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4 of the March 2021 homepage
archives. Wednesday the 31st
 Bliley Electric Company is one of the relatively
few companies that advertised regularly in electronics magazines during the World
War II era that is still in business today - at least under the same name (Bliley
Technologies now, but still the same base name). While the company is no longer
located in the Union Station Building as indicated by the 1944 Radio News
magazine appearance, it does still live in Erie, Pennsylvania, only a few miles
from where Melanie and I live just west of the Erie International Airport. They
still make crystals today. Here is a 2018 article about Bliley's operations from
the Erie Times News newspaper.
 PCB Directory is the largest directory of
Printed Circuit
Board (PCB) Manufacturers, Assembly houses, and Design Services on the Internet.
We have listed the leading printed circuit board manufacturers around the world
and made them searchable by their capabilities - Number of laminates used, Board
thicknesses supported, Number of layers supported, Types of substrates (FR-4, Rogers,
flexible, rigid), Geographical location (U.S., China), kinds of services (manufacturing,
fabrication, assembly, prototype), and more. Fast turn-around on quotations for
PCB fabrication and assembly.
 "Multifunctional
magnetoelectric materials with high exchange represent a missing 'holy grail'
of materials physics. To combine polarization and magnetization in the same solid
is nothing short of actually controlling the fundamental nature of electromagnetism
in matter. Although magneto-electricity (ME) is an intrinsic phenomenon in some
natural materials at low temperature, such single-phase materials suffer from an
extremely weak ME exchange. In contrast, composites consisting of magnetostrictive
and piezoelectric phases can feature dramatically larger ME coefficients. This proposed
program focuses on achieving the disruptive potential of emerging multifunctional
magnetoelectrics, and in so doing lay the foundations for their use as a materials
platform that would benefit future AFOSR..."
 1963 was five years since America's first
communications satellite, Echo, was placed in orbit. Echo was a passive, spherical
reflector that merely provided a good reflective surface for bouncing radio signals
off of. By 1963, the space race was well underway and active communications satellites
were being launched at a rapid pace. This 1963 issue of Popular Electronics
magazine reports on satellite signals being received by other than their intended
targets. Spotting and tracking satellites has long been a popular pastime with two
types of hobbyists: amateur astronomers using telescopes and binoculars, and amateur
radio operators using antennas and receivers. Today's
amateurs are picking up signals from spacecraft orbiting Mars (NASA's Mars Reconnaissance
Orbiter in 2018, and China's Tianwen-1 probe in 2021) and are finding long-lost
and presumed-dead (aka "zombie")...
 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.
Tuesday the 30th
 Founded in 1921 in Salem, Massachusetts,
Hytron Corporation started out making vacuum tubes, then after being bought by CBS
in 1951 they moved into the realm of semiconductor production. This story from a
1944 issue of Radio News magazine extolled the virtues of
Hytron's Master Test Station for its ability to quickly and accurately measure
a wide variety of tubes. Auto-ranging voltage regulators, parallax-free meters with
auto-ranging scales, safety fusing, and easy servicing were among it notable features.
To me, a parallax-free meter is one with a mirror behind the needle used to assure
the operator is looking straight-on at the scale, but in this case it meant the
array of meters was arranged in a semi-circle so that the operator was naturally
looking perpendicular to the meter faces from a fixed vantage point. The level of
automation no doubt reduced measurement errors...
 ConductRF is pleased to offer
Low Smoke / Zero Halogen Jacketed RF Cables for various applications indoor
and outdoor for Naval Ship-Board applications. We have two ranges of solutions aimed
at differing RF requirements with our SBA series aimed at Higher Frequency 18 GHz
needs. These are 100% factory tested to exacting VSWR and Loss standards because,
We know, Results Count! ConductRF manufactures a range RF Cables in support of shipboard
applications, where low smoke, zero halogen requirements are mandated. These cable
have low smoke polyolefin jackets that are suitable for shipboard environments.
