See Page 1 |
2 |
3 |
4 | of the June 2020 homepage archives. Friday 12
 A few weeks ago I posted a two-part article
on the Taylor
super-modulation principle published in Radio & Television News
magazine in 1948. It was a newly announced technology at the time and was written
by its inventor, Robert Taylor. This piece entitled "Understanding Super-Modulation"
appeared a couple years later by another author, John McCord, where he describes
how it works , how to tune super-modulation circuits, and how it compares to other
modulation methods - all conveniently in "Ham language." Super-modulation is a form
of amplitude modulation (AM) that makes use of carrier and/or sideband suppression
to achieve greater efficiency. A panadaptor - aka pan-adapter, aka panadapter, aka
radio spectrum scope, aka panoramic adapter - is used to view the RF spectrum across
a wide band. Essentially it is a low budget spectrum analyzer...
 "Directed energy weapons like this Northrop
Grumman laser will provide the Navy new options for dealing with new threats. The
U.S. Navy demonstrated a solid state laser weapon mounted on the amphibious transport
dock ship USS Portland May 16, shooting down a target drone near Pearl Harbor, Hawaii.
The
Laser Weapon System Demonstrator (LWSD) was developed by Northrop Grumman and
integrated with full System and Ship Integration and Testing led by Naval Surface
Warfare Center Dahlgren and Port Hueneme. The Navy said that the operational deployment
of the LWSD is the first system-level implementation of a high-energy class solid
state laser..."
 Studies of motors usually begin with the
direct current (DC) type - maybe because most students have already had hands-on
experiences with
DC motors in models (cars, boats, airplanes) and/or electricity experimenter
kits. They are small, cheap, and a simple flashlight battery (the ultimate in safety)
makes them run. An alternating current (AC) motor requires either a direct connection
to the house current or use of a step-down transformer, which still carries with
it a high risk factor. This chapter of the U.S. military's Basic Navy Training Course
(NAVPERS 10622) conforms to the tradition, and follows in the next chapter with
AC motors and generators. While reading through the text, I ran across the unfamiliar
term "kickpipe" and wondered how I could have missed that after so many decades
of working with motors - both DC and AC. I didn't feel quite so dumb after looking
up the definition; after all, I was in the Air Force, not the Navy ;-)
 Keysight Technologies will showcase its
suite of software tools for design, simulation and test at the
Millimeter Wave Innovations event on June 23rd, 24th, and 25th, beginning at
9:00 am PDT. What: Next-generation wireless systems are targeting a range of
new capabilities including higher bandwidth, more connected devices, and low latency.
Millimeter wave technology is a key enabler for this upcoming wireless revolution
and Keysight solutions deliver accurate, repeatable results at ever-higher frequencies
and wider bandwidths. Training courses and virtual demonstrations of advanced tools
for design, simulation, and test...
 Ed Troy, owner of Aerospace Consulting, was
kind enough to offer a few of his articles for posting on RF Cafe. With more than
30 years in the electronics communications design field, Ed has a lot of valuable
knowledge to impart to us mortals ;-) This third paper demonstrates why using a
highly capable software simulator for system design work is essential because of
its ability to predict and facilitate mitigation of system-generated problems prior
to building and testing the prototype. Case in point are
spurious spectral components generated by the local oscillator and SSB to PM
conversion created in a frequency doubler circuit. This paper was adapted from an
example circuit provided in Keysight (formerly Agilent) Genesys Spectrasys. Spectrasys
is a spectral domain block diagram simulator that allows the user to construct a
system model and quickly determine the system performance. Whether you are involved...
 Empower RF Systems
is a global leader in power amplifier solutions. Empower RF Systems is an established
and technologically superior supplier of high power solid state RF & microwave
amplifiers. Our offerings include modules, intelligent rack-mount amplifiers, and
multi-function RF Power Amplifier solutions to 6 GHz in broadband and band
specific designs. Output power combinations range from tens of watts to multi-kilowatts.
