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Homepage Archive - June 2023 (page 3)

See Page 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | of the June 2023 homepage archives.

Wednesday the 21st

Transmission Line Calculator (aka Smith Chart)

Transmission Line Calculator, January 1939 Electronics Magazine - RF CafeYou might recognize the name Phillip H. Smith. He was an engineer at the Radio Development Department of Bell Telephone Laboratories. This January 1939 issue of Electronics magazine might be the first publication of what is now the most recognized form of his famous Smith Chart. Here, Mr. Smith describes the motivation behind his new chart and the process used to create it. Being a humble man (a presumption), he titled his invention the "Transmission Line Calculator," rather than naming it after himself. The Smith Chart enjoyed wide acceptance fairly quickly by those who understood how and why it worked. Analog Devices now owns the copyright to the Smith Chart; however, the company must not guard their ownership of its likeness too jealously since many thousands - probably hundreds of thousand or millions - of instances appear everywhere in print, online, and in software. Maybe some rambunctious lawyer will someday convince Analog Devices to collect royalties. If you hear of it in the works, be sure to buy ADI stock...

Reserved for YL's and YF's

Reserved for YL's and YF's, August 1934 QST - RF Cafe"By all that is holy in ham radio, I was able to copy several CQ's de their calls and a few words!" That sentence in Mrs. Wayland M. Groves' 1934 QST magazine story caused me to do some searching because I do not recall having seen "de" used like that. As it turns out, according to AC6V's Origin of Ham Speak webpage (about 10% down on page), "de" is borrowed from the preposition "de" in the French language. It is a connotation of ownership, as in "un ami de ma mère," meaning "my mother's friend" (my interpretation, subject to correction). Topics dealing with women in Ham radio typically deal either with attracting them to the hobby through participation or appeal to their accommodating nature to facilitate a mate's indulgence. Both perspectives usually make for interesting and often comical tales...

Axiom Launches Redesigned Mobile Website

Axiom Test Equipment Launches Redesigned Mobile Website - RF CafeAxiom Test Equipment, a leading provider of test equipment solutions, is proud to announce the launch of its newly redesigned mobile website (screen capture on Galaxy S7 shown to the right). The enhanced site aims to provide customers with a clean aesthetic and user-friendly experience, allowing them to easily navigate and find the test equipment they need. With the increased demand for on-the-go accessibility, Axiom Test Equipment recognized the importance of optimizing their website for mobile devices. The redesigned mobile website offers a responsive and intuitive interface, ensuring that customers can effortlessly browse and explore the extensive range of test equipment, anytime and anywhere. The key features of the newly launched mobile website include: Enhanced Navigation: The streamlined navigation menu allows users to browse through categories, narrow down their equipment options, and search for specific products with ease. The improved layout ensures a smooth and efficient experience for customers seeking the ideal test equipment....

Onboard Radio Operator: Master of His Domain

Onboard Radio Operator: Master of His Domain, October 1932 Radio News - RF CafeShipboard radio operators have been a crucial part of commercial and military transport since first being implemented in the early 20th century. Marconi Wireless Telegraph Company's operators (John "Jack" Phillips and Harold Bride) onboard the RMS Titanic are credited for saving the ship after it ran into an iceberg in the north Atlantic, as are the radio operators aboard the RMS Lusitania after German U-boats mercilessly torpedoed it. Today's sailing vessels, as well as aircraft, are as reliant upon skillful radio operators and radio equipment as back then. Much has been automated, but ultimately it is the human element in the communications chain that determine the fate of the mission...

RF & Electronics Stencils for Visio

RF & Electronics stencils for Visio r4 - RF CafeWith 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 stencil symbol has been built to fit proportionally on the included A-, B-, and C-size drawing page templates (or use your own page if preferred). Components are provided for system block diagrams, conceptual drawings, schematics, test equipment, racks (EIA 19", ETSI 21"), and more. Test equipment and racks are built at a 1:1 scale so that measurements can be made directly using Visio built-in dimensioning objects. Page templates are provided with a preset scale (changeable) for a good presentation that can incorporate all provided symbols...