The cable solutions are commonly available in 3 sizes with cable OD of 0.240", 0.405"
and 0.590". Common standard interfaces are available with standard gasket seals...
 Well, at least I know now why my efforts
to sell things usually don't work out too well. A salesman I ain't - neither by
c1947 standards or by contemporary standards. I have a hard time even giving things
away based on the low response rate on notifications for winning free books each
month. My score on this "Biz
Quiz" in Radio-News magazine was around 50% (south of, actually), but
that was probably due to being subconsciously biased to answer what I thought the
creator would expect for a good salesman. It would probably be embarrassing to have
a professional assessment of my true personality, assuming that professional is
not a quack with an agenda...
 Please take a few moments to visit the
everythingRF website to see how they can assist
you with your project. everythingRF is a product discovery platform for RF and microwave
products and services. They currently have 267,269 products from more than 1397
companies across 314 categories in their database and enable engineers to search
for them using their customized parametric search tool. Amplifiers, test equipment,
power couplers and dividers, coaxial connectors, waveguide, antennas, filters, mixers,
power supplies, and everything else. Please visit everythingRF today to see how
they can help you.
 Rohde & Schwarz is now offering for free
a newly designed "The
History and Future of Wi-Fi" poster. Wi-Fi has been around for more than 3 decades,
but still some struggle with the numerous Wi-Fi specifications. Find everything
you need on one poster: - Numbering and structuring from the first Wi-Fi 802.11b
to the latest 802.11be also known as Wi-Fi 7 - Technology evolution in terms of
bandwidth, spectrum, modulation and antenna schemes - Different Wi-Fi variants for
automotive applications (11p, 11be), IoT use cases (11ah, 11af) and couch &
desktop networks (11ad, 11ay) Download the digital copy of the poster or request
the poster to be mailed to you.
 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."
Monday the 29th
 Here is a good summary of where the Brits
were in the way of wired and wireless telegraphy and telephony towards the end of
World War II. Captain A. Reid, Signals Directorate, British War Office, provides
some photographs and descriptions of the
field equipment. Chief among the wired units was the long-revered Fullerphone,
brainchild of Capt. A.C. Fuller (who retired as a Major General), who initially
developed it during WWI as a solution to long range (up to 3 miles) secure communications.
It was considered essential frontline equipment. Of course wireless gear became
necessary as fighting units were dispatched farther and farther from established
headquarters. Interestingly, Capt. Reid mentions the use of Lamson tubes for
dispatching secret messages into and out of secure vaults. They were the forerunners
to the vacuum tube system used at bank drive-up stations and within businesses for
physically (no copper or ether involved) ferrying items between locations...
 "A hacker can reproduce a circuit on a chip
by discovering what key transistors are doing in a circuit - but not if the transistor
type is undetectable. Engineers have demonstrated a way to disguise which transistor
is which by building them out of a sheet-like material called black phosphorus.
This built-in security measure would prevent hackers from getting enough information
about the circuit to reverse-engineer it.
Reverse-engineering chips is a common practice both for hackers and companies
investigating intellectual property infringement. Researchers also are developing
x-ray imaging techniques that wouldn't require actually touching a chip to reverse-engineer
it. The approach would increase security on a more fundamental level..."
 Copper Mountain Technologies has published
the 2021 schedule for its
VNA 101 Bootcamp Webinar series. Copper Mountain Technologies' VNA 101 Bootcamp
Webinar series, hosted by Applications Engineering Lead Subbaiah Pemmaiah, features
beginner technical content regarding various aspects of Vector Network Analysis
use. This series combines valuable RF theory with relevant measurement demonstrations
to provide a complete understanding of the basics of a VNA topics. Viewer submitted
questions are answered throughout each webinar. There is no cost for attendance...
