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4 of the June 2021 homepage
archives. Wednesday the 30th
  rfcafe.com first went live in 1999, and the Banner
Ad program began around 2005. Advertising options have remained essentially the
same since then. With the current scheme, the six (6) Banner Ad positions (Slots)
are occupied by up to four (4) companies, and each of the six Slots is priced according
to its relative position on the page. A random number generator selects which Banner
is displayed each time a page is loaded (or reloaded).
A new scheme is planned beginning sometime
in Fall 2021. Rather than each company's Banner Ad having a dedicated Slot on
the page, each company's Banner Ad will have an equally likely chance of appearing
in any of the six positions each time a page is loaded (or reloaded). Everyone will
pay the same low price...
 Hallicrafters was a big name in radio from
the 1930s through the 1960s, after which it was sold to Northrop Corporation, then
soon thereafter permitted to die. As evidenced by their many pro military and pro
America advertisements in the electronics magazines of the World War II era
(many of them are reproduced here on RF Cafe, including this one from a 1945 issue
of Radio-Craft), great pride was taken by employees in the production of
communications equipment that could be easily deployed and operated in the field
under adverse conditions. Professional and amateur radio operators came to know
and respect the Hallicrafters name. Vintage Hallicrafters radio equipment is very
popular amongst collectors both for archival purposes and for actual use. eBay always
has many listings for Hallicrafters gear...
 Signal Hound, a developer of highly optimized
solutions for RF signal test and measurement, has announced the
SM435B 43.5 GHz RF spectrum analyzer and monitoring receiver. This new
product indicates the company's entry into millimeter-wave spectrum analysis. With
broad application ranging from 5G cellular, to military, aerospace, and a host of
other uses, this next-level production unit expands the company's reach into this
next tier of the market. "We have taken a big step in the development of the SM435B,"
said Bruce Devine, CEO at Signal Hound. "Investment into 50 GHz test equipment,
refining layout and design at a higher millimeter wave frequency, and stepping up
our PCB technology were all part of bringing this unique product to our market segment...
 Here is a simple JavaScript routine that
converts between frequency and wavelength in the electromagnetic field realm. Wavelength
and frequency are related by the following formula: c = λ * ν * √εr ; where c =
speed of light, λ = wavelength, ν = frequency, and εr = relative permittivity. Here
are some familiar objects and their equivalent wavelength-related frequencies in
air...
 Modelithics, Inc. today announced plans to
expand the highly-demanded
Modelithics Qorvo GaN Library of high accuracy non-linear models for Qorvo transistors.
The current GaN library version (v21.4.5) includes a total of 82 models containing
59 packaged power models, 17 GaN die power transistor products and 6 small-signal
models. The expansion will now add more than 20 new high-power Qorvo GaN transistor
models to the library. The Modelithics Qorvo GaN Library is a set of non-linear
models for Qorvo package and die GaN devices, designed for excellent accuracy, and
validated with broadband S-parameters and load pull data at multiple frequencies.
Each model has a detailed datasheet summarizing model features, development details,
and model performance plots. Some devices are also represented with small-signal
and noise models in addition to non-linear models. "This long-term relationship
on GaN power transistor modeling, now in its 8th year, has been an outstanding model
of multi-company collaboration under the Modelithics Vendor Partner (MVP) Program...
 This story from a 1963 edition of Popular
Electronics proves that my ongoing effort to point out that the sometimes harmless,
sometimes harmful
tensions between engineers and technicians is not a recent development. I have
told of my own witnessing of engineer vs. technician pi**ing contests stretching
back into the early 1980s during my first job as an electronics technician at Westinghouse
Electric. Rather than joining the fray, I appreciated the abilities of engineers
to provide, typically but with some exceptions, a good combination of academic and
real-world experience. Being a technician myself at the time, I also recognized
a tech's typically much closer association with hands-on experiences building, operating,
and troubleshooting electronic equipment. I was going to college at night working
on earning my BSEE, so I was determined to benefit from the strong points of both
groups. Having taken both technician level and engineering level classes in subjects
like circuit system analysis, I knew of the much higher level...
