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4 of the February 2019 homepage archives. Friday 6
 By 1950, say the author of this story, "No
longer are 'aerials' merely required to transfer electromagnetic energy into
space," in reference to airborne platforms. Following great advancements in radio
and radar technology during World War II, great interest lay in what would
later become referred to as 'stealth' technology and in secure communications. The
transition of aircraft speeds into the realm of supersonic also mandated that projections
beyond the main airframe outline be either eliminated or very much minimized. The
long cable aerials that stretched from the cockpit area to the tip of the vertical
fin, and the round direction finding antennas hanging from below could not be accommodated
at airspeeds above about 300 knots. The aerodynamic drag would be excessive
and the forces would tear the antennas apart. Douglas Aircraft set up one of the
first antenna measurement laboratories...
 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.
Since the conception of WFT, we have introduced products that have been purchased
by a wide range of customers, from hobbyists to education facilities to government
agencies. Worldwide customers include Europe, Australia, and Asia. Please contact
Windfreak today to learn how they might help you with your current project
...
 MWC Barcelona 2019 (formerly Mobile World
Congress) will once again take place at Fira Gran Via, running February 25-28. It
is the largest mobile event in the world, bringing together the latest innovations
and leading-edge technology from more than 2,400 leading companies, with a highly-rated
conference program assembling today's visionaries to explore the hottest topics
influencing the industry. The event also features extensive learning opportunities
from dozens of partner-led programs, GSMA seminars, summits and more. Everything
you need to know about the industry, today and beyond, can be found here. With over
107,000 key decision-makers expected to attend...
 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..."
 Seven new power amplifier (PA) and filter
design videos, given by NI AWR software customer and partners during European Microwave
Week (EuMW) 2018, have now been added to AWR.TV. The list of videos includes:
• OMMIC: Gallium Nitride
(GaN) on Silicon (Si) Process for Microwave and Millimeter-wave (mmWave) PAs
• Teledyne Technologies:
Load Pull, Load Lines, Maximum Efficiency, and 3D Graphs
• Nuhertz: Electromagnetic
(EM) Planar Filter Frequency Response Optimization <
4 more >
 FYI: A
rectenna is a
rectifying antenna. "Using 2-D
molybdenum disulfide (MoS2) wonder material, researchers from
MIT designed an ultra-low capacitance and ultra-low resistance Schottky diode capable
of switching at GHz frequencies. The diode was then put to good use to rectify random
high-frequency WiFi signals into DC electricity. The MoS2 rectenna is ultra-thin
and flexible, and could be fabricated in a roll-to-roll process to cover very large
areas, making up for its relatively low efficiency compared to proven silicon-based
rectennas, the researchers anticipate. The rectenna described in Nature consists
of a flexible RF antenna that captures electromagnetic waves and passes on the AC
signal to the MoS2 Schottky diode which converts it into a DC voltage. Such a rectenna
could passively captures and transforms ubiquitous Wi-Fi signals into useful DC
power for battery-free devices, or it could be made into large areas to harvest
more power for multiple sensors monitoring large infrastructures..."
 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 RF Superstore into a world class RF and
microwave
component supplier. 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!
Thursday 7
 Do you think any tool company would publish
an advertisement like this in today's hypersensitive environment? When Weller ran
the ad shown below in the May 1952 issue of Radio & Television News
magazine, nobody anywhere could have conceived of a world six decades later where
the mere sight or mention of a gun would send snowflake types running for the nearest
safe space (which, sadly, has a special symbol
 a la a nuclear fallout
shelter). It is a little surprising that Weller still markets the tool as a soldering
gun rather than, say a heavy-duty, finger-operated, palm-conforming, graspable soldering
implement ;-( Does anyone know whether soldering guns are allowed in
schools these days? Zero Tolerance policies would require...
 I have never quite accepted the concept of
"x times lighter" than something. The semantic is illogical.
