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.
Thursday 20
The
TTRM1090
GaAs amplifier operates at a frequency range of 5700 MHz to 5900 MHz and has a power output of 25 Watts,
while still maintaining a compact form factor of 5.3 x 3.25 x 0.57 inches. This unit also features internal
protection against over/under voltage and excessive temperature conditions, which coupled with its rugged
construction, ensure fault-free operation in even the most extreme environments. This class A GaAs module
is designed for both military and commercial applications. It is capable of supporting any ...
Significant advances in electronics - and all other kinds of
technology for that matter - occurred during World War II, which in conjunction with the U.S. government
selling surplus equipment at the end of that war at very low prices, cause a boom in consumer electronics
markets. The established radio business and the fledgling television markets were abetted by quickly
expanding numbers of
broadcast
stations. This chart from early 1948 show the number of currently licensed AM, FM, and TV stations,
with projections out 20 years to 1968. I don't have ..."
"NASA Langley Research Center has developed a wireless, connection-free,
open-circuit technology that can be used for developing electrical devices such as sensors that need
no physical contact with the properties being measured. At the core of the technology
is the SansEC (Sans Electrical Connections) circuit, which is damage-resilient and environmentally friendly
to manufacture and use. The technology uses a NASA award-winning magnetic field response ...
As EW warfighting requirements continue to evolve in their complexity
and interdependency, it is clear that future EW systems must work collaboratively with other air, ground,
surface space and cyberspace systems. The need for multi-purpose, multimode, flexible software defined
EW systems is being clearly and widely communicated by the DOD EW community.
Empower
RF has developed the world's first software definable high power RF amplifiers, an essential element
for adaptable multi-mode EW systems. Come visit us to learn more at the Point Mugu Electronic Warfare ...
"Pulsed signals are widespread in radar and other electronic
warfare (EW) applications, and they must be accurately measured for manufacturing, design of countermeasures,
and threat assessment. Pulse measurements are an especially challenging area for signal analysis due
to a combination of factors. Fortunately, many of the improving signal processing and analog-digital
conversion technologies behind the generation of complex pulse environments also enable new techniques
for effective
pulse analysis. A real-time spectrum measurement of a multi-emitter ..."
"NASA Langley Research Center has developed a novel
negative dielectric constant
material based on ion conducting materials. A negative dielectric constant material is an essential
key for creating metamaterials, or artificial negative index materials (NIMs). NIMs have generated great
attention due to their unique and exotic electromagnetic properties, and could be used for unique optical
and microwave applications, including new methods of electromagnetic cloaking and extremely low loss
communications ..."
Wednesday 19
"Infineon
Technologies has joined the
5G Automotive Association (5GAA), to contribute towards the creation of a 5G standard
for cars. The association is working on the introduction of new communication solutions enabling connected
automated driving and on intelligent transport systems. Infineon will provide key 5G technologies required
for the autonomous car, and for electromobility. Secure communication with practically zero time delay
is a critical requirement ..."
"For the first time, researchers have been able to deposit an
ultra-thin oxide ferroelectric film onto a flexible polymer substrate. The research team used the flexible
ferroelectric thin films to make non-volatile memory devices that are wearable and resilient. 'Ferroelectric
materials are capable of storing charge, which makes them ideal for non-volatile memory devices,' says
Jacob Jones, a professor of materials science and engineering at North Carolina State University and
co-author of a paper on the work ..."
Triacs
are not a component often used in RF and microwave circuit design, but being conversant in its operation
could make you popular at nerd parties. A triac is basically the equivalent of two SCRs connected back-to-back,
allowing it to conduct on both the positive and negative half-cycles of an AC connection. Both devices
are most commonly used in switching applications. The unique feature of an SCR and triac is that once
the gate voltage is sufficiently high to begin conduction between the anode and cathode, it can be removed
and conduction will continue until the anode-cathode voltage is removed ...
"Keysight experts will be at
WAMICON 2017 (April 24–25), an annual IEEE Wireless and Microwave Conference, to
discuss everything from circuit-level modeling to system verification for general RF, microwave, millimeter
wave for 4G, emerging 5G communications, and aerospace & defense. Keysight also will be demonstrating
the latest ADS 2016, EMPro and SystemVue software, as well as a range of RF and microwave tools that
include the ENA network analyzer, MXG X-Series RF vector signal generator and MXA multi-touch signal
analyzer ...
