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/