has written as part of his March newsletter an article
entitled, "AESA Is Coming to the Cellular Industry," with the AESA being
an Active Electronically-Scanned Array. Sam keeps abreast of all the latest news
in the wireless world, which is not unexpected given his company's long-time involvement
in helping others make their products play well together in an increasingly crowded
electromagnetic spectrum - both licensed and unlicensed. Other news includes the
FCC's licensing of the 95 GHz, mm-wave band, Japan's first 8K (7680 × 4320-pixel)
TV broadcasts, and Bluetooth devices being powered from ambient energy - assuming
it's inside in front of a transmitting radar antenna ;-)...
 Transient Specialists specializes in
EMC test equipment rentals
and carries a complete line of ESD guns, surge immunity test equipment, and EFT
generators. Rentals available for military (Mil-Std 461), automotive (ISO 7637),
and commercial (IEC 61000-4) EMC testing. Flexible terms, accredited calibrations
and technical support on EMC testing equipment offered. Equipment consists of top
EMC Test System manufacturers, including Teseq, Thermo Keytek, EM Test and EMC Partner...
 Have you ever heard of a 'globar' resistor? They have been around since the early days
of radio and were used, among other things, to protect vacuum tube heater elements
from burning up due to high inrush current when first turned on. Globars have a
negative temperature coefficient (NTC) of resistance so that, opposite of standard
carbon and metal film type resistors, they exhibit a higher resistance when cold
than when hot. Mac and Barney discuss their use in this episode of "Mac's Radio
Service Shop." You might be more familiar with the name 'thermistor' for such devices,
but globars are unique elements in that their construction from non-inductive ceramic
material makes them useful at high power levels and high frequencies...
 Planar Monolithic Industries (PMI) recently
introduced seven - count 'em, 7 - new products in their extensive line of RF and
microwave components. Included are a successive detection log video amplifier (SDLVA)
for 0.1 to 2.0 GHz; a 18 GHz, 12-BIT, vector phase shifter; a 5-channel switched
filter bank for 100 MHz - 18.0 GHz; a SP16T, absorptive pin diode switch for 0.1
to 20.0 GHz; a 2-channel switch filter bank; an SDLVA that operates at 200 - 2500
MHz; and a 7-way power divider for range 328 - 335.5 MHz. Contact PMI today for
more information...
 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. PA, LNA,
bi-directional, and frequency translating amplifiers are available, in formats including
tower mount, benchtop, rack mount, and chassis mount. "We view Triad more as a technology
partner than a vendor for our line-of-sight communications product line." Please
check to see how they can help your project...
 "Northrop Grumman has successfully integrated
the advanced AN/APG-83 SABR system onto multiple configurations of F-16 aircraft
and is now taking the next step in expanding to additional platforms, including
the U.S. Air Force (USAF) B-52H Stratofortress and B-1B Lancer bombers as well as
the U.S. Marine Corps F/A-18C/D Hornet strike fighter. Northrop Grumman's
SABR system design leverages proven, fifth-generation Active Electronically
Scanned Array radar capabilities of the AN/APG-77 on the F-22 Raptor and the AN/APG-81
on the F-35 Lightening II. SABR provides a reliable, cost-effective, off-the-shelf,
low-risk radar upgrade solution for multiple platforms ..."
Monday 15
 Following the previous month's introduction
to "Chemicals for Electronics," which covered degreasers, cleaners,
and polishing agents, author Lon Cantor in the May issue of Popular Electronics
wraps up with coolers, lubricants, and special agents (no, not spies) such as protective
and insulating coatings. He devotes a lot of space to freeze spray for use in troubleshooting
problems caused by overheating circuit components. In the days before comprehensive
computer aided design environments that can identify heat concentrations with detailed
temperature maps and design rules checks (DRC), predicting potential overheating
sources in both normal operation and during impending failure was much more difficult.
Running a large series of worst case scenarios...