Unprecedented size, weight and power reduction of our amplifiers is superior to
anything in the market at similar frequencies and power levels.
Thursday 11
 Do you remember your first calculator - electronic,
that is (slide rules and abacuses don't count - actually they do, right?)? Mine
was acquired sometime in the fall of 1976 during my first attempt at secondary education
at Anne Arundel Community College in Maryland, where eventually, in 1987, I was
awarded an Associate's degree in Engineering (which constituted the first two years
of my eventual BSEE at UVM in 1989, on whose notable alumni list I am not). My name
is not in AACC's list of notable alumni, either. But I digress. My calculator was
a Texas Instruments model SR-50 that had a small red LED display. It cost about
$100 ($445 in today's inflated money) and performed basic math with a few simple
trigonometric and logarithmic functions. This edition of Mac's Service Shop, entitled,
"Buying
and Using a Pocket Calculator," has Mac telling sidekick Barney about the Hewlett
Packard's HP-45 calculator. According to the Wikipedia entry, the HP-45 entered
the market in 1973 at a list price of $395 ($2,084 today). That's the price of a
high-end gamer's computer these days. Its features were about equal to my $100 SR-50
a decade later. For the budget minded calculator, he also recommended the Unicom
Model 202SR...
 As you might know, particularly if you are
a frequent RF Cafe visitor, amateur radio operators (Hams) were prohibited from
broadcasting during the entirety of World War II, ostensibly as a security
measure. The concern was that people might unintentionally (or intentionally) convey
information on troop positions and family names, domestic factory locations and
activities, and the general state of the nation in regards to attitude and finance.
Unlike today, that type of data was not easily gathered even by a dedicated deployment
of internal spies. In the early 1940s, the majority of amateur radio activity was
carried out in the form of Morse code, and operators were understandably concerned
about losing proficiency due to lack of use. In order to mitigate the opportunity
for "fist" atrophy, many Hams set up "wired wireless"
stations between residences and club meeting locations. This particular system was
designed to couple to the local overhead electric power lines, but there were also
private setups with dedicated lines between locations. Then, as now, one of the
biggest hurdles with conducting power-line carrier communications...
 Ruh-roh, bad news for THz plans. "Researchers
from the RIKEN Center for Advanced Photonics, Tohoku University, National Institutes
for Quantum and Radiological Science and Technology, Kyoto University, and Osaka
University have discovered that
terahertz radiation, contradicting conventional belief, can disrupt proteins
in living cells without killing the cells. This finding implies that terahertz radiation,
which was long considered impractical to use, may have applications in manipulating
cell functions for the treatment of cancer, for example, but also that there may
be safety issues to consider..."
 IEEE Spectrum / TechInsider is presenting
a free webinar by Zurich Instruments entitled "Impedance
Analysis: Measuring Low and Fast". It begins at 1:00 am Eastern Time on
Thursday, June 11 (that's today). Drs. Tim Ashworth and Magdalena Marszalek are
the presenters. "Precision, accuracy and measurement speed are three critical aspects
to consider in any impedance measurement. This webinar addresses all three aspects
with two distinct impedance measurement scenarios featuring the Zurich Instruments
MFIA Impedance Analyzer. In the first example, you'll learn how to use the LabOne
User Compensation to measure equivalent series resistance (ESR) below 1 mΩ
and equivalent series inductance (ESL) below 20 nH for a DC-Link capacitor.
You'll also find out how the LabOne Sweeper tool can display ESR and ESL as a function
of frequency, allowing you to see how these values vary at frequencies other than
the test frequency given by the manufacturer..."