"The
'Porcupine' is out, and it's making its debut in all its shiny grandeur. Nicknamed 'Porcupine' within AT&T, a new millimeter-wave channel sounder was introduced
this week as a first-of-its-kind device. Looking a bit like something that might be walking and talking
in a Star Wars movie, the sounder was developed with the help of National Instruments (NI) to capture
how wireless signals are affected in a given environment. It can be used to measure how signals reflect
off of, or are blocked by, objects like trees ..."
"Radio
waves, microwaves and even light itself are all made of electric and magnetic fields. The classical
theory of electromagnetism
was completed in the 1860s by James Clerk Maxwell. At the time, Maxwell's theory was revolutionary,
and provided a unified framework to understand electricity, magnetism and optics. Now, new research
led by LSU Department of Physics & Astronomy Assistant Professor Ivan Agullo, with colleagues from
the Universidad de Valencia, Spain, advances knowledge of this theory. Their recent discoveries have
been published in Physical Review ..."
Tuesday 18
"Sensor firm, VStar Systems, has completed a successful flight
test of its modular Signal Intelligence Sensor,
MA-C/lite, aboard the Martin UAV V-Bat aircraft. Over the duration of 35 minutes
at an altitude of 400 feet above ground level, the MA-C/lite sensor collected radio signals from as
far as 20 miles, according to VStar. VStar's goal for the MA-C/lite sensor was to build a light-weight
signal detector small enough to be carried on UAVs used by military and private security clients. 'Radio
detection systems are large. It's hard to find ..."
Woo-hoo, I have finally achieved Ham radio license Nirvana! Reporting
this on World Amateur Radio Day seems appropriate. On Saturday, April 15, 2017, I passed my
Amateur Extra
exam in the presence of three VEs at the Wattsburg Wireless Association meeting room in Erie, PA.
Nearly 7 years have transpired since I took the Technician test in the same room in 2010. My General
license test was taken at the Forsyth Amateur Radio Club meeting room in Winston Salem, NC, in, 2015.
Until the FCC updates my record in the online Universal Licensing System (ULS), my call sign will be
KB3UON/AE. Motivation for pursuing the Ham radio license goal was ...
The March 1951 issue of Radio & Television News had
just two
television-themed
comics. The first one might have been pushing on the edge of acceptability, but these types of magazines
were directed almost exclusively toward men. The easily-offended special snowflake generation was far
in the future. Television at that time was building a huge presence in homes worldwide, and there was
a huge amount of interest in the technology. It hadn't really been all that long since the public got
used to hearing sound (i.e., 'talkies') in the movie theater, so the mystique ...
"Static, like the
poor, will always be with us." -
John Renshaw Carson,
inventor of single sideband (SSB) modulation. His mathematical analysis 'proved' that frequency modulation
(FM) offered no improvement in noise over amplitude modulation (AM). The well-known Carson Rule of FM,
BW = 2(Δf + fm), came out of that work. Major Edwin H. Armstrong,
a contemporary of Carson's, invented
wideband
FM, hence rendering the prediction void. The rest, as they say, is history Armstrong also invented
the regenerative and heterodyne circuits prior to his FM work.
"The International Amateur Radio Union Region 1 (IARU-R1) Monitoring
System (IARUMS) March newsletter reports that the
Russian 'buzzer' on 6,998.0 kHz has disappeared. For a long time the system interfered
with the lower edge of the 40-meter band. In addition, a Russian F1B transmission on 7,193 kHz - believed
to be emanating from Kaliningrad - has ceased. IARUMS credits German telecoms authorities for submitting
complaints and the Russian military. The IARUMS March newsletter further reports that a Chinese ..."
"Pasternack, a leading provider of RF, microwave and millimeter
wave products, has released four new
1.0 mm flexible VNA test cables that are designed to deliver precision testing results
for Vector Network Analyzer (VNA) testing, semiconductor probe testing, automotive radar testing and
military radar testing. They are ideal for applications such as test benches, radar, microwave radio
and millimeter wave radio. Pasternack's four new high-performance, flexible VNA test cables operate
at up to 110 GHz and deliver precise results for testing ..."
Monday 17
"Nanjing
Electronic Devices Institute in China has used fin structures to improve the linearity of aluminium
gallium nitride/gallium nitride (AlGaN/GaN) high-electron-mobility transistors (HEMTs) [Kai Zhang et
al, IEEE Electron Device Letters, published online 24 March 2017]. The team comments: 'To the best of
our knowledge, this is the first demonstration of superior power performance of high-linearity GaN finFETs,
indicating significant advantages of tri-gate configuration over planar HEMTs for microwave ..."