![[Jim] Flinn Engineering (Radio Station Repairs) - RF Cafe](images/flinn-engineering-bad-vswr-hp.gif) What's wrong with this picture? Believe it
or not, that is how my former USAF buddy, Jim Flinn, of Flinn Engineering, found
this connection for an AM broadcast station that he and his team were called in
to fix. Per Jim, "Before we started you couldn't hear this 1000 watt AM radio station
five miles out of town. After we were done it could be heard 50 miles away." Paying
advertisers probably were not happy about the 5 mile range since their audience
would have been reduced considerably. It is a wonder that the transmitter even survived
what must have been an atrocious
mismatch. The photo is not detailed enough to show the intricacies of the center
conductor connection, but the ground / return / shield connection is nothing more
than a piece of copper wire bolted to the coax feed cable shield. So, in addition
to the awful return loss, the potential for PIM (passive intermodulation) generation
is enormous. I'm guessing if a spectrum survey of the tower output had been conducted,
it would have shown a huge blob of crap all around the carrier that would have warranted
a severe violation issuance by the FCC...
 With more than 1000
custom-built stencils, this has got to be the most comprehensive set of
Visio Stencils 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). Stencils 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...
 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.
Sunday the 28th
 This
RF Engineering Theme Crossword Puzzle for March 28th 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 26th
 Here is an overview of the sort of topics
an applicant for an FCC
Commercial Radio Operator License needed to know - back in the 1940s, anyway.
Much of it still applies to obtaining the same license today. Per the FCC website:
You need a commercial operator license to operate, and/or to repair and maintain,
specified ship, and aircraft radio communication stations. The licensing requirements
for operating such radio stations and the licensing requirements for repairing and
maintaining such radio stations are discussed [herein]." Examples are ships or aircraft
traveling to foreign destinations, ships employing radiotelegraphy (some still do
for emergency communications; e.g., ••• --- •••), and vessels carrying more than
six passengers. A license is required to repair and align radio, radar, and navigation
equipment...
 "Controversial Microsoft-backed research
on elusive theoretical particles that could have proved a major advance in quantum
computing has now been retracted after other scientists pointed out critical flaws
in the work. The original research focused on
Majorana fermions, long-theorized particles that are their own antiparticles.
First predicted more than 80 years ago by Italian physicist Ettore Majorana, scientists
have yet to detect these self-annihilating particles inside particle accelerators.
However, in the past decade or so, researchers have detected signs of a kind of
Majorana fermion known as a Majorana zero mode. This quasiparticle manifests in
the form of groups of electrons and other particles collectively behaving as single
particles. In a 2018 study in Nature, Microsoft-backed scientists claimed they found
strong evidence of these quasiparticles..."
 Both funny and ridiculous I thought as I
read this article from a 1940 edition of National Radio News where author
Julius Aceves, a consulting radio engineer, makes the case for not buying a newfangled,
cheap radio that is supplied with a built-in antenna when using a
good old-fashioned outdoor antenna is the better option. It's not that he doesn't
have a valid point about the larger, obstruction-free outdoor antenna providing
superior signal strength and a greater signal-to-noise ratio; it's that part of
his argument is that in doing so you are denying the outdoor radio antenna companies
revenue. That mindset is akin to telling people they should not buy notebook computers
because in doing so you are denying computer monitor and keyboard manufacturers
their rightful sales volumes. He does, to his credit, finally admit that there are
"a few well-engineered antenna kits" that are worth consideration if you insist
on taking food from the mouths of antenna salesmen's children. As you probably know,
it is rare to find a radio today that does not have at least an internal AM antenna...
 Copper Mountain Technologies has published
the 2021 schedule for its Master Class Webinar series. CMT's
VNA Master Class Webinar Series, hosted by Design Engineering Manager Brian
Walker, features high-level technical content regarding various aspects of VNA use.