Thanks to LadyBug Technologies for Their Continued Support!

LadyBug Technologies RF Power Sensors - RF CafeLadyBug Technologies was founded in 2004 by two microwave engineers with a passion for quality microwave test instrumentation. Our employees offer many years experience in the design and manufacture of the worlds best vector network analyzers, spectrum analyzers, power meters and associated components. The management team has additional experience in optical power testing, military radar and a variety of programming environments including LabVIEW, VEE and other languages often used in programmatic systems. Extensive experience in a broad spectrum of demanding measurement applications. You can be assured that our Power Sensors are designed, built, tested and calibrated without compromise.

Tuesday the 20th

Electronics-Themed Comics

Electronics-Themed Comics, May 1963 Radio-Electronics - RF CafeAs were the majority of electronics-related comics from the 1950s and 1960s, this set of four from a 1963 issue of Radio-Electronics magazine had themes related to home entertainment devices (radios, television, and stereos) and computers. Keep in mind that almost all equipment used vacuum tubes rather than semiconductors. There was no such thing as a home / personal computer then, either. The public was dealing with the introduction and integration of computers into everyday life, so they (computers) were subject to ridicule and criticism - legitimately. Those were the days where programs consisted of cardboard "punched cards" that were placed in a stack into the computer, which would "read" the presence or absence of rectangular holes as "0"s or "1"s. Most used an 12 row by 80 column format, accommodating 80 words of 6 or 8 bits each. Southern Senior High School, from which I graduated in 1976, had a small computer which used punched cards...

Global Warming Potential of Hydrogen 12x CO2

Global Warming Potential of Hydrogen 12x CO2 - RF CafeThe attack on hydrogen-based energy has begun. The declared demon here is not its combustion byproducts - H2O and O2 - but H leakage (think train derailment a la Ohio). Investors in other Green Energy sectors must be getting nervous about advances in the technology. "The global warming effect of leaked hydrogen is almost 12 times stronger than CO2, shows a new study by CICERO, a climate research center, published in Communications Earth & Environment. The study fills a gap in our knowledge about the climate effects of hydrogen, a central technology in the energy transition. Unlike exhaust from burning coal and gas that contains CO2, burning hydrogen emits only water vapor and oxygen. Rather, it is the leaking of hydrogen from production, transportation and usage that adds to global warming. Hydrogen is not a greenhouse gas, but its chemical reactions in the atmosphere affect greenhouse gases like methane, ozone, and stratospheric water vapor. In this way, emissions of hydrogen can cause global warming, despite its lack of direct radiative properties..."

Please Thank Lotus Communication Systems for Their Support!

Lotus Communication Systems Modular RF/Microwave Components - RF CafeLotus Communication Systems began in 2009, setting up CNC machine shop and RF/microwave assembling and testing lab in Middlesex Country, Massachusetts. Lotus is committed to highest quality and innovative products. Each RF/microwave module meets exceedingly high standards of quality, performance and excellent value, and are 100% Made in the USA. Lotus' RF/microwave products cover frequency band up to 67 GHz. Lotus also offers an COTS shield enclosures for RF/microwave prototyping and production. All products are custom designed. We will find a solution and save your time and cost. Lotus has multiple 4 axis CNC machines and LPKF circuit plotters. In stock, 1-day free shipping.

