Sociability—A
man has as many social selves as there are individuals who recognize him.— William James (1842–1910), U.S. psychologist, philosopher.
Sociability—A
man has as many social selves as there are individuals who recognize him.
— William James (1842–1910), U.S. psychologist, philosopher.
The Art & Science of Communications
Jack L. Stone, Publisher
INTRODUCTION
he “Art and
Science” of communications. Just about everything we do involves some form of
communications, certainly in this particular field of technical endeavor called radio.
Because of the nature of a magazine being a communicative conveyance itself, a great deal
of my own time each day involves corresponding with folks via some form, usually
electronic and mostly email. Those that pertain to this magazine, consist of subscribers,
would-be subscribers, and customers of the Shopping Shack. Even more time is spent
conversing with our authors and/or those submitting materials that may appear in future
issues.
I feel fortunate for the daily opportunity to deal with so many bright minds around the world crossing many invisible borders in the process via the Internet Transporter. All with one thing in common: a thirst for knowledge. My job here is to try and fulfill that thirst coupled with concerns that the knowledge we dispense is useful and as accurate as possible, as well as being timely with emerging technology. Above all, the material must be interesting and presented with the best clarity as possible using the many new audio and video devices and techniques now provided by the marvel of the Internet which can carry that information around the globe to even the most remote regions within minutes or seconds.
While we can fill pages with text and images and although the subject may contain exciting technology, we fail if we cannot place the image on the reader’s mind with the precision to make it a duplicate of the one intended. Thus, our goal is to inform and to educate which is not unlike the goal of those whose chosen field is education itself. Our objectives ties in nicely with those presented by one of our authors and regular contributors to this magazine. David is an educator as a Professor at the School of Electronics and Physical Sciences, University of Surrey, Surrey, England.
David states below his thoughts on the subject of communications and ability to motivate students today with technology moving so fast in so many directions to choose from.
COMMUNICATIONS – Contributed
by Professor David J. Jefferies, PhD |
My initial reaction to what David presented was that, in itself, I thought it was more of an issue of concern for the sociologists, but he added:
[…] You're right about sociology, but I hope it goes deeper than that. I'm interested in motivation, which is very close to marketing as well as to education. I've always thought that all the educator needs to do is to motivate the students to learn and study. In this case, in the UK we have a problem with young people turning away from technical subjects, and going for other options. How can we reverse this? We are trying to sell "unnecessary hard work" to intelligent students. Where is the payoff for them? […— DJJ]
No doubt, this is something educators must
confront every day when choosing to teach higher education where a curriculum is 
selective.
David’s “marketing” question, it seems to me that as with any "market
study" one must start at the beginning. Go to the source, the student and etermine if
the student really wants to be an engineer. If yes or no—why, why not? What drives
the student toward a direction? Did the student choose this direction as a potential
career for all of the wrong (or right) reasons? Aside from marriage, making a career
decision is one of the most important decisions a 18-20-year old youth must make. It's a
confusing time for many at that age of entering adulthood. And, just with marriage,
decisions can be make hastily and not a lot of forethought. After all, about half of the
marriages here in the USA end up in divorce. Does that mean only half of your class is
serious about engineering? How do you motivate an ambivalent student?
So, was it peer pressure because their high school friends chose that field? Or the parents wanted an engineer or PhD to boast about? Now, the student finds the “work” to be difficult or boring—a fish out of water? If a student had the capacity for learning and really wanted to be an engineer, motivation should follow in a natural way—that thirst for knowledge. Then the work might not seem as hard and it might even be fun. Thus, the marketing question becomes, how many in the class really want to be engineers? Or, would they really prefer to be something else entirely? Talk to the students who don't appear to be motivated—as well as those who are. It would seem a questionaire populated with some key questions might be appropriate to your "marketing" research. Since we have a number of educators from among the antenneX readers, this may be "old hat" to many of those folks, and they probably have much better advice to contribute than I, a non-educator from the classroom tradition.