 SF Circuits' specialty is in the complex,
advanced technology of PCB fabrication and assembly, producing high quality multi-layered
PCBs from elaborate layouts. With them, you receive unparalleled technical expertise
at competitive prices as well as the most progressive solutions available. Their
customers request PCB production that is outside the capabilities of normal circuit
board providers. Please take a moment to visit San Francisco Circuits today. "Printed
Circuit Fabrication & Assembly with No Limit on Technology or Quantity."
Tuesday the 29th
 This
JavaScript skin
depth calculator takes as inputs the frequency, resistivity (ρ), and relative
permeability (μr). It uses the standard textbook equation to compute the skin depth.
Since data sources for materials properties typically present permeability in term
of relative permeability (μr), that is what is used for input in the calculator.
Most typical materials used for signal and power carrying cables - e.g., copper,
aluminum - have a relative permeability of 1. Materials with magnetic properties
such as steel and iron have relative permeabilities ranging from hundreds to hundreds
of thousands...
 "Integrated
circuits have become the backbone of consumer electronics. They are used in medical
equipment, household appliances, personal computers, cellphones, cars, and more.
In fact, chips are in such demand that there's currently a shortage of them. After
ICs were introduced in the 1950s, several variations of the technology emerged:
those based on bipolar transistors, invented in the 1950s; CMOS in the 1960s; and
double-diffused metal oxide semiconductors (DMOS) in the 1970s. But in the early
1980s, some applications demanded all three kinds of chips - which required higher
voltage and chips with faster switching speeds. In 1985
BCD chips - developed by using the super-integrated silicon-gate process - were
invented by semiconductor manufacturer SGS, now STMicroelectronics..."
 Qorvo® (Nasdaq:QRVO), a leading provider
of innovative RF solutions that connect the world, today unveiled a family of
high efficiency power amplifiers (PAs) designed for 5G small cell infrastructure
applications. These new PAs help small cell base station OEMs deploy 5G networks
and services in densely populated, urban indoor and outdoor areas. Qorvo's new family
of high efficiency PAs offers customers high power-added efficiency (PAE), greater
than 30% in most cases, and covers major sub-7 GHz 3GPP frequency bands. These
devices are designed to handle true 5G New Radio (NR) signal bandwidths of up to
200 MHz with dynamic spectrum sharing (DSS) in a small, 50 Ω-matched,
5 mm x 5 mm SMT package. Qorvo's extensive global manufacturing capabilities
and high-volume production support the ongoing global deployment of 5G...
 Here is a very nice introduction / refresher
on RC (resistor | capacitor) and RL (resistor | inductor)
time constants and the waveforms they produce based on the applied signal and
component values. Author Tatz presented the information in a 1944 issue of Radio
News magazine. Only basic mathematical formulas are used, and the illustrations
make the subject of RC time constants understandable even without the equations.
Don't be put off by the vacuum tubes in Figure 1 because that oscillator schematic
is only given as a means for generating square wave and rectangular wave inputs
to the RC and RL test circuits, in case you don't have a signal generator handy.
I remember in college how much more meaningful the integrated and differentiated
waveforms were...
 Bittele Electronics, a Toronto-based manufacturing
firm specializing in prototype and low-to-mid volume printed circuit board (PCB)
assembly, announced today that it has expanded its
Full Turnkey Services to help more companies reduce costs and save money. By
combining PCB Fabrication, Parts Procurement, and Assembly into a one-stop Full
Turnkey Service, Bittele will provide dramatic time and cost savings to its customers.
Bittele's Full Turnkey Services save customers time and money with a free Design
for Manufacturing (DFM) check, which eliminates manufacturability issues before
PCBs are fabricated and also reduces the chances of costly re-spins. Amidst today's
global semiconductor shortage, Bittele realizes the importance of keeping costs
low. Bittele's Full Turnkey Service includes a BOM pricing team to check prices
from authorized vendors to ensure customers receive the lowest cost. "With no markup
on component pricing, you not only receive the lowest possible BOM price, you also
save the time and resources of managing...
