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5 of the January 2020 homepage
archives. Friday 17
 If you had a father, brother, uncle, grandfather,
husband, or neighbor who was an electronics service technician in the days of yore,
he might have been mentioned in this 1958 issue of Radio & TV News magazine
highlighting General Electric's
Service Technicians' All-American Award Winners. Rather than rewarding the independent
businessmen for their technical prowess, the company assigned awards based on community
services performed, thereby reflecting positively on both GE and the electronics
service business as a whole. Each winner received a $500 check, which in 2020 money
is the equivalent to about $4,500 in today's economy. The closest thing we have
to the radio and television serviceman today is maybe the guys who install broadband
cable and satellite dishes. Their level technical knowledge is not required to be
anywhere near as deep...
 The National Science Board (NSB) is required
under the National Science Foundation (NSF) Act to prepare and transmit a
Science and Engineering Indicators
report to the President and Congress every even-numbered year. Prepared by the National
Center for Science and Engineering Statistics (NCSES), it is "subject to extensive
review by Board members, outside experts, interested federal agencies, and NCSES
internal reviewers for accuracy, coverage, and balance." The  most salient point is probably that China is
"rapidly developing [its] science and technology (S&T) capacity. The changing
global landscape affects the position of the U.S. relative to the other major global
players. For example, the U.S. has seen its relative share of global S&T activity
remain unchanged or shrink..." STEM testing in K-12 grades indicates students are
merely in the mid range relative to students worldwide (but they know their PC gender
pronouns). That helps explain this, "Foreign-born workers - ranging from long-term
U.S. residents with strong roots in the U.S. to more recent immigrants - account
for 30% of workers in S&E occupations." Comments?
 Flintec's Joe Williams wrote asking to have
his company included on RF Cafe's
Data Acquisition Systems & Data Loggers vendor page. Flintec, of Hudson,
MA, is a manufacturer of precision weight measurement technologies designed for
use across a diverse range of industrial sectors.
Sensors, hardware, electronics and software
fully compliant with international standards and verification requirements. A extensive
line of load cells, weight, and force sensors, and the interfacing electronics and
mounting fixtures are available to make planning and installation simple. Individual
components as well as complete systems for industrial weighing scales and medical
applications can be supplied. Contact Flintec today to learn how they can help your
project.
 Axiom Test Equipment, an electronic test
equipment rentals and sales company headquartered in North County San Diego, has
published a blog post entitled "Take
to the Air with Dependable Avionics Testing," explaining how to source the right
electronic load for your next project. "Avionics systems assist pilots in providing
safe flights on commercial, industrial, and military aircraft. Failures in those
systems usually leads to catastrophe, stressing the importance of proper testing
of avionics systems and their components. As avionics systems become more automated
and autonomous, they become more complex in their software and hardware. Suitable
test equipment must keep pace with the functionality needed to 'exercise' avionic
systems and subsystems under real-world conditions, so that designers can fully
understand the behavior of those systems, installers and maintainers know their
performance levels, and pilots...
 "XNRGI
nears commercialization of its porous silicon anode
lithium-metal battery. Lithium-ion batteries are everywhere: You see them in
gadgets, vehicles, robots, and power-grid storage. Worldwide production now stands
at about 160 gigawatt-hours per year. The revolutionary technology earned three
of its lead developers the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 2019. And yet the lithium-ion
battery is far from perfect. It's still too pricey for applications requiring long-term
storage, and it has a tendency to catch fire. Many forms of the battery rely on
increasingly hard-to-procure materials, like cobalt and nickel. Among battery experts,
the consensus is that someday something better will have to come along..."
 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.
Thursday 16
 If you do a Google search on the
Talos Defense Unit at White Sands Proving Grounds, you have to look really hard
to find any mention of Radio Corporation of America (RCA) having had any part of
the program. Bendix Corporation built the Talos missile. According to the sparse
documentation on the development of the AN/FPS-16 monopulse radar, it was the brainchild
of the U.S. Naval Research Laboratory and built by RCA in Moorestown, NJ. This 1958
Radio & TV News magazine article claims the FPS-16 was developed with
a lot of input from Applied Physics Laboratory (APL) of Johns Hopkins University,
but the Wikipedia webpage makes no mention of it. The FPS-16 had the highest spatial
resolution of its time at 0.15° and 4.5 meters. It operated at 5400-5900 MHz...
