RF Cafe

# RF Cafe Homepage Source: [https://www.rfcafe.com/](https://www.rfcafe.com/) Hugo Gernsback \- A Concise Biography [](https://www.rfcafe.com/references/ai/electronics-technology-pioneers/hugo-gernsback-biography-ai.htm)Being a big fan of[Hugo Gernsback's](https://www.rfcafe.com/references/ai/electronics-technology-pioneers/hugo-gernsback-biography-ai.htm)technical work through his many electronics\-related publications \(*The Electrical Experimenter, Radio Amateur News, Radio News, Radio\-Craft, Short\-Wave Craft, Radio\-Electronics, et*c\.\), I decided to task a couple of different AI models with conducting a deep\-dive research project on all aspects of his background \- family, schooling, business, finances, politics, etc\. Then, I had the AI combine all results, while avoiding duplication, and filtering out "facts" that cannot be validated\. A lot of websites contain Hugo Gernsback bios of varying lengths, but this, I believe, is the most comprehensive and concise\. Photos were collected across the WWW\.\.\. Amateur Radio Crossword Puzzle [](https://www.rfcafe.com/miscellany/crosswords/2020/amateur-radio-crossword-puzzle-8-9-2020.htm)This custom[Amateur Radio crossword puzzle](https://www.rfcafe.com/miscellany/crosswords/2020/amateur-radio-crossword-puzzle-8-9-2020.htm)contains many words particular to Amateur Radio \(labeled with an asterisk \*\)\. Each week for two decades I have created a new technology\-themed crossword puzzle using only words \(1,000s of them\) from my custom\-created lexicon related to engineering, science, mathematics, chemistry, physics, astronomy, etc\. You will never find among the words names of politicians, mountain ranges, exotic foods or plants, movie stars, or anything of the sort\. You might, however, find someone or something in the otherwise excluded list directly related to this puzzle's technology theme, such as Hedy Lamarr or the Bikini Atoll\.\.\. How Audions Were Built [](https://www.rfcafe.com/references/radio-craft/how-audions-were-built-radio-craft-january-1947.htm)If you have never read the story of[Lee de Forest's](https://www.rfcafe.com/references/radio-craft/how-audions-were-built-radio-craft-january-1947.htm)journey from initial experiments to finally achieving success with his amplifying vacuum tube, the Audion, then you might want to take a few minutes to look over this article\. It was published in a 1947 issue of*Radio\-Craft*magazine as part of the 40th anniversary of the invention that changed the electronics world\. With so many other things which are nowadays very commonplace, we tend to not think about or appreciate the ingenuity and effort that went into them\. It is one thing to make incremental improvements in an existing technology, but to conceive of and created an entirely new realm of science is quite another\. As with Albert\.\.\. Student's Radio Physics Course \- Series & Parallel Circuits [](https://www.rfcafe.com/references/radio-news/students-radio-physics-course-july-1932-radio-news.htm)Not everyone who visits websites like RF Cafe is a seasoned electronics veteran\. While I and most likely you, too, can do[series and parallel circuit analysis](https://www.rfcafe.com/references/radio-news/students-radio-physics-course-july-1932-radio-news.htm)\(and series/parallel for that matter, possibly using Fourier or La Place transforms for reactive AC circuits\) in our sleep, many are recently getting into the wonderful world of electronics who are just coming of age or have suddenly at a later point in life developed a passion for the craft\. Accordingly, this article from*Radio News*magazine provides yet another tutorial on the fundamentals of series and parallel circuit analysis\. Only resistors and basic Ohms law are covered\.\.\. Exodus AMP20005 18\-40 GHz, 20 W SSPA [](https://www.rfcafe.com/miscellany/press-releases/2026/Exodus-AMP20005-18-40-GHz-20-W-SSPA-8-18-2026.htm)Exodus Advanced Communications presents the[AMP20005](https://www.rfcafe.com/miscellany/press-releases/2026/Exodus-AMP20005-18-40-GHz-20-W-SSPA-8-18-2026.htm)is a solid\-state RF power amplifier operating from 18\.0 to 40\.0 GHz with 20 W minimum power\. Designed for EMI/RFI, laboratory, CW/pulse, and communication applications, the amplifier features instantaneous wide bandwidth, Class A/AB linear design, built\-in protection circuits, and remote\-control capabilities\. Features Include \* Designed for EMI/RFI, lab, CW/Pulse and all communications applications \* Small form factor, rack\-mounted system \* Class A/AB linear design \* High power advanced technology devices \* Instantaneous ultra\-wide bandwidth \* Built\-in protection circuitry\.