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4 of the August 2019 homepage archives. Friday 23
 Always a good way to end a busy week, here
is a collection of
electronics-themed comics that appeared in a 1967 issue of
Popular Electronics magazine. A few of the artists you will recognize if you
are a regular reader. Some drawing styles are immediately identifiable, such as
those by Dave Harbaugh (of "Hobnobbing with Harbaugh" fame). Others, at least to
me, are not quite so familiar. Frank Tabor, George White, Stan Fine, and JAS (I'm
sure I know those initials, but can't place them) are amongst the others. I have
to admit to not really knowing what the gag is in the comic with the guy in his
pajamas. The party guy is cutting a wire to his ear buds ...
 Axiom Test Equipment, an electronic test equipment
rental and sales company, has published a blog that explains semiconductor measurements,
specifically, current-versus-voltage (I-V) characteristics and how semiconductors
will respond under different I-V conditions.
Semiconductor I-V testing is typically performed as a series of
swept measurements, with values of I and V changing for each measurement as a means
of detecting any trends in device performance under changing operating conditions.
Read about which specifications are key to consider when choosing an I-V tester
for your project's needs. Go over a few examples of I-V testers, a mainframe, and
curve tracers which provide the test energy levels ...
 Here is a different type of
quiz from Popular Electronics' master quiz-maker, Robert P.
Balin. Rather than the typical format where you need to match a word or another
picture with a picture, this one requires you to consider each description and decide
whether it best describes an inductive, capacitive, or reactive circuit. I confess
to messing up on question 20, because I couldn't remember whether a lagging power
factor referred to voltage lagging current or current lagging voltage. Hint: It
refers to current lagging voltage. Another hint: Remember the ELI the ICE man mnemonic ...
 This assortment of custom-designed themes
by RF Cafe includes T-Shirts, Mouse Pads, Clocks, Tote Bags, Coffee Mugs and Steins,
Purses, Sweatshirts, and Baseball Caps. Choose from amazingly clever "We Are the World's Matchmakers"
Smith chart design or the "Engineer's Troubleshooting Flow Chart." My "Matchmaker's"
design has been ripped off by other people and used on their products, so please
be sure to purchase only official RF Cafe gear. My markup is only a paltry 50¢
per item - Cafe Press gets the rest of your purchase price. These would make excellent
gifts for husbands, wives, kids, significant others, and for handing out at company
events or as rewards for excellent service. It's a great way to help support RF
Cafe. Thanks.
 RF Superstore is proud to announce its
new line of coaxial
RF Connector Short Circuits which has been added to our stock,
with immediate availability. Connector types include BNC, N, SMA / 2.5 mm,
and TNC, both male and female. When used in conjunction with our line of RF terminations,
and through-type RF connector adapters, they are useful for equipment calibration.
RF Superstore launched in 2017, marking the return of Murray Pasternack, founder
of Pasternack Enterprises, to the RF and microwave Industry. Pasternack fundamentally
changed the way RF components were sold. Partner Jason Wright manages day-to-day
operations, while working closely with Mr. Pasternack to develop ...
 "Once firmly rooted in its analog origins,
critical communications is now steadily evolving to provide enhanced
situational awareness. The latest public safety and military communications (MilCom)
radios are more versatile and reliable, supporting ad-hoc networks to improve or
enable connectivity. With higher-data-rate capabilities, critical communications
solutions can send and receive high-resolution images, videos, and other types of
data-intensive content. At the same time, they provide higher-quality voice communications
while maintaining security. To ensure communications and interoperability, they
still can support analog communications as a failsafe ..."
 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...
Thursday 22
 Benjamin Franklin is credited with many inventions;
scientific experiments and discoveries; writings on science, government, and fiction;
skills as an orator and diplomat; printer of books and newspapers; business endeavors;
and for being the nation's first Postmaster General. Although we all are familiar
with his forays into things electrical in nature like flying kites in lightning
storms, this article from a 1968 issue of Popular Electronics introduces
us to what might have been the earliest "wireless" communications demonstration.