This series combines valuable RF theory with relevant measurement demonstrations
to provide a complete understanding of complex topics. Viewer submitted questions
are answered throughout each webinar. There is no cost for attendance. Sessions
in the Master Class Series include Important VNA Performance Parameters, Making
mmWave Measurements with a VNA, Full 1-Port VNA Calibration Math with Python Code,
Time Domain Measurement and Time Domain Gating, Full 2-Port VNA Calibration Math
Explained...
 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!
Thursday the 25th
 This 1944 advertisement from Sperry Gyroscope
Company claims it owns the copyright for the word "Klystron."
According to the Wikipedia entry: "The name klystron comes from the Greek verb κλύζω
(klyzo) referring to the action of waves breaking against a shore, and the suffix
-τρον ("tron") meaning the place where the action happens. The name "klystron" was
suggested by Hermann Fränkel, a professor in the classics department at Stanford
University when the klystron was under development." Furthermore, it says American
electrical engineering brothers Russell and Sigurd Varian were the inventors of
the klystron. The video helps explain how the klystron tube works. I am always amazed
at how someone came up with such an idea in the first place. This is the earliest
patent, dated 1938...
 Joseph McCarthy is a name widely recognized
for his efforts in the 1950s to expose Communist sympathizers in the United States,
be they common citizens or holders of high office. His exploits were routinely dismissed
as folly and he was accused of "finding a Commie behind every rock." The derisive
term "McCarthyism"
was used to describe anyone exhibiting supposedly paranoid obsession with investigating
suspected wrong-doing. After many decades of successful application of the charge
to shut people up (like calling someone a racist today), a misfortune befell its
libelants. In 1995, the Venona papers (secret messages between Moscow and its U.S.
agents decrypted by our government), data from Soviet archives and executive-session
transcripts of Senate committees were finally opened after a 50-year ban. The information
showed that McCarthy was justified in his suspicions after all...
 "Umbra, a geospatial intelligence data provider,
was granted a license from the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to operate
its
Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) satellite with 1,200 MHz of bandwidth. This bandwidth
allocation will allow them to generate images with as low as 15-centimeter (6 inch)
ground sampling distance (GSD). At this resolution, Umbra's satellites will be able
to detect items as small as a soda can from space. Umbra is the first commercial
satellite provider in U.S. history to receive a license enabling this level of capability
from Space..."
 Rohde & Schwarz is holding a free live
webinar entitled, "THz
Communication - A Key Enabler for Beyond 5G?," today, Thursday, March 25th,
at 1:00 pm EDT. "Sub-terahertz and terahertz (THz) waves, ranging from 0.1 THz
to 10 THz, fall in the spectral region between microwave and optical waves.
The prospect of enabling transfer rates in the terabit/sec range make them a key
research area of 6G mobile communication. Sub-THz technologies require highly integrated
frontends, including array antennas, that necessitate advanced over-the-air testing
methods with a frequency range up to 300 GHz. To fully exploit the potential
of this frequency range for future wireless communications, it is also crucial..."
 Here is a story of one Ham's experience in
determining how the performance of his
Yagi antenna
compared to his identically configured (number of elements, height off of the ground,
etc.) cubical quad antenna. His location was a farm field in Tennessee, back in
the mid 1960s, so there was really not much in the way of obstacles to perturb signals
arriving at one antenna versus the other, except of course when the direction of
operation happened to have the antennas in line with each other. Both antennas were
tuned for optimal performance at 14.22 MHz, which is in the high frequency
(HF) band. Today's radio operator has software tools at his disposal for predicting
the performance of single and multiple antenna setups that can save a lot of time
and money. EZNEC* antenna software is a good example where for as little as...
 Even with the power of the Google search
engine, finding seemingly things like old component databooks and magazine articles
can sometimes be a chore. Part of the problem is previously available volumes being
removed due to copyright violation claims by owner companies - or by anyone claiming
ownership, even if invalid. An RF Cafe visitor recently ley me know of a website
called "The Eye,"
which contains a vast collection of databooks, magazine articles, books, whitepapers,
etc. They have a service where removed info can be provided to you by request.
