 Sunday the 28th
 This custom made
Wireless Technology theme crossword puzzle from RF Cafe is for August 28th,
2022. "Across" words consisting of five or more letters begin with the first letter
of this puzzle's theme. All RF Cafe crossword puzzles are custom made by me,
Kirt Blattenberger, and have only words and clues related to RF, microwave, and
mm-wave engineering, optics, mathematics, chemistry, physics, and other technical
subjects. As always, this crossword puzzle 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!
 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.
Friday the 26th
 I have always enjoyed the humor of wife's
perspective on her husband's hobby-centric proclivities, be they ham radio, model
airplanes, hot rod or vintage cars, or other such entirely worthwhile endeavors.
Most times - as with this one - the stories are written by wives, but sometimes
they are written by the perpetrator himself from what he perceives as the viewpoint
of his wife (e.g., the Carl Kohler pieces). Other times the encounters are entirely
fictitious - with enough believability to make you wonder whether it is a true story,
where the names have been changed to protect the innocent. In "The Wonderful World
of Lids," which appeared in a 1964 issue of Popular Electronics magazines, ham radio
aficionado Pheobus Sharney demonstrates his obsession. Interestingly, he mentions
the "American Radiator Delay League," which was the title of a spoof article in
the April 1933 edition of the American Radio Relay League's QST magazine. BTW, if
you don't know what a "lid" is, check out this article entitled "So You Want to
Be a Lid..."
 "Standard
handsets on Earth, in some locations, will soon connect directly to satellites for
remote roaming. The next generation of cellphone networks won't just be 5G or 6G
- they will be zero g. In April, Lynk Global launched the first
direct-to-mobile commercial satellite,
and on 15 August a competitor, AST SpaceMobile, confirmed plans to launch an experimental
direct-to-mobile satellite of its own in mid-September. Inmarsat and other companies
are working on their own low Earth orbit (LEO) cellular solutions as launch prices
drop, satellite fabrication methods improve, and telecoms engineers push new network
capabilities. LEO satellite systems such as SpaceX's Starlink and Amazon's Kuiper
envision huge constellations of satellites. However, the U.S. Federal Communications
Commission just rejected SpaceX's application for some of the $9B federal rural
broadband fund - in part because the Starlink system requires a $600 ground station..."
 Designing
resistive impedance-matched signal splitting networks is nowadays mostly done
with the assistance of computer software. In fact, odds are pretty high that the
designer either has no idea what the formulas behind the "magic" are, or at least
it has been a very long time since working them with pencil and paper. There's no
shame in that, though, just as there is no reason to expect someone using a cellphone
must know the intricacies of the internal circuits or the network to which it is
connected. We've moved past that. For those of us who still appreciate a refresher
on the behind-the-scenes calculations being performed at lightning speed within
the smartphone or computer, this 1951 Radio & Television News magazine
article will be a welcome bit of information...
 Innovative Power Products (IPP), a designer
and manufacturer of RF and microwave passive components for more than three decades,
is pleased to introduce a new the model IPP−1314 combines four coherent input signals
or divides one signal into four. The IPP−1314 is rated up to 300 watts CW of
total RF input power, over a 2-8 GHz range. This combiner/divider is produced
in a 3.08" x 2.60" x 1.03" package with a type N connector on the sum port and SMA
connectors on the other four ports. This coupler has amplitude balance which is
less than ±0.3 dB, insertion loss less than 0.8 dB, with phase balance that is less
than ±6° and VSWR less than 1.35:1. The IPP-1314 is also RoHS compliant and can
be used in commercial and military applications.
 Early "servos"
were nothing more than the electromechanical equivalents of rubber band-powered
escapement. Rather than energizing a solenoid that would allow the rubber band to
turn the control arm, the pulse signal from the receiver would set a motor in motion,
and then limit switches would stop it once the predetermined position was reached.
They had a number of advantages over rubber-powered escapements in that the power
delivered to the control surface was not diminished with every actuation (except
from some negligible energy drain from the batteries), they were able to deliver
a lot more power, and they took up less real estate inside the fuselage. It was
a first step toward today's proportional servos. This 1955 issue of Popular
Electronics magazines shows the state of the art in the day...
