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 Prior to the
detonation of atomic bombs in order to finally bring an end to World War II, the
general public didn't know much about
nuclear radiation. Many had of course had x-ray images made of teeth and/or
bones during medical examinations, but the potential dangers of exposure to
large dosages were not considered. Except for unintended exposure in
laboratories, even technical personnel were generally unconcerned about
radiation. Largely justified based on the utter instantaneous destruction and
long-term lingering effects of the bombs, people were - and still are - dubious
and fearful of large nuclear-based installations such as electric power
generation plants, research institutions, and waste storage facilities. Nuclear
industry proponents put a lot of effort into assuaging the fears through
promises of safety measures taken to mitigate the likelihood of catastrophic
accidents. This 1948 Popular Science magazine article was one of the
first attempts to address large audiences...
 Axiom Test Equipment, an electronic test
equipment rental and sales company has published a new blog post that covers how
pressure calibrators can provide accurate pressure measurements essential to
many processes employed in major industries and military bases. Measuring and calibrating
pressure devices in manufacturing and production facilities contributes to the safety
of those locations and the quality of their products. Globally, many standards have
been established for evaluating pressure throughout many applications, since pressure
impacts many components within a pressurized system, including displays, sensors,
and transmitters. Pressure can be dangerous when excessive, but it can also provide
many benefits towards the efficient operation and prolonged operating lifetimes
of electromechanical equipment. Specifying a pressure calibrator for an application...
 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.
 Most people, even in this, the year of our
Lord 2024, still use old-fashioned cylinder locks on a regular basis. Your abode's
front door lock is almost certainly a
cylinder lock, as is the starter lock for your car. You likely have a metal
key in your pocket or purse for each. If you have recreational vehicles, chances
are they are started with a metal key in a cylinder lock. Variations on the basic
design of a cylinder lock have emerged which make them more difficult to pick, but
fundamentally they are mostly the same. We have all seen movies and television shows
where clever crooks, police, and private detectives pull out a professional lock
picking kit and jiggle a lock in mere seconds, no matter whether it is an office
door, a file cabinet, or a bank vault. This 1961 Popular Science magazine article
provides a good introduction into cylinder lock construction and operation. Of course
videos abound on YouTube for learning the fine art of lock picking. If you want
a good laugh, watch this...
 A Washington-State-based emergency management
and counter-terror specialist is the latest to loudly support the passage of the
AM for Every Vehicle Act. Jeff Burns wrote an opinion piece for the Seattle
Times emphasizing AM radio’s role in safeguarding the public. Burns has more than
25 years of experience in high-threat protective services across government and
private sectors, including a decade in undercover law enforcement. He is a board-Certified
Dignitary and Executive Protection expert, a Certified Master Anti-Terrorism Specialist,
and is US Department of State Worldwide Protective Services 2 qualified. He is also
the founder of Burns Group International. In his article, Burns discussed how the
necessity of AM radio is particularly acute in Washington, a state prone to natural
disasters like flooding and wildfires...
 "Ferromagnetism and superconductivity don’t
play well together. Ordinarily the two phenomena - ferromagnetism grants garden-variety
permanent magnets their magnetic fields and superconductivity expels the internal
magnetic fields of certain materials cooled below critical temperatures - seem to
cancel each other out. But under uncommon circumstances, the two phenomena can behave
with one another. One such circumstance could be a promising boon for future
spintronic devices that operate
more quickly and use less energy than their electronic counterparts. Researchers
have now etched magnetic patterns into micrometer-sized 'islands' of a superconductor
topped with a ferromagnetic material. These kinds of magnetic textures usually are
not very stable, but..."
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.
 Concepts for the weaponization of space
began long before the first satellites were launched in the late 1950s. Science
fiction writers dreamed of battles in outer space to repel alien invaders, and war
planners cogitated over such needs in warding off enemy attacks back when long-range
rockets were in the design and planning stages. This "U.S.
Plans First Warship in Space" from a 1961 issue of Popular Science
magazine reports on the state of the art. Some of the countermeasures are comical,
but were serious concepts being proposed at the time. I particularly like the scheme
where an anti-satellite "warship" would essentially throw sand in the face of the
offending craft in order to blind it's video surveillance capabilities. Another
option would was to hit its camera lens with some spray paint. A robotic pair of
bolt cutters might also snip off antenna elements, and maybe as a next-to-last ditch
resort, a giant reflector could focus the sun's heat on the satellite and fry it
to a crisp...