Bitsavers.org is another great resource
to check. They have manuals and articles for software, test equipment, electronics
components, and magazine articles.
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.
Wednesday the 24th
 Each autumn I used to anxiously await the
appearance of the newest edition of The Old Farmer's Almanac on the store
shelf. It is not that I was/am an avid farmer, just that I enjoy reading the anecdotes,
tales, and interesting historical tidbits included amongst the pages along with
tables of high and low tides, moon and sun rising and setting times, astronomical
events, and weather patterns expected for the year that lay ahead. Most of all,
I liked working the
puzzles and riddles. Over the years the difficulty levels gradually got lower
and lower (aka dumbed down), to the point where for the last decade or so I have
not even bothered buying the OFA. Now it is full of numbnut stuff. Because
quite a few of the Mathematical Puzzles from the older editions are worthy of an
engineer's cerebration, contemplation, and deliberation, I am posting the ones I
own here on RF Cafe. Answers to numbers 1 through 11...
 In case you haven't heard yet, SAGE Millimeter,
which was formerly
SAGE Laboratories (if I recall correctly), is as of year 2020 called
Eravant. mm-wave waveguide components are
always très-cool in appearance, and there are a bunch of them shown on the
High Frequency Electronics website. Seeing them arrayed under special lighting
in an exhibit at a trade show reminds you of a jewelry store display case. The precision
machining and often polished surfaces make them gleam. Here is a great idea (IHMO)
for the marketeers at one of these mm-wave companies: Create a children's play set
a la LEGOs consisting of plug-together waveguide components molded to look like
common parts. Many of them could be full-size if modeled after higher frequency
lines. Rigid and flexible, rectangular and round waveguide, antennas, towers, couplers
and amplifiers, circulators, rat races, and many other shapes in bright colors would
make for some awesome-looking projects and just might produce some of the world's
next RF / microwave / millimeterwave engineer. Maybe call them WEGO (WavEGuideO).
Or, create a breakfast cereal using those shapes and call them Engineerios (Cheerios). You're welcome.
 "Researchers
at the University of California, Berkeley, have found a new way to harness properties
of light waves that can radically increase the amount of data they carry. They demonstrated
the emission of discrete
twisting laser beams from antennas made up of concentric rings roughly equal
to the diameter of a human hair, small enough to be placed on computer chips. The
research, reported in a paper in the journal Nature Physics, throws wide open the
amount of information that can be multiplexed, or simultaneously transmitted, by
a coherent light source. A common example of multiplexing is the transmission of
multiple telephone calls over a single wire, but there had been fundamental limits
to the number of coherent twisted light waves that could be directly multiplexed..."
 Are you a project builder? If so, then you
probably make a point of reading
hints and tips offered by fellow do-it-yourselfers. Even with the ready availability
of just about anything you need already pre-manufactured, there are still times
that you either just want to figure out a better way of doing something or happen
to have a challenge that does not have a solution that can be purchased from a catalog
or on eBay. I have posted a few DIYer features from some of the vintage electronics
magazines, many of which are still relevant, or might at least give you an idea
for how to accomplish your goal...
 James Mazzei has a good primer entitled,
"A
Reminder: Pay Attention to Harry Nyquist and Claude Shannon ," on information
theory at the Electronic Design website, where he admonishes that, "Many
CIOs, CTOs, and architects tend to forget this telecommunications throughput issue."
Further, "It's a very easy and normal thing to focus on the principal characteristics
of the principal components of a communications system or link, and regard other
items and issues as peripheral and not so important. That it has happened a surprising
amount with satellite communications links, especially remote mobile ones, is the
reason for this missive. Here's a hypothetical situation. You are a soldier. You're
deployed in a mountainous area of the Middle East, carrying an older Intelsat satellite
terminal for immediate access back to headquarters, and the headquarters has leased
a 72-MHz transponder for your exclusive use..."