CHOICES
Many simply are not motivated as a result of making wrong choices so early in life. So,
they sit in class and dream about outer space or wearing a paper hat. Some, maybe many
might be more motivated if only they had given sufficient forethought to a career that
made that spark come to life and chomping at the bit to take on the world. On the
other hand, how many potential engineers did we lose to the draw of potential riches to be
earned as a Personal Injury Attorney here in the USA who could then make life hard for
those engineers who dreamed up some gadget or vehicle with flaws? If driven by dreams of
riches at the end of the rainbow apply, or becoming famous, the objective of many of those
is just to manage to graduate and start clipping those coupons waiting for them out there.
I can speak from a bit of experience at least from an example within my own extended family. His parents, a member of a family with a number of relatives from the legal profession as attorneys and even Judges, expected my cousin to join the tradition and become an attorney as well. Not wanting to disappoint his family, he attended law school as was expected of him, being the good son. However, the moment his parents passed away, he became a vetinarian—something HE has always wanted. Now, he is a happy Vet instead of an unhappy lawyer. He and those like him are merely lucky to have the intelligence to be either. It helps too that pre-med is part of both curriculums and he did not waste all of his time. Thus, careers are much like the methaphor of letting water seek its own level. Being intelligent merely makes the chore of choosing a career more difficult because the choices are broad.
Did those great minds of the past exhibit motivation while in the classroom, or were they late bloomers that found their niche after graduation? Youthful minds are not easy to analyze from being torn by confusion and raging harmones.
Too many pick the wrong careers, not limited to just engineers, because they think they should choose a certain field. They are still young and unlikely to realize their choice will last for a lifetime — and so, spend an eternity in quite desperation praying for the day of retirement. Some are able to change careers while others stick it out and hate every moment and then think retirement will make up for it — if they can only reach that point. How many do we know like that? What was that career counselor thinking back then—did he/she pick the right career and are unbiased with their advice? Is their questionaire on file and available to study—or does the student still have a copy? How many Professors review those files to possibly learn more about the students in their classes?
There is nothing much an educator can do to overcome that if the student hates the choice he has made – which may take years for him to figure out. But, on the positive side, wouldn't it be fun to head up a class of students that looked forward to your classes? Now, the next question—did you really want to be a Professor and what process did you go through to decide that? Doesn't that have a lot to do with motivating a class? Methinks the students can sense a Professor who either loves or hates his own career and be influenced by that.
OUR FRIEND, JOEL
During
the past week, I was in touch with Joel Hungerford, our mutual friend and former science
writer of five+ years. Joel was forced to curtail his writing activities due to poor
health.
While his condition worsens as he had expected, he retains a positive attitude and is enjoying every minute by doing things he never took the time to do before like playing lots of pool with friends and shooting up the rifle range with friends. He bought an M1 and says he can easily hit a pie plate at 200 yards with it.
Joel is president of the local Ham Club (they know the situation) and has set the goal of converting ham radio from a "buy and talk" hobby back to the way it used to be, full of experiments and the satisfaction of creating things. He conducts a part of the meetings in Morse code and helping a bunch of the members with learning code.
Someone found a simple little code oscillator circuit with only 6 parts, so Joel made up kits and held a “Project Saturday.” Joel took pleasure in seeing the surprised looks and satisfied smiles when a tone was first heard from something they built themselves!
The club chose a Fox Hunting rig as the next project. Joel ginned up a pair of folded dipoles arranged in a squashed "X". He plans to switch the terminations of each at an audio rate with two different feed lengths to phase modulate the received energy before sending it to a handheld. He thinks he should get an effect like the old A-N aircraft beacons. If he can muster the time and leftover energy, we may see a guest article on this project.
Joel says he is at peace with this new journey, surrounded by good friends and most of the time, peppy enough to enjoy it all! He passes on his best regards to us all.
TWO NEW PRESS RELEASES
What has Lawrence Behr and his LBA Group, Inc. & Subsidiary LBA Technology, Inc. been
up to lately?