RF Cascade Workbook 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...
 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.
Thursday the 25th
 After learning Ohm's law, Kirchhoff's law,
Norton's theorem, and a few mesh analysis techniques for resistive circuits, electronics
students' first foray into the interactions of resistors, capacitors, and inductors
is usually time constants. The so-named "RC
time constant" is simply multiplication of the values of resistance (ohms) and
capacitance (farads) - connected in series - resulting in a time value in seconds.
There is nothing special about the time constant other than various rules of thumb
which have been designed around it. For instance, 5 RC time constants is considered
the time after which a fully discharged capacitor is charged (up to 93.3%, actually),
or conversely the time after which a fully charge capacitor is discharged (down
to 6.7%). It does so happen that after 1 RC time constant the charge has changed
by a factor of 1-e-1 (1-0.368=63.2%). After 5 RC time constants the charge has changed
by 1-e-5 = 99.3%. 6 RC time constants yields 99.8%, 7 is 99.9%. 9 RC times constants
results in 99.99%. Although not mentioned here...
 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.
 Pay raises are bad for the country. That
was according to the Office of War Information's War Advertising Council's full-page
spread in the 1945 edition of Radio News magazine. According to their logic,
you requesting or expecting - even accepting - a pay raise was damaging to the country's
war effort because the ultimate result was increased prices for end users of products
and services. It was an argument against inflation at a time when inflation was
low (see BLS chart below). At the time, people had the best interest of the country
at heart and, especially with the fate of the free world on the line, were largely
willing participants. Having so many family members serving in foreign lands in
a battle to beat back the forces of Communism, Marxism, Taoism, and all the other
"isms" helped feed the attitude. Can you imagine the response that would be seen
from the public today if a similar message emanated from the Government? It would
be quite entertaining...
 Anatech Electronics offers the industry's
largest portfolio of high-performance standard and customized
RF and microwave filters and filter-related products for military, commercial,
aerospace and defense, and industrial applications up to 40 GHz. Three new
filter models have been introduced - a 1747 MHz cavity bandpass filter with N-type
connectors, a 2025-2125 MHz / 2200-2300 MHz ceramic surface mount duplexer, and
a 100-175 MHz / 225-520 MHz LC diplexer with N-type connectors. Custom RF power
directional coupler designs can be designed and produced when a standard cannot
be found, or the requirements are such that a custom approach is necessary.
 Buckle your mental seatbelt before reading
this fast-moving rundown of the origins of many
measurement standards used in the cgs (centimeter-gram-second) system. It reminds
me of a video you might see of a physics dude "wowing" an audience of science laymen
as he rolls through one topic after another, among them being mass, acceleration,
time, electricity, magnetism, solenoids, pendulums, inertia, and gravity. There's
nothing you haven't seen and heard before in the first couple chapters of Physics
101 class in the way of equations and drawings, but you'll probably enjoy the review.
It appeared in a 1942 issue of Radio−Craft magazine...
 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. 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...
 ConductRF is continually innovating and
developing new and improved solutions for RF Interconnect needs. See the latest
TESTeCON RF Test
Cables for labs. ConductRF makes production and test coax cable assemblies for
amplitude and phased matched VNA applications as well as standard & precision
RF connectors. Over 1,000 solutions for low PIM in-building to choose from in the
iBwave component library. They also provide custom coax solutions for applications
where some standard just won't do. A partnership with Newark assures fast, reliable
access. Please visit ConductRF today to see how they can help your project!
Wednesday the 24th
 OK, I'm embarrassed once again. In this
1969 issue of Electronics World magazine, a device called a "thyrector"
is mentioned the Mac's Service Shop episode entitled, "Keeping up with New Components."
It was a totally new word to me. According to Wikipedia a thyrector is a type of
transient voltage suppression (TVS) diode, aka a "transil" (another unfamiliar term).