 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 23rd
 Frank Beavan must have earned a nice paycheck
with this 1945 issue of Radio-Craft. He drew many of the electronics-themed
comics for magazines back in the 1940s through the 1960s. While some months had
no comics at all or only one or two, the January edition sported no fewer than six.
I'm guessing Mr. Beaven worked on a per-comic basis, so the bank account was
looking good. One of my favorite features in his comics is the "Technical Terms
Illustrated" gig where a reader suggested that he create a comic based on, in this
case, "A Crystal Detector" and "Audio Amplifier." You can find others in the rather
large list of comics at the bottom of the page. As is often the case, you need to
have an appreciation for the radio trends of the era to "get" some of the themes...
 Teledyne e2v HiRel today announced two new
additions to its family of high power limiters, the TDLM052402, a quasi-active,
2 kW, L/S/C-band SMT PIN Diode Limiter and the TDLM961122
High Power Limiter Module a quasi-active, 1 kW, ARNS/IFF-band SMT PIN Diode
Limiter. Both devices offer "always on" high power CW and peak protection. The new
power limiter modules are packaged in a small 8 mm x 5 mm form factor
designed for demanding electronic warfare and radar applications and utilize proven
hybrid assembly technology. Parts are screened and qualified for high reliability
applications. Each has an operating temperature range of -65 °C to 125 °C.
They boast excellent thermal management features, with a proprietary design methodology
that minimizes thermal resistance from the PIN Diode junction-to-base plate (RTHJ-A).
The limiter design...
 RF
Cafe's raison d'être is and always has been to provide useful, quality content for
engineers, technicians, engineering managers, students, and hobbyists. Part of that
mission is offering to post applicable job openings. HR department employees and/or
managers of hiring companies are welcome to submit opportunities for posting at
no charge (of course a gratuity will be graciously accepted). 3rd party recruiters
and temp agencies are not included so as to assure a high quality of listings. Please
read through the easy procedure to benefit from RF Cafe's high quality visitors ...
 "Transistors, devices that can amplify, conduct
or switch electronic signals or electric current, are key components of many electronics
on the market today. These devices can be fabricated using a variety of inorganic
and organic semiconducting materials. Metals are generally considered unsuitable
for fabricating transistors, as they screen electric fields and thus make it difficult
to realize devices with
tunable electrical conductivity.. A possible way to create electronic
components based on metals is to use gradients of counterions in films of metal
nanoparticles functionalized with charged organic ligands. In the past, engineers
have successfully used this strategy to create a variety of devices, ranging from
resistors to diodes and sensors. Nonetheless, modulating the electrical conductivity
of these devices has often proved to be very challenging..."
 The
International Geophysical Year (IGY) ran from July 1957 through December 1958
and was designed to promote cooperation between countries in the earth sciences
realm of research. In all, 67 countries participated in various IGY projects. China
declined involvement based on objections to Taiwan being involved, arguably perpetuating
its people's languishing behind the Iron Curtain of Communism much longer than it
otherwise would have. Global studies were carried out for the aurora and airglow,
cosmic rays, geomagnetism, gravity, the ionosphere, longitude and latitude determinations,
meteorology, oceanography, seismology, and solar activity. It was during this period
that the USSR launched Sputnik and the Van Allen radiation belts were discovered.
This article reports on the radio-communications-related IGY...
 Withwave's precision 2.4 mm to SMPM
Adapter Series are designed based on precision microwave interconnection technologies.
These adapter series are manufactured to precise microwave specifications and constructed
with male and female gender on both side. The precision microwave connector interfaces
ensure an excellent microwave performance up to 50 GHz. Stainless steel bodies
with gold-plated beryllium contacts. 1.4:1 maximum VSWR...
 NorthEast RF's comprehensive
antenna testing services include linear | circular polarized antenna
measurements and OTA cellular device pre-compliance. Up to 18" diameter and <10
kg weight. Antennas can be rapidly evaluated and optimized using our fast near field
spherical system. Test results supplied in data file with pattern viewer software.