 Dave Manners has a piece on the Electronics
Weekly website about the 15 most annoying words and phrases used in news and
technical writing, as determined by
The Buzzsaw. Says Dave, "If only marketing gurus realised how intensely annoying
the mindless repetition of some clichéd words are, it would save us all from a daily
dose of Ugh! Thank goodness for www.thebuzzsaw.co.uk which helps by stripping out
these horrors from the turgid rivers of marketing-speak. Here are the 15 worst offenders
with the Buzzsaw judges' comments: The 2020 Buzzsaw Hall of Shame" Type in your
Tweet, e-mail, memo, etc., and Buzzsaw will school you on which part(s) of the content
is(are) annoying to your audience. Examples include "curated," "disambiguate," "human
capital," "in the(this) time of Covid," "going forward," "we remain cautious," etc.
 Anatech Electronics (AEI) manufactures and supplies
RF and microwave filters
for military and commercial communication systems, providing standard LP, HP, BP,
BS, notch, diplexer, and custom RF filters, and RF products. Standard RF filter
and cable assembly products are published in our website database for ease of procurement.
Custom RF filters designs are used when a standard cannot be found, or the requirements
dictate a custom approach for your military and commercial communications needs.
Sam Benzacar's monthly newsletters address contemporary wireless subjects. Please
visit Anatech today to see how they can help your project succeed.
Wednesday 10
 Here is the final installation of a 22 part
series entitled "The
Saga of the Vacuum Tube," by Gerald Tyne, that appeared in Radio News magazine
in 1946. Part 1 was printed in March 1943. The collective contents, which covered
the development of the vacuum tube from its conception to the end of World War I,
could have been published as a stand-alone book. Author Gerald F. J. Tyne
presented the series to trace the development which took place up to the end of
World War I along a particular branch of the network of roads which led to the modern
radio tube. He traced the evolution from studies of the interactions between heat
and electricity as pursued by the early philosophers and by the physicists who followed
them (Lee de Forest, et al). These limitations have been adopted in an attempt
to report the work done in the years where there is a dearth of readily available
published material...
 Axiom Test Equipment, an electronic test
equipment rental and sales company has published a new blog post entitled "Getting
Your Lab Equipment Back up and Running" that offers steps or precautions that
should be taken with instruments that have been idle for some time, which is not
unusual during this time of the COVID-19 pandemic, to ensure that they can provide
the most accurate measurements possible as you get back to work. Since many of us
have been working only from home, projects requiring test equipment have been delayed
and the instruments in your lab have been left idle for a couple of months. Can
those instruments be expected to deliver the same levels of performance and accuracy
as soon as they are turned on? Axiom Test Equipment's latest blog post delves into
why it is best to take some quick and easy precautionary steps...
 This could be one of the earliest reports
of
mobile communications between a private automobile and a home base station.
Using a personally designed and installed 5-meter transceiver both at home and in
his car, Mr. Wallace is able to talk to his 12-year-old son on the way from
work. My guess is that in 1935 there were not too many traffic jams, even in Long
Beach, California, so it is doubtful that was the cause for his announced expected
later-than-normal arrival home. The article states the automobile power supply needed
to produce 300 mA of current at 525 V, which is ~160 W per Ohm's
law, which seems unlikely considering car batteries were 6 V at the time, and
that would work out to ~26 A. My question is whether little Billy possessed
a license permitting him to talk back to dear old dad from the home station? If
not, it really doesn't matter at this point since there is probably some statute
of limitations that absolves him from prosecution...
 "The U.S. Postal Service (USPS) has temporarily
suspended international mail acceptance for items addressed to certain destinations
due to service impacts related to the COVID-19 pandemic. This situation could result
in the return or loss of mail, such as
QSL cards,
addressed to affected parts of the world. The USPS has posted a list of affected
countries, which is updated regularly. The Postal Service will, upon request, refund
postage and fees on mail bearing a customs stamp that's returned due to the suspension
of service, or the sender may re-mail returned items with existing postage once
service has been restored. When re-mailing under this option, customers should cross
out the markings 'Mail Service Suspended - Return to Sender...'"
 RF Cascade Workbook 2018 is the next phase in the evolution
of RF Cafe's long-running series, RF Cascade Workbook. Chances are you
have never used a spreadsheet quite like this. It is a full-featured RF system cascade
parameter and frequency planner that includes filters and mixers for a mere $45.