No, it would be "1/x th as heavy." "Researchers in
the U.S. and UK have built a sheet of nickel with nanoscale pores that make it as
strong as titanium but four to five times lighter. The empty space of the pores,
and the self-assembly process in which they're made, make the porous metal analogous
to a natural material, such as wood. The advance from researchers at U. Penn's School
of Engineering and Applied Science, U. Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, and Cambridge
U. is detailed in Nature Scientific Reports. The porosity of wood grain
serves the biological function of transporting energy. Similarly, the empty space
in the researchers' so-called 'metallic
wood' could be infused with other materials..."
 Early
masers (microwave amplification
by simulated emission of
radiation), like the lasers (light amplification...),
began life with the requirement of a rare earth-based mineral at its core - in this
case a ruby. Early applications of the maser, as reported in this 1960 Popular Electronics
article, were centered on radars. High amplification and high power was beyond the
capability of common semiconductors like Si, GaAs, or GaN. Required substrate impurities,
gate widths, and thermal control was well beyond the state of the art of the day.
As always, the early pioneers like Dr. Charles H. Townes, inventor of the maser,
accomplished incredible feats with rudimentary tools, including the venerable slide
rule...
 Pasternack, a leading provider of RF, microwave
and millimeter wave products, has launched a new extended series of mmWave, removable,
edge launch, PCB connectors that are ideal for SERDES applications like high-speed
networking, cloud servers and supercomputing. Pasternack's new line of high-speed
end launch PCB connectors is comprised of 16 models in four end launch connector
interfaces: 1.0mm (110 GHz), 1.85mm (67 GHz), 2.92mm (40 GHz) and
2.4mm (50 GHz). They provide VSWR as low as 1.10:1 and a wide bandwidth that
supports high data rates. These high-performance end launch connectors don't require
soldering and are reusable...
 "Radio frequency (RF) circuit elements that
are traditionally considered to be linear frequently exhibit
nonlinear properties that affect the intended operation of many
other RF systems. Devices such as RF connectors, antennas, attenuators, resistors,
and dissimilar metal junctions generate nonlinear distortion that degrades primary
RF system performance. The communications industry is greatly affected by these
unintended and unexpected nonlinear distortions. The high transmit power and tight
channel spacing of the communication channel makes communications very susceptible
to nonlinear distortion. To minimize nonlinear distortion in RF systems...
 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, they have established a full line of filters
of all types - lowpass, highpass, bandpass, bandstop, diplexer, and more. They offer
the generally known tubular, LC, cavity, and waveguide designs, as well as state
of the art high performance suspended substrate models. Established in 1979. Please
contact Reactel today to see how they might help your project...
Wednesday 6
 When you hear or read "satellite television," you naturally think of a service like DISH
Network or DIRECTV. When encountered in a 1956 Radio & TV News article, you
know "satellite" must mean "(3) someone or something attendant, subordinate, or
dependent." Such was the case for satellite TV locations in areas where, without
a network of microwave relay towers, communities situated where geography inhibited
standard VHF and UHF broadcast signals from reaching sets with sufficient power
were left with no or frustratingly poor reception. Home-based satellite TV as we
know it today began in the mid 1970s with Pat Robertson's Christian Broadcasting
Network broadcast. Artifacts of that ancient time can still be spotted in rural
areas: 10-foot-diameter dishes with eyeballs, smiley faces, or camouflage patterns
painted...
 Jeorge Hurtarte has an article on the
Microwave Journal website titled, "Link-budget calculations: Needed for 5G OTA testing." It begins:
"5G mm-wave devices operating above 24 GHz incorporate millimeter-sized patch antenna
arrays or dipole antennas that become an integral part of the device module packaging.
Testing these assemblies requires over-the-air tests inside a chamber. But, a mmWave
test chamber can introduce significant path loss, more than from cables and connectors.
Understanding how to calculate the total link budget for over-the-air testing is
a critical step in 5G mmWave OTA test. Each patch antenna element in a 5G mobile
or fixed-access device can transmit or receive electromagnetic waves in either the
vertical or horizontal direction. Figure 1 shows the simulated antenna pattern of
a 3x3 patch antenna array..."
