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4 of the December 2019 homepage archives. Friday 27
 The 2020 Consumer Electronics Show (CES), being held in Las Vegas,
is only a couple weeks off (January 7-10). CES is the world's gathering place for
all those who thrive on the business of consumer technologies. It has served as
the proving ground for innovators and breakthrough technologies for 50 years - the
global stage where next-generation innovations are introduced to the marketplace.
Owned and produced by the Consumer Technology Association (CTA), it attracts the
world's business leaders and pioneering thinkers. Alan Jope, of Unilever, is the
keynote speaker ...
 RF Superstore is proud to announce the
addition of our fifth new product category in 2019. The latest category launch includes
14 new part numbers for small size, low insertion loss
RF power dividers / combiners, 3 of which are in stock and ready
to ship. Applications include amplifiers, mixers, antennas. and laboratory testing.
If you have interest in pre-ordering the other model numbers, please contact us
for current lead times. Pricing and availability for all power divider / combiner
models can be found on the RF Superstore website. RF coaxial connectors & adapters,
coaxial cable & cable assemblies, surge protectors, attenuators. Items added
daily. Free shipping on orders over $99. We're leading the way again!...
 Voltage multipliers were found in nearly
every form of battery-powered electronics in the days of vacuum tubes, because of
the 100-volt or more requirement for plate voltages. Primary batteries in 30, 45,
and 67½ volt sizes were produced by Eveready, Burgess, and a few other companies
in order to help simplify biasing circuits. They were bulky and heavy, often comprising
a significant portion of the assembly's volume. Heavy transformers contributed mightily
to the weight and size as well. Exell still manufactures 30, 45, and 67½ V
batteries both for the few products that are still designed to use them, and for
vintage radio owners. Most circuits that need higher DC voltages these days use
DC-DC converters, many of which are ICs...
 "Fujitsu Limited and Fujitsu Laboratories
have successfully developed the world's first technology for growing a
diamond film with highly-efficient heat dissipation on the surface
of gallium nitride (GaN) high electron mobility transistors (GaN HEMTs), which are
used in power amplifiers for technologies like weather radars and communications
equipment. The new design reduces the amount of heat generated by the devices during
operations by 40%, leading to simplification of the cooling system and making it
possible to miniaturize radar systems that rely on GaN HEMTs. This improvement to
the design will make it significantly easier to install larger numbers of the devices
for applications including improved weather forecasting and 5G communications ..."
 Sound powers for the following equation in
dBA units are referenced to a picowatt (10-12 W). The
threshold of
pain for the human ear is usually taken to be around 120 dBA. One of the
best compilation of noise power level data can be accessed in Chapter 5 of
the OSHA Technical Manual website. Loudness is the subjective human response to
sound. It depends primarily on sound pressure but is also influenced by frequency.
Three different internationally standardized characteristics are used for sound
measurement: weighting networks A, C, and Z (or "zero" weighting). The A and C weighting
networks are the sound level meter's means of responding to some frequencies more
than others...
 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 26
 You can add to the long list of technical
wonders promised - and not delivered - to us by the end of the twentieth century
(this is now the 21st century, btw) a
three-dimensional (3D) television set. This 1958 article from
Radio & TV News magazine described efforts already made by the movie industry
for generating 3D films that provided audiences with life-like projections that
were designed to shock their senses by having scary or dangerous objects suddenly
hurled at them. Pictures of a theater filled with people wearing the cardboard-framed
red/blue stereoscopic glasses are a very familiar symbol of the scheme known as
stereoscopy. Another method of 3D image perception was to use horizontal and vertical
polarization along with appropriately configured glasses to separate the images
entering the eyes and relying on the brain to convert a pair of 2-dimensional pictures
into a 3-dimensional image...
 Center of Telecommunication Technologies
is proud to announce immediate availability of
Antenna Pattern Editor 1.1, a free universal tool to view, create,
edit and convert antenna patterns. The main idea embedded in the program is to provide
the user with the opportunity to quickly create an antenna pattern file using various
methods. Antenna pattern file is a simple text or xml file that describes the main
characteristics of the antennas - radiation patterns, gain, frequency range, name,
manufacturer and other data. These files are used in various radio planning tools
including our RadioPlanner and MLinkPlanner. There are a large number of antenna
pattern file formats, but it often happens that there is no file in the required
format. In this case, using the Antenna Pattern Editor, you can easily convert the
file to the format you need...