The scheme involved the equivalent of the old lab gag of charging up a large-valued
electrolytic capacitor and then tossing it to someone, resulting in a surprising
shock. As with many of you, I have been both the victim and purveyor of said mischief ...
 Anatech Electronics, an RF and microwave
filter company, has introduced a new line of suspended stripline and waveguide type
RF filters. Sam Benzacar wrote as part of Anatech's August newsletter about the
continued debate over whether exposure to cellphones causes cancer, diminished vision,
etc. His short op-ed entitled "Radiation Hazard Battles Continue Unabated" is likely
a response to the FCC's recent declaration that RF energy at 5G mm-wave frequencies
does not pose an increased health hazard over existing technologies. Millimeter-wave
energy is non-ionizing and does not penetrate the skin deeply enough to be an issue
at operational power levels. Also included are ...
 With the new R&S NGM200, Rohde &
Schwarz extends their range of
specialized power supplies. The models of the R&S NGM200 series
offer new features, which make them ideal for developing battery-powered equipment
operating at up to 20 V and drawing currents up to 6 A. Available as single-channel
and two-channel models: the R&S NGM200 power supplies. Being part of the same
power supply family, both the R&S NGL200 and the new R&S NGM200 series offer
the same superb performance and specifications to supply extremely stable outputs
with a minimum of residual ripple and noise. Devices that switch from a few µA in
sleep mode to several A in active mode benefit from the exceptionally fast load
recovery time ...
 This is part of a series published by
Radio News and the Short-Wave magazine in the early 1930s. As with most topics
pertaining to electronics, the theory is still relevant and applicable to many modern
circuits and systems.
Piezoelectric principles are introduced for determining the frequency
of oscillators. I have to admit to not having heard of the 'pyroelectric' effect.
A pyroelectric crystal when heated or cooled develops charges on the extremities
of its hemihedral (another new word for me, meaning "exhibiting only half the faces
required for complete symmetry") axes. Types other than the familiar quartz include
tourmaline, boracite, topaz, Rochelle salts, and even sugar. Read on to learn more ...
 "Richard Clarke knows a few things about
clear and present dangers. He had already served under six presidents and been appointed
the U.S.'s first
counterterrorism czar when he joined the George W. Bush White
House, but when he tried to alert important decision-makers before September 11
about the threat of a terrorist attack on U.S. soil, those warnings were largely
ignored. These days, Clarke is still trying to get Americans to think hard about
the next big attacks - and the ones that are quietly happening as you read this
sentence. Clarke's new book,
The Fifth Domain, written with cyber expert and fellow White House
veteran Robert Knake ..."
 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...
Wednesday 21
 By the time most of us who even remember
cathode ray tubes (CRTs) were first introduced to them, the technology
and manufacturing processes had been pretty much perfected - especially for the
standard 525-line resolution type. The NTSC published a standard for B&W television
in 1941 and then for color in 1953. This "Picture Tubes" article in a 1955 issue
of Popular Electronics provides a look inside a CRT manufacturing plant
at General Electric. If you want one of the best explanations I have ever seen on
how a TV picture scan is implemented, check out this video. If you don't understand
raster scanning after watching it, you never will. You might be surprised to learn
that there were not actually 525 lines of picture information, but that only about
480 to 487 lines of picture were included - the rest were ...
 It's kind of hard to believe that by 1955,
the military was still very dependent on
wired radio communications for field use. This system, heralded
as a technological breakthrough for its ability to operate over a distance of 200
miles between units (with the aid of repeater cells), weighed in at 178 pounds and
"occupies only five and a half cubic feet of space." A big part of the weight was
probably due to the lead-acid batteries that powered it, although there was likely
an ability to hook it up to a generator. A modulated carrier is credited with being
able to stuff 12 channels into a single twisted pair of wires. No mention is made
of whether any sort of encryption (scrambling) of the signals was used. No mention
was made of the model number. If anyone out there can identify it, please let me
know ...