 The first mathematical rules taught to entry
level electrical and electronics students are those of
Ohm's Law. Georg Simon Ohm was a German mathematician and physicist
who discovered during his experimentations that the current through a conductor
was directly proportional the the voltage potential applied across the conductor.
From there, he deduced the familiar V=I/R relationship that is the foundation to
all of what has followed in the field of electricity. The standard unit of resistance
- the ohm - bears his name. Watt, the standard unit of electrical power, was similarly
named after Scottish engineer James Watt, and the ampere standard unit of current
was named in honor of André-Marie Ampère. The standard unit of electrical potential
- the volt - was named after Italian physicist Alessandro Volta. Sure, most of your
know - or knew - all this...
 John Booher, of TotalTemp Technologies, has
posted a website blog entry titled, "Temperature Testing – Which Cooling Method Is Best?" In it, he
discusses the comparison of cooling methods for environmental temperature testing
of electronics. "Many electronic components and systems require thermal cycling
equipment in manufacturing or the laboratory for system test, burn-in or design
validation. While improvements in heat pump design allow compressors to heat as
well, in most cases resistance heating is the heating method of choice, this is
a discussion of cooling options. For cooling methods there are several choices.
Three primary ways that things are currently being cooled in the lab are...
 "Chemists at the University of St Andrews
in Scotland have developed a new version of the periodic table which highlights
the
scarcity of elements used in everyday devices such as batteries
and consumer electronics. Around ten million smartphones are discarded or replaced
every month in the European Union alone, so the European Chemical Society (EuChemS),
which represents more than 160,000 chemists, worked with the researchers at St Andrews
to highlight the remaining availability of all 90 elements and their vulnerabilities,
including sourcing from areas of conflict. Smartphones use around 30 elements, over
half of which give cause for concern in the years to come..."
Electro-Photonics is a global supplier of
RF & Microwave components.
Their products include SMT hybrid and directional couplers, wire bondable passive
components, mounting tabs, filters, transmission lines, and very useful test boards
for evaluating components (spiral inductors, single-layer capacitors). The Electro-Photonics
team can support your small R&D design requirements with RF & Microwave
test fixtures and save you valuable design and characterization time. Please take
a moment to visit Electro-Photonics' website and see how your project might benefit
...
Tuesday 5
 I did a little research on this article about
John H. Nelson's work on how the positions of planets affect
magnetic storms on Earth. It looked a little more like astrology
than science, but as it turns out, Nelson's findings gained support in both the
astronomical and meteorological fields. Naturally, the astrology crowd claimed him
as part of their goofiness, but that wasn't Nelson's fault. He published a book
in 1974 titled ,"Cosmic Connections." Yeah, even that sound like an astrology title
- poor choice (or maybe he was trying to fool the contemporary Pharisees in to buying
his book). The book is out of print now, and I could not find any contemporary work
that leverages Nelson's work...
 Z-Communications announces a new RoHS compliant
fixed frequency phase locked loop model RFS1090A-LF in the L-band. The
RFS1090A-LF is a fully integrated synthesizer operating at 1090 MHz
which is phase locked to an internal 10 MHz reference with a stability of ±2.5 ppm.
This low cost PLL features a typical phase noise of -93 dBc/Hz, -98 dBc/Hz,
and -118 dBc/Hz at the 1 kHz, 10 kHz and 100 kHz offsets, respectively.
The RFS1090A-LF is designed to deliver an output power of 3۬ dBm while operating
off a VCO voltage supply of 5Vdc and drawing 35 mA and a phase locked loop
voltage of 3Vdc while drawing 10 mA. This unmatched product features a 2nd
harmonic suppression of -20 dBc and spurious suppression of -62 dBc...