 ConductRF is continually innovating and
developing new and improved solutions for RF Interconnect needs. See the latest
TESTeCON RF Test Cables for labs. ConductRF makes production and
test coax cable assemblies for amplitude and phased matched VNA applications as
well as standard & precision RF connectors. Over 1,000 solutions for low PIM
in-building to choose from in the iBwave component library. They also provide custom
coax solutions for applications where some standard just won't do. A partnership
with Newark assures fast, reliable access. Please visit
ConductRF today to see how they can help your project!
 As in the past, I am posting these Radio
Service Data Sheets as a service to someone who might be doing research on
vintage radios and/or restoring one. Roamio is not producing automobile radios anymore,
but they do now make TiVo recorders and streaming media players. The
Crosley Roamio Automotive Superheterodyne Models 95 and 96 was
made in the early 1930s at a time when cars and trucks were just starting to experience
such luxury. Those sets had the power supply and RF receiver components mounted
in the trunk and/or under the seat, with the operator interface controls (tuning
and volume) mounted in the dashboard. Crosley did not begin manufacturing its own
line of cars until 1939, so none of these radios made it into Crosley autos...
 Skyworks Solutions is pleased to launch
the SKY85772-11, a new addition to our family of front-end modules
(FEMs) that are designed for growing retail, carrier and enterprise Wi-Fi 6
applications. The 5 GHz FEM offers best-in-class power and linearity for devices
such as access points, routers and gateways. The module's logarithmic power detector
allows for wide dynamic power range and its harmonics are FCC compliant, reducing
filtering requirements. The solution also delivers 2 dB higher gain, improving linearity
when compared to system-on-chip (SoC) architectures. The SKY85772-11 is also part
of major transceiver reference designs...
 "The
5G test cases presented here encompass RF characteristics, radio
resource management (RRM), and protocol suites that work at the chipset, device,
and base-station levels on sub-6-GHz and mmWave frequencies in both lab and field
environments. The 5G test and conformance era is far more challenging than 4G wireless
amid a broad range of new services and technology paradigms. There's a large matrix
of test cases that vary widely, and these changes reinforce the importance of adequately
validating the device performance on 5G networks as specified in the New Radio (NR)
standard. The 5G conformance test spans RF characteristics, radio resource management
(RRM), and communication protocol suites ..."
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 25
 Some experts in the field of electronics
engineering have suggested that the use of silicon complementary metal-oxide semiconductors
(CMOS) will start declining rapidly by the end of 2020. Despite
their predictions, a class of alternative materials that can effectively sustain
the computational power of new devices, while maintaining good energy efficiencies
is yet to be clearly established. Over the past few years, researchers have proposed
several materials that could ultimately substitute current CMOS devices. Some of
the most promising candidates ...
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.
Tuesday 24
 Canadian researchers use laser pulses to
record frame-by-frame how electrons react with atomic vibrations in solids, revealing
superconductivity mechanisms. New insights into superconductivity
could be gleaned from the technique, discussed by physicists from the Stewart Blusson
Quantum Matter Institute (SBQMI) at the University of British Columbia and their
colleagues in Science. The researchers have developed a new extreme-ultraviolet
laser source to enable a technique called time-resolved photoemission spectroscopy ...
 Modelithics® the leader in providing simulation
models for RF, microwave and mm-wave devices, is pleased to welcome
Chris DeMartino to the company as Sales and Applications Engineer.
In this role, Mr. DeMartino will be responsible for technical support and application
development for Modelithics products and services. He joins the Modelithics team
from Informa PLC (formerly Penton Media), where he served as the editor of Microwaves &
RF magazine. At this position, his responsibilities included generating technical
content to serve the needs of the RF/microwave engineering community. Prior to assuming
the role of editor of Microwaves & RF in May 2015, he was able to gain valuable
experience in RF/microwave design and testing. DeMartino holds a M.S. degree in
Electrical Engineering and has worked for several companies in the RF/microwave
industry...
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. Contact Transient Specialists today for your ESD / EMC / RFI testing
needs.
Monday 23
 War Bonds were used by countries, including
the United States, Canada, Germany, and the United Kingdom, to help finance the
expense of war without causing massive inflation caused by printing more money.