Built in MS Excel, using RF Cascade Workbook 2018 is a cinch and
the format is entirely customizable. It is significantly easier and faster than
using a multi-thousand dollar simulator when a high level system analysis is all
that is needed. An intro video takes you through the main features...
 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.
Tuesday 9
 This photo of Bell Telephone Labs' three
scientists, G.L. Pearson, D.M. Chapin, and C.S. Fuller, inventors
of the "Bell
Solar Battery," reminds me of the very familiar shot of John Bardeen, Walter
Brattain, and William Shockley huddled over their point contact transistor in December
of 1948. The "battery" terminology is an interesting choice since we normally
think of a battery as a charge storage device, but in fact a battery is fundamentally
a charge creation device. A secondary battery may be recharged by reversing the
depleted chemical (or other) process that generated the initial charge, but it first
created the potential via a basic charge separation process. What we today refer
to as a solar cell is a form of primary battery that is not rechargeable. Just as
some chemical batteries (cells) are reactivated by replenishing the electrolyte,
the solar cell is replenished by photons giving up their energy to the semiconductor
substrate...
 As a designated critical industry, ConductRF
continues to operate at full capacity during the COVID-19 pandemic. ConductRF offers
a full line of
D38999, RF and mixed signal cable solutions with performance up to 65 GHz.
D38999 cables are one of our flag ship product capabilities. Standard features include
M85049 backshells, RF contacts for #8, #12 & #16 gauge, BMA & SMPM solutions,
low loss cable types, phase matching available. Custom marking and serialization
also available. Made in the USA. ConductRF coaxial cable assemblies are available
for immediate purchase from
Digi-Key.
 "Engineers from NIST have designed a new
method for creating
single-atom transistors that could advance the field of quantum computing. In
conjunction with researchers from the University of Maryland, the NIST team has
successfully created a recipe for designing single-atom transistors. The step-by-step
instructions will allow engineers to fabricate these atomic-scale devices, which
could prove vital in laying the groundwork for quantum computing. The team from
NIST has already made a name for itself in the world of transistors. It is the second
in the world to successfully create a single-atom transistor, and the first in the
world that managed to fabricate single electron transistors that possess atom-scale
control over the geometry of the device..."
 Joe Cahak, owner of Sunshine Design Engineering
Services, has submitted another fine article for posting here. Joe has many years
of automated RF testing experience to leverage when writing this paper on the basics
of power measurement. Joe has published many articles here on RF Cafe. This
Ponderings on Power Measurements article begins: "A power measurement is a scalar
quantity and is a measure of power detected. These measurements can be made a variety
of ways. Most of us are familiar with the notion that voltage (volts) multiplied
by current (amps) is power (watts) and power multiplied by time is energy. At DC
or low frequencies these power measurements from the current or voltage is relatively
easy and not very complicated. As we get to higher frequencies the typical means
of measuring voltage or current breakdown and are not accurate..."
 Oleksiy Kravchenko has an article posted
on the Electronic Design website entitled, "A
Different Twist to Single-Wire Data Transmission." "This alternative method
for a single-wire data-transmission system is designed to handle a large number
of components. Single-wire data transmission is useful when operating a multitude
of disperse components if high speed isn't a requirement, but there's a need for
flexibility. The approach reduces the number of conductors in the cabling by shrinking
size and cost. It can also improve system reliability. Dialog Semiconductor's GreenPAK
is a lower-power, NVM-programmable FPGA that's used in this article to implement
serial-to-parallel converters using a single-wire line. Main idea behind the method:
Let's start with the classic integrating RC element and its properties. The integrating
RC element..."