Mac's Radio Service Shop: The Not-So-Simple Sets

Mac's Radio Service Shop: The Not-So-Simple Sets, October 1953 Radio & Television News - RF CafeThe lesson learnt - or learned - by Barney in this Mac's Radio Service Shop saga is one that he has learned - or learnt - before, if you are a regular reader of the feature. As always, the story is a combination docudrama and tutorial concerned with troubleshooting, handling customers, giving air to some newfangled device, or instruction on circuit theory. Proprietor Mac McGregor is usually the teacher and technician Barney the pupil, but on rare occasion the roles are reversed. As you will see in this episode, radio and television set designers ginned up all kinds of ways to accomplish the same end objective - avoiding patent infringements or exercising personal creativity - and the nuances between them could cause no end of frustration to even highly trained and experienced troubleshooters. An additional inconvenience set upon technicians working on vacuum tube equipment was needing to wait for the tubes to warm up to determine whether the intended "fix" actually did the job. That was in addition to having to avoid getting nailed by lethally high voltages both when the set was powered up and for a short while afterward while the high voltage supplies drained their stored charges...

Foldable Phased-Array for Small Satellites

Foldable Phased-Array for Small Satellites - RF Cafe"New design for a foldable phased-array transmitter can help make satellites lightweight, smaller, and cost-efficient to launch, report scientists at Tokyo Tech. The transmitter is made of stacked layers of liquid crystal polymer and incorporates flexible creases, which provide flexibility and deployability. The new design could make research and implementation of space technologies more accessible to private companies and startups. There has been a recent shift in the space industry towards what is now called the 'new-space era.' The term refers to how space is no longer dominated exclusively by government agencies such as NASA but has instead become a playground for many private companies and startups interested in exploring and deploying space technologies. While this opens up a vast ocean of possibilities for space research, exploration, and telecommunications, launching satellites remains an expensive endeavor. In general, low earth orbit (LEO) satellites are both low cost and low latency..."

Radio Helped Me Break the Transcontinental Air Record

How My Radio Helped Me Break the Transcontinental Air Record, March 1930 Radio News - RF Cafe"Compactness distinguishes the Western Electric 8A airplane receiver." That statement describes a 160-pound system that included a wind-driven electricity generator for the equipment used by Captain Frank M. Hawks when setting coast-to-coast time records in the year 1929 using his Lockheed Air Express airplane, dubbed "Texaco 5." A simple 4-tube AM radio, its chassis measured a whopping 6" x 10" x 12". There were no radio direction finding stations enroute at the time, so the radio's usefulness was limited to being "comforting to listen in every half-hour and be advised of general conditions throughout the United States." Daring pilots of the day risked life and limb to push forward the frontiers of technology by testing and proving airframes, engines, electronics, navigation methods, and, almost as importantly, building confidence and a sense of awe and urgency on the part of the public so that continued development would be assured and encouraged...

Promote Your Company on RF Cafe

Sponsor RF Cafe for as Little as $40 per Month - RF CafeNew 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 17,000 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. If you need your company news to be seen, RF Cafe is the place to be.

Many Thanks to KR Electronics for Long-Time Support!

KR ElectronicsKR Electronics has been designing and manufacturing custom filters for military and commercial radio, radar, medical, and communications since 1973. KR Electronics' line of filters includes lowpass, highpass, bandpass, bandstop, equalizer, duplexer, diplexer, and individually synthesized filters for special applications - both commercial and military. State of the art computer synthesis, analysis and test methods are used to meet the most challenging specifications. All common connector types and package form factors are available. Please visit their website today to see how they might be of assistance. Products are designed and manufactured in the USA.

Monday the 19th

Needed: A National Facts Center

Needed: A National Facts Center, May 1964 Radio-Electronics - RF CafeCareful what you wish for, because you might just get it. We almost got it here in the U.S., a year or so ago in the form of Nina Jankowicz, aka "Scary Poppins," based on the bazaar video she posted. She was the candidate for ordination into the top post of a proposed new "Disinformation Governance Board (DGB)," akin to George Orwell's Ministry of Truth. Fortunately, reaction to her nutty past quickly nixed not just her, but the DGB. Technology visionary Hugo Gernsback, in this 1964 issue of his Radio-Electronics magazine, lamented the growing amount of bad science getting passed off as good science because there was not some central vetting agency to separate the figurative wheat from the chaff. With the encroaching Marxism occurring worldwide these days, I wonder whether Mr. Gernsback would still make this claim: "A National Facts Center must be built and operated by the Federal Government." Based on his record of championing private industry and academia - at least in its state of being in his day - I doubt it. I will point out, though, that 1984 was published in 1949...