 We really have it good today compared to
the early days of the semiconductor revolution. Most of the most difficult problems
were solved long ago. Point contact devices were still fairly commonplace even in
1964 when this ad appeared in Electronics magazine. Recall that the very
first manufactured
solid state diodes and transistors were the point contact type that were encapsulated
in glass with a space gap where the contact was made. That left the device vulnerable
to vibration and impact damage and to contamination if the hermetic seal failed
between the metal lead and the junction(s). Unitrode claims to have been the first
to eliminate that issue with essentially a fully bonded package. Keep in mind, however,
that even the early semiconductor device packaging was no worse than the vacuum
tubes that they replaced, since the tubes also suffered from the same vulnerabilities
due to their construction...
 I suppose the term "Subminiature"
as it applies to electronics components is as relative as the word "Modern" is in
book titles. They might be accurate at the time of the writing, but passage of time
renders them ambiguous. Subminiature in 1957, when this Radio & TV News
magazine article appeared, meant anything other than full-size vacuum tubes, huge
power transformers, multi-layer wafer switches, and hookup wire larger than 20 AWG.
The advent of peanut tubes, very early versions of transistors and solid state diodes,
and ever-higher operational frequencies permitted component sizes to be shrunk by
a factor of two or more. Rather than using a pistol-style soldering gun or a soldering
iron designed for assembling copper guttering, a precision pencil-type iron could
be used and greasy tools from the garage no longer sufficed for turning screws and
nuts...
 I was born in the era of screw-in glass
fuses in household electric service panels. There was always a supply of replacements
in the cabinet above the stove. Sometime around 1978, prior to enlisting in the
USAF, I replaced the fuse panel with a Square D circuit breaker panel - a skill
learned through four years of electrical work. In the Air Force, I worked on a 1950s
era air traffic control radar system which consisted of many chassis assemblies
having fuse holders on their front panels. The racks themselves had a circuit breaker
panel, but it was a retrofit from sometime in the early 1970s. That was my introduction
into the wide variety of cylindrical glass fuses - high and low voltage, normal-,
slow- and fast-blow, time delay, etc. I learned of the reason why circuit designers
employed each type, and always used exact replacements when possible. Later, as
a circuit and systems design engineer myself, I always was careful to specify the
most
appropriate fuse type. This 1960 article in Radio-Electronics magazine
is a good primer on fuse handling...
 Exodus Advanced Communications, is a multinational
RF communication equipment and engineering service company serving both commercial
and government entities and their affiliates worldwide. We are pleased to announce
our Low−Noise Amplifier (LNA) covering 18.0 - 40.0 GHz. The
LNA3007−1 produces +10 dBm power with a 20 dB power gain. The unit
is a small Class A linear design for optimum reliability & ruggedness for all
applications. The unit has nominal dimensions of 14.95 x 18.8 x 8.9 mm with
2.92 mm K-female connectors. Features include Class A linear design, suited
for K-Ka broadband linear applications and for all single channel modulation standards.
Built-in protection circuits with high reliability and ruggedness...
 Werbel Microwave is a manufacturer of RF
directional and bidirectional couplers (6 dB to 50 dB) and RF power dividers
/ combiners (2− to 16−way) with select models operating up to 26.5 GHz and
100 W of CW power (3 kW peak). All are RoHS and REACH compliant and are
designed and manufactured in our Whippany, NJ, location. Custom products and private
label service available. Please take a couple minutes to visit their website and
see how Werbel Microwave can help you today.
 One aspect of advertising on the RF Cafe
website I have not covered is using
Google AdSense.
The reason is that I never took the time to explore how - or even whether it is
possible - to target a specific website for displaying your banner ads. A couple
display opportunities have always been provided for Google Ads to display, but the
vast majority of advertising on RF Cafe is done via private advertisers. That is,
companies deal with me directly and I handle inserting their banner ads into the
html page code that randomly selects and displays them. My advertising scheme is
what the industry refers to as a "Tenancy Campaign," whereby a flat price per month
is paid regardless of number of impressions or clicks. It is the simplest format
and has seemed to work well for many companies. With nearly 4 million pageviews
per year for RFCafe.com, the average impression rate per banner ad is about 280k
per year (in eight locations on each page, with >17k pages)...