 Ms. Cassie Stevens sent me an e-mail
alerting me to the
Engineering Degree Guidance website. Per Cassie, "It is an online resource for
anyone who is looking for unbiased and professionally reviewed content and recommendations
for Engineering degree programs. Our team was created so we can provide answers
and all types of assistance needed to help improve the quality of information to
those looking for guidance on these degree options. Our content is reviewed by top
tier professors in the education and journalism spaces. Please check out our highly
regarded editorial team; they are listed on the homepage of our website." Engineering
Degree Guidance has been added to my list or related resources on the Job Information
Resources page.
 This quiz is based on the information presented
in
Handbook of Dielectric and Thermal Properties of Materials at Microwave
Frequencies, by Theodore Anderson. This book is a wealth of information
of dielectric characteristics of biological tissues in plants, animals, as well
as for ceramics, soils and minerals. Particular attention is paid to properties
in the ISM frequency bands. Extensive sources for similar studies are provided.
All RF Cafe quizzes would make perfect fodder in employment interviews for technicians
or engineers - particularly those who are fresh out of school or are relatively
new to the work world. Come to think of it, they would make equally excellent study
material for the same persons who are going to be interviewed for a job.
 "Amid the fanfare around the announced Mott
insulating and superconducting states observed in
magic-angle twisted bilayer graphene (TBG) in the spring of 2018,
the real excitement was around the questions the results left unanswered - what
were these states and what might they explain about other systems? By measuring
the capacitance of magic-angle TBG Pablo Jarillo-Herrero (who led the research behind
the observations announced in 2018) and Ray Ashoori, alongside colleagues at Massachusetts
Institute of Technology (MIT) in the U.S. and the National Institute of Materials
Science (NIMS) in Japan ..."
 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."
Tuesday 20
 I find it interesting that "Project Tinkertoy," so dubbed by the National Bureau of Standards
(NBS - now the National Institute of Standards and Technology, NIST), does not contain
a trademark to acknowledge the ownership of the Tinkertoy™ name. This 1955 Popular
Electronics story doesn't mention it, either. Tinkertoy has been around since 1914
and every boy I knew in my neighborhood had at least one set - usually received
as a Christmas gift. I had a couple of them, as well as an Erector Set or two. That
said, I believe that a more appropriate name for the endeavor would have been "Project
Lego™" because of the way component blocks snap and stack together (with the help
of a little solder) ...
 Rohde & Schwarz is offering a free wall
poster entitled, "Be Ahead in Connecting Everything LTE-M." This is offered as part
of their August "Wireless Testing Update" newsletter that covers the R&S®CMW270
Wireless Connectivity Tester and a new whitepaper entitled, "White Paper Power Saving
Methods for LTE-M and NB-IoT Devices." "LTE-M and NB-IoT are LTE based internet
of things (IoT) technologies. Both require long battery lifetime to ensure IoT services
and minimize maintenance costs in the future. This white paper describes the possible
power-saving methods for LTE-M and NB-IoT devices and gives a guideline of their
applicability ..."
 RF Cafe's raison d'être is and always has
been to provide useful, quality content for engineers, technicians, engineering
managers, students, and hobbyists. Part of that mission is offering to post applicable
job openings. HR department employees and/or managers of hiring companies are welcome
to submit opportunities for posting at no charge (of course a gratuity will be graciously
accepted). 3rd party recruiters and temp agencies are not included so as to assure
a high quality of listings. Please read through the easy procedure to benefit from
RF Cafe's high quality visitors ...
 Shortly before Christmas, 1947, the experimental
work of Bell Laboratories scientists John Bardeen, Walter Brattain, and William
Shockley resulted in the world's first
semiconductor transistor. With proper biasing, the germanium transistor
demonstrated an ability to produce signal gain. The signal fed to the base resulted
in a higher amplitude signal at the collector. Voila, the device which would ultimately
replace the vacuum electron tube had been invented. The rest, as they say, is history.
Aside from a few high power applications, the only new equipment produced that uses
vacuum tubes are retro things like audio amplifiers and simple receivers. Of course,
there is still a large cadre of vacuum tube users in the Amateur Radio real and
vintage equipment restorers. If you have never watched a chassis full of tubes turn
on and begin glowing ...