Radio Physics Course - Inductors

Radio Physics Course - Inductors, May 1934 Radio News and the Short-Wave - RF CafeFinding the equation for the inductance of a standard tightly-wound, single-layer inductor is very easy. What, though, if you needed to determine how to build an iron-core inductor or to build a choke coil with a silicon steel laminated transformer-iron core where the windings have an air gap between them? Who ya gonna call? Alfred Ghirardi, of course, or at least his ghost through this article from a 1934 edition of Radio News and the Short-Wave magazine. If you also need advice - complete with drawings - on how to wind a coil that will not induce a killer counter-EMF when a switch is opened (as with a solenoid), then here, too, is your source...

pSemi Launches 3.5 GHz Dual-Channel Switch + LNA Module

pSemi Launches 3.5 GHz Dual-Channel Switch + LNA Module with Industry's Lowest Noise Figure - RF CafepSemi® Corporation, a Murata company leading in the design and development of semiconductor integration, today announced two multi-chip modules featuring dual-channel switches, the PE53230 for 3.3-3.8 GHz and the PE53231 for 3.5-4.0 GHz. Each module contains two switches and two LNAs for high and low band frequencies. The new module portfolio delivers the lowest noise figure in the industry, at less than 1 dB, enabling best-in-class receiver sensitivity and performance while handling 20 W average input power enabling removal of external circuitry. Built for applications across wireless infrastructure including TDD-LTE macro and micro cells, 5G massive MIMO systems and TDD-based communication systems, the new modules feature high gain and gain flatness. They can function as a failsafe with unexpected high-power signals coming in from Tx, while improving receiver channel sensitivity with low noise figures. Combining high linearity (IIP3) with low power consumption, the new modules are highly integrated solutions...

Wards Airline Model 74BR-1055A Schematic & PL

Wards Airline Model 74BR-1055A Schematic & Parts List, August 1947 Radio News - RF CafeThe schematic and parts list for the Wards Airline model 74BR-1055A portable radio appeared in the August 1947 issue of Radio News magazine. Electronics trade magazines often published this information for the benefit of hobbyists and even professional service shops who could not afford to buy official versions from the manufacturers or places like Sams Photofacts. Companies like RCA, Motorola, Airline, Delco, Westinghouse, General Electric, Admiral, etc., typically only provided service documentation to licensed sales and service establishments. Airline was the brand of radios and TVs sold by Montgomery Ward, just as Silvertone was the brand name of radios sold by Sears, Roebuck, & Co. Since there are still instances of these old radios around, as evidenced by this Airline model 74BR-1055A now listed on eBay, making schematics and parts lists - and sometimes even alignment and troubleshooting data - is useful to someone. Note the unusual mounting of the electronics chassis upside-down at the top of the case. I wonder if that configuration caused heat dissipation...

RF Cascade Workbook

RF Cascade Workbook - RF Cafe 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...

Many Thanks to ISOTEC for Continued Support!

ISOTEC Corporation - RF CafeSince 1996, ISOTEC has designed, developed and manufactured an extensive line of RF/microwave connectors, between-series adapters, RF components and filters for wireless service providers including non-magnetic connectors for quantum computing and MRI equipments etc. ISOTEC's product line includes low-PIM RF connectors components such as power dividers and directional couplers. Off-the-shelf and customized products up to 40 GHz and our low-PIM products can meet -160 dBc with 2 tones and 20 W test. Quick prototyping, advanced in-house testing and high-performance. Designs that are cost effective practical and repeatable.