 When the electronics product world consisted
of vacuum tube based circuits, the physical sizes of standard fixed-value passive
resistors, inductors, and capacitors were not of much concern in terms of how much
volume they consumed. R's, L's, and C's, had wire leads protruding from their molded
bodies, or in the case of larger power supply filtering capacitors had solderable
tabs. Point-to-point wiring consisted of components and hookup wire suspended in
the air between solder terminal strips and tube base tabs. Even with miniature (peanut)
tubes, all but the largest passives had no significant impact on overall unit size.
Once semiconductors came onto the scene, everything changed. Suddenly, even the
standard 1/4 W carbon resistor and tantalum capacitor became a significant
factor when attempting to
reduce size and weight of electronic assemblies. Component manufacturer research
and development departments shifted into high gear to keep up with what would become
a rapid paced race to see who could make the smallest, lightest R's, L's, and C's.
By the time this article appeared in a 1964 issue of Electronics magazine...
 Believe it or not, there are still radio
operators using
Citizen Band (CB) and Business Radio (BR) equipment. That's right, cellphones
(which are themselves radios) have not totally supplanted traditional radio for
person-to-person communications. Prior to the widespread use of cellphones beginning
in the mid-1990s, CB and BR were the only radios available for use by laymen without
an individual license. When I worked as an electrician between high school and entering
the U.S. Air Force, my service truck was equipped with a radio dispatch transceiver
in the Land Mobile Radio System (LMRS) band. I did not have an FCC license to operate
the radio, but was allowed to communicate under the station license just as I was
able to work as an unlicensed electrician under the purview of the company owner's
Master Electrician license. Although companies could legally use CB channels (27 MHz)
and equipment at a much lower cost, LMRS permitted power levels were higher (both
base and mobile) with an accompanying greater range. Unlike on the CB channels,
competition for voice traffic was virtually nonexistent...
 A few years back, I bought the issues of
The
Saturday Evening Post which contained the very first published comics from Peanuts
creator Charles Schulz. As with just about everything else, they were available
on eBay for a few bucks apiece (although prices have really gone up since the beginning
of the year). Most of the issues also had articles and advertisements - and even
comics - that make appropriate fodder for both RF Cafe and my hobby website, Airplanes
and Rockets. Here are a few of the tech-related comics I found. The first one might
seem to be a bit distasteful to the survivors of the RMS Titanic disaster and/or
their relatives, given that only 36 years had passed. The middle one is about architectural
engineer's expertise on how structures are built, and the Hazel comic (raise your
hand if you remember watching the show) qualifies since it applies to the recreational
habit of many engineers and engineering managers. FYI, I colorized the original
B&W line drawings...
 This full-page advertisement by Bell Telephone
Laboratories in the June 1956 issue of Radio & Television News magazine
seems to imply that their Dr. S. Weisbaum and/or his contemporaries was/were
the original developer/s of the
waveguide isolator. If so, it would be no surprise since Bell Labs was responsible
for many technology innovations during its history - RF, microwaves, telephony,
information theory, switching, transmission lines, test and measurement, and much
more. Other information available on the Internet assigns credit to Bell Labs in
the same timeframe. From the ad: "This isolator is a slab of ferrite which is mounted
inside the waveguide, and is kept magnetized by a permanent magnet strapped to the
outside. The magnetized ferrite pushes aside outgoing waves, while unwanted reflected
waves are drawn into the ferrite and dissipated..."
 Long before any one was overly concerned
with relatively paltry
electrostatic discharge (ESD) current causing damage to semiconductor components,
there was a need to model the human body's resistance to current flow due to electric
shock concerns. Even with a huge number of people being severely shocked and/or
killed due to exposure to potentially lethal voltage levels, it was not until the
late 1960s that OSHA and the National Electric Code began requiring exposed metal
components (chassis, switches, etc.) to have a safety ground connection. Popular
Electronics magazine ran an article titled "Shocking But True" in the August
1959 issue dealing with the subject. Many older radio and TV chassis would be "hot"
if the 2-pronged plug was inserted the wrong way into the wall receptacle, so touching
any metal component (even an exposed tuning knob or volume control shaft) would
light you up. The situation was even worse in the early days of AC electric service
because in many cases there was no earth ground established at the service entrance...