On Tuesday, April 18, NI/AWR will sponsor a Microwave Journal
RF / microwave training webinar titled, "Introduction to Radar." Presented by Scott Bullock, noted researcher and developer
of radar simulators and spread spectrum receivers, the webinar covers radar detection and ranging, pulse
versus continuous wave applications, radar modulation, radar path budget (basic radar equation), radar
range equation, range ambiguity and mitigation, maximum and minimum detectable range and plan position
indicator (PPI) and A-scope ...
MDA Information Systems LLC has an immediate opening for a
Senior RF Engineer in Reston, VA. This is
a full-time customer-site position providing support to a U.S. Government agency. MDA is an industry
leader in earth observation remote sensing technology and image processing. We build satellite ground
systems that enable users to acquire and process imagery form the most sophisticated Earth-observing
satellites in the world: Much of the satellite imagery that you see on Google Maps was generated ...
This back-page advertisement by
Model Rectifier Corporation (aka MRC) appeared in
the January 1972 issue of American Aircraft Modeler magazine. Note the cool collection of
[now] vintage test equipment shown in support of testing the R/C system.
The advertisement shows a rhombic antenna, the Dana 8015 RF frequency counter, Tektronix 7904 oscilloscope,
HP spectrum analyzer, RF communications synthesizer RF generator, Anritsu precision field strength meter.
I was 13 years old at the time, and anxiously watched for in the mailbox each month ...
LOL!
Read that headline carefully. Does it mean that American men have less luck
finding a job than they do finding women, or that American men have less luck finding
a job than women do? You'll have to read the article to find out ...
"Diamonds with
minute flaws could play a crucial role in the future of quantum technology. For some time now, researchers
at TU Wien have been studying the
quantum properties
of such diamonds, but only now have they succeeded in coupling the specific defects in two such diamonds
with one another. This is an important prerequisite for the development of new applications, such as
highly sensitive sensors and switches for quantum computers. The results of the research will now be
published in the journal Physical ..."
Friday 14
I just
ran a report for RFCafe.com's website visitor statistics for March 2017. The trend is going up relative to January's
numbers. Nowadays with all the competition coming online, even holding even is considered good, so I'm
happy. The chart and table are unaltered from by web hosting service provider
(Hostek.com). Dips in the charts are weekends.
• Page Views = 1,674,669
• Visits = 554,806
(17,870 visitors/day)
• Bandwidth = 74,800.5 MB ...
Communications System
Laboratory offers an integrated approach to communications system teaching. Inspired by his students'
expressed desire to read background theory explained in simple terms and to obtain practical computer
training, Dr. Kumar has crafted this textbook, ideal for a first course in communication systems. The
book merges theory with practical software and hardware applications. Each chapter includes the following
components: a brief theory that describes the underlying mathematics and principles, a problem-solving
section with a set of typical ...
OK, I am ashamed to admit that with just a quick guess I thought
Rx in question 6 would be 180 Ω rather than the correct value of 20 Ω. I knew the ratio
of 150 Ω to 50 Ω (3:1) would be the same as for 60 Ω to Rx, but stupidly went the wrong
way. In order for the
bridge to be balanced, the voltage division between the left and right arms of the bridge had to
result in the voltages on both sides of the meter to be 0 V. I did manage to get the equivalent
resistances of Q8 ...
ConductRF's
Site-Flex RF field test cables
have been designed to support Handheld RF & Microwave Analyzers. The ruggedized construction includes
anti-torque connectors that are firmly attached to the cables external armor. ConductRF offer a various
solutions in support of precision Vector Network Analyzer testing. many application focuses. Alternative
constructions various by Armor style and flexibility features. NMD Connector heads or adapters are available
for most connector configurations ...
"Researchers at the University of Pennsylvania have developed
a new technique to study the surface of different types of glass. Using this technique, they discovered
a surprising property of the top layer of glasses, which could pave the way to developing better
glass materials.
The research was led by Yue Zhang, a graduate student in the Department of Chemistry in Penn's School
of Arts & Sciences. Zhang received an APS Padden Award for the research, which recognizes excellence
in polymer ..."
"Qorvo, a leading provider of innovative RF solutions that connect
the world, continues to advance 802.11ax migration as customers implement its recently released portfolio
of Wi-Fi front-end modules (FEMs). The company's new 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz FEMs, and bulk acoustic
wave (BAW) filters, provide the high throughput and extreme thermal efficiency that are central to high-density
802.11ax Wi-Fi connectivity. Brad Shaffer, senior analyst, Mobile Devices & Networks at IHS Markit,
said, 'Qorvo's Wi-Fi FEM and BAW filter products are examples of the RF components which ..."