Sunday the 18th

Electronics Theme Crossword Puzzle for June 18th

Electronics Theme Crossword Puzzle for June 18th, 2023 - RF CafeThis custom RF Cafe electronics-themed crossword puzzle for June 18th contains words and clues which pertain exclusively to the subjects of electronics, science, physics, mechanics, engineering, power distribution, astronomy, chemistry, etc. If you do see names of people or places, they are intimately related to the aforementioned areas of study. Being that "R" is the 18th letter of the alphabet, it is used as the first and/or last letter of many words in today's crossword puzzle - as well as in-between. Those clues are marked with an asterisk (*). As always, you will find no references to numbnut movie stars or fashion designers. Need more crossword RF Cafe puzzles? A list at the bottom of the page links to hundreds of them dating back to the year 2000. Enjoy.

Get Your Custom-Designed RF Cafe Gear!

Custom-Designed RF-Themed Cups, T-Shirts, Mouse Pads, Clocks (Cafe Press) - RF CafeThis 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...

Thanks to TotalTemp Technologies for Continued Support!

TotalTemp Technologies - RF CafeTotalTemp Technologies has more than 40 years of combined experience providing thermal platforms. Thermal Platforms are available to provide temperatures between -100°C and +200°C for cryogenic cooling, recirculating & circulating coolers, temperature chambers and temperature controllers, thermal range safety controllers, space simulation chambers, hybrid benchtop chambers, custom systems and platforms. Manual and automated configurations for laboratory and production environments. Please contact TotalTemp Technologies today to learn how they can help your project.

Friday the 16th

The Grim Facts on Short-Wave Broadcasting

The Grim Facts on Short-Wave Broadcasting, September 1969 Electronics Illustrated - RF CafeStanley Leinwoll wrote a couple articles about shortwave broadcasting for the September 1969 edition of Electronics Illustrated magazine. "They're Taking the Guesswork out of Scatter Communications" discusses advances (at the time) in ionospheric scattering of shortwave radio signals, and also this one entitled "The Grim Facts on Short-Wave Broadcasting." This is another example of the old adage of how the more things change, the more they remain the same. Frequency crowding was then and is now a continual challenge for operators in non-privileged bands (spectrum purchased for private, military, government, or commercial use, e.g., cellphone carriers). Mitigation techniques include narrowing of channel bandwidth (via improved modulation techniques or improved transmitter / receiver spectral requirements), decreased transmit power levels, modification of usage regulations, and allocation of new spectrum...

Anatech Electronics Intros 3 Filter Models for June

Anatech Electronics Intros 3 Filter Models for June 14th, 2023 - RF CafeAnatech 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 cavity duplexer filter models have been introduced - a 450.625-452.625 / 457.625-459.625 MHz duplexer with a 1.3 dB insertion loss, a 964-1010 MHz / 1110-1156 MHz duplexer with a 1.5 dB insertion loss, and a 1018-1042 MHz / 1078-1102 MHz duplexer with a 0.7 dB insertion loss. Custom RF power filter and directional couplers designs can be designed and produced with required connector types when a standard cannot be found, or the requirements are such that a custom approach is necessary...

Some QST Abbreviations Used in Text and Drawings

Some QST Abbreviations Used in Text and Drawings, November 1966 QST - RF CafeGrammar and formatting standards have changed over time. As technology evolves and society devolves, things like abbreviations, use of capital letters, the "verbization*" of nouns, interchanging of homophones (e.g., "their" and "there"), and the growingly popular offense of eliminating the space between a number and its associated unit (e.g., "914MHz" vs. "914 MHz") are becoming more prevalent. Look at nearly any press release or datasheet from a component manufacturer in the past few years and you will notice the number-unit change (I correct many of the ones I post on RF Cafe). Some publishers (NPR) are particularly offensive at taking liberties (aka laziness) and others (New York Times) are stalwart standard bearers (good for them). I see many examples during my daily search for technical headlines. We have gotten accustomed to many changes, and some have been around so long that most people have never seen the former usage. Since I post a lot of articles from vintage editions of the ARRL's QST magazine, I though it might be instructive to include this list of common abbreviations used in the 1930s through 1960s (the years I post). Most notable is the use of periods between letters and lower case vs. upper case letters as with "a.m." (AM), "db" (dB), and "r.f." (RF)...