 Amateur radio operators - and all electromagnetic
spectrum users for that matter - have always lamented crowded bands and interference
(QRM and QRN). That goes for licensed and unlicensed bands. In 1976 when this editorial
was printed in the ARRL's QST magazine, spectrum occupation within allocated
bands was defined by commonplace analog AM and FM methods. Co-existence was generally
not possible for operation within a common frequency range. Spread spectrum modulation
/ demodulation changed all that beginning in the 1990s, but prior to then such schemes
were largely the exclusive domain of military communications, as were many other
spectrum-saving methods which are commonplace today. A big part of the reason is
the significant advances in digital processing hardware and software, along with
declassification of some of the algorithms that eventually found their way into
cellphone, WiFi, and other commercial applications. Given that many of the professional
engineers* and scientists who played a role in the transition were also Amateur
Radio operators...
 "In 2016, the Japanese government announced
a plan for the emergence of a new kind of society. Human civilization, the proposal
explained, had begun with hunter-gatherers, passed through the agrarian and industrial
stages, and was fast approaching the end of the information age. As then Prime Minister
Shinzo Abe put it, 'We are now witnessing the opening of the fifth chapter.' This
chapter, called Society 5.0, would see made-on-demand goods and robot caretakers,
taxis, and tractors. Many of the innovations that will enable it, like artificial
intelligence, might be obvious. But there is one key technology that is easy to
overlook: lasers. The lasers of Society 5.0 will need to meet several criteria.
They must be small enough to fit inside everyday devices. They must be low-cost
so that the average metalworker or car buyer can afford them - which means they
must also be simple to manufacture and use energy efficiently. And because this
dawning era will be about mass customization (rather than mass production), they
must be highly controllable and adaptive. Semiconductor lasers would seem the perfect
candidates, except for one fatal flaw..."
 It was a lot of work, but I finally finished
a version of the "RF &
Electronics Schematic & Block Diagram Symbols"" that works well with Microsoft
Office™ programs Word™, Excel™, and Power Point™. This is an equivalent of the extensive
set of amplifier, mixer, filter, switch, connector, waveguide, digital, analog,
antenna, and other commonly used symbols for system block diagrams and schematics
created for Visio™. Each of the 1,000+ 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...
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• Laser
Weapon Installed on Royal Navy Ships
•
Made in China 2025: China Meets Most Targets
•
Guerrilla RF Acquires GaN Portfolio from Gallium Semiconductor
• Ford
BlueCruise Driver Assist in Trouble
• Turkey to Join
China-Russia Moon Base Project
 The energy density of
supercapacitors, devices similar to batteries that can recharge rapidly in just
seconds or minutes, can be improved by increasing the 'messiness' of their internal
structure. Researchers led by the University of Cambridge used experimental and
computer modeling techniques to study the porous carbon electrodes used in supercapacitors.
They found that electrodes with a more disordered chemical structure stored far
more energy than electrodes with a highly ordered structure. Supercapacitors are
a key technology for the energy transition and could be useful for certain forms
of public transport, as well as for managing intermittent solar and wind energy
generation, but their adoption has been limited by poor energy density. The researchers
say their results, reported in the journal Science, represent a breakthrough in
the field and could reinvigorate...
 Rauland (aka Rauland-Borg) has today on
its History webpage that it was founded in 1922 as the Rauland Company, by inventor
and
radio enthusiast E. Norman Rauland. Soon thereafter he became a pioneer
in the radio broadcast industry by launching the Chicago-based radio station, WENR
(which eventually became the well-known WLS, home of Jean Shepherd). In 1941 Norm
Rauland and George Borg entered a partnership, and a year later acquired Baird Television
of America. Rauland developed cathode ray tubes (CRT) and became an important supplier
of communications and radar equipment during WWII. After the war, Rauland began
manufacturing CRTs for 10" and 12" televisions. They were so successful that in
1948, Zenith Radio Corporation purchased them to get the CRT technology. This circa
1953 Rauland advertisement ran in Radio-Electronics magazine to pitch their
breakthrough aluminizing process that produced CRTs with brighter pictures...
 If MacGyver had been around in 1935, every
episode would likely have included a
Fahnestock Clip as part of a scheme to get Angus (his first name - no kidding)
out of perilous situations. The handy little devices were very popular in electronics,
both for hobbyists and for commercial products, until fairly recently (within the
last two decades) because they provide a simple, reliable electrical connection
that does not require any tools for use - other than your finger. If you have never
heard of a Fahnestock clip, you will probably be surprised to learn what it is and
chances are you have seen one and maybe even used one. If you work in an electronics
prototyping lab area that has been around for a while, there are almost certainly
some in a parts bin somewhere or on some old mock-up gathering dust in the corner...