A picture of the test configuration is included to help aligned axis. Our selection
of human head and hand phantoms are ideal for verification of body worn devices.
Turnaround time is usually 3-days.
Monday the 22nd
 "Modern" used in the title of anything has
always bothered me since it is utterly ambiguous unless you know the era of the
authorship. There are plenty of books using "Modern Medicine" in the title that
describe bloodletting as a treatment for various diseases or swallowing mercury
to cure constipation (and just about everything else). Accordingly, apologies to
anyone searching for 2021-modern television information who might have wandered
in here hoping to find useful information. However, if you are looking for historical
data regarding the evolution of broadcast television, then you might be in the right
place. As usual when reading this kind of article from a 1939 issue of Radio
News magazine, I am amazed to see accounts of the very first thoughts on the
path technology takes toward where we find ourselves in 2021.
There are basically two types of "visionaries" - those who first come up with
a new idea and those who actually implement the vision. Often the same person qualifies
for both categories. Being the first person to think up the idea of sending voice
signals or images through the air to a remote location...
 Triad RF Systems designs and manufactures
RF power amplifiers
and systems. Triad RF Systems comprises three partners
(hence 'Triad') with over 40 years of accumulated
knowledge of what is required to design, manufacture, market, sell and service RF/Microwave
amplifiers and amplifier systems. PA, LNA, bi-directional, and frequency translating
amplifiers are available, in formats including tower mount, benchtop, rack mount,
and chassis mount. "We view Triad more as a technology partner than a vendor for
our line-of-sight communications product line." Please check to see how they can
help your project.
 "The network would facilitate a state of
the art mobile communications and sensor network for tough terrain using handheld
communication devices. The Indian army is planning a
LTE-based communications grid with Internet of Military Things
(IoMT) sensor network for providing failsafe and secure communications to its units
along the northern and eastern borders. This will require designing and developing,
with industry support, a communication grid with its radio access network, core
network and IoMT compatible network along with sensors and interfaces to provide
surveillance, situational awareness, sensor network and compatible interfaces for
legacy surveillance devices currently in the Indian army's inventory..."
 RF Cave visitor and contributor Joseph Birsa
(N3TTE), sent me a note about yet another edition of a special purpose catalog published
by Sears - the
Sears 1940 Amateur Radio, Test Equipment, Sound System Catalog. A little research
revealed that it was actually an extended version of the 1940 Sears, Roebuck and
Co. Superior Amateur Equipment and Radio Service Supplies - 64 versus 48 pages,
respectively. Even the standard edition Sears, Roebuck Fall 1941 Catalog contained
a large section dedicated to radios and equipment. The cover on the shorter catalog
makes me think of The Radio Boys series of books, where a cadre of four early 20th
century teenagers experienced adventures centered around building and operating
wireless equipment. Hallicrafters, National Company, Meissner, and Hammarlund receivers
and transmitters were offered for sale. Bliley and Silvertone...
 ConductRF knows many times you want to just
buy your RF assemblies to plug in to your circular D38999 connector or your VITA67
module. We offer multiple solutions for both styles of
multi-port connector all available on short lead times based on
our on hand materials stock. D38999 integrates BMA, SMPM & SMPS connectors,
also other #8, #12 & #16 coax contact solutions. VITA67.1/2 uses SMPM solutions,
but the new VITA67.3 also offers SMPS and NanoRF to support your coax. These are
100% factory tested to exacting VSWR and loss standards because we know, Results
Count!
 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.
Sunday the 21st
 This
Engineering-Theme Crossword Puzzle for March 21st has many words and clues related
to... you guessed it... engineering - including RF, microwave, 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., Hedy Lamarr or the Bikini Atoll). The technically inclined cruciverbalists
amongst us will appreciate the effort. Enjoy!
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!
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
have an extensive list of
Recently Added topics.
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