Site Links - General Interest
The WEATHER & SOLAR INFO site is just that and much more. Loads of information on all sorts of amateur radio modes and topics. Lots of links to other useful sites. A visit is a must!
This is not the Internet site for a zoo or something to do with women’s liberation. It’s much more interesting, for it means that anyone who has been searching in confusion for reference sources or for someone who could supply British or American technical books can now lean back and relax. You enter the search area on the screen (try, say, oscillator or microwave or antenna....) and then check the price (in US-$ or DM or Euros) to have the appropriate book delivered to your home address. The money will then be deducted from your (German) Giro account, so there’s no longer any need for any mental gymnastics with American accounts or credit cards.
Address: http://www.amazon.de
There is also a US store - http://www.amazon.com and an English store – http://www.amazon.co.uk
Electronic Repair Service
Anyone looking for a semi-conductor data bank, or for generous helpings of computer repair tips, or for a program which simulates a pattern generator for monitors, or for documentation on TV technology....just take a closer look at this link and download what you need.
Address: http://www.electronic-repair.com
Address: http://newlife-win98.server101.com/irfanview_info.htm
Address: http://www.heise.de/ct
Address: http://www.eumetsat.de
Address:
http://www.qsl.net/wb6tpu/swindex.html
http://www.analog.com/industry/versacomm/apps-techInfo.html
you can download some interesting application reports, especially on the subject of "Software Radios" .
Software and Links
Under the address
you can download a free program for designing mains rectifier circuits. In addition, there are links relating, to hi-fi amplifiers and SPICE.
Amateur activities in the longwave area are a really new challenge for do-it-yourselfers and for anyone who enjoys fiddling about. And it was only a matter of time until like minded people met up and got organised on the Internet as well. This homepage is the first address anyone interested in longwave reception should visit, as here you can find the technical equipment for getting started, both theoretically and practically. And naturally there are lots of links to similar sites or interesting documents.
Address:
Radio Propagation Studies Webpage
This web site contains a wealth of information on propagation predictions and software by Volker Grassmann, DF5AI
DX Cluster
This is a DX cluster for the north of England, the site also has some other useful links
CW Using Standard PC Keyboard
This is a kit / project for a self contained unit with a PC keyboard interface for CW operation
Address:
Address: http://www.tcstx.com/conversions/online_conversions.htm
"This software is a tool used to predict the performance of a radio system".
Very neatly done, and free of charge into the bargain. You can see precisely how the landscape influences wave propagation because it is superimposed for this purpose once you have entered the co-ordinates. This is accompanied by some very good instructions and a "first example" demonstrates the freeware’s use.
Address: http://www.cplus.org/rmw/english1.html
Address: http://www.w4rrc.org/RARCClubWebLink/WebLinkReferenc.html
Address: http://www.sss-mag.com/ss.html
Address: http://www.mepcis.org/sprdspec.htm
Address: http://www.tapr.org/ss/index.html
And just as interesting is this page, in which you can finally discover, in a fascinating format, something about the history of this new technology (...or perhaps you already knew that the Hollywood actress Hedy Lamarr had something to do with it?)
Address: http://www.ncafe.com/chris/pat2/index.html
Such a large amount of literature, application notes, information and online calculators does make for a lot of work. Especially since the site is not confined to antenna engineering. The various fields are alphabetically listed.
Address: http://www.newwaveinstruments.com/resources/rf_microwave_resources
/Address: http://www.ydi.com/calculation/
Address: http://www.emctest.com/Holaday/appnotes.htm
Address: http://home.wanadoo.nl/~a.schipper/fuurllinks.htm
Engineers Heaven
The heading for this homepage, run by a Turkish university, makes an interesting promise. Just looking at the sections on offer is a pleasure, as you contemplate the data available concerning microwave technology.
Address:
http://www.ee.bilkent.edu.tr/~microwave/magnetic.htm
TMEG
This is an acronym for "£The Millenium Education Group" and consequently there are some very nice tutorials. The two sections on "Transmission Lines" and "Antennas" are particularly interesting, but there is also "Babylonian Mathematics" or "an electronic needle gun". So, for anyone who’s interested .....
Address:
http://www.tmeg.com/index.html
MURI
Or, to reveal its full title: "The Multidisciplinary University Research Initiative (MURI) for High Power, Broadband, Linear, Solid State Amplifiers at the Cornell University".
