Most circuit design engineers know this problem. They seem to have an inexhaustible amount of oscillators with all kinds of frequencies available, but there’s always one frequency that seems to be unavailable: the one they need. Abracon offers a variety of low-cost MEMS oscillators that can be programmed for a wide range of frequencies. When […]
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Review: Analog Devices ADF4360 PLL Synthesizer
The ADF4360 series from Analog Devices is a a family of integer-N-synthesizer chips with on-board VCOs. Since the chips cover all amateur radio bands between 4m – 13 cm and are rather inexpensive, they are predestined to be used in homebrew amateur radio equipment. Not too long ago I reviewed ADI’s wideband PLL synthesizer ADF4351 […]
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Review: Goldsource 2000 W Step Up & Down Transformer
Goldsource STU-2000 is a 2000 Watt step up/down transformer designed to convert 110 Volts to 220 Volts and vice versa. It’s also equipped with a 5 V USB output suitable for powering USB devices. The STU-2000 is available for less than 100 [1]. For that price, I decided I’d give it a try. There’s no […]
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One-Hung-Low brand 12 V to 220 V inverter
Inverters are used all over the place to make mains voltages available in conditions where only 12 volts are available. Care needs to be taken to not buy low-quality products and damage sensitive mains operated equipment. Today, I tried out a 300 Watt 12 V DC to 220 V AC inverter I bought off eBay […]
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Source for toroids, magnet wire and IF cans
This article is probably going to be the shortest and most straight to the point article I will ever write. While I was looking for different kinds of toroidal ferrite / iron cores, I came across the online shop of amateur radio operator Dieter Gentzow, W8DIZ [1]. Dieter has a huge selection of toroids and […]
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Review: Analog Devices ADF4351
Frequency generation is usually a very critical part in every RF design. The higher the target frequency, the higher complexity. Usually. With the ADF4351, Analog Devices offers an effort-saving component level solution for frequencies up to 4.4 GHz. The ADF4351 from Analog Devices (ADI) is a modern wideband PLL synthesizer with integrated low phase noise […]
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Review: Teledyne LeCroy WaveStation 2052 – Arbitrary Waveform Generator
After having a look at a Teledyne LeCroy WaveAce series oscilloscope recently, it’s time to have a look at the entry-level WaveStation family of arbitrary waveform generators. The WaveStation generators and the WaveAce oscilloscopes are designed to be capable of working hand-in-hand. The Teledyne LeCroy WaveStation 2052 is a 50 MHz, 2-channel Function/Arbitrary Waveform Generator […]
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Why PSK31 over FM is nonsense
The current issue of ARRL’s magazine QST features an article about PSK31 on 2m in FM. This article is going to show why this is an unnecessary waste of bandwidth and therefore nonsense. PSK31 is a digital transmission mode designed for minimum bandwidth and great performance even in weak signal conditions. Sending a PSK31 signal […]
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Review: Jackson Labs GPSTCXO Eval Board
Jackson Labs offers several different precision timing solutions. Among them are various GPS-disciplined oscillators. They sent me an evaluation board for one of their ultra small, low-cost GPSDO. So let’s check it out! The GPS-disciplined Oscillator (GPSDO) reviewed in this article is a state-of-the-art eval board from Jackson labs equipped with a high-performance GPS receiver, […]
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Repairing a MRC DAR Plus Receiver
This is another piece of industry story time. This time it’s about Vislink MRC DAR Plus receivers and transmitters. It shows that even highly integrated devices in the 1 each including shipping. After carefully replacing the MMIC on the PCB, I tested the IF module by applying a 70 MHz signal again. This time the […]
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