Maybe I have heard of both of them, but if so, I don't remember. You might think
with all the vintage electronics magazine I have read, along with having been in
the field since the 1970's, this wouldn't have caught me by surprise. Interestingly,
the title of the article does not mention that it is a Mac's Service Shop story,
but it is. Anyway, enjoy the story...
 Ohmite Manufacturing Company, Inc. is pleased
to announce its
power axial resistors have received the Established Reliability for military
standards MIL-PRF39007 Certification from the Defense Logistics Agency (DLA). "Designers
can rely on the performance of these parts," said Debasis Roy, Global Director of
Products for Ohmite. "This certification provides Ohmite with the opportunity to
provide another source for power axial resistors with Established Reliability to
our customers who need mission-critical parts." Ohmite will begin production of
the MIL-PRF39007-certified resistors immediately at its manufacturing facility in
Brownsville, Texas. Because of the certification's requirements, these resistors
will continue to be manufactured in the United States of America, adding jobs to
the Brownsville, TX area. The MIL-PRF39007 certification also enables Ohmite to
pursue additional military standard certifications in the future for other products.
"To get certified at this level, these parts can have only one failure in many thousand
hours of use, a standard requiring the highest quality manufacturing," Dr. Roy said.
"We are proud to receive this 'stamp of approval' from the DLA and offer this product
to our customers requiring high reliability performance from their power resistors...
 "He no sooner gets alone with a sweater
girl than he's trying to pull the wool over her eyes." That's a really old joke
that only old guys like me remember. "Sweater
Girl" was a term used to describe... how to properly put it... um, you know,
the Dolly Parton types... those who have a good singing voice. While that is not
the purpose of a sweater girl overtly used in this article from a 1944 edition of
Radio-Craft, you can bet the authors intended the term as an eye-catcher.
I thought you might need to be apprised of the origin of the term to appreciate
the title. You're welcome. See also this National Union Radio and Electronic Tubes
advertisement in the October 1944 issue of Radio News magazine...
 Car &
Driver magazine just published an evaluation of the all-electric
2022 Hummer EV. "In our testing, we found that the pickup's massive 212.7-kWh
battery pack costs a pretty penny to recharge at a DC fast-charging station. It
costs a lot of money to fill up a big pickup truck's gas tank - especially these
days. But what if we told you that even an electric pickup truck could crest the
$100 mark when it comes time to replenish the battery? That's what we found when
we plugged the 2022 GMC Hummer EV in for a fast-charge session. For our charging
test, we plugged the Hummer in at an Electrify America station to go from 10% charge
to 90 percent charge. At current rates of $0.43 per kWh, adding 80% charge cost
us $81, including sales tax. Extrapolating from that, to go from 0% to 100% charge
at a DC fast-charging station would cost over $100." Eventually, EV road usage taxes
will be added, a la gasoline taxes; pavement and bridges need to be maintained.
Careful what you wish for...
 Carbon button microphones were used in Alexander
Graham Bell's first production model telephones. He bought the patent from inventor
Emile Berliner because they were superior to Bell's own
liquid element microphones. Condenser microphones followed, whose transducer
element includes an integral variable capacitor. Interestingly, even though we in
the U.S don't refer to capacitors as "condensers" anymore, the name has persisted.
Ribbon microphones are inexpensive and bidirectional (front and back of diaphragm).
Moving coil microphones are more rugged than previous configurations and are not
as prone to weather variations. Crystal microphones utilize piezoelectric properties
of a crystal for generating electrical signals. Electret microphones, which came
on the scene after this article was written, overwhelmingly dominate the microphone
market today because they are used almost exclusively in computers, hearing aides,
and mobile devices...
 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...
 Copper Mountain Technologies develops innovative
and robust RF test and measurement solutions for engineers all over the world. Copper
Mountain's extensive line of unique form factor
Vector
Network Analyzers include an RF measurement module and a software application
which runs on any Windows PC, laptop or tablet, connecting to the measurement hardware
via USB interface. The result is a lower cost, faster, more effective test process
that fits into the modern workspace in lab, production, field and secure testing
environments.