India's Chandrayaan 2 Spacecraft
Entered Lunar Orbit
 "India's
Chandrayaan 2 spacecraft entered lunar orbit on Tuesday, executing
one of the trickiest maneuvers on its historic mission to the Moon. After four weeks
in space, the craft completed its Lunar Orbit Insertion as planned, the Indian Space
Research Organisation (ISRO) said in a statement. The insertion 'was completed successfully
today at 0902 hrs IST (0332 GMT) as planned, using the onboard propulsion system.
The duration of manoeuver was 1738 seconds,' the national space agency said. India
is seeking to become just the fourth nation after Russia, the United States and
China to land a spacecraft on the Moon ..."
 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...
Monday 19
 Along with an update to the
Analog-to-Digital
Converter (aka ADC or A2D) formulas page, a new worksheet has been added to
the
RF Cafe Calculator Workbook (v7.8) that will do all the calculations
for you. lots of information is
 available out the on the Web for ADCs, but
two of the parameters you need to include them in receiver component cascade calculations,
noise figure (NF) and signal-to-noise ratio (SNR), can be difficult to find. Using
well-honed search skills, (chough, cough), I located and posted them so as to make
your life easier. Now, when you are using the amazingly fantastic
RF Cascade Workbook by RF Cafe, you can plug those quantities
in along with the filters, mixers, amplifiers, etc. You're welcome...
 Genius
takes on many forms, not the least of which is the ability to concoct and compose
an [almost] believable a story describing in the utmost detail the technical workings
of a complex mechanical gadget. Items such as a mizule wrench, meta-phasic shielding,
blinker fluid, a left-handed screwdriver, and - one of my favorites - the muffler
bearing, have been heard in comic routines... er... routinely. No matter how many
times you hear them you always laugh again. Some are actually a portmanteau and
just sound funny while others are completely made up. This
Digital Decabulator article that appeared in a 1966 issue of
R/C Modeler magazine is amazing; it pegs the B.S. detector from beginning
to end ...
 Keysight has just published a new whitepaper
entitled "3 Key Challenges Implementing and Testing MIMO and Beamforming in
5G Base Stations and Components" that is available as a free download. "As 5G
New Radio (NR) moves from the definition and specification phase into development,
enabling technologies such as MIMO, and beamforming are critical. Engineers will
use active phased array antennas to implement MIMO and beamforming in base stations
and devices. In fact, these active antennas are critical to overcome signal propagation
issues, such as higher path loss at millimeter wave frequencies. They also provide
the ability to dynamically shape and steer beams to specific users. Active antennas ..."
 Radio-Craft magazine ran a monthly series
of short articles paying tribute to some of the shakers and movers in the field
of science - this time it was
Sir Oliver Lodge. "While Hertz was discovering radio waves in
air, Lodge was determining the laws of the corresponding activity which takes place
in electrical conductors. It was Lodge who demonstrated the possibility of radio
communication, experimentally, as Marconi did its commercial value - just as Henry
created the telegraph and Morse made it of practical utility." See other "Men Who
Made Radio" features on ...
 Please take a few moments to
visit the
everythingRF website to see how they can assist you with your
project. everythingRF is a product discovery platform for RF and microwave products
and services. They currently have 227,460 products from more than 1210 companies
across 285 categories in their database and enable engineers to search for them
using their customized parametric search tool. Amplifiers, test equipment, power
couplers and dividers, coaxial connectors, waveguide, antennas, filters, mixers,
power supplies, and everything else. Please visit everythingRF today to see how
they can help you.
Sunday 18
 This RF Cafe
Engineering & Technical Headlines Crossword Puzzle contains
at least 10 words from headlines posted on the homepage during the week of August
12 through August 16, 2019 (marked with an asterisk*). These custom-made engineering
and science-themed crossword puzzles are done weekly for the brain-exercising benefit
and pleasure of RF Cafe visitors who are fellow cruciverbalists. Every word and
clue - without exception - in these RF Cafe puzzles has been personally entered
into a very large database that encompasses engineering, science, physical, astronomy,
mathematics, chemistry, etc. Let me know if you would like a custom crossword puzzle
built for your company, school, club, etc. (no charge)...
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.
About RF Cafe.
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