Fortunately, these friendly people do not lock their findings and their documents away in the safe but make them freely available. But clearly not without reservations, or maybe an enthusiast for memory games is in charge of the homepage! There is no index, and everything is actually hidden away behind anonymous report numbers in a huge file, and it really is like playing some game. You have to uncover and examine everything first to find out whether you can get anything out of it. Luckily, the hit rate is really excellent......
Address:
http://iiiv.tn.cornell.edu/www/schaff/muri/reports/
Jim Hardy's Homepage
For once, something from a private individual, very nice and amusingly put together. Not just links to many of our areas (it turns out the man is also a radio ham!), but also a lot of funny material. The following section is particularly worth reading: "How Things would be different if Microsoft built cars" It’s true you have to root around a bit, but it’s worth it for what you can find.
Address:
http://www.surfsouth.com/~jhardy/index.htm
RF Avenue Resources Directory
Anyone opening up this page has a few problems, as you’re initially confronted with an endless list of documents concerning RF and microwave engineering. Of course, it’s all nicely and neatly sorted out. You could spend hours here...
Address:
http://www.newwaveinstruments.com/resources/rf_microwave_resources/
Radio Netherland
Just for a change, not pure technology, but tips and technology concerning the subject of “Long-distance reception on the medium wave and short wave”. Plus a collection of facts relating to the relevant antennas.
Address:
http://www.rnw.nl/realradio/practical/html/longdistancemw.html
Estland Amateur Group
How about a trip to see the real Northern Lights in Estonia? Here you will discover that progress and hi-tech have penetrated almost as far as the Arctic Circle. Some very interesting links and articles!
Address:
http://www.estpak.ee/~andrew/ham/ha,htm
QRZ.COM
Fertile ground for all radio enthusiasts. Here too, you can rummage around endlessly among programs and technical documents...
Address:
http://www.qrz.com/download/main/index.html
Dxing.Info
Another site to rummage around and browse in – everything you could need in relation to physics, technology and equipment know-how for DX reception.
Address:
PENTEK
Technical development marches on – and that includes receiver technology too. Digital receivers, loosely referred to as “software radio”, are in the vanguard. Anyone wishing to read up on this new technology and get some idea of the concepts involved might like to download the “Digital Receiver Handbook” from Pentek. The principles, characteristics and advantages of this new technology are very nicely explained here – and, best of all, direct comparisons are made with standard analogue receiver technology.
If you explore the homepage in a little more detail and download the company’s main catalogue onto your home computer, you’ll get another surprise. Chapter 2 includes a very interesting collection of miscellaneous tutorials dealing with this area!
Address:
http://www.pentek.com/sftradcentral/Overview.cfm
Software Radio Resource Page
Something else on this subject in the form of every possible link which is relevant to it. Once you really get into it, you’ll soon lose track of the time...
Address:
http://www-sop.inria.fr/rodeo/personnel/Thierry.Turletti/SoftwareRadio.html
Electronics for physicists
The University of Kiel is behind this site, and it’s really great how teaching materials are designed and prepared nowadays. In particular, you should just take a look at the topics that cover our own area (AM, FM etc.). But there’s some interesting new stuff here even for specialists — just call up subjects like “Types of Modulation” or “Noise and Noise Suppression”. I guarantee that you won’t be bored.
Address:
http://www.ieap.uni-kiel.de/plasma/ag-piel/elektronik/
Downconverter page
It’s both amusing and comforting when you come across sites run by other “mad D.I.Y. people”. Steve Blackmore has a day job as an electronics specialist, but it clearly doesn’t take up all his energy. So he goes in for decoding digital transmissions in a big way. He has generously made available his experience in relation to weather satellite reception, and you should work your way through all the cross-references of his homepage, where you’ll find all sorts of interesting things. Here’s a tip: there’s also a page (it’s a bit hard to find) that deals with quadrifilar helix antennas.
Address:
http://www.pilotltd.net/downconv.htm
MDBC
It’s a safe bet that no one will guess what this abbreviation means, since for once, and for a change, we’re dealing with an interesting and meaningful application of high-frequency technology in medicine. So we won’t keep you in suspense any longer. The University of Victoria in Canada is introducing the concept of a “microwave detector for breast cancer”. Since this page summarises data ranging from principles through simulation to balun and microstrip design, the high-frequency specialist will also find it worth reading.