Let's check out these two Press Releases just in:
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE LBA and Radian Alliance Creates
Turnkey Solution Provider for Broadcasters Greenville, NC 10 April 2005
LBA Group,
Inc. (“LBA”) announces the signing of an alliance agreement with Radian
Communication Services (“Radian”). The
agreement provides Radian worldwide distribution rights to LBA’s radio frequency
antenna products as well as radio frequency integration services. In return, LBA receives
full access to Radian’s engineering, technical services, and infrastructure products.
In addition, the firms will share marketing resources to develop medium wave turnkey
integrated transmission systems for broadcasters and government users. “As a
leading global supplier of medium wave (AM) antenna systems, our LBA Technology products
fit perfectly with Radian’s full facilities integration capabilities” said
Lawrence Behr, CEO of LBA. “Our experience in delivering high quality, digital ready
antenna systems combines with Radian’s expertise in towers and infrastructure to
deliver a cost effective solution to customers.” Radian’s VP of Broadcast Services, Rick Sullivan,
agrees, “Broadcasters and others have been asking for a comprehensive technical and
infrastructure solution provider and we believe the alliance of LBA and Radian fulfill
that need.” For more
than 30 years LBA Technology, Inc., a unit of the LBA Group (www.lbagroup.com), has been designing and
manufacturing sophisticated antenna tuning and coupling systems for commercial and
government users throughout the world. LBA systems operate in the low, medium and high
frequency radio bands at power levels from 1000 to over 100,000 watts. It also makes
flexible transportable transmitting stations from man-pack to C-130 flyaway
configurations. LBA facilities are located in
Greenville, NC and Corona, CA. Radian
Communication Services (www.radiancorp.com)
has been a leading provider of communications infrastructure, including network design,
installation and management, and tower engineering and construction to the
telecommunications and broadcast industries for over 40 years. Radian operates from
offices across Canada and the United States. Radian's engineering and manufacturing is ISO
9001:2000 registered and AISC Certified for Complex Structures. Radian acquired the assets
of Rohn Industries, Inc. in December 2003 and now offers the most comprehensive line of
infrastructure solutions in the industry. Radian
is a subsidiary of Onex Corporation (TSX:OCX). - 30 - For further
information, please contact:
Radian
Communication Services |
FOR IMMEDIATE
RELEASE LBA Group to Distribute TOMCO Test
Equipment in North, South America Greenville, NC 12 April 2005 LBA Group, Inc. (LBA) today announced
the signing of an exclusive distribution agreement for North and South America between its
subsidiary LBA Technology, Inc. and Tomco Technologies (Tomco) of Norwood, Australia. The
agreement includes Tomco’s TE1000 line of RF Vector Voltmeters as well as access to
its lines of high power amplifiers and transmitters. “The Tomco TE1000 represents the
most cost effective RF Vector Voltmeter available today for sub-UHF applications, with
accuracy and features of units costing five times more,” said Lawrence Behr, CEO of
LBA. “This impedance measurement system is an excellent fit with the needs of
customers already using LBA radio frequency products and services.” The TE1000 measures vector impedance,
VSWR, return loss and more in a lightweight, battery powered package. Included Windows
software enables an array of additional swept data capture, display, and control options
when used with a laptop computer. Typical applications include AM/FM broadcasting,
communications systems, precise cable fabrication, on-board testing, and research. In addition, LBA will offer
Tomco’s line of high performance RF amplifiers. These broadband amplifiers are
available in a range of frequency bands from 40 kHz to 500 MHz, and a range of peak power
levels from 50 watts to 8 kW. They are extremely stable and rugged, and are suited to a
wide variety of applications. These include transmitters, EMI test sources, magnetic
resonance, pulsed radar and RF heating. For
more than 30 years LBA Technology, Inc., a unit of the LBA Group (www.lbagroup.com), has been designing and
manufacturing sophisticated antenna tuning and coupling systems for commercial and
government users throughout the world. LBA systems operate in the low, medium and high
frequency radio bands at power levels from 1000 to over 100,000 watts. It also makes
flexible transportable transmitting stations from man-pack to C-130 flyaway
configurations. LBA facilities are located in
Greenville, NC and Corona, CA. Tomco (www.tomco.com.au) was founded in 1986 as a RF
engineering business that today supplies a broad range of RF hardware in the LF to UHF
frequency ranges into scientific, commercial, and industrial markets worldwide. Tomco is
based near Adelaide, Australia. -30- For further
information, please contact: LBA
Technology, Inc. Tomco
Technologies |
NEW OPEN ACCESS GUEST ROOMS ARE READY
To reiterate, it is always the few that make things difficult for the many. The relentless
attacks on our web site as in the piracy mentioned above has made it necessary to add some
more security to protect our material against such piracy. It's only fair that we know who
enters the House of antenneX, so our guests will need to provide some minimal
information in the process of obtaining a login. This includes using your real active
email address without which a login cannot be received. Do not confuse this login with a
paid subscription login. They are not the same and your subscriber login will NOT work in
the Guest Room areas.