 The National Company of Cambridge, Massachusetts,
was one of the first large distributors of electronics components and appliances.
Believe it or not, National began life as the
National
Toy Company. Thanks to the efforts of Mr. James Millen, W1HRX, in designing
and marketing high quality radio products, the company evolved into a favorite source
by both amateur radio operators and casual listeners of shortwave radios. The NC80X
covered the commercial broadcast band and a couple shortwave bands, whereas the
NC81X covered only multiple shortwave bands for amateur radio use. This full-page
advertisement appeared in a 1937 issue of QST magazine...
 It was a lot of work, but I finally finished
a version of the "RF & Electronics Schematic & Block Diagram Symbols" that
works well with Microsoft Office™ programs Word™, Excel™, and Power Point™.
This is an equivalent of the extensive set of amplifier, mixer, filter, switch,
connector, waveguide, digital, analog, antenna, and other commonly used symbols
for system block diagrams and schematics created for Visio™. Each of the 1,000 or
so symbols was exported individually from Visio in the EMF file format, then imported
into Word on a Drawing Canvas. The EMF format allows an image to be scaled up or
down without becoming pixelated, so all the shapes can be resized in a document
and still look good. The imported symbols can also be UnGrouped into their original
constituent parts for editing. Check them out!
 Alliance Test Equipment sells
used / refurbished
test equipment and offers short- and long-term rentals. They also offer repair,
maintenance and calibration. Prices discounted up to 80% off list price. Agilent/HP,
Tektronix, Anritsu, Fluke, R&S and other major brands. A global organization
with ability to source hard to find equipment through our network of suppliers.
Alliance Test will purchase your excess test equipment in large or small lots. Blog
posts offer advice on application and use of a wide range of test equipment. Please
visit Allied Test Equipment today to see how they can help your project.
Monday the 28th
 Carl Anderson and Jerry Bishop in handcuffs?
Say it ain't so! Has the pair of good-natured, upstanding high-tech sleuths gone
to the Dark Side (George Lucas was 18 years old in 1962 when this was written)?
Read the tale entitled "Pure Research Rewarded" as told in this 1962 issue of
Popular Electronics magazine to see how the two figure into a plot to kill
a local judge, and why they decide to cannibalize a service station television set
for parts. What has come over Carl and Jerry?
 ePiccolo
Engineering is an electronic design service provider specialized in all aspects
of electronic product design, design of PCB boards, firmware for DSPs / microcontrollers
as well as FPGA RTL design. We provide outsourcing services and have acquired expertise
in specific fields such as TI mmWave sensors, ADI PLL Synthesizers and RF chains,
Blackfin DSP, Silicon labs EFR32, Ultrawideband positioning systems, Xilinx Zync
ultrascale+ FPGAs and more. Based in Haifa, Israel, ePiccolo Engineering was established
in 2008 by Guy Shemesh.
 This online
calculator converts between return loss (RL), voltage standing wave ration (VSWR),
and reflection coefficient (Γ). It also calculates the amplitude and phase error
created by imperfect impedances. Two VSWR values are taken as input. Finally, VSWR
improvement due to attenuation is calculated. Numerical inputs are not error trapped.
Absolute values of inputs are used for calculation.
It was a lot of work, but I finally finished
a version of the "RF & Electronics Schematic & Block Diagram Symbols" that
works well with Microsoft Office™ programs Word™, Excel™, and Power Point™.
This is an equivalent of the extensive set of amplifier, mixer, filter, switch,
connector, waveguide, digital, analog, antenna, and other commonly used symbols
for system block diagrams and schematics created for Visio™. Each of the 1,000 or
so symbols was exported individually from Visio in the EMF file format, then imported
into Word on a Drawing Canvas. The EMF format allows an image to be scaled up or
down without becoming pixelated, so all the shapes can be resized in a document
and still look good. The imported symbols can also be UnGrouped into their original
constituent parts for editing. Check them out!