Address:
http://www.exe.uvic.ca/499/2002b/group11/mdbc.html
Electromagnetic radiation
This is a concept that is on everyone’s lips nowadays, and is even causing many people to have panic attacks. So this homepage is extremely useful, as you can look forward to investigating the physical and technical principles, the measuring process and the range of measuring devices on offer - and there’s even a downloadable test report from the Technical Inspections Association.
Address:
Spread Spectrum
Anyone who wants to become better informed by using an easy to understand introduction to this area should pay a visit to this address. Well put together, easy to understand, not too wide-ranging and yet precise – this is the right mix for a pleasant introduction.
Address:
http://www.keytelemetering.com/ABC_of_spread.htm
Since even more interesting things are on offer, we’re also giving you the link to the main page for tutorials (“College Page”).
Address:
http://ww.keytelemetering.com/College.htm
However, if you find the Spread Spectrum introduction a bit too brief, just try this link.
Address:
http://cobalt.et.tudelft.nl/~glas/ssc/techn/techniques.html
Berkeley Ultra-Wide Band Group
There’s a lot happening at most universities, and when the right team is on hand some very interesting things come out of their projects.
For example, just take a look at the project entitled “A Subsampling Radio Architecture for 3-10GHz UWB”. Look at the way these microwave freaks present and explain their results: you can do that too (...which is why I think it’s great!).
Address:
http://bwrc.eecs.berkeley.edu/Research/UWB/pubs.htm
Wikipedia
This sounds as if it should have something to do with Hawaii and the South Seas, but in reality it’s a giant online encyclopedia and user forum in several languages. You can even contribute to it if you wish. It’s somewhat hard to describe, but all our Earthly wisdom is categorised and made available, broken down by subject. Just take a look, choosing a subject that interests you.
Address:
http://en.wikipedia.orig/wiki/Main_Page
Radio navigation
The various aspects of radio navigation and the associated processes are the section headings for a PDF dissertation at:
Address:
http://www.navtec.de/personen/acf/dd/dd_inh.htm
Modulation process
You can find a (Powerpoint) presentation on FM and combined modulation signals at the address:
http://hta-bi.bfh.ch/E/Laboratories/Telecommunication/cours/modulation/FM_special.ppt
High Frequency Electronics
This page should act as an appetiser. Firstly, it lists the good, informative periodicals that are available for our sector. Secondly, the article headed: “The Design, Fabrication and Measurement of Microstrip Filter and Coupler Circuits” can and should inspire people to a bit of DIY work. Please have a good look round!
Address:
http://www.highfrequencyelectronics.com/Archives/Jul02/HFE0702_Brady.pdfAll about the Smith chart
You often need to print out a Smith diagram quickly in order to indicate or monitor something. On this homepage you can find everything (but everything!) on this subject. It doesn’t matter whether you’re looking for a tutorial or printed blanks or tools or books or other websites: it’s all here somewhere, all you have to do is look.
Address:
http://www.sss-mag.com/smith.html
The MINT Project
Here you can find information on the technology behind a modern radio telescope or radio interferometer for measuring the CMB (Cosmic Microwave Background). The receiver and evaluation technology is very interesting, but then the links to appropriate CMB tutorials etc. are good fun as well.
Addresses:
http://background.uchicago.edu/
http://wwwphy.princeton.edu/cosmology/mintweb/
The Designer’s Guide
This link’s title doesn’t tell you all there is to be found there: the best plan is to search in every nook and cranny and open every file. Some very nice application notes!
Address:
http://www.designers-guide.com/Analysis/index.html
Summitek
You won’t be here long before you are amazed, as this company’s area of activity is inter-modulation measurement. And the publications available for downloading are on a suitable generous scale. And of course, we can’t do without an IM calculator for doing calculations at home.
Address:
http://www.summitekinstruments.com/passive/appnotes.html
Millitech
Here’s something for people who work with the higher frequencies in the millimetre wave range. The link in question leads to some interesting technical articles and application notes.
Address:
http://www.millitech.com/cadiv/technotes.htm
LC Filter Design
Anyone who has to develop an LC filter in a big hurry usually turns to our tried and tested “fds.zip” or “Faisysn”. For those who are in a real hurry but don’t have these programs installed on their computers, there’s this online calculator. You just key in the data and press <Enter> - and you’ve already got the component values, the circuit and the simulated attenuation path on the screen. Slightly simplified, it’s true, but the readings are absolutely correct. Do please try it out.