 With more than 1000
custom-built stencils, this has got to be the most comprehensive set of
Visio Stencils available
for RF, analog, and digital system and schematic drawings! Every 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, and
more. Page templates are provided with a preset scale (changeable) for a good presentation
that can incorporate all provided symbols...
 John T. Frye's monthly "Mac's
Radio Service Shop" techno-drama, written in story form - was usually an incognito
lesson on circuit functionality or troubleshooting, how to deal with customers,
industry regulations and news, or an introduction to new components and equipment.
As the "Unusual New Equipment" title suggests, this time Mac described a few new
items added to the service shop to aid in their work. Often when reading one of
the episodes, I do a Google search on specific components or equipment mentioned
in the article. He describes a special-purpose CRT (Sylvania's new 5AXP4 Television
Receiver Check Tube) that could be used universally for troubleshooting in place
of a wide variety of installed picture tubes. I've seem them on eBay for $30-$50.
There is not much you cannot find on eBay if you watch long enough. He also bought
a pair of 7x35 binoculars for inspecting TV antennas from the ground...
 In this May, 1964 issue of Electronics
magazine, editor Lewis Young cites the continued rebuilding of Europe after the
economic and societal upset of World War II as the reason many - maybe most
- companies there are still, two decades later, concentrating
engineering and financial resources on getting back on a solid footing rather
than chasing after the latest and greatest in nonessential technologies. It was
probably an accurate assessment of the situation. However, I do take issue with
his admonishment to American companies to emulate Europe's "practical approach"
to innovation and manufacturing. There was absolutely no reason to dissuade and
throttle activity here, there, or anywhere for that matter. It truth, engineers,
scientists, and businessmen of Europe were probably not happy with the existing
mindset of government policymakers and would have preferred to progress without
restraint...
With more than 1000
custom-built stencils, this has got to be the most comprehensive set of
Visio Stencils available
for RF, analog, and digital system and schematic drawings! Every 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, and
more. Page templates are provided with a preset scale (changeable) for a good presentation
that can incorporate all provided symbols...
 "Researchers at Linköping University in
Sweden have developed a new method that could lead to the synthesis of hundreds
of new
2D materials,, which are only a few atoms thick and exhibit unique properties
useful in various applications like energy storage and water purification. This
advancement, based on a theoretical model validated in the lab, has broadened the
potential for creating more 2D materials beyond the known family of MXenes, paving
the way for diverse technological applications. Materials that are incredibly thin,
only a few atoms thick, exhibit unique properties that make them appealing for energy
storage, catalysis, and water purification..."
 Werbel Microwave's WM8PD-0.5-6-S is
8-way in-line power splitter covering the continuous bandwidth of 500 MHz
to 6 GHz in an enclosure measuring 6.50 x 4.97 x 0.55 inches with versatile
mounting options. The device is RoHS compliant. Wide spacing between the output
pairs of connectors allows for ease of the technician to access connection points
using a torque wrench. Consequently, the device saves space in rack mounting applications.
Return loss 16 dB typical. Insertion loss 1.0 dB typical. Isolation 20 dB
typical. Amplitude balance 0.4dB typical. Phase balance 6 degrees typical.
Designed, assembled, and tested in the USA...
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 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...
Werbel Microwave is a manufacturer of RF
directional and bidirectional couplers (6 dB to 50 dB) and RF power dividers
/ combiners (2− to 16−way) with select models operating up to 26.5 GHz and
100 W of CW power (3 kW peak). All are RoHS and REACH compliant and are
designed and manufactured in our Whippany, NJ, location. Custom products and private
label service available. Please take a couple minutes to visit their website and
see how Werbel Microwave can help you today.
 Robert Balin created scores of electronics-related
quizzes for Popular Electronics magazine (see list at bottom of page).
Having appeared in the December 1965 issue, some of the subjects are a bit dated,
but hey, this is an
Electronics History Quiz so it shouldn't matter. I scored 80% - yeah, sort of
pathetic - but I don't recall ever hearing of Raymond Heising and I couldn't figure
out what item "A" in the drawing is (spoiler: it's a TV iconoscope). That left me
with a guess between "A" and "G" for #9 and #10, which of course I got wrong with
a 50-50 chance. C'est la vie...
 Cable operators offering digital communication
services on their systems provide customers with Internet access, digital video
and business network solutions to add flexibility and profitability to their systems.