 Here is yet another example of where the
basics in electronics never changes. There are always new people entering into the
realm, so even if the subject has been covered countless times already, there is
always a need to print it again. Remember that at one time you were a newbie and
appreciated seeing beginners' concepts explained. The old-timers of the day probably
complained about being tired of seeing the simple stuff re-hashed over and over.
Most standard
potentiometers (pots) are linear in operation, that is, the resistance between
the moveable wiper contact and the overall resistance between the two ends is directly
proportional to the percentage of travel along the length of the resistive element
(printed or wirewound). One of more popular specialty pots is the logarithmically
tapered type that is used in audio circuits...
 "The Defense Department is preparing for a new
electromagnetic spectrum strategy to be released next summer. 'We are challenged
in the electromagnetic spectrum,' Air Force Maj. Gen. Lance Landrum, the deputy
director for the Secretary of Defense Electromagnetic Spectrum Operations Cross
Functional Team, told reporters during a roundtable event Dec. 18 held by the Association
of Old Crows in Alexandria, Va. 'Our dependence on the electromagnetic spectrum,
the way our systems depend on it ... our competitors see that dependency, and so
they see that dependency as a possible vulnerability.' The Defense Department Electromagnetic
Spectrum Operations Cross Functional Team, which stood up in April, is leading the
effort with the DOD's chief information office..."
 Res-Net Microwave has a complete line of
precision RF & microwave
components including attenuators, terminations, resistors, and diode detectors
for commercial, military, and space applications. Products range from the small
flange type to large 2,000 watt connectorized power attenuators and/or terminations
at frequencies up to 26.5 GHz. In-house photo etch and laser trim capability.
The company is a leader in development and production of the films required for
these type of RF/microwave components. Please check out Res-Net Microwave's website
to see how they can help with your current project.
 Additive manufacturing is a popular term,
referring usually to 3D printing of components. In the case of this "In-House
PCB Prototyping with Additive Manufacturing" article appearing in NASA's
Tech Briefs magazine, however, the focus is on using the relatively newly available
"personal" machines for creating and even populating printed circuit boards (PCBs)
for prototyping and even low volume production. A large number of low cost, fast
turnaround PCB prototyping services are now available like
San Francisco Circuits,
Bittele Circuits,
and others listed on the
PCB Directory website. Additive manufacturing is essentially a slow reversal
of many companies' dispensing of their in-house prototyping capabilities beginning
in the 1980s. The philosophy was that consolidating those functions to 3rd-party
vendors was the most economical method (and in many cases it is), against the better
judgment of the engineers and technicians who lost the convenience of down-the-hall
machine shops and PCB fabrication facilities.
 MPDevice (MPD) has become a trustworthy
and reliable company in the global RF market as a manufacturer of
passive RF Devices. Included
are attenuators and terminations, coaxial connectors, adapters, and cable assemblies,
DC blocks, surge arrestors, power combiner / dividers, and directional couplers.
The Korean Telecommunication market is now entering into the era of hyperconnected
society. With continuous enhancement in R&D capabilities and quality control,
MPD will continue in an effort to become the No. 1 technologically innovative
company with a focus on the emerging 5G marketplace.
Wednesday 15
 World Radio Laboratories (WRL) was a major
manufacturer of amateur radio equipment in the middle of the last century. They
were famous for high power transmitters like the Globe King models, which looked
exactly like the big, black, rack-based units seen in older movies with Ham radio
cameos. It took a couple chassis filled with big glowing vacuum tubes to pump out
a kilowatt of power. Today's semiconductor-based transmitters do the job in a small
fraction of the volume, with higher quality and higher reliability and with usually
no periodic maintenance required. The savings in your electric bill is substantial.
WRL provided a great service to the amateur radio community that constituted its
customer base by encouraging anyone passing through Council Bluffs, Iowa...
 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...
 Atenlab Corporation's R-Series of
Compact Antenna Test Range (CATR) Over-the-Air (OTA) Measurement Systems facilitate
testing in the 1.7 to 110 GHz electromagnetic spectrum in the convenience of a self-contained
anechoic enclosure. Type R2, designed for testing in the 18-110 GHz range,
is the smallest, lightest, and very mobile type self-contained cabinet enclosure
that easily fits in a typical laboratory or office-size room. MIMO, antenna near-field
measurement, EMI, EMS, 3G, 4G, 5G, WiFi, and other modern wireless standards are
easily tested. The R6 model is an agile design suitable for 6 GHz 100 GHz
measurements. It is extremely flexible and adaptable for a wide range of applications...