Along with the continuing fight against spam/virii junk, protecting our material and valuable bandwidth against piracy takes up a great amount of our time—time we can't really spare. The Internet is simply not the friendly neighborhood it used to be in the "old days" and more and more security must be installed to counteract these intruders.
In view of the above, we have overhauled the nine free and open-access sections that have always been wide open to all of our friends throughout the many years antenneX has been online. But, we must change with the times as the need dictates. I don't think the Internet will become more friendly in the near future and logins for many others sites will appear more & more. For those who complain how secure things are now—thanks! It's really worth the effort. To repeat, most would like to know who they invite into their house. The same applies at the House of antenneX.
This list pertains to those sections with free access now in our new Guest Rooms we have built and fully operating:
• Antenna Science
• Preview Articles
• Software Download
• Antenna Modeling
• From the Shack
• Propagation
• Ham WorkShop
• Stone's Throw!
• Discussion Forums
We have activated a new login system for access to the above guest rooms — and, the login can be totally managed by our guests. Above is a graphic of what you see as a login page to the new consolidated area, "antenneX Guest Rooms." This new page for logins is at this location now and available for your use:
Get you login all setup now at this URL:
http://www.antennex.com/guests.html
We've really tried to make it easy while still fending off the bad guys, i.e., pirates!
As a result of this new programming, you will be able to obtain your own login, change it to update your info, change your password and delete membership if & when you desire without our help. Of course, the bottom link on the new page provides help if you still need it.
NEW PROGRAMS FOR DOWNLOADS
We have added more programs to the download section in the new Guest Rooms. So, it is a
good idea to be registered on the announcement list especially to learn about the free
goodies we find and offer like the above.To register on the announcement list, just go here.
TWO MORE COUNTRIES JOINED LAST MONTH!
Countries number 198 & 199 just joined the listing of
"Where in the World is antenneX?" As is our custom, we welcome the
latest newcomers and try to tell a little about the countries, some of the history and any
other things our research discovers that might be of interest. The US CIA's World Factbook
is most helpful in this research. A warm welcome to our latest newcomer!
WELCOME MALI, COUNTRY #198
Background:
The Sudanese Republic and Senegal became independent of France in 1960 as the Mali
Federation. When Senegal withdrew after only a few months, what formerly made up the
Sudanese Republic was renamed Mali. Rule by dictatorship was brought to a close in 1991
with a transitional government and in 1992 when Mali's first democratic presidential
election was held. After his reelection in 1997, President Alpha KONARE continued to push
through political and economic reforms and to fight corruption. In keeping with Mali's
two-term constitutional limit, he stepped down in 2002 and was succeeded by Amadou TOURE.
Location:
Western Africa, southwest of Algeria
Population: 11,956,788 (July 2004 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:
Total population: 45.28 years
male: 44.7 years
female: 45.87 years (2004 est.)