Particularly during war times, governments were concerned with any amount of inflation
since it would raise the cost of procuring necessary materials. A meme popularized
(by the government) during World War II was, "Use it up. Wear it out. Make
it do, or do without." Similar to how modern day Savings Bonds work, citizens
bought the bonds at some fraction of the face value (typically 1/2 or 3/4) with
a maturity date of 10, 20, or more years. On or after the maturity date, the bonds
could/can be redeemed for the face value plus and amount of interest which might
have accumulated during the period. I remember while in elementary school in the
early--to-mid 1960s taking a dime to class each week to buy a stamp for a $25 savings
bond. Those bonds matured in the mid 1980s and sat in a box...
 A special 25% discount is being offered for
a limited time from Artech House publishers for the purchase of Practical
Antenna Design for Wireless Products, a new book written by Henry
Lau of Lexiwave Technology that features NI AWR software. This comprehensive resource
covers the fundamentals and implementation strategies for practical antenna design
and helps readers understand how to effectively use electromagnetic (EM) simulation
for the design of real-world antenna products. Topics include PCB layout, component
placement, and casing design. Design examples of wearable electronic products are
presented. Available for purchase in hardback or digital download through Artech
House (25% discount with promotional code NI25), or get it from
Amazon.com.
 Center of Telecommunication Technologies
is proud to announce immediate availability of their
RadioPlanner 2.1 wireless network software simulation tool for
modeling microwave point-to-point (PtP) and point-to-multipoint (PtMP) links. Perform
frequency planning of radio networks considering co-channel and adjacent channels
interference, points calculation showing the profile of the path, losses, and levels
of the signal and interference on co-channel and adjacent channels. You can import
the measurement results of the received signal power levels for comparison with
calculated values and adjust propagation model parameters, and save the result of
the coverage calculation as an interactive web page or as a raster image. Flexibly
adjust the layers on the base map, show custom vector layers. RadioPlanner 2.1 uses
propagation models that include ITU-R P.1812-4 (for mobile and broadcasting), Longley-Rice
(ITM) v 1.2.2 (for broadcasting only, for mobile coming soon), ITU-R P.1546-6 (for
broadcasting only), and combined ITU-R P.528-3 + P.526-14 model (for aeronautical
radio only...
 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 ...
 "Using a clever technique that causes unruly
crystals of iron selenide to snap into alignment, Rice University physicists have
drawn a detailed map that reveals the "rules of the road" for electrons both in normal conditions and
in the critical moments just before the material transforms into a superconductor.
In a study online this week in the American Physical Society journal Physical Review
X (PRX), physicist Ming Yi and colleagues offer up a band structure map for iron
selenide, a material that has long puzzled physicists because of its structural
simplicity and behavioral complexity. The map, which details the electronic states
of the material, is a visual summary of data gathered from measurements of a single
crystal of iron selenide as it was cooled to the point of superconductivity ..."
 An RF Cafe visitor sent this equation to
me a few years ago. It can be found all over the Internet (including here), but
I cannot determine a definite origin. Mathematicians claim that math can explain
everything in the universe, which is not quite true. It can't for example, explain
why my next-door neighbor is a junk hoarder. This
Christmas equation
does not appear to begin with a particular application; it looks like something
from a set of textbook end-of-chapter problems. Even if you don't celebrate Christmas,
it provides a secondary benefit by demonstrating rules for the manipulation of logarithms
and exponents along with basic algebraic rearrangements of terms.
 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 22
 Each week, for the sake of all avid cruciverbalists
amongst us, I create a new technology-themed crossword puzzle using only words from
my custom-created lexicon related to engineering, science, mathematics, chemistry,
physics, astronomy, etc. This week's puzzle contains a
special holiday message (clues with asterisks) to all RF Cafe
visitors. You will never find among the words names of politicians, mountain ranges,
exotic foods or plants, movie stars, or anything of the sort. You might, however,
see someone or something in the exclusion list who or that is directly related to
this puzzle's theme, such as Hedy Lamarr or the Bikini Atoll, respectively. Enjoy!...
Friday 20
 There are few better ways to wind down
a work week than with some good old-fashioned (literally)
technology-themed comics. This three fifths of a handful of comics
appeared in a 1944 issue of Radio News magazine. You need to know when looking at
these scenarios that people in the 1940s cherished and revered their radio sets
like people today do with their cellphones. Magical and supernatural attributes
were assigned to them by some, especially the non-technically inclined. Entire families
gathered around the radio in eager anticipation of the latest episode of "The Shadow,"
The Lone Ranger," "Little Orphan Annie," "Jack Benny," and "Inner Sanctum Mystery."
BTW, if you want to experience the aura of old time radio shows, many of them are
available for listening online on the Old Time Radio Catalog website and others...
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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