"Bell correlations - a hallmark of an entangled quantum system - have been spotted
in an ensemble of 500,000 rubidium-87 atoms. The atoms were prepared in spin-squeezed states by
physicists at Stanford University in the US and the correlations measured to a whopping statistical
significance of 124σ. In quantum mechanics, entangled particles have much stronger correlations
than are allowed in classical physics - a property that can be exploited in quantum ..."
Thursday 13
Innovative Power
Products introduces their new model
IPP-8090,
a 200 watt, 32 dB, Surface Mount Dual Directional Coupler that operates from 500 - 3000 MHz.
The IPP-8090 is a unique broadband design which provides separate coupled ports for both forward and
reflected signals with internal Terminations. This coupler is produced in a Surface Mount (SMD) package
size of 1.00 x 1.00 inches. Insertion Loss is less than 0.30 dB, main line VSWR is less than 1.30:1,
coupled flatness is +/- 1.0 dB ...
"The world's top 20 richest
engineers come from a variety of backgrounds. If you search for the highest-paid jobs or what industry
will earn you more money you would definitely find engineering at the top of any list. Scroll down and
see for yourself - engineers do indeed become wealthy! So who are the top 20 richest engineers in the
world? Let's have a look. None of us should be surprised about the STEM revolution that ..."
I might make the 10 poorest list :-(
I have been scanning and posting Radio Service Data Sheets like
these featuring the Sonora Model TW-49 radio and Stewart-Warner 03-5A Senior Varsity Radio receivers
for many years. There
are still a lot of people who restore and service these vintage
radios, and often it can be difficult or impossible to find schematics and/or tuning information. The
November 1939 issue of Radio News published these schematics ...
Elma Electronic has expanded its award-winning
iD-Box enclosure line with the iD-Case 18. The new enclosure uses a combination
of magnetic connections and hidden screws that provides simple access to internal electronics through
an easily removable top panel. This reduces system integration complexity as well as hassles with upgrades
and maintenance. Walter Podbelski, Director of E & C Sales for Elma Electronic, noted, 'Electronics
systems have moved back room ..."
See lots of cool
statistics maps by BoA/Merril Lynch. "Ever wonder what your home country exports
out to the world the most? What about a neighboring country or political ally? The put together this
comprehensive map showing what each country is best known for exporting. The information comes from
2014 data collected by the
CIA World Factbook. The map does not include services exported to other countries.
The color coded nature of the map lets us visually identify some pretty important global market ..."
"Verizon conducted its latest engineering flight tests using
a 'flying cell site' aboard a drone, and while it didn't share specific results, it's
another indication that the carrier is progressing with the prospect of using drones to supply an LTE
network if severe weather knocks out more traditional cellular network components. The 17-foot-long
drone was piloted by American Aerospace Technologies Inc. (AATI) during the trial run at Woodbine
Municipal Airport in Woodbine, New Jersey, on April 5. The test was designed to simulate ..."
Wednesday 12
What's up with Google, Verizon, Nokia 3.5 GHz CBRS Band?
"It's somewhat remarkable how far the 3.5 GHz sector has come
in one year. The FCC finalized rules for spectrum sharing in the
Citizens Broadband Radio Service (CBRS) band in April 2016, making 150 MHz available
for mobile broadband and other commercial uses. But before any of that spectrum can be shared, a seemingly
complex framework needs to be put into place, one that includes three tiers: one for incumbents, a Priority
Access tier and a General ..."
"CRFS, a leader in real-time RF spectrum monitoring solutions,
has released its
RFeye Toolbox for MATLAB and Simulink. This new feature means that IQ and spectrum
data can be imported from RFeye receivers and used with MATLAB signal processing toolboxes and the user's
own signal processing algorithms. MATLAB is used quite widely across the science and engineering world.
Many users otherwise unfamiliar with software development are accustomed to using MATLAB in some form.
The RFeye toolbox
for MATLAB is a valuable resource in addition to CRFS's C ..."
The
50BA-025-62 2.9MM from JFW is an Ethernet-controlled RF attenuator system specifically
developed for testing mm-wave and 5G radios in a laboratory environment. Ultra-wide bandwidth of 100 MHz
- 40 GHz and attenuation from 0-62 dB in 1-dB steps makes this system ideal for receiver testing
and network emulation of fixed 5G and mobile 5G network components. An easy to use Ethernet/RS-232 interface
with front-panel control and standard 2.9 mm RF connectors make ...
"Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST) and Harvard
University in the USA have reported progress on direct epitaxy of III-V quantum dot (QD) materials on
silicon, producing 1.55 μm
microdisk lasers (MDLs). The 1.55 μm wavelength is used in long-distance telecomms over
low-attenuation optical fibers. Normally such devices are grown on indium phosphide (InP). Electrically
driven III-V quantum dot laser materials on silicon have recently been realized for shorter, non-optimal
1.3 μm wavelengths. Integrating lasers with silicon would allow more compact ..."
The
title of the first article listed might have a couple decades ago, had you suspecting it might be some
sort of April Fools' gag. After all, who would think there would be any possibility of an oscilloscope
performing functions historically reserved for spectrum ... But, then I read Rick chapman's article
on transcendental resistors ...
•
What's the Difference Between Signal Analyzers and Oscilloscopes for Frequency Analysis?, P. Mannion
•
Transcendental Resistors Simplify Precision Design, R. Chapman
•
Frog Legs Probably Won't Charge Your Phone, D. Bogdanoff <more>
"Every April
18, radio amateurs worldwide take to the airwaves in celebration of
World Amateur Radio Day.
It was on that day in 1925 that the International Amateur Radio Union was formed in Paris. Amateur Radio
experimenters were the first to discover that the short wave spectrum - far from being a wasteland -
could support worldwide propagation. In the rush to use these shorter wavelengths, Amateur Radio was
'in grave danger of being pushed aside,' the IARU's history has noted. Amateur Radio pioneers met in
Paris in 1925 and created the IARU to support ..."
Tuesday 11
NuWaves Engineering, an international Radio Frequency (RF) and Microwave solutions
provider, has completed the Independent Research and Development (IR&D) phase for their miniaturized
VHF/UHF RF bidirectional amplifier (BDA), and has finished manufacturing the first 20 units for initial
qualification testing and preliminary demo units. The NuPower™ Xtender™ VU4GX02 model features high
linearity performance, small size and weight, high adjacent channel leakage ratio (ACLR), broad supply ...
"The Navy is implementing
enhanced interferometer-based technology that can covertly assess threats and jam enemy electronic systems
as part of full production of Block 2 of the
Surface Electronic
Warfare Improvement Program (SEWIP) for the AN/SLQ-32 electronic warfare (EW) system. Lockheed Martin
Corp., Rotary and Mission Systems is conducting the final examination of options regarding the full-rate
production of SEWIP Block 2 through a $98.484 million contract ..."
Teenage amateur sleuths, cum amateur radio operators, cum high-tech
pranksters, cum serious electronics experimenters
Carl Anderson and Jerry Bishop save the day once again with a cleverly devised device for erasing
the contents of a tape recording. Their assignment, done at the behest of a secretive government agent,
might have been made easier if they had had access to the super-strong rare earth magnets of today since
a stereo speaker magnet would not do the job. Instead, the pair was forced to resort to a more challenging
solution. As is author Frye's style, he educates you on the workings of tape recorder ...
Triad RF
Systems has published their 2nd-quarter 2017 newsletter. It includes announcements on 3 new products:
An SSPA for CubeSat and NanoSat systems (TA1181), a 40 watt bi-directional amplifier for UAV data and
video link applications (TTRM1116), and a dual channel C-band bi-directional amplifier for MIMO r (TTRM1008D).
Triad RF Systems will be at the Xponential 2017 show for May 8th-11th, and EDI-CON 2017 for Sept 11th-13th ..."
Anatech Electronics manufactures and supplies RF and microwave
filters for military and commercial communication systems, providing standard and custom RF
filters, and RF products. StandardRF filter and cable assembly products
are published in their website database. Custom RF filters designs are used when a standard cannot be
found, or the requirements dictate a custom approach. Please take a moment to visit Anatech's website
to see how they might be able to assist with your current project
...
"T-Mobile USA is asking the FCC for permission to conduct tests
in the
3550-3700 MHz band, also known as the 3.5 GHz band, to evaluate the technical performance
of pre-commercial Nokia equipment. It's the latest sign of operators' interest in using the 3.5 GHz
band. Last month, Verizon confirmed its interest in deploying small cells—both low power and high power—using
the 3.5 GHz / Citizens Broadband Radio Services (CBRS) band, saying it would ..."