A major system consideration for successful implementation of a modem digital cable
system is system linearity. Inadequate system linearity distorts the channel information
and can lead to low system operability or reliability. Amplifying components placed
within the system for signal amplification or frequency conversation contribute
to system distortion. All amplifiers and frequency conversion components exhibit
non-linear amplification and produce distortion, causing
intermodulation
products. This distortion corrupts the channels and can lead to high bit-error
rates. The problem is more severe in these wideband cable systems because each amplifying
component input sees the entire high-power multichannel cable system spectrum...
 Bell Telephone Laboratories (Bell Labs)
is a prime example of how a company builds a reputation as a provider of excellent
products and services. Engineers, technicians, and managers designed and built a
telephony system that was the envy of the world. It did so through extensive testing
of designs and stringent quality control during manufacturing. The nationwide network
build-out was equally robust and reliable. Constant maintenance and improvement
methods developed by Bell Labs assured customers that service would be available
whenever needed. Internal research in both the electronic and the mechanical arenas
played a large part in their success. Being able to withstand the rigors of environmental
factors (heat, cold, vibration, dirt, water, etc.) was the result of a major investment
in science and engineering. Unfortunately, success went to their metaphorical corporate
head and monopolistic practices caused the federal court to order a breakup of the
leviathan company into small parts that needed to compete with other innovators.
I'm still dubious about the decision, since Bell Telephone deserved some protection
against...
 "A summer storm on Tuesday damaged a
floating solar plant at Madhya Pradesh's Omkareshwar dam. The floating solar
plant, situated in the backwater of the dam, is the biggest of its kind in the world.
A joint venture between Madhya Pradesh Govt. and National Hydroelectric Power Corporation
(NHPC), the project was nearly completed and ready for its launch. A part of the
project became operational last week. The project near the village of Kelwa Khurd,
aimed at generating 100 MW of electricity... However, on Tuesday, summer storms
with the speed of 50 kmph [31 miles per hour] hit the project and threw
the solar panels all around the place. No employee was fortunately injured..."
-- I wonder whether any employee was unfortunately injured?
 Exodus Advanced Communications is a multinational
RF communication equipment and engineering service company serving both commercial
and government entities and their affiliates worldwide. Power amplifiers ranging
from 10 kHz to 51 GHz with various output power levels and noise figure
ranges, we fully support custom designs and manufacturing requirements for both
small and large volume levels. decades of combined experience in the RF field for
numerous applications including military jamming, communications, radar, EMI/EMC
and various commercial projects with all designing and manufacturing of our HPA,
MPA, and LNA products in-house.
• China
Eases Foreign Ownership Limits for Telecoms Services
• Significant
Impact of Manufacturing on UK Economy
• FCC
Seeks Workarounds for Lapsed Auction Authority
• Market Impact of
Falling Satellite Costs
• U.S.
Nuclear Power Industry Upbeat on Small Reactors
Exodus Advanced Communications is a multinational
RF communication equipment and engineering service company serving both commercial
and government entities and their affiliates worldwide. Power amplifiers ranging
from 10 kHz to 51 GHz with various output power levels and noise figure
ranges, we fully support custom designs and manufacturing requirements for both
small and large volume levels. decades of combined experience in the RF field for
numerous applications including military jamming, communications, radar, EMI/EMC
and various commercial projects with all designing and manufacturing of our HPA,
MPA, and LNA products in-house.
 Heliographs (from Greek "sun," "to write")
are used as signaling systems by reflecting flashes of sunlight reflected by a mirror.
That was fine for a sunny day. At night and when otherwise dark enough, lamps and
even bonfires were used to message between distant locations when the time and/or
effort needed to physically transmit a message via ground-based carrier was untenable.
Militaries used light signaling on the battlefield. As electronics technology advanced
to where it could support modulation and demodulation of light signals, designers
began devising systems which could reliably send messages. By its nature optical
communications is a line of sight phenomenon. On Earth, distance over open, flat
ground is limited to 3-4 miles due to surface curvature for a transmitter and receiver
about 5 feet off the ground. From a tower or mountaintop to a point below or on
another mountain, the range can be extended to 50 miles or more. In space, between
two satellites, thousands of miles are attainable...
 Teledyne Relays announces the release of
its latest innovation, the CCR-67V series. This advanced range of
DC to 67 GHz SPDT coaxial switches is specifically designed to meet the rigorous
demands of 5G telecommunications, high frequency automated test equipment, and millimeter-wave
communication systems. The CCR-67V series represents a significant advancement in
electromechanical switch technology with both failsafe and latching models available.