Address:
http://www-users.cs.york.ac.uk/~fisher/lcfilter/
Jiwire
How about a lexicon in which you can find a brief and precise clarification of almost any term from modern communications technology (e. g. from “Frequency Hopping” through to all the IEEE 802 standards)? A useful address – make a note of it!
Address:
http://www.jiwire.com/glossary.htm?id=52
GlobalSpec - The Engineering Search Engine
There's not much explanation needed here: anyone needing links in connection with a problem or a term should try their luck here. Normally you end up with more information than you can use.
Address:
http://www.globalspec.com/
University of San Diego / RF & Microwave Engineering
A real treasure trove for people who are interested in various RF subjects, since the pdf files available are not limited to lectures from courses. The site in fact has links to interesting articles by other people that are perfectly matched to the theme.
Address:
http://home.sandiego.edu/~ekim/e194rfs01/
Electronics Tutorials
Here's something from a part of the world in which people (looked at from our point of view) are standing on their heads. An Australian site, crammed full of interesting links and tutorials - so somewhere you can root and rummage around in for hours. And here's one thing you can search for straightway: just look for the Marine Corps “Field Antenna Handbook” (192 pages, downloadable as a pdf file). A handsome and interesting book!
Address:
http://www.electronics-tutorials.com/
University of Idaho
Universities usually specialised in certain areas, in Idaho there is “a centre for Advanced Electronics and Biomedical Research”. The “NASA symposium on VLSI Design” takes place at the university, afterwards interesting contributions or article are made available free of charge as pdf files. There are things like “A 1.2V 2.4GHz Integrated Direct Downconversion Receiver front-ends” or “Design of a CMOS Low Noise Amplifier (LNA) for 5.8 GHz” to read, and many other topics…
Address: http://www.cambr.uidaho.edu/symposiums/
IST
Institute for the Telecommunications Sciences, offers a large selection of information on a wide range of different topics. Worth reading!
Address: http://www.its.bldrdoc.gov/pub/pubs.php
University of Guelph (Canada)
One finds interesting things again and again at universities - one must search very thoroughly with them. On this homepage there is a tremendous collection at electronic hobby circuits. Just as interesting however there are links to a data sheet collections, SMD code, etc.
Address: http://www.uoguelph.ca/~antoon/circ/ circuits.htm
Eesoft - Agilent
This simulator is the “Rolls Royce” of RF circuit simulation - both from the price, as well as the extent and the possibilities. Nevertheless the search is worthwhile because the non Rolls Royce content. Here there are introductions or Application Notes for the simulation of different RF and microwave circuits. Also most can be used with little trouble for other cars (Pardon: Simulation programs). A really interesting site.
Address: http://eesof.tm.agilent.com/application
At experimental 10Mbit/sec Microwave Data Link
This project takes some time to appreciate, besides the empirical reports and/or results of measurement of the completed project, there are the planning documents, the initial considerations and the PCB layouts etc.
Unbelievably accurately and the last detail inside documents; even the views for RF security and the protection of systems are there.
Address: http://www.qsl.net/ke5fx/uwave.html
HP8410
For anyone who develops microwave circuits, a vector network analyser is an essential but expensive part of the workshop. Despite it’s age the HP8410 does the job very well if used with care. It is easy to repair and documents are readily available. Here is a small selection of Internet addresses with interesting information:
http://bama.edebris.com/manuals/
http://www.caip.rutgers.edu/~kahrs/testeq/NA.html
http://perso.orange.fr/jf.fourcadier/hyperfrequences/HP8410/analyseur.htm
http://www.pacificsites.com/~brooke/MWTE.shtml
Bama
This site is mentioned in the section on the HP8410 but it is an excellent site for any manuals
Address: http://bama.edebris.com/manuals/
Agilent Interactive Impedance Matching Model
There is something beautiful about playing on a computer with RF circuit design. An introduction to the problems and methods of interactive software with detailed exercises can be downloaded in the famous HP Application note 95-1.
Address: http://cp.literature.agilent.com/litweb/pdf/5952-1130.pdf
Plextex
Plextek is one of the largest independent electronics design consultancies in Europe. Their web site contains a large collection of technical papers on tecchnology for the GHz range.
Address: http://www.plextek.co.uk/technicalpapers.htm
The four metres web site
This site has all you want to know about the four metre band. This is becoming more available as the band II TV stations are switched off in favour of the digital channels.