 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 $25. We're leading the way again!
Sunday the 27th
 This
Technology Theme Crossword Puzzle for June 27th has many words and clues related
to RF, microwave, and mm-wave engineering, optics, mathematics, chemistry, physics,
and other technical subjects. As always, this crossword contains no names of politicians,
mountain ranges, exotic foods or plants, movie stars, or anything of the sort unless
it/he/she is related to this puzzle's technology theme (e.g., Reginald Denny or
the Tunguska event in Siberia). The technically inclined cruciverbalists amongst
us will appreciate the effort. Enjoy!
Friday the 25th
 What better way to finish out a week that
to enjoy a few vintage
electronics-themed comics? This quartet appeared in the November 1960 issue
of
Radio-Electronics magazine. The one on page 81 reminds me of where I worked
as an electrician on a work-study program my senior year of high school (and for
another year thereafter). The company was Bausum & Duckett Electric, in Edgewater,
Maryland. Shortly after arriving there the conference room where the managers, engineers,
and upper level electricians (none of which included yours truly) held meetings
was renovated, and part of the new furniture was a huge table in the shape of a
mercury vapor lamp - pretty darn clever IMHO. The comic on page 100 is my favorite
from this batch; the look on the guy's face is priceless! Solar power was just becoming
a big deal in the early 1960s, so there were a lot of comics built on that theme...
 Numerica is seeking a
Radar Production Manager to plan, manage and execute the production of state-of-the
art integrated RF systems to deliver powerful new sensing capabilities to our partners
and Government Customers. Working in small innovative teams, our engineers build
solutions that make a difference. Our research endeavors don't end once we've written
a journal or conference paper describing our technology; rather, our work is complete
when our technology has been deployed in mission-critical systems and our customers
within government and industry are successful. Responsibilities include customer
interface for Spyglass production program, establishing and controlling program
cost, interacting with engineering, manufacturing, and test disciplines, ensuring
programs are completed on time and within budget, and are contractually compliant...
 "The
electrical double layer capacitor (EDLC) - most often called a 'supercapacitor'
and sometimes an 'ultracapacitor' - is an amazing passive energy-storage component.
As a result of its high capacitance of multiple farads and small size, it provides
high-density energy storage by both volume and weight. In some remote sensing, IoT,
and energy harvesting-sourced applications, supercaps are an alternative to rechargeable
batteries; in other situations, they are used in conjunction with batteries to overcome
some of the weaknesses of those electrochemical-based energy-storage components..."
 The word "transformer" in the title for this
1943 QST magazine article does not refer to a mutual inductance transformer, but
an impedance transformer for
matching transmission lines to antennas (or anything else for that matter).
Author T.A. Gadwa gives examples of impedance-matching circuits both for when
the antenna impedance is lower than the characteristic impedance of the transmission
line and when the antenna impedance is higher than that of the feed line. "L," "pi,"
and a couple other circuit configurations are covered. Equations are also given...
 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 (click here for screen capture). 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...
Reactel has become one of the industry leaders in the design and manufacture
of RF and microwave
filters, diplexers, and sub-assemblies. They offer the generally known tubular,
LC, cavity, and waveguide designs, as well as state of the art high performance
suspended substrate models. Through a continuous process of research and development,
they have established a full line of filters of filters of all types - lowpass,
highpass, bandpass, bandstop, diplexer, and more. Established in 1979. Please contact
Reactel today to see how they might help your project.