Key Features and Innovations -- Longevity and Reliability: Engineered for endurance,
these switches feature an impressive contact life of 2 million cycles, ensuring
reliable performance under the most demanding conditions. High-Performance Connectivity:
The series features 1.85 mm connectors, delivering outstanding performance and is
compatible with the two most common mounting hole patterns, ensuring easy integration
and interchangeability with a variety of existing systems...
 Crane Aerospace & Electronics' products
and services are organized into six integrated solutions: Cabin Systems, Electrical
Power Solutions, Fluid Management Solutions, Landing Systems, Microwave Solutions,
and Sensing Components & Systems. Our Microwave Solution designs and manufactures
high-performance
RF, IF and millimeter-wave components, subsystems and systems for commercial
aviation, defense, and space including linear & log amplifiers, fixed &
variable attenuators, circulators & isolators, power combiners & dividers,
couplers, mixers, switches & matrices, oscillators & synthesizers.
 At least two relatively new methods of wireless
communications was employed in the "Earth Radio" system for intercontinental ballistic
missile (ICBM) launch control in this 1961 issue of Popular Science magazine.
Surface wave transmission would provide the signal medium from ICBM command and
control centers to the underground silos where the missiles were stored, ready to
launch at a moment's notice if Russia decided to initiate a nuclear attack on the
homeland. Author Pursglove pays tribute to amateur radio's contribution to pioneering
the science of surface waves. The other pioneering technology being used was spread
spectrum encoding/decoding. Both methods provide innate security advantages. Surface
waves are a relatively short range transmission means, so anyone wanting to transmit
or receive bogus signals needs to be nearby. Spread spectrum, whether frequency
hopping (FHSS) or direct sequence (DSSS) requires a key for decoding or encoding
signals, so spoofing is nearly impossible. Another form of communications for through-the-earth
signaling, called Lithocom (lithosphere communications), was also explored. It was
eventually found useful in mining operations...
 Whether you are new to the subject of noise
figure or are just looking for a quick review, this "Hot
and Cold Resistors as UHF Noise Sources" article in a 1976 issue of QST magazine
is a good source. Author Benjamin Lowe, K4VOW, does a nice job of explaining the
concept of electrical noise, and then presenting equations governing the calculation
of noise factor and noise figure. Actual numerical examples are provided to demonstrate
how the formulas work. Using this method, you can make a fair measurement of the
noise figure of a receiver without the need for expensive test equipment. An important
caveat is to be sure the equipment you use has an operational bandwidth sufficient
to allow accurate measurement of the noise...
 Having followed advancements in all realms
of astronomy - radio, microwave, infrared, visible light, ultraviolet, x-ray, cosmic
ray, etc. - all my memorable life, it is hard to believe that anything other than
visible wavelength (and near infrared and near ultraviolet) observing was rare when
this "Radio
Telescope Creases New Science" article appeared in a 1949 (barely) issue of
Popular Science magazine. That was less than a decade before I was born. Astronomers
suspected, but had not yet confirmed, that the universe emitted electromagnetic
energy at all wavelengths. Radio telescopes soon confirmed it. Not only has the
science and art of radio astronomy advanced considerably since 1949, but so, too,
has visible wavelength astronomy. To wit: The statement in the article accompanying
the star map declaring "You can see for yourself that there's nothing to see at
one of the points from which radio astronomers have heard noises..." has been totally
negated with the advent of the Hubbell Space Telescope, the James Web Space Telescope,
and several Earth-based mega-telescopes which have shown that except where cosmic
dust and/or gas obscures the view, stars fill virtually every steradian of the sky
if sensitive enough imagers are employed...
 Werbel Microwave's
WM3PD-2-18-S is a 3-way in-line power splitter covering a continuous bandwidth
of 2 to 18 GHz in a compact enclosure measuring 2.25 x 1.00 x 0.38 inches.
The device is RoHS compliant. A proven product in regular production since 2016.
This is a "true" three-way split; not an internally terminated 4-way, with excellent
insertion loss and amplitude balance. This is inherently advantageous over a terminated
4-way because you will save a nominal 1.2 dB of insertion loss and prevent
unnecessary heating within the master enclosure. Designed, assembled, and tested
in the USA...
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 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...
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