Communications:
Telephones - mobile cellular: 250,000 (2003)
Telephone system: general assessment: domestic system unreliable but improving; provides
only minimal service
domestic: network consists of microwave radio relay, open-wire, and radiotelephone
communications stations; expansion of microwave radio relay in progress
international: country code - 223; satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat (1 Atlantic Ocean
and 1 Indian Ocean)
Radio broadcast stations: AM 1, FM 28, shortwave 1
note: the short wave station in Bamako has seven frequencies and five transmitters and
relays broadcasts for China Radio International (2001)
Television broadcast stations: 1 (plus repeaters) (2001)
Internet country code: .ml
Internet hosts: 187 (2003)
Internet users: 25,000 (2002)
WELCOME British Indian Ocean Territory,
COUNTRY #199
Background:
Established as a territory of the UK in 1965, a number of the
British Indian Ocean Territory (BIOT) islands were transferred to the Seychelles when it
attained independence in 1976. Subsequently, BIOT has consisted only of the six main
island groups comprising the Chagos Archipelago. The largest and most southerly of the
islands, Diego Garcia, contains a joint UK-US naval support facility. All of the remaining
islands are uninhabited. Former agricultural workers, earlier residents in the islands,
were relocated primarily to Mauritius but also to the Seychelles, between 1967 and 1973.
In 2000, a British High Court ruling invalidated the local immigration order that had
excluded them from the archipelago, but upheld the special military status of Diego
Garcia.
Location:
Archipelago in the Indian Ocean, south of India, about one-half the way from Africa to
Indonesia.
Population:
no indigenous inhabitants
note: approximately 1,200 former agricultural workers resident in the Chagos Archipelago,
often referred to as Chagossians or Ilois, were relocated to Mauritius and the Seychelles
in the 1960s and 1970s, in November 2000 they were granted the right of return by a
British High Court ruling, though no timetable has been set; in 2001, there were
approximately 1,500 UK and US military personnel and 2,000 civilian contractors living on
the island of Diego Garcia (July 2004 est.)
Communications:
Telephones - main lines in use: NA
Telephone system:
general assessment: separate facilities for military and public needs are available
domestic: all commercial telephone services are available, including connection to the
Internet
international: international telephone service is carried by satellite (2000)
Radio broadcast stations: AM 1, FM 2, short wave 0 (1998)
Television broadcast stations: 1 (1997)
Internet country code: .io
The new Antenna Discussion List is a infinite fountain of ideas making it a great "watering hole" for exchange of ideas, questions and answers on a wide range of antenna-related subjects.
If you haven’t already joined, you are invited and encouraged to do so. Just click here and follow the instructions on how to join and have fun with the rest of us. If you don't participate—it's a big opportunity lost!
==================================== |
AN INVITATION TO CONTRIBUTORS
antenneX thrives on the contributions of antenna experimenters,
ranging from the informal home shop construction project to the theoretical investigation
of basic antenna, feedline, and propagation phenomena. Over the years, we have published
articles on the use of new or newly adapted materials, known antennas adapted to new
circumstances, modifications of antenna structures, basic explorations of both common and
unusual antennas, antenna modeling exercises, design improvements, antenna matching
techniques from both a physical and mathematical perspective, evaluations of mini-antennas
and their underlying theory of operation, new and patentable designs, propagation
tutorials, and.... The list goes on, since no antenna-related topic is irrelevant to the
readers of antenneX.
At the same time, antenneX has experienced continuous growth in its
readership—for which we are appreciative. However, all readers can help us do even
better. How? By submitting an article every now and then based on your current antenna
work that may be useful at any level to other readers.
Among the engineering and researching readers, there are undoubtedly
a number of unclassified and non-proprietary findings that antenneX readers would
like to know. Among the practical antenna designers, there are ideas, tests, and numerous
other practical findings to benefit our readers. Antenna builders very likely have some
techniques to share with other readers. Besides the regular articles, we always have the
home work shop column for shorter practical ideas and we always have the invited news and
editorial column for information about new technologies, future advances, lost old but
good ideas, and personal views on the good to bad things that are happening in the world
of antennas and propagation.
If you are uncertain about whether your ideas merit an article, please feel free to send
an outline to the general editor/publishers at submissions@antennex.com . Do not feel that you must be ready to be a regular submitter to write for antenneX,
because we welcome the individual contribution as much as monthly articles. As well, do
not believe that the slots in each issue are already spoken for—we shall always make
room for a worthy article.