Thursday the 24th
 When reading the opening copy from this 1944's
era Radio News magazine advertisement from the
International Resistance Company, I wonder whether the same can be said of today's
population: "Americans are not sissies. When they know the truth, they can take
it - especially when it relates to the war. It's only when somebody tries to fool
them, that they rear up on their hind legs and yowl." At the time the "war" was
WWII, but today the war and the enemies of our existence as a sovereign nation is
not as well defined. The latest example is the COVID-19 virus cooked up in a Wuhan
research laboratory and released on the world, while politicians, pundits, and media
receiving fortunes and favors from China do their best to excuse and cover the deed.
In 1944, people of the free world would never have succumbed to the useless mask
and business restriction mandates imposed in 2020 and continued through today...
 "Quantum
repeaters that can store multiplexed signals; provide heralded signals of entanglement;
and operate at telecommunications wavelengths have been developed by two independent
research teams. Their work could prove to be an important step towards the creation
of a scalable quantum internet. If it can be built, a quantum internet would allow
calculations to be distributed between multiple quantum computers - allowing larger
and more complex problems to be solved. A quantum internet would also provide secure
communications because eavesdropping on the exchange of quantum information can
be easily identified. The backbone of such a quantum network would be quantum-mechanically
entangled links between different network points..."
 Sam Benzacar of Anatech Electronics, an RF
and microwave filter company, has published his May 2021 newsletter that features
his short op-ed entitled "More Interference to Come – in Vehicles," where he discusses
the increasingly hostile electromagnetic environment present in and around cars
and trucks as wireless electronics gains an ever increasing presence. Says Sam,
"This problem will only worsen with the 'digitalization' of vehicles that, in the
not-too-distant future, will make them rolling IoT platforms." I like that rolling
IoT platforms comment. Fortunately, the art and science of RF filter design and
manufacturing is advancing to enable coexistence of multiple platforms - at least
for now - and Anatech is at the front line of the battle. Sam also presents some
relevant industry news items as well.
 A timeless introduction for newcomers to electronics,
this article in the 1954 Popular Electronics - the very first issue - presents
the basics of
what a capacitor is and how it works. As you might expect in a premier edition
of an electronics hobbyist magazine, a lot of fundamental information was introduced
over a wide range of topics including resistor and capacitor color codes, neon bulbs,
televisions, radio control model airplanes, amateur radio, home-built electronics
projects, electronic products kit building, model trains, stereo hi-fi equipment,
solar cells, and more. Popular Electronics pretty much stayed that course
for the first decade, and then began to adjust content to address new technologies...
 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...
 Berkeley Nucleonics Corporation (BNC) is
a leading manufacturer of precision electronic instrumentation for test, measurement,
and nuclear research. Founded in 1963, BNC initially developed custom pulse generators.
We became known for meeting the most stringent requirements for high precision and
stability, and for producing instruments of unsurpassed reliability and performance.
We continue to maintain a leadership position as a developer of custom pulse, signal,
light, and function generators. Our designs incorporate the latest innovations in
software and hardware engineering, surface mount production, and automated testing
procedures.
Wednesday the 23rd
 If you are looking for information on the
Crosley SCR-284 Field Radio, you've come to the right place - at least for learning
about how manually intensive the manufacturing process for it was. If you want to
know about the history and operation, then you'll want to visit the N6CC (Navy 6
Combat Comms) website. It is a wealth of amazing details, including, "The SCR-284
was used extensively during WWII. The basic component is the BC-654-A receiver transmitter.
Designed as a portable field radio, the complete field set could be carried by 3
men (three 55 pound loads) or it could be mounted in vehicles. US Army procurement
records indicate that 63,972 sets were procured between 1940 and 1945. Apparently
all were built by Crosley Corp." That works out to more than 10,000 units per year,
each requiring the kind of assembly and testing shown here. Along with the highly
skilled and dedicated labor force required to turn out such quantities (while also
producing other equipment) are the design, test, and production engineers needed
to dream up, implement, and support such a massive effort...