 Axiom Test Equipment allows you to
rent
or buy
test equipment, repair
test equipment, or
sell or trade test equipment. They are committed to providing superior customer
service and high quality electronic test equipment. Axiom offers customers several
practical, efficient, and cost effective solutions for their projects' TE needs
and is committed to providing superior customer service and high quality electronic
test equipment. For anyone seeking a way to offload surplus or obsolete equipment,
they offer a trade-in program or they will buy the equipment from you. Some vintage
items are available fully calibrated. Please check out Axiom Test Equipment today!
Monday 8
 You genius types might not be able to relate
to the rest of us who read articles like this one entitled "Fundamentals
of Color TV: The NTSC System" and are in awe of minds that conjure such things
as the NTSC System and then build, refine, and perfect working hardware. Making
the system backward-compatible with existing black and white (B&W) signals added
to the complexity and cleverness of the solution - akin but more sophisticated than
compatibility of stereo with original mono radio transmissions. When catchy marketing
slogans like the familiar (to old folks) RCA television advertisement claim of "Before
you see the color ... Your ColorTrak System grabs it, aligns it, defines it, sharpens
it, tones it ... and locks the color on track," what it actually means is that a
very smart bunch of engineers and scientists spent a lot of time and money designing...
 "A British scientist working in Australia
has found a way to apply a three-dimensional code to a two-dimensional framework
for
quantum error correcting. Government agencies and universities around the world—not
to mention tech giants like IBM, Google, and Microsoft—are vying to be the first
to answer a trillion-dollar quantum question: How can quantum computers reach their
vast potential when they are still unable to consistently produce results that are
reliable and free of errors? Every aspect of these exotic machines - including their
fragility and engineering complexity; their preposterously sterile, low-temperature
operating environment; complicated mathematics; and their notoriously shy quantum
bits..."
 With more than 1000
custom-built symbols, this has got to be the most comprehensive set of
Visio Symbols available for RF, analog, and digital system and schematic
drawings! Every object has been built to fit proportionally on the provided
A-, B- and C-size drawing page templates (or can use your own). Symbols are provided
for equipment racks and test equipment, system block diagrams, conceptual drawings,
and schematics. Unlike previous versions, these are NOT Stencils, but instead are
all contained on tabbed pages within a single Visio document. That puts everything
in front of you in its full glory. Just copy and paste what you need on your drawing.
The file format is XML so everything plays nicely with Visio 2013 and later...
 Somebody get Al Gore on the phone - preferably
using Skype. It appears that maybe he did not invent the Internet after all. Sci-fi
writer William F. Jenkins, who went by the pen name "Murray Leinster," wrote
a short story entitled A Logic
Named Joe, that appeared in March 1946 issue of Astounding Science Fiction.
In the story, an amazingly prescient description of the modern Internet is laid
out. The works is copyrighted so I will not replicate the entire thing here, but
these are a few excerpts that sound a lot like Mr. Leinster was in cahoots with
DARPA during the development*. Before I forget, thanks to RF Cafe visitor Terry
W. for sending the link. My comments look like...
 "In early September 2019, a radical environmentalist
group called 'Heathrow Pause' threatened to shut down Heathrow Airport in the UK
by flying drones within the airport's no-fly zone to call attention to climate change.
Some Heathrow Pause members were arrested the day before their previously announced
fly-date (9/13) and on the day itself their drones were unable to take off, electronically
jammed by the authorities. The protest represents a new wrinkle in the fast-moving
world of
unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) use and integration. As previous drone-induced
airport disruptions at Heathrow and Gatwick in the UK and at Newark Airport, New
Jersey in the U.S. demonstrate, society will need to prevent as well as facilitate
drone use in daily life..."
 Centric RF is a company offering from stock
various RF and Microwave coaxial
components, including attenuators, adapters, cable assemblies, terminations,
power dividers, and more. We believe in offering high performance parts from stock
at a reasonable cost. Frequency ranges of 0-110 GHz at power levels from 0.5-500
watts are available off the shelf. Order today, ship today! Centric RF is currently
looking for vendors to partner with them. Please visit Centric RF today.
Sunday 7
 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!
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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