 Today, if Rohde & Schwarz, Keysight,
or some other major test equipment manufacturer announced during a trade show presentation
a new oscilloscope model with a "Breakthrough!" featured dubbed "Cali-Brain®," they would be laughed off the stage. The technology
truly was a breakthrough in terms of displaying peak-to-peak waveform measurements
in a numerical presentation along with a cursor line indicating the pk-pk extent
from the display. It was not as convenient as next-generation scopes that provided
a movable horizontal pair of lines with a direct digital voltage difference readout,
but it did take some of the guesswork and potential error out of readings on complicated
waveforms. Of course modern microprocessor-based measurements...
 Milpitas, California is the venue for the
world's first
GaN Con. "Today, it is crystal-clear that, GaN offers fantastic
technical advantages over traditional Si MOSFETs. Even though the current GaN power
market remains tiny compared to $32.8B silicon power market, GaN devices are penetrating
steadily into different applications. In this conference we will address GaN market
and technology status and debate on its future evolution by mixing visions from
designers, manufacturers and end users. Yole Développement,
SEMI and EPC are joining forces to offer an executive-level event
covering the entire Power GaN Industry, from component manufacturers to end users.
Enjoy extensive networking time..."
 "The NFC Forum has signed an IoT liaison agreement with AIM along with
the expansion of an existing relationship with the Japan Automotive Software Platform
and Architecture (JasPar) organization. The AIM liaison agreement focuses on the
IoT market, furthering an NFC Forum objective to partner with complimentary technologies
to use NFC to help connect, commission and control the predicted 36 billion IoT
devices in use by 2020. The JasPar relationship was enhanced to allow the two groups
to work more closely together to expand the use of NFC in the automotive market.
JasPar recently started a Digital Car Key group within the organization as a target
application for NFC. AIM and the NFC Forum..."
 TotalTemp Technologies has more than 40 years
of combined experience providing thermal platforms.
Thermal Platforms are
available to provide temperatures between -100°C and +200°C for cryogenic cooling,
recirculating circulating coolers, temperature chambers and temperature controllers,
thermal range safety controllers, space simulation chambers, hybrid benchtop chambers,
custom systems and platforms. Manual and automated configurations for laboratory
and production environments...
Monday 4
 The
battle between the serviceman and the customer is epic. The serviceman
knows the customer is out to cheat him of his rightful due for expertise and availability,
and the customer knows the serviceman will try to inflate the bill to finance his
exorbitant lifestyle. This story from a 1945 edition of Radio-Craft is
a humorous take on the subject at first glance from the customer's perspective,
but after reading it you might ascertain that it is really from the serviceman's
perspective. An article from a 1957 edition of Radio News magazine
titled "Strategy for C.O.D. Service" was written as serious advice to servicemen
to avoid being ripped off by customers typified by the one ostensibly penning this
article...
Empower RF Systems is an industry-leading provider of high power RF amplifiers.
Founded in 1999 and located in Inglewood, CA, the company designs and manufactures
solid-state, high power amplifier systems and modules for commercial and military
customers worldwide. We are seeking an experienced and dynamic supervisor to join
our operations team to improve efficiency and achieve production and revenue targets.
The RMA / Production Test Supervisor oversees two related areas: 1) the
Customer Return Processing operation (RMA); and 2) the Production Test area. In
RMA, the supervisor will interface with customers regarding operational issues,
work with support teams within the company to report...
 "DARPA's Radio Frequency Risk Reduction Deployment
Demonstration (R3D2) is set for launch in late February to space-qualify a new type
of membrane reflectarray antenna. The antenna, made of a tissue-thin Kapton
membrane, packs tightly for stowage during launch and then will deploy to its full
size of 2.25 meters in diameter once it reaches low Earth orbit. R3D2 will monitor
antenna deployment dynamics, survivability and radio frequency (RF) characteristics
of a membrane antenna in low-Earth orbit. The antenna could enable multiple missions
that currently require large satellites, to include high data rate communications
to disadvantaged users on the ground. A successful demonstration..."
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...
