The Luneburg lens is an extremely efficient reflector of radar energy based on advanced principles and fabrication techniques. The theoretical Luneburg lens requires a smooth, continuous gradient of the refractive index from the center to the outside. In practice, this is generally not a viable type of construction (but that is changing). Q: What is […]
FAQ on Luneburg lens to increase radar signature part 2
The Luneburg lens is an extremely efficient reflector of radar energy based on advanced principles and fabrication techniques. This section looks at the Luneburg lens, used to enhance radar visibility by increasing the RCS. Q: What is a Luneburg lens? A: There are several ways to describe it, both qualitatively and quantitatively. The Luneburg lens […]
FAQ on Luneburg lens to increase radar signature: Part 1
The Luneburg lens is an extremely efficient reflector of radar energy based on advanced principles and fabrication techniques. You’re undoubtedly familiar with the concept of radar, radar reflections, and the importance of minimizing reflecting in order to be less visible to a radar beam. As radar technology advanced through various improvements such as use of […]
The Radio Data System: FM radio adds features to stay viable, part 4
Broadcast FM radio has extended its user-friendly capabilities through the addition of embedded, backward-compatible functionality which adds text and even graphics to the radio display. This part concludes with additional RDS details and IC implementations. Q: Where is the RDS signal in the FM-channel spectrum? Does it affect existing FM stereo broadcasts? A: One of […]
The Radio Data System: FM radio adds features to stay viable, part 3
Broadcast FM radio has extended its user-friendly capabilities through the addition of embedded, backward-compatible functionality which adds text and even graphics to the radio display. RDS is part of FM radio’s effort to maintain relevance and meet user expectations in the face of many alternative ways in which users can access news, music, and more […]
The Radio Data System: FM radio adds features to stay viable, part 2
Broadcast FM radio has extended its user-friendly capabilities through the addition of embedded, backward-compatible functionality which adds text and even graphics to the radio display. This part looks at other radio-receiver upgrades that preceded RDS. Q: Is this the first time that FM radio has been “upgraded”? A: No, not at all. In the 1970s, […]
The Radio Data System: FM radio adds features to stay viable, part 1
Broadcast FM radio has extended its user-friendly capabilities through the addition of embedded, backward-compatible functionality which adds text and even graphics to the radio display. From the late 1920s and for decades afterward, AM-based broadcast radio was the primary real-time mass media in the US and the world. In the AM band (550 kHz to […]
FAQ on fractal antennas, Part 2
Antennas based on fractal mathematics offer some significant advantages but also some controversy. The first part of this article looked at the basic concept and history of fractals. This part looks at the relationship between fractals and antennas. Q: All this fractal discussion is interesting, but what does it have to do with antennas? A: […]
FAQ on fractal antennas, Part 1
Antennas based on fractal mathematics offer some significant advantages but also some controversy. Although all antenna designs are derived from either the basic dipole or monopole/ground-plane configurations, there are almost countless antenna variations in use (Figure 1). Each one offers a different combination of key attributes such as center frequency, bandwidth, bandwidth, side lobes, front-to-back […]
Zero-drift amplifiers finesse ultralow-frequency signals, Part 3
Modern zero-drift amplifiers provide the extremely low drift and noise performance, needed for processing many optical biological, and physical-world signals near 0 Hz. Contrary to what you might think, mechanical chopping is still alive and useful. Given the outstanding performance of electronic components, using a high-performance zero-drift amplifier seems the way to go. That is […]