 You have probably seen
Fahnestock clips, but did you know that's what they were called? Me neither,
until I first saw the name of them on a page in a MicroMark catalog a while back.
When I ran across this advertisement in a 1947 issue of Radio News magazine, it
seemed like a good opportunity pass the revelation on. Model train enthusiasts must
not use Fahnestock clips as much anymore for wiring their layouts since there are
more modern quick-change type terminal connections available. MicroMark does not
sell them anymore, but you can still get some from Newark Electronics and other
online sellers. Maybe the ones sitting in my parts drawer will one day be worth
big $$$ to collectors (just kidding).
 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. Please contact TotalTemp Technologies today to learn
how they can help your project.
 i-tech
(Inductive Technologies) manufactures many types of
inductors and transformers used apart from
our typical RF and microwave applications, but might be needed for ancillary functions
that include motion control, sensing, power line conditioning, and beam steering.
Toroidal and pot core inductors, flyback transformers, drum core power inductors,
primary transformers, surface mount toroids and power inductors, common mode chokes,
and current sense transformers. These are the components you see sprinkled around
the semiconductor parts of the circuits inside printers, phones (real phones, not
cellphones), garage door openers, HVAC systems, etc.
 Exodus Advanced Communications is a multinational
RF communication equipment and engineering service company serving both commercial
and government entities and their affiliates worldwide. Power amplifiers ranging
from 10 kHz to 51 GHz with various output power levels and noise figure
ranges, we fully support custom designs and manufacturing requirements for both
small and large volume levels. decades of combined experience in the RF field for
numerous applications including military jamming, communications, radar, EMI/EMC
and various commercial projects with all designing and manufacturing of our HPA,
MPA, and LNA products in-house.
Tuesday 14
 Do you know what a "gimmick
winding" (aka "gimmick capacitor) is? It's been a long time since I have seen
or heard the term that describes a twisted pair of insulated wires used to create
a very small value of capacitance (~1 pf/inch). They were often found in vintage
radio and television sets for use in fine tuning a filter response, interstage coupling,
impedance matching, etc. Some service shops and hobbyists would solder in ad hoc
gimmick capacitors into circuits to optimize factory sets or maybe to compensate
for fixed value components that had drifted in value over time. After achieving
the proper value, a dab of wax or cement of some sort is added to keep everything
in place. I doubt that gimmick capacitors are acceptable in a high reliability,
critical application like spacecraft and military equipment...
 "Qinliang Li, Cailei Yuan and Ting Yu from
Jiangxi Normal University, along with Qisheng Wang and Jingbo Li from South China
Normal University, are developing
nonvolatile charge memory devices with simple structures. Wang explains how
the optically controllable devices combine the functions of light sensing and electrical
storage. What was the motivation for the research and what problem were you trying
to solve? Nonvolatile memory devices are central to modern communication and information
technology. Among various material systems, emerging two dimensional (2D) materials
offer a promising platform for next-generation data-storage devices due to their
unique planar structure and brilliant electronic properties..."
 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.
Available in single or multi-junction topographies, the Nova Microwave product line
of is specifically designed for use in varied environmental and temperature extremes.
 Author Edward Tilton discusses here the tradeoff
between
bandwidth and sensitivity in receivers, given that broadband noise power follows
bandwidth in a 10 log BW fashion. Pulling in the most distant stations requires
very low noise in able to get the SNR as high as possible, which requires the minimum
bandwidth possible. Prior to highly stable local oscillators, operating successfully
in a narrow bandwidth for voice (phone), and particularly for CW (Morse code), dictated
the use of a fixed frequency crystal to keep from having to constantly re-tune the
station. Nowadays, of course, what used to be considered a metrology grade oscillator
can be bought for tens of dollars...
 Rodger Hosking, of Pentek, has a downloadable
DPF file entitled, "Putting
FPGAs to Work in Software Radio." As the handbook's preface states, "FPGAs have
become an increasingly important resource for software radio systems. Programmable
logic technology now offers significant advantages for implementing software radio
functions such as DDCs (digital downconverters). Over the past few years, the functions
associated with DDCs have seen a shift from being delivered in ASICs to operating
as IP in FPGAs. For many applications, this implementation shift brings advantages
that include design flexibility, higher precision processing, higher channel density,
lower power, and lower cost per channel...