Address: http://www.70mhz.org/history_g5um.htm
Echolink
This site has a introduction to Echolink the new digital mode for radio amateurs. There are some rigs being produced now with Echolink facilities so it is as well to know what it is all about.
Address: http://www.g3vfp.org/interlink.html
ADT-200
The ADT-200 is an all-digital transceiver designed using the principles of a software defined radio (SDR). The only exceptions to digital components are the preselector and the transmitter output stage that uses high voltage MOSFETs. It was developed by the Swiss amateur Hans Zahnd, HB9CBU and is probably the world wide first all digital amateur transceiver to work independently (no PC!).
The ADT-200 has four independent receivers and eight internal VFOs for many split frequency options. Only three rotary controls and 18 keys switches are used to operate the transceiver. All relevant information appears on two high visibility displays. There are options for 2m or 70cm modules.
The ADT-200 is going to be available from the end of the 3rd quarter of 2007. Further information is available from www.adat.chTutorialsWeb
The name says everything: tutorials are collected here and the topics are so varied that a thorough search is worthwhile. You will find some very useful topics covered that will be extremely useful. The scope of the topics will not be revealed here by suffice to say that the web site is well worth visiting.
Address: http://www.tutorialsweb.com/index.html
Noise and Noise Figure Measurement
A very good detailed homepage. This is nearly a complete textbook online. Great fun to read either for the first time or to refresh knowledge from the past.
Address: http://www.rose-hulman.edu/~black/Noise/ppframe.htm
BesserNet
You will find many application notes here suitable for the experienced developer or the experimenter. Pleas sepne some quiet time to go through the appropriate pdf documents or download them to read later.
Address: http://www.bessernet.com/jobAids/resourcesAlpha.asp?Type=1
Agilent
No introduction is needed to this company formerly known to us as Hewlett Packard. The company is still growing and to emphasise that there are (on 1 September 2007) exactly 2946 application notes available to download on this homepage. For those who are interested of do not believe this, visit:
Address: http://www.home.agilent.com/agilent/facet.jspx?lc=eng&cc=US&t=80030.k.1
COMM Design - Design of center
This is a collection of useful articles and training material from different companies. You will find lots of useful information here.
Address: http://www.commsdesign.com/dcenters/wireless/
Cisco - Carrier to Noise ratio in Cable network
Companies like Cisco who have their roots in computer and network technology make good tutorials on RF and communications available. A good example is this analysis signal to noise ratio. There is more information on this web site, so explore the home page.
Fast pdf reader
An alternative to the well-known pdf reader is the very small (only 2.1Mb download) and quick software FOXIT reader from the company FOXIT software.
Apart from the free Windows version there is a versions for mobile devices, desktop Linux and U3.
This is worth a look:
Address: http://www.foxitsoftware.com/pdf/rd_intro.php
Professor Randy Katz
If you type the topics noise, modulation, propagation etc into a search engine you will inevitably encounter the name professor Randy Katz. Such lecturers are a genuine advantage to a university.
As an example, on this web page follow the link “Courses” on the left. In “Course 294.S96” you will find interesting pdf files with extremely good discussion on fundamentals. Also try other searches!
Address: http://bnrg.eecs.berkeley.edu/~randy/
Skyworks Solution
This web site has many items to browse or download. There are detailed documents and application notes on components and modules for microwave engineering. To access these quickly choose the sub menu “Technical library “.
Address: http://www.skyworksinc.com/products_literature.asp
IMEC
The introduction to this site says: IMEC is Europe's leading independent research center in the field of micro and nanoelectronics, nanotechnology, enabling design methods and technologies for ICT systems. This site has much of interest including information on Software Defined Radio (SDR) and a Direct Conversion Receiver for 5 GHz.
Address: http://www2.imec.be/wireless/zero-if/
Radio telescope Effelsberg
For anyone who wants to know about the concepts used for extremely low-noise receivers between 400MHz and 100GHz, take a look at this homepage. The information is sorted by frequency range with ne document per receiver and the associated antennas. Radio telescopes work at the physical limit of receiver technology and it is interesting to study how they move closer and closer to these limits.
Address: http://www.mpifr-bonn.mpg.de/div/effelsberg/receivers/receiver.html
CMOS Self Mixing Free front end for Direct Conversion Applications
This publication from University of Hong Kong has good presentation and accurate information.