Sunday 3
 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. 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 1
Anytime I see a photo or story about the
1964 New York World's Fair, I immediately think of the scene at
the end of the first "Men in Black" movie when Agents K and J face off with the
alien invader who has come to Earth in search of "The Galaxy." This story from an
April 1964 issue of Electronics magazine reports on preparations made for
the grand opening on April 22 of that year. Based on the typical three to six month
lead time for publishing magazines back in the day, this material would have been
gathered long ahead of time. Of course now that half a century has passed we hardly
consider any of the whiz-band technology presented there as being anything wonderful,
but then half a century from now our grandkids will laugh at what we consider amazing
at the present time. Here is an interesting statement from the article that really
gives you an idea of generational progress: "The World's Fair alone will contain
some 300 television..."
 "A Bill Gates-funded startup is seeking permission
to test a new kind of
drone detector at Sunday's Super Bowl game between the Los Angeles
Rams and the New England Patriots in Atlanta, Georgia. Echodyne, a Seattle-based
company, filed an application with the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) on
Sunday to operate two experimental radars 'in the immediate vicinity' of Mercedes-Benz
Stadium to 'alert security personnel, including federal officers, of any unidentified
drone activity during Super Bowl LIII.' The drone tests would be conducted under
the guidance and direction of the FBI. Atlanta police have said there will be a
zero-tolerance policy for drones near the Super Bowl stadium, with hundreds of local,
state and federal law enforcement..."
 The
PCB Directory website,
the largest directory of PCB manufacturers, fabricators, assembles, and design services
on the Internet, has added new sections focusing on
PCB Design Services
and PCB Assembly.
They have researched and listed the leading Printed Circuit Board manufacturers
around the world and made them searchable according to their capabilities - types
of laminates available, board thickness supported, number of layers supported, location,
delivery time, price, flexible or rigid, etc. Visit PCB Directory today to learn
how they can assist in meeting your project's needs...
 This installment of the After Class series
in the December 1957 edition of Popular Electronics deals with inductors.
It is a beginner-level introduction to how
reactive components behave in circuits. For some reason the concept
of magnetism's influence on electrical current (present with inductors but not capacitors)
seems to be more difficult to comprehend than that of electrons, even though James
Clerk Maxwell shows in the mid 1800s that the two phenomena are interrelated. I
am tempted to say that back in the 1950s when this article appeared, people were
less familiar with the relatively new concept of electronics, but in thinking about
it, your typical 2019 reader is probably even less likely to know anything at all
about electronics or the way basic components work. I would bet that maybe 1% could
even tell you the difference between AC and DC current...
 Advanced Test Equipment Rentals (ATEC) is
the leading rental provider of test and measurement equipment for EMC, aerospace,
automotive, semiconductor, consumer electronics, electrical, communications, environmental
and many other industries. ATEC provides thousands of different types of test and
measurement equipment from an extensive list of manufacturers and supports customers
with experienced specialized teams. To provide customers with the best service and
expertise, ATEC provides customer with a specialized team to handle specific needs.
The
specialized teams are educated on specific types of equipment
and markets to provide customers with market knowledge, equipment specifications,
and the solutions for their testing needs. These specialized teams have a mission...
 "Several nations, including China and Russia,
are building powerful nuclear bombs designed to produce
super-electromagnetic pulse (EMP) waves capable of devastating
all electronics - from computers to electric grids - for hundreds of miles, according
to a newly-released congressional study. A report by the now-defunct Commission
to Assess the Threat to the United States from EMP Attack, for the first time reveals
details on how nuclear EMP weapons are integrated into the military doctrines of
China, Russia, North Korea, and Iran. The report discloses how those states could
use EMP attacks in theaters of battle in the Middle East, Far East, Europe, and
North America..."
 Nova
Microwave is a leader in technically differentiated electronic and radio frequency
Ferrite Circulators and Isolators
that connect, protect and control critical commercial and military wireless telecommunications
systems. Our staff is dedicated to research and development of standard and custom
design quality Ferrite Circulators and Isolators from 380 MHz to 26.5 GHz.
Please visit Nova Microwave today...
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. I also
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