 Withwave manufactures an extensive line of
metrology quality coaxial test cable assemblies, connectors (wave-, end-, vertical-launch,
board edge, panel mount), calibration kits (SOLT), a
fully automated 4-port vector network analyzer
(VNA) calibrator, between- and in-series connector adaptors, attenuators, terminations,
DC blocks, torque wrenches, test probes & probe positioner. Special test fixtures
for calibration and multicoax cable assemblies. Frequency ranges from DC through
110 GHz. Please contact Withwave today to see how they can help your project
succeed.
Monday 13
 This article on the design and use of
antennas for television and FM radio was printed in a 1948 issue of Radio-Craft
magazine. Equations and charts are provided for calculating element lengths for
half-wave antennas, including directors and reflectors. Many types of antennas -
dipole, stacked dipole, folded dipole, conical, adjustable "V," cross-element -
are discussed regarding siting issues (location and height above the ground), and
radiation patterns. It is a pretty good primer for someone new to antennas, and
makes a great supplement to the data furnished in study guides for obtaining a Ham
radio license...
Empower RF Systems, a leading provider of
high-power ultra-broadband radio frequency (RF) amplifier solutions, is seeking
a qualified, dynamic, successful
RF Test Technician. Headquartered in Inglewood, California, the company and
designs and manufactures solid-state, high-power RF amplifier systems and modules
for commercial, scientific, and military customers worldwide. Position Summary Reporting
to the Production Test Manager and partnering closely with engineering teams, the
RF Test Technician develops and performs test solutions for RF products from concept
through manufacturing release. He/she supports product development evaluations and
final product characterization testing, and works with the development team in providing
testability planning, strategies and methodologies...
 "As quantum computing enters the industrial
sphere, questions about how to manufacture qubits at scale are becoming more pressing.
Here, Fernando Gonzalez-Zalba, Tsung-Yeh Yang and Alessandro Rossi explain why decades
of engineering may give silicon the edge. In the past two decades,
quantum
computing has evolved from a speculative playground into an experimental race.
The drive to build real machines that exploit the laws of quantum mechanics, and
to use such machines to solve certain problems much faster than is possible with
traditional computers, will have a major impact in several fields. These include
speeding..."
 Prior to the Rural Electrification Act of
1936, the year this Radio Service Data Sheet appeared in Radio-Craft magazine,
commercial electric service was limited primarily to urban and suburban areas. Vast
expanses of rural farmland were without electric service and had to rely on individual
wind and, where possible, hydro power
generators for DC power. The output voltage was of course direct current since
it could be stored for later use. Even through the early 1940s many farms and rural
households had only the convenience of DC power by virtue of banks of lead-acid
batteries. Sears, Roebuck &Co. sold wind-driven electricity generators for farm
use to charge batteries in place rather than having to load them onto a wagon and
truck them into town for charging. Many farms already had windmills erected to mechanically
drive grist mills, saws...
 Lou Frenzel just posted another article over
on the EDN website entitled, "The
Existential Threat to Wireless." It's nothing new - lack of available electromagnetic
spectrum. The lament has been around since the beginning of wireless technology;
read some of the articles I've posted from vintage electronics magazines. In the
early days, though, the problem was largely a lack of vacuum tube and then semiconductor
frequency capability, but now it is more fundamentally a signal attenuation issue
(IMHO). The biggest threat nowadays is to existing spectrum being reallocated to
other uses depending on which concern has the most money behind it (also IMHO).
Lou begins, "As we plunge forward into the next generations of wireless - namely
5G and down the road, 6G - one hurdle stands in the way of progress: the very finite
amount of spectrum. ..."
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. Please contact TotalTemp Technologies today to learn
how they can help your project.
Sunday 12
 As with my hundreds of previous
engineering and science-themed crossword puzzles, this one for January 12, 2020,
contains only clues and terms associated with engineering, science, physical, astronomy,
mathematics, chemistry, etc., which I have built up over nearly two decades. Many
new words and company names have been added that had not even been created when
I started in the year 2002. 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.
About RF Cafe.
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