Address: http://www.ee.ust.hk/~eezzf/download/frontend_iscas01.pdf
Universitiy of Berkeley California
It is always interesting to search the pages of universities. This homepage has many interesting topics.
Address: http://kabuki.eecs.berkeley.edu/papers.html#rf
RF Avenue
This site is a joy to visit, it has an unbelievable array of topics for developers. The heading “RF and Microwave Resources” says it all.
Philips RF manual
It is a good idea to put a manual on the design basics for RF circuits on the Internet. This is an excellent document containing lots of useful information.
Address: http://www.nxp.com/acrobat_ download/other/discretes/philips_rf_manual_3rd_edition.pdf
QTH Viewer for Google Earth
Daerek Milka, SP6NVK has produced a QTH Locator Square overlay for Google Earth. Using the link below select “QTH Locators viewer” to download the .kmz file. When this is used for the first time with Google Earth it produces an overlay of the main QTH locator square over the globe. Under “My Places” there are three check boxes to control the overlay. A tick in the subdivisions check box will generate subdivision squares.
Address: http://www.hamatlas.eu/Gg/KML_en.htm
VOACAP Quick Guide
“HF Ionospheric Communications Propagation Analysis and Prediction “ this is a wave forecasting and propagation prediction program. It gives information on the current conditions and a free software download.
Address: http://voacap.com/
Keiths Vintage RACAL Enthusiasts Site
This is a site that will bring back memories for the older generation and inform the younger readers. In particular the RA17 was a milestone in short wave receivers design with its special mixing technique. Now that the analogue receiver is fast disappearing in favour of the SDR receiver the achievements of the pioneers should not be forgotten.
Address: http://www.recelectronics.demon.co.uk/
EE Times Europe
You should visit this homepage regularly. Again and again there are interesting articles, particularly on the forefront of technical developments. An example is the article: “Using high-spees A/D converters beyond baseband frequencies”.
Address: http://www.eetimes.eu/201804147
TechOnline
An interesting technical site with clearly divided topic areas and many useful things. There should be no fear of the registration with your own personal data; this gives access to a large amount of interesting documents.
Address: http://www.techonline.com/
24GHz
For those for who become bored with conventional RF technology or become over courageous or who simply look for new electronic challenges, why not try the 24GHz microwave band. This homepage is the best way because there is concentrated information on the topic.
Address: http://www.kielnet.net/home/j.schaefer/atv_24ghz.htm
Matjaz Vidmar, S53MV
Readers of VHF Communications Magazine should know this name very well because of the developments and projects that have been published.
There seems to be no end to the new projects that come from Matjaz, probably something to do with his job as a university professor. Take the time to look at his latest activities.
Address: http://lea.hamradio.si/~s53mv/zifssb/kband.html
Allocation of the radio spectrum
It is interesting: to see who uses certain frequencies or what frequencies are approved for which services. There are some unscrupulous people who make a lot of trouble.
Address: http://www.jneuhaus.com/fccindex/spectrum.html
144MHz Beacon list
Not of interest to everyone but if you needs it:
Address: http://www.dk3xe.com/b_144.htm
This is only a small part of the interests that this amateur shows the homepage. Please take a further look:.
Address: http://www.dk3xe.com/index3.htm
NASA Tech briefs
A mine of information, white papers etc.. Partially accessible after free registration. The titles whet the appitite.
Address: http://www.techbriefs.com/content/view/3267/34/
Microwave101
At first sight the title says nothing. Once you open the site you are greeted with by a complete collection of microwave documents including calculations and information etc. A lot of time is required to investigate everything.
Address: http://www.microwaves101.com/index.cfm
GLOBALSPEC
This site is for those who think they have missed something. It is a high quality engineering search engine that can seek out the maddest things. As an example try the result of this enquiry: Application Notes/Schottky Diodes.
Address: http://application-notes.globalspec.com/Search?query=Schottky Diodes&show=appnotes&frmtrk=ofInterest
OML
For those who find normal RF technology boring, they should take a look at the technology and problems for the frequency range above 50GHz. This homepage has lots of information on measuring instruments and good Application Notes. This is a completely different world.
Address: http://www.omlinc.com/map.htm
Amateur radio Astronomy/Western Australia
Radio astronomy always works on the edge of technical possibilities and is therefore worthwhile taking a look for any RF freak. These people begin with low frequencies (see the article on Schumann resonances) and do not stop at 10GHz. All the methods and devices are explained with no secrets. There is also plenty of interest to non astronomers.