 Driverless and self-driving cars are on the
road today in various stages of experimentation. Recent headlines about the Boeing
737-Max automation catastrophe has me a bit dubious about the sanity of handing
the controls over to robots, but I suppose it is inevitable. In that case the AI
evidently wrested control from the backup human pilots. Scary. Radar, lidar, and
sonar are all technologies key to automotive automation. Mark Elo has a good article
on the MW&RF website entitled, "Overcome mmWave Automotive Radar Testing Challenges." He begins:
"With automotive radar moving to higher frequencies, the need exists for the right
test solutions such as high-bandwidth oscilloscopes and versatile arbitrary waveform
generators. Recent regulation changes have allowed the automotive radar market to
shift from the 24 GHz band to the 77 GHz band, introducing a range of
new design and test challenges ..."
 Rohde & Schwarz has published four new
application notes on the subjects of
Digital Pre-Distortion, Envelope, Outphasing and Doherty Transmitter.
"RF design is becoming increasingly difficult, as frequency and bandwidths increase.
Be it power amplifier, or RF Frontends, power consumption and energy efficiency
is a key challenge that increases at higher frequencies. In this resource library,
we have collected a few pieces that address power consumption in power amplifier
(PA), power efficiency for RF Frontends (RFFE) and wideband signal generation and
analysis in general. Learn about test solutions for Envelope Tracking and Digital
Pre-Distortion, or Envelope, Outphasing & Doherty Transmitter tests ..."
 I challenge you to find a calculus lesson
in a modern-day electronics magazine. In 1932, not all that long after Isaac Newton
developed differential calculus (that's a joke), Radio News magazine ran
a series of "Mathematics in Radio" articles that included, among other topics,
a few lessons in calculus. Anyone who has taken college-level science or engineering
courses knows how indispensible calculus is in working out many circuit, physics,
and chemistry problems. My appreciation for calculus came when I realized that it
actually allowed me to derive the kinds of standard equations that are commonly
seen in lower level applications. For instance, if you needed to know the volume
of a sphere, you could look up the familiar Volume = 4/3 π r3
formula, or you could write the equation...
 "Engineers have developed a novel concept
for rapid data transfer via optical fiber cables. In current systems, a laser transmits
light signals through the cables and information is coded in the modulation of light
intensity. The new system, a
semiconductor spin laser, is based on a modulation of light polarization
instead. The study demonstrates that spin lasers have the capacity of working at
least five times as fast as the best traditional systems, while consuming only a
fraction of energy. Engineers at Ruhr-Universität Bochum have developed a novel
concept for rapid data transfer via optical fiber cables. In current systems, a
laser transmits light signals through the cables and information is coded in the
modulation of light intensity ..."
 Providing full solution service is our motto,
not just selling goods. RF & Connector Technology has persistently pursued a
management policy stressing quality assurance system and technological advancement.
From your very first contact, you will be supported by competent RF specialists;
all of them have several years of field experience in this industry allowing them
to suggest a fundamental solution and troubleshooting approach. Coaxial RF connectors,
cable assemblies, antennas, terminations, attenuators, couplers, dividers, and more.
Practically, we put priority on process inspection at each step of workflow as well
as during final inspection in order to actualize "Zero Defects..."
Sunday 14
 Since 2000, I have been creating custom
technology-themed crossword puzzles for the brain-exercising benefit
and pleasure of RF Cafe visitors who are fellow cruciverbalists. The jury is out
on whether or not this type of mental challenge helps keep your gray matter from
atrophying in old age, but it certainly helps maintain your vocabulary and cognitive
skills at all ages. A database of thousands of words has been built up over the
years and contains only clues and terms associated with engineering, science, physical,
astronomy, mathematics, chemistry, etc. You will never find a word taxing your knowledge
of a numbnut soap opera star or the name of some obscure village in the Andes mountains.
You might, however, encounter the name of a movie star like Hedy Lamarr or a geographical
location like Tunguska, Russia, for reasons which, if you don't already know, might
surprise you...
These archive pages are provided in order to make it easier for you to find items
that you remember seeing on the RF Cafe homepage. Of course probably the easiest
way to find anything on the website is to use the "Search
RF Cafe" box at the top of every page.
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