To see details of our writing guidelines, please look at: Writing for antenneX
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IN THIS ISSUE
This month is our 97th online issue online! We again include many fine articles by our great writing team. Now, allow me now to introduce this month's line-up of content:
OUR MONTHLY COLUMNS (plus this one by yours truly):
FEATURE ARTICLES IN THE LIBRARY:
Corner
Reflectors Revisited Again |
| The corner reflector array has been around since 1938, and Kraus described his initial experiments and analyses in paper published in 1939 and 1940. Indeed, he applied for a patent on the corner reflector antenna in 1942. Since then, the antenna has had an on-and-off career among radio amateurs, television broadcasters, and other VHF and UHF users. In the preceding century (1999), I developed some preliminary modeling studies of corner reflectors for the 70-cm band. |
A
NOISE BRIDGE |
| The noise bridge is a sort of HF Bridge. However, the main advantage of the noise bridge is that by simple methods it allows the measurement of load impedances over a broad band of frequencies without an exterior RF oscillator being used. The noise bridge is capable of measuring a reactive component (capacitive and inductive) is measured. This color-illustrated article deals with the construction and use of a Noise Bridge. |
Antenna
System Impedance Matching Analysis Including Stubs, Part II |
| In Part 1 article of this series, I addressed antenna system impedance matching analysis with inclusion of various support tools including the stub area of interest. The stub matching area will be the focus in the next article since it would result in extensively increasing the size of part II. This article shall address the application of a program I wrote, named, ZPIM3 (Impedance Parallel Impedance Matching), mentioned in the first part of this article. The program will address L-network series load impedance matching and relate to stub matching. The equations used in ZPIM3 are reviewed. |
How
Electromagnetic Waves Look With Software Tools |
| lot of
discussion has occurred on the Antenna Discussion List of antenneX regarding how
electromagnetic waves are generated and develop. To try to understand, everyone typically
starts in the first general way possible: - The intuitive way After that, the links of the intuitive process are too much, and we also want to quantify the results and not only say if something is true, false, or goes in some directions. There is the need to switch to the second way: - The mathematical way Doing this with pen and paper in complex situations is difficult even for a mathematical genius. So, there is a third approach: - The Use of Software Tools way |
The
RockMite QRPP CW Transmitter from Wonder Labs |
| In the last two issues of antenneX, Pascal showed the results of his craftsmanship. A beautifully crafted CW paddle in shiny brass and a mini version for mobile use. But what is the point of using a mini-paddle when going mobile and having to drag a twenty-pound transmitter in and out of the car? Pascal decided to try his luck in the QRPP league and presents us in this article with his work in this field. Read his story after he discovered the RockMite CW transmitter/receiver. |
A
70-CM Wide-Band, Long-Boom Yagi with High Sidelobe Suppression |
| What would you pay for front-to-sidelobe ratios that are more than 20 dB over almost the entire 70-cm band? In this context, I am not speaking of money. Rather, I am talking in Yagi terms. One way of paying is in dB of reduced gain. The other means of payment is in terms of element weight and wind load. Now, enter the C50 Yagi to show that it is possible to design a long-boom Yagi with high sidelobe performance while retaining both wide-band operation and reasonably good gain and front-to-back performance. |
Well, there you have it, folks—thanks for listening and remember, the reading lamp is always on for you in the reading rooms. If I can be of further help, I'm just a Stone's Throw! away.-30-
Best reGARDS, Jack L. Stone, Publisher
jack@antennex.com
May 2005 antenneX Online Issue #97
Send mail to webmaster@antennex.com
with questions or comments.
Copyright © 1988-2011 All rights reserved - antenneX©
Last modified:
December 31, 2010
Humans
are predominantly social animals, who thrive on communication. They communicate in many
different ways and with many differing technologies; they travel physically and virtually
to visit each other and are constantly seeking new contacts, whether on or off the planet
Earth. They are even in possession of the concept of "God" with which to
communicate when all else fails.