Address: http://wavelab.homestead.com/
Ultra Low Power ELF/VLF Receiver Project
Having mentioned Schumann resonances, this continues in the same frequency range. In such receivers the same thought processes and the same technical work is required as in 10GHz project.
This is worth a look and it will inspire your imagination.
Address: http://www-star.stanford.edu/~vlf/ulp_reciv/ulp.htm
EME
The abbreviation means Earth Moon Earth it is a specialist part of our hobby; QSOs with the moon as reflector. Everything concerned has to be at the forefront of technology and technical know-how because the transmitter powers are limited not much signal arrives at the receiving antenna or the following LNA. This homepage presents the current state of the art information to give an idea of the requirement including the financial ones needed to succeed.
Address: http://www.hb9bbd.ch/index.php3
SETI
Another exotic abbreviation that stands for: Searching for Extraterrestrial Intelligence. This web site has all the information about the many interesting spin aspects; this is sometimes at the edge of physical technology.
Address: http://setiathome.berkeley.edu/
Noise Figure Measurements
For those who art interested in or develop low noise amplifiers the Central States VHF Society has a legue table of the best results achieved each year. It shows what other amateurs have achieved so that you can see how your efforts compare. Studying the lists will cause the genuine developer to think about their own projects.
Address: http://www.csvhfs.org/csvhfnf.html
Microwaves101
For anyone who does not understand a term then this encyclopaedia is the place to look for the answer. There are many things to discover.
Address: http://www.microwaves101.com/encyclopedia/index.cfm
Direct Conversion of Receivers
This is an interesting technology that demands high demands on design and construction. It is always interesting to study and see the solutions that other people have achieved. Here are several interesting examples:
Address: http://kd1jv.qrpradio.com/dcrx/dcrx.HTM
http://www.arrl.org/tis/info/pdf/9208019.pdf
http://www.qsl.net/ik2pii/lf/dcrx136.htm
http://www.njqrp.org/sop/schematic rev b.html
Amateur radio links
This is a German site with many useful amateur radio links. Even if you do not speak German there is enough description to find some useful information.
Address: http://www.amateurfunkbasteln.de/download.html
Calculatoregde
This site is a catalogue of free online engineering calculators for engineers and Students worldwide. It features a few hundred calculators for solving complex equations and formulas in the fields of electrical, mechanical, chemical, electronics, civil, metallurgy, oil & gas, optical, plastics, ceramics, physics, maths and many more. The address below points to the electronics section.
Address: http://www.calculatoredge.com/index.htm#electronics
Radio Electronics
Sometime homepages are boring but this homepage is full of tutorials ready to download. There is plenty worthwhile browsing here.
A tip: Begins with the “RF Technology and Design” section.
Address: http://www.radio-electronics.com/info/electronics-tutorials.php
VHFDX.net
This site has lots of good information and it costs nothing. Plenty to interest everyone.
Address: http://www.vhfdx.net/index.html
K1TTT Technical Reference
Again something to investigate and if necessary download.
Address: http://www.k1ttt.net/technote/techref.html
Ken’s web site
Ken is an accomplished professor from Alamba (a great acknowledgement from Gunthard who is a accomplished professor from Tettnang). This homepage has a wide variety of subjects it is well worth a read
Address: http://www.kennethkuhn.com/
Falstad
It is difficult to imagine how the author has gathered so many articles for this web site. There is a surprise when opening this site: innumerable Java animations (applets) on the most diverse topics from electronics and physics and more to be examined and tried out e.g. the antenna simulation with facilities for varying the parameters. In addition the link list is first class.
Address: http://www.falstad.com/mathphysics.html
Teslamania
From time to time you may need some entertainment (not only by the cinema) or have a view of another world. Therefore you should take a look at this site.
It is about Tesla currents and makes everything look very wild with metre electric arks hissing and sizzling in the air. It is not really relevant to electronic engineers but it is quite interesting.
Address: http://capturedlightning.com/
Spread Spectrum Scene / S Parameter tutorial
This is a favourite site to be visited from time to time. It is regularly extended and reorganised. The author found the following special article while searching for some S Parameter files for a new development. The tutorials are very useful.
Address: http://sss-mag.com/spara.html
How radio Telescopes work
This title does is not completely fair because the contents clearly go beyond that. There is extra information under “Learn more” that is really interesting.
