Watkins Johnson Tech-Notes Archive

May 25, 2020 Update: Many thanks to Brad B. for contributing Tech Notes v5-3, v5-4, v5-5, v5-6, v6-2, v6-3, v6-4, v6-5, v6-6, v8-1, v8-4, v9-1, v9-2, v9-3, v9-4, v9-5, v10-2, v10-5, v10-6.

March 12, 2019 Update: Thanks to Chuck U. for providing new Tech Notes v10-3 and v15-2, and an improved v5-2.

August 14, 2018 Update: Thanks to Larry Jugler for providing three new Tech Notes (v11-4, v11-5, and v11-6).

February 7, 2018 Update: Thanks to Paul Herzig, of Raytheon, for writing to tell me that the hyperlink I originally had to the Watkins-Johnson Tech-Note collection on the TriQuint website is no longer valid. Qorvo (formerly RF Micro Devices, RFMD) took them down after acquiring TriQuint a few years ago. They were all still available as of September 2015, but alas no more. Paul provided many of the Tech-Notes in the following list for posting directly on RF Cafe. Also, I discovered that some of the original Watkins-Johnson Communications web pages can still be accessed via the Wayback Machine™ on the Archive.Org website: Watkins-Johnson Tech-Notes 

As of this time, you can purchase Original WJ Tech Notes here for just a couple bucks apiece.

Watkins-Johnson Tech-Notes - RF CafeBelieve it or not, there was a time when the Internet did not exist and getting quality information could be difficult. Perhaps more notably today, bad information is far too easy to get online because there is no qualified peer review of content. Waaaaayyyyyy back in the 1970s and 1980s when I was new to the electronics design world, offices, cubicles, laboratories, company technical libraries, even hallways, were piled high with reference books, magazines, component books, applications notes, datasheets, white papers, and every other form of information that might be useful.

Now, of course, the preferred source for information is the Internet, particularly from trusted sources like universities, book publishers, RF Cafe, etc. The problem is that a lot of the old data that was uniquely useful, has not been archived on the Web.

Such is the case with an exceptionally useful set of Tech-Notes that appeared in the Watkins Johnson parts catalogs of yore (circa 1980). It is quite difficult to locate those notes, especially since websites keep moving the files around, breaking links. So, as a matter of public service, I am making them available here. All copyrights are hereby acknowledged. At this time there are 85 Tech-Notes.

Also, don't forget the classic datasheet for the Watkins-Johnson WJ-G1/SMG1 Voltage-Controlled Attenuator datasheet with the Phase vs. VCTL vs. Frequency vs. Phase of the Moon Chart

RF Cafe - Watkins-Johnson Tech-Notes, Signal Recognition in a Complex Radar Environment

Watkins-Johnson Tech Note 

Signal Recognition in a Complex Radar Environment

RF Cafe - Watkins-Johnson Tech-Notes, Mixers in Microwave Systems part 1

Watkins-Johnson Tech Note

Mixers in Microwave Systems part 1

RF Cafe - Watkins-Johnson Tech-Notes, Mixers in Microwave Systems part 2

Watkins-Johnson Tech Note

Mixers in Microwave Systems part 2

RF Cafe - Watkins-Johnson Tech-Notes, Receiver Dynamic Range part 1

Watkins-Johnson Tech Note

Receiver Dynamic Range part 1

RF Cafe - Watkins-Johnson Tech-Notes, Receiver Dynamic Range part 2

Watkins-Johnson Tech Note

Receiver Dynamic Range part 2 

RF Cafe - Watkins-Johnson Tech-Notes, Digital Ttransmission of Analog Signals

Watkins-Johnson Tech Note

Digital Transmission of Analog Signals

RF Cafe - Watkins-Johnson Tech-Notes, Time-Domain Receivers for Pulsed Signals part 1

Watkins-Johnson Tech Note 

Time-Domain Receivers for Pulsed Signals part 1

RF Cafe - Watkins-Johnson Tech-Notes, Time-Domain Receivers for Pulsed Signals part 2

Watkins-Johnson Tech Note

Time-Domain Receivers for Pulsed Signals part 2

RF Cafe - Watkins-Johnson Tech-Notes, High Probability of Intercept Receivers

Watkins-Johnson Tech Note 

High Probability of Intercept Receivers

RF Cafe - Watkins-Johnson Tech-Notes, Image-Reject and Single Sideband Mixers

Watkins-Johnson Tech Note

Image-Reject and Single Sideband Mixers

RF Cafe - Watkins-Johnson Tech-Notes, Mixers As Phase Detectors

Watkins-Johnson Tech Note

Mixers As Phase Detectors 

RF Cafe - Watkins-Johnson Tech-Notes, VCO and PLL Design

Watkins-Johnson Tech Note

VCO and PLL Design

RF Cafe - Watkins-Johnson Tech-Notes, Gain of Directional Antennas

Watkins-Johnson Tech Note

Gain of Directional Antennas vol. 3 

 

 

Posted July 15, 2022
(updated from original post on 9/14/2015)