Tuesday the 23rd
 While posting this "The
Language of Vectors" article from a 1960 issue of Popular Electronics
magazine, the thought occurred to me whether the terms "vector" and "phasor†" are
interchangeable. I know that a vector is an entity defined, ultimately, by both
magnitude and direction, but then so is a phasor, so are they the same? According
to purists, no, they are not. A phasor is considered a complex scalar quantity (i.e.,
phasor = real ± j imaginary) which can be alternately described as a vector by translation
from rectangular to polar form. The magnitude of a phasor is defined as: magnitude
= √(real2 + imaginary2) and the angle of a phasor is defined
as: angle = tan-1 (imaginary/real). Mathematical manipulation of phasors
is done directly according to complex number rules, whereas manipulation of vectors
uses, well, basically the same types of manipulations after, if necessary, converting
them to rectangular coordinates. Yes, there are dot products and cross products
for vectors, but in the end they are fundamentally the same thing when it comes
to mathematics. I'm sure some will argue the point, but both phasor form and vector
forms can be used interchangeably...
 Here is a pretty funny "ham-drama"
story from a 1961 issue of Popular Electronics magazine that, although fictional,
could easily have really happened. I'm not much of a party-goer, but based on what
little experience I've had at social functions and the stereotypical electronics
nerd behavior often portrayed in movies, the author's scenario likely actually did
occur. Maybe he exaggerates just a bit, though. The follow-up situation would be
a great gag to play on someone if you ever get the chance. It probably would not
be hard to get people to fall for it...
 Modelithics, the industry leader in providing
innovative and high-quality custom modeling and measurement services for RF, microwave
and millimeter-wave electronic devices is pleased to introduce
EMA Design Automation, Inc. (EMA) the world's largest ECAD VAR, as a Modelithics
Reseller. "We are seeing dramatic growth in RF and microwave design content from
our customers across the globe," said Manny Marcano, President of EMA, "Partnering
with Modelithics will allow us to provide our customers a plug-n-play solution to
help them accelerate their RF analysis and ensure they are able to achieve first
pass success for these critical RF systems and subsystems. As a reseller of Modelithics,
EMA will be able to meet the needs of design engineers globally by offering high-accuracy
RF and microwave active and passive simulation models..."
 "Usually, when materials heat up, they become
more disordered. Now, researchers at Radboud University in the Netherlands have
found evidence for the opposite happening in the element neodymium, which develops
long-range order as its temperature increases. The presence of this phase transition
could shed light on the behavior of materials known as spin glasses and could also
aid the development of devices for information storage or neuromorphic computing.
Spin glasses such as neodymium (Nd) are a special class of magnetic materials
in which particle spins form random, helix-like patterns below a certain critical
temperature (termed the spin glass temperature). They are often considered to be
disordered magnets and are different from other such 'frustrated' magnets such as
spin ices and spin liquids..."
 The expectation of manufacturers to constantly
come up with new and better models that outperform last years' models and compel
buyers to upgrade is as old as markets themselves. This 1934 QST magazine tongue-in-cheek
tale of developers of the "The
Dual-Ratio Knee-Action Triple-Hemispheric Multi-Tube Many-Wave Looperdyne" could
easily be adopted to describe the prototype lab at Apple, Chevrolet, Panasonic,
Microsoft (well, maybe not so much), Hasbro, Lockheed Martin, or Craftsman. Anyone
who has worked in the pressure cooker environment of a research, development, and
production qualification phases of a project knows all too well the scenario presented
here...
RF Cascade Workbook 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...
 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.
Monday the 22nd
 A lot of people in the electronics industry
are very familiar with [Howard] Sams Photofacts servicing data packets for radios,
televisions, tape players, and other items. Probably not many have heard of
John F. Rider and the other companies that provided similar information.
Many - maybe most -manufacturers printed service manuals for their products, but
it was only made available to authorized service and sales representatives, and
then at a price. Sams Photofacts were famous for being very comprehensive and accurate,
and also provided a level of detail often not included in the manufacturer service
packs. If you go to the Sams Technical Publishing website, you will find that they
offer John F. Rider material, so evidently Sams acquired the rights to it...