 Signal Hound, a manufacturer of highly-optimized
solutions for RF test and measurement equipment, announces the BB60D - a much anticipated
6 GHz real-time spectrum analyzer with significant performance improvements
as compared to the highly regarded industry favorite BB60C. The new BB60D has a
fully integrated preselector covering 130 MHz to 6 GHz, 10 dB more
dynamic range, and 10 dB better phase noise from 100 Hz to 10 kHz
offsets. With selectable IF bandwidth from 27 MHz down to 4 kHz, 24 GHz/sec
sweep speeds, and exceptionally clean spurious responses, the BB60D fits in your
hand for accurate, clean, and fast RF analysis on the go...
 "While the basic physics of beamforming were
first identified more than a century ago, it wasn't until the past two decades that
advances in supporting technology enabled the rapid expansion of the types of applications
that can take advantage of this technology. As early adopters of beamforming technology
in the 1960s, aerospace and defense organizations have a lot of experience using
the initial large-scale
active electronically scanned arrays (AESAs) for military radar tracking applications.
As a result of the innovations led by military organizations for several decades,
commercial applications such as weather detection and radio broadcasting were able
to benefit from the use of beamforming..."
 Passion Radio Shop proprietor
Alexandre wrote to request that I post a notice here on RF Cafe regarding their
Amateur Radio equipment supply service. Based in Paris, France, Passion Radio Shop
is able to provide worldwide shipping on products. I suppose the company name including
the word "Passion" is apropos for a company located in "The City of Love,"
and a company run by Hams radio enthusiasts for Ham radio enthusiasts. Transceivers,
antennas, cables, connectors, test equipment, and many other items are available
for immediate shipment. Please take a little time to visit Passion Radio Shop. I
have no affiliation with them, but provide this as a service to both them and RF
Cafe visitors.
 Ceramic PCBs are the printed circuit boards
using ceramic as the substrate.
PCBONLINE provides alumina PCB, aluminum nitride PCB, COB LED (chip on board),
DOB LED (drive on board), 3D aluminum products, etc. These types of circuit boards
are used for high-power electronic modules, automotive electronics, aerospace, military
electronics, high-power LED lighting products, etc. Compared with the normal FR4
and metal core PCBs, ceramic PCBs have these advantageous characteristics： Stable
shape warping and low expansion coefficient | Large current carrying capacity and
good insulation performance | Higher thermal conductivity and lower thermal resistance
| Stable high-frequency performance and lower AK and DK values | Have good insulation
and can achieve a better conductivity and insulation effect...
 By 1945 everyone of importance in the electronics
industry was blowing the figurative horn of television. The country would transform
from "a chicken in every pot" to "a
TV in every living room" (OK, I just made that up). The NTSC (National Television
System Committee) had set the standards for transmission, but hardware implementation
was by no means agreed upon. If my memory is correct, there were still some manufacturers
clinging to the mechanical spinning disc with a projection screen rather than using
electronic circuits and a CRT (cathode ray tube). Entire industries - not only electronics
- were bursting at the seams in anticipation of the war ending and being allowed
to release all the pent up knowledge and inventions developed during the years working
toward the defeat of Axis powers across the globe being applied to creature comforts
for the civilian marketplace. Television, with its countless dependents and dependencies,
truly changed the planet. Some say for the better, others say for the worse...
 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...
 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 the 22nd
 Mark it on your calendar! On Wednesday, June
30th at 1:00 PM EDT, Berkeley Nucleonics will be hosting a live webinar that will
dive into the immersive world of
High-Performance Arbitrary Waveform Generators. Admission is free. Arbitrary
waveform generators (AWG's) are built to handle the most complex experiments and
innovative applications, from advanced research, RF-Wireless to quantum computing.
Join Edgar Guzman with Berkeley Nucleonics and Stefano Parma with Active Technologies
to discuss AWG's and their role in the electrifying advancements in waveform development
and signal generation. The High-Performance Arbitrary Waveform Generator that will
be demonstrated is the Model 685 from Berkeley Nucleonics, which offers some of
the most exciting advancement...