everything RF Launches its First Magazine

everything RF Launches Its First Magazine - RF Cafeeverything RF, the leading online publication for the RF & Microwave industry, has published the 1st edition of its print / digital magazine focusing on the dynamic and ever-evolving world of wireless communication. The everything RF print / digital magazine is packed with insightful articles, expert interviews, and groundbreaking products, making it the go-to resource for anyone interested in staying up-to-date with the latest developments in the RF industry. This magazine is available in print as well as digital form. The physical print edition will be available at IMS 2023 in San Diego this week in publication bins or Booth #1617. The digital version can be downloaded here. Inside the everything RF magazine, you will find featured articles from diverse categories ranging from 5G to space industries. Whether you are an industry professional or simply curious about the subject, these articles provide a deep understanding of the fundamental concepts and highlight the newest trends and breakthroughs in wireless communication...

Raytheon Radio Tubes

Raytheon Radio Tubes, September 1942 Radio Retailing Today - RF CafeI love these old electronics company advertisements from the World War II era. It represented a time when minor differences between citizens were put aside for the good of the country (yours and mine). Nationalism had not yet been redefined by one-worlders to mean that you hated the rest of the world, but rather that you had pride in your country of birth - or legally adopted new country - and were willing to sacrifice for the common good to preserve your way of life. The U.S. and Great Britain were indisputably the leaders in technical invention amongst the Allied powers. Germany and Japan led the Axis powers tech realm. That's not to say others didn't contribute and were not vital to success. Naval aviation represents to me the assimilation of all great technologies inclusive of ships, aircraft, electronics, weaponry, communications, strategy, discipline, community living, isolation, navigation, and maintenance - all in a limited space...

RF & Electronics Symbols for Visio

RF Electronics Wireless Analog Block Diagrams Symbols Shapes for Visio - RF CafeWith 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...

Please Thank IPP for Their Long-Time Support!

Innovative Power ProductsInnovative Power Products has been designing and manufacturing RF and Microwave passive components since 2005. We use the latest design tools available to build our baluns, 90-degree couplers, directional couplers, combiners/dividers, single-ended transformers, resistors, terminations, and custom products. Applications in military, medical, industrial, and commercial markets are serviced around the world. Products listed on the website link to detailed mechanical drawings, electrical specifications, and performance data. If you cannot find a product that meets your requirements on our website, contact us to speak with one of our experienced design engineers about your project.

Thursday the 15th

1968 Crop of CB, Ham and Communications Antennas

1968 Crop of CB, Ham and Communications Antennas, April 1968 Radio-Electronics - RF CafeThe April 1968 issue of Radio-Electronics magazine had a series of articles on the latest in antenna technology. It included "TV/FM Antennas Are Getting Bigger and Better," "Antenna Rotators," this "1968 Crop of CB, Ham and Communications Antennas," and a couple others, including a build-it-yourself design for UHF television. UHF was a big deal in the day, and was supposed to be the savior of over-the-air broadcast TV, but cable TV came on the scene and cut the legs out from under it, so to speak. As noted by author Noel Penn, it is interesting that the FCC often does not give an EIRP number for radiated power, only a maximum power level into the antenna. FCC Part 97.313(c) Transmitter power standards does specify EIRP numbers for a few sub-bands, but otherwise uses PEP. The majority of radio users are technology users with no knowledge of or interest in the science behind the technology. Manufacturers generally make equipment that performs at least acceptably - albeit with some annoyances - as long as all the components are connected properly. Nowadays with the vast majority of personal communications (radio, TV, and Internet) being accomplished via cellphones, very few people will ever need to mess with cables or antennas. Wireless charging eliminates that last remaining physical connection...