 Precision Ruggedized VNA Cables from ConductRF
offer RF Engineers great alternatives to costly OEM cables that are now past their
best days. We have standards for applications at 18 GHz, 27 GHz, 40 GHz,
50 GHz & 70 GHz. Our torque resistant connector heads and phase stable
constructions ensure great performance for many tests to come. ConductRF VNA series
provides customers with reliable ruggedized solutions for Lab and Production Vector
Network Analyzer testing. With options for 18 GHz, 26.5 GHz, & 40 GHz,
these cables offer cost leading alternatives to original OEM VNA cable solutions.
VNA Series cables are enhanced with a stainless steel spiral armor, providing protection
from excess bending and crushing forces. A black non-conductive outer cover completes
the product. These cables are phase stable during flexing and have an operating
life cycle of up to 5,000 matings when correctly operated and maintained. Connector
options available for male and female interfaces include; 2.4 mm, 2.92 mm,
3.5 mm, SMA and Type-N series. NMD head options that mate to VNA port connectors
are available for additional stability for female interfaces in 2.4 mm, 2.92 mm,
and 3.5 mm series...
 Decades before there were highly sensitive
CMOS-based light sensors and charge-coupled devices (CCDs), light detection for
image capturing was performed by vacuum tubes called
photomultiplier tubes (PMTs). They amplify light by releasing electrons in response
to a detector surface that answers to photon impingement. PMTs are still more sensitive
and of lower noise level than the silicon devices. In fact, super-sensitive elements
for many atom smashers and subterranean neutrino detectors still use photomultiplier
tubes for that reason. My first encounter with a PMT was as part of a video map
rendering system used on the airport surveillance radar (ASR) display that I worked
on in the USAF. Air traffic controllers etched an overlay map of the airport area
on a plate of coated glass. It was placed in a box that swept a light beam in synchronization...
 Being of the era of TV watchers in the 1960's,
when I first saw this story headline, "My
Uncle Martin's Amazing Box of Dreams," and accompanying photograph the first
thing that came to mind was Uncle Martin from the Prime Time show entitled "My Favorite Martin," starring Ray
Walston and Bill Bixby. It wasn't, as it turns out, but a related theme certainly
exists, whether intended or not. I read Mr. Lee Goldberg's story (on the
Electronic Design website) in its entirety anyway. With such an enticing
thousand-word introduction (i.e., a great picture), no one with an interest in aviation
and space exploration history can resist the temptation. It is a very nice tribute
to Mr. Goldberg's Uncle Martin. I think you'll enjoy it, too.
 ABS and PVC plastic are the new bamboo for
antenna construction. Before the ready and inexpensive availability of the former
two insulative products, bamboo was the material of choice for lightweight insulative
(at least when dry) support structures. Many of the antenna construction articles
like this "Practical
Consideration and Application in a Multielement Quad" article in this 1967 issue
of QST magazine are typical of the time (and earlier) where bamboo was
used to support wire radiator elements, and serve as spacers for ladder wire and
matching-phasing networks. Author Fitz-Randolph provides a bit of theory behind
the design and includes a table of elements lengths for 10, 15, and 20 meters
(28, 21, and 14 MHz, respectively) operation. The tri-band quad antenna requires
about 550 feet of wire! An interesting exercise for someone with extra time on his
hands would be to plug the dimensions of some of these antennas into a programs
like EZNEC and see how the software results compare to the articles' claims...
 New Scheme rotates
all Banners in all locations on the page! RF Cafe typically receives 8,000-15,000
website visits each weekday.
RF Cafe is a favorite
of engineers, technicians, hobbyists, and students all over the world. With more
than 12,000 pages in the Google search index, RF Cafe returns in favorable
positions on many types of key searches, both for text and images. New content is
added on a daily basis, which keeps the major search engines interested enough to
spider it multiple times each day. Items added on the homepage often can be found
in a Google search within a few hours of being posted. I also re-broadcast homepage
items on LinkedIn. If you need your company news to be seen, RF Cafe is the
place to be.
 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.
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