 Sunspot cycles repeat approximately every
11 years, so there had only been six solar maximums from the beginning of long distance
radio communications (Marconi in 1901) up until this article was published in 1957.
That year ('57) had the sun experiencing an extremely high number of sunspots (see
chart below), as had the previous few years, which caused communications to be profoundly
affected during the period. Under ideal conditions, high energy electrons typically
ejected from the sun (coronal mass ejection, CME) cause the Earth's ionosphere to
become an excellent reflector of RF energy at certain wavelengths, resulting in
phenomenal long distance contacts. Under the worst conditions, extreme levels of
"noise" are injected into radio signals, thereby severely degrading or even eliminating
communications. This story reports on a comprehensive study on the effect of such
activity on long distance communications...
Numerica, located in Ft. Collins, Colorado,
is seeking a
Radar Production Technician to assemble, test and calibrate state-of-the art
integrated RF systems to deliver powerful new sensing capabilities. Working in small
innovative teams, our engineers build solutions that make a difference. Our research
endeavors don't end once we've written a journal or conference paper describing
our technology; rather, our work is complete when our technology has been deployed
in mission-critical systems and our customers within government and industry are
successful. Desired skills and qualifications include assembles electronic components,
assemblies, subassemblies, RF modules and systems with work orders and visual work
instruction as directed by the production manager. Performs mechanical assembly
operations while building electronic assemblies using standard measuring tools and
techniques. Perform RF measurements (anechoic chamber and benchtop) and provide
data...
 Somehow,
I managed to miss this from the
Evaluation Engineering website. Remember when reading it that good humor
always has an element of truth to it, especially considering the recent declaration
of mathematics in general as being a form of
White privilege. "A group of California lawmakers is working on a bill that
stipulates the well-known numerical constant
π (pi), which
defines the ratio of the circumference of a circle to its diameter, be set to a
single-digit value of 3 for all texts, tests, and projects in primary, middle school,
high school, as well as most college courses. They maintain that this would reduce
stress on students who are grappling with many uncertainties, including those caused
by the pandemic. 'Setting pi equal to 3 will avoid the need for students to struggle
over whether they should use 3, 3.1, 3.14, or even more digits,' offered one source
as rationale. 'Let's be honest, there's no need to go beyond 3 for most applications..."
 Planar Monolithic Industries (PMI) introduces
six new products for June in their extensive line of
RF and microwave components. Included are a 1.0 to 2.0 GHz limiter, a 1.0 to
12.0 GHz threshold detector, a 50 MHz to 4.0 GHz, SP32T absorptive switch, an 8.0
to 22.0 GHz highpass filter, a 0.5 to 18.0 GHz frequency divider, and an 18.0 to
40.0 GHz bi-phase modulator. Contact PMI today for more information...
It was a lot of work, but I finally finished
a version of the "RF & Electronics Schematic & Block Diagram Symbols" that
works well with Microsoft Office™ programs Word™, Excel™, and Power Point™.
This is an equivalent of the extensive set of amplifier, mixer, filter, switch,
connector, waveguide, digital, analog, antenna, and other commonly used symbols
for system block diagrams and schematics created for Visio™. Each of the 1,000 or
so symbols was exported individually from Visio in the EMF file format, then imported
into Word on a Drawing Canvas. The EMF format allows an image to be scaled up or
down without becoming pixelated, so all the shapes can be resized in a document
and still look good. The imported symbols can also be UnGrouped into their original
constituent parts for editing. Check them out!
 Aegis Power Systems is a leading supplier
of AC-DC and
DC-DC power supplies for custom and special applications. Aegis has been designing
and building highly reliable custom power supplies since 1995. They offer a complete
line of switch mode power supplies and power converters for a variety of markets
including defense, industrial, aircraft, VME, and telecom. Supports military, aircraft,
EV, telecom, and embedded computing applications. Design and manufacture of custom
power supply solutions to meet each customer's exacting specifications. Please visit
Aegis Power Systems today.
Monday the 21st
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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- Christmas-themed
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