Next-Gen Superconducting Diode

Next-Gen Superconducting Diode - RF Cafe"A team of researchers has developed a high-efficiency superconducting diode with potential applications in scaling up quantum computing and enhancing AI systems. This device can process multiple signals simultaneously, a feature beneficial for neuromorphic computing, and is designed with more industry-friendly materials, paving the way for broader industrial applications. A University of Minnesota Twin Cities-led team has developed a new superconducting diode, a key component in electronic devices, that could help scale up quantum computers for industry use and improve the performance of artificial intelligence systems. Compared to other superconducting diodes, the researchers' device is more energy efficient; can process multiple electrical signals at a time; and contains a series of gates..."

Third Eye for Space Explorers

Third Eye for Space Explorers (early Google Glass?), July 1962 Popular Electronics - RF CafeThis must be the early prototype for Google Glass, was the first thing that came to mind when I saw this story in a 1962 edition of Popular Electronics magazine. It is intended to allow "future" astronauts to have improved situational awareness by providing means to look behind himself without needing to turn around, and to receive mission data via a miniature CRT embedded within the viewer. Voice communications is featured as well. Hughes Aircraft Company (nowadays just "Hughes") might just want to consider assigning a handful of its highly paid attorneys to look into a patent infringement action based on the original content of its "Electrocular" headset paperwork. A small percentage of any award paid to me will be appreciated. Here is another reference to the Electrocular in a 1962 Science & Mechanics magazine...

Axiom: Scopes Get Second Look w/Integrated Analyzers

Axiom Blog: Scopes Get a Second Look with Integrated Analyzers - RF CafeAxiom Test Equipment, an electronic test equipment rental and sales company has published a new blog post that covers how high-speed oscilloscopes with on-board spectrum analysis capability can be a more efficient testing approach. Traditionally, testing in the time and frequency domains meant separate signal paths and separate units. An oscilloscope shows signals in the time domain while a spectrum analyzer shows signals in the frequency domain. However, a more efficient approach - and a less crowded test bench - can be achieved using a high-speed oscilloscope with on-board spectrum analysis capability. That way, it is possible to have multiple looks at a signal of interest with a single unit. Specifying a combination oscilloscope/spectrum analyzer requires defining performance ranges for the two units, so that each will deliver the capabilities needed for a targeted set of test applications. For an oscilloscope, this typically includes the number of measurement channels, bandwidth per channel...

Radio News Information Sheets

Radio News Information Sheets, March 1930 Radio News - RF CafeTo the benefit of both professionals and hobbyists, Radio News magazine published Information Sheets each month that readers could easily cut out and insert into a notebook as a handy reference. For example, one Information Sheet presents basic information on the current-producing color sensitivities of common elements like cesium, rubidium, and potassium, along with that of the human eye for comparison. Another Information Sheet has a table of resistor values useful for constructing a range-selectable voltmeter from a simple milliammeter. Also, just as today you can buy a nearly complete AM or FM radio in the form of an IC (plus a handful of external components), it was possible even in 1930 to buy a complete radio receiver for integration into a chassis either as just a radio or as part of a combination unit that might also contain a record player. Some spec sheets for a few of those are included here as well just so you can see what they looked like - including all the vacuum tubes...

RF & Electronics Symbols for Office™

RF & Electronics Schematic & Block Diagram Symbols for Office™ r2 - RF CafeIt 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!

Thanks to TotalTemp Technologies for Continued Support!

TotalTemp Technologies - RF CafeTotalTemp Technologies has more than 40 years of combined experience providing thermal platforms. Thermal Platforms are available to provide temperatures between -100°C and +200°C for cryogenic cooling, recirculating & circulating coolers, temperature chambers and temperature controllers, thermal range safety controllers, space simulation chambers, hybrid benchtop chambers, custom systems and platforms. Manual and automated configurations for laboratory and production environments. Please contact TotalTemp Technologies today to learn how they can help your project.

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- Christmas-themed items

Innovative Power Products (IPP) 90 deg Hybrid Couplers
Temwell Filters

Rigol DHO1000 Oscilloscope - RF Cafe

Anritsu Test Equipment - RF Cafe