Address: http://www.nrao.edu/index.php/learn/radioastronomy/radiotelescopes
Scanned old books
Many interesting old books have been scanned; among other things the books of Sturley (about receiver engineering) are recommended for the fans of valve technology. According to the site there are about 1043Mb available.
Address: http://www.pmillett.com/tecnical_books_online.htm
Communications Design for communications design engineers
This is something for the dedicated reader. This side looks harmless at first site but the deeper you look the more interesting it becomes.
Address: http://www.commsdesign.com/dcenters/wireless/
Orban Microwave
The homepage the Orban Company has further interesting downloads to offer. For example there is “The Basics of Antenna arrays” or “Introduction to GPS Low Noise Amplifiers”.
Address: http://www.orbanmicrowave.com/technical-articles/
Mathematical models for the simulation of wave propagation
This team work on the free University of Berlin forum and have produce a beautiful summary of the basics that are necessary for simulation and understanding of wave propagation. It is very clear and should be read.
Alan `s Laboratory
Behind this inconspicuous title lays a tremendous number of documents and calculators for wireless technology and amateur radio. From antennas to receivers and up to transmitters: clearly sorted into categories and in each category there is an average of 30 articles. Where do some people find the time? For the techno freak this is a treasure chest.
Address: http://www.vk2zay.net/category/8
Amanogawa.com
This is a small collection of on-line calculators. Particularly aimed at antennas.
Address: http://www.amanogawa.com/index.html
Engineering Toolbar
This tool box contains a very extensive and continuously updated collection at Application Notes, patent information, standards, data bases etc. Very interesting for RF engineers.
Address: http://www.globalspec.com/engineering-toolbar/install?frmtrk=tbhome
em talc
This is a collection of tutorials and tools for RF and microwave engineering. Highly interesting needing quite a while to examine everything.
Address: http://www.emtalk.com/tutorials.htm
NXP’s RF manual
The text on the homepage reads:
“NXP`s RF manual - one of the most important reference tools on the market for today’s RF of designers”.
The data book has so many block diagrams and explanations that make reading informative and always worthwhile.
Address: http://www.nxp.com/acrobat_download2/other/discretes/nxp_rf_manual_14th_edition.pdf
Cheat Sheet: Beginners Guide to Electronics
This site was recommended by a teacher because one of her pupils, who belongs to her electronics club, found it very useful. It contains a wealth of information with all the basic formulae and circuits that you could want. Some of the designs are quite dated but a very good place to start.
Address: http://www.appliancepartspros.com/cheat-sheet-beginners-guide-to-electronics.aspx
SHF Communication Technologies
That is a company that fights at the forefront of communications: very high frequencies and very high data rates. The Application Notes are also interesting that describe the state of the art. These useful for further training.
Address: http://www.shf.de/en/communication/downloads/application_notes/
Introduction to IQ-demodulation of RF data
Modern communications use different types of modulation, among other things QAM (Quadrature Amplitude Modulation). A good manual is useful for those who would like to train themselves or gain some experience.
Here is one that is not only accurate but also written to be easily understood. It is actually part of a manual for a piece of equipment.
Address: http://folk.ntnu.no/htorp/Undervisning/TTK10/IQdemodulation.pdf
Radio-Electronics.com
This homepage always has some new topics. It is a genuine “Pandora’s Box” that can consume lots of time. The small sample here shows to the topic of “Receivers“:
Address: http://www.radio-electronics.com/info/receivers/index.php
Hewlett Packard archives
All companies should have access to their documents of older devices, it is good advertising and useful for customer relations. Here is a beautiful example.
Address: http://www.hparchive.com/
136kHz Technical Pages
Something completely different to read but no less interesting. The possibilities, technology and problems of reception at such low frequencies. A nice and informative collection with short explanations.
Address: http://www.qsl.net/on7yd/136brew.htm
Tothpal Family
The first impression is of a very simply and under developed homepage. Only if you scroll through the page do you realise that there are a number of more interesting topics.
Address: http://tothpal.com/link/
AC6V´s amateur radio & DX Reference Guide
This one can keep you occupied for hours.
Address: http://www.ac6v.com/
What Circuits
If there were a question mark behind the homepage name then the contents of this homepage would be clear. It is an enormous collection of practical circuit examples for almost all areas of electronics. Very interesting and sometimes somewhat amusing.
Address: http://www.whatcircuits.com/Category/rf-circuits/