\.\. Thévenin's Theorem Quiz [Thévenin's theorem](https://www.rfcafe.com/miscellany/quizzes/rf-cafe-quiz-94-thevenin-theorem.htm)stands as one of the most powerful circuit simplification tools in electrical engineering\. It states that any linear, two\-terminal network \- no matter how complex \- can be reduced to an equivalent circuit comprising a single voltage source \(VTH\) in series with a single resistance \(RTH\)\. To determine these parameters, engineers short all independent voltage sources, open all independent current sources, and calculate the equivalent resistance seen from the terminals\. VTHis simply the open\-circuit voltage across the terminals\. This theorem proves invaluable when analyzing how different loads affect circuit performance, as the equivalent circuit remains unchanged\.\.\. Comics with an Electronics Theme [](https://www.rfcafe.com/references/popular-electronics/electronics-tech-comics-popular-electronics-february-1967.htm)Here are a couple more[tech\-themed comics](https://www.rfcafe.com/references/popular-electronics/electronics-tech-comics-popular-electronics-february-1967.htm)from a vintage electronics magazine \(*Popular Electronics*\)\. The one from page 101 reminds me again about how different the world of retail sales is today compared to just two short decades ago\. Prior to the advent of online marketing and sales, you either walked into a brick and mortar \(a term rarely heard before the Internet era\) type store and walked out with your purchased product, or you thumbed through a catalog and placed an order either by mail or telephone\. Most people opted to pay for a postage stamp rather than pay the long distance phone charge \(a term rarely heard today\)\. Free overnight or 2\-day shipping from many e\-stores makes\.\.\. Ward Para\-Con Antenna [](https://www.rfcafe.com/references/radio-news/ward-para-con-antennas-radio-television-news-september-1951.htm)The word prefix "para" can mean "above and beyond" or "resembling" or "abnormal or incorrect\." Ward Products probably preferred first two be inferred by potential customers when naming their[PARA\-CON television antenna](https://www.rfcafe.com/references/radio-news/ward-para-con-antennas-radio-television-news-september-1951.htm), although it actually is a shortening of "parabolic\." The "con" part is a shortening of "conical\." After reading the text of this full\-page advertisement from a 1951 issue of*Radio & Television News*magazine, I'm inclined to assign the third prefix meaning of "para" to it\. Then, add in the "con" part where "con" can take on either the noun form meaning of "disadvantage" or the verb form definition of "to trick or defraud," and you get what this antenna truly represented in terms\.\.\. Transmission\-Line Feed for Short\-Wave Antennas [](https://www.rfcafe.com/references/qst/transmission-line-feed-short-wave-antennas-qst-october-1932.htm)When someone with the first name of "True" writes an article about transmission line feeds for short\-wave antennas, you should probably take note\. This very topic has been covered in detail many times since the use of impedance\-matched transmission lines have been in use \(more than a century\), but since there are always people new to the concept, it is good to keep introducing the topic on a regular basis\."[Transmission\-Line Feed for Short\-Wave Antennas](https://www.rfcafe.com/references/qst/transmission-line-feed-short-wave-antennas-qst-october-1932.htm)" appeared in a 1932 issue of*QST*magazine\. Even in this era of prefabricated everything, it still often comes down to winding coils and adjusting cable lengths to get optimal impedance matches between transceivers and antennas\.\.\. Electrodrome: Fog and Poison Gas Dissipator [](https://www.rfcafe.com/references/ai/electronics-technology-principles/Electrodome-Fog-Dissipator-William-Haight-ai.htm)The 1934*Flying Aces*magazine's "[Electrodrome: Fog and Poison Gas](https://www.rfcafe.com/references/ai/electronics-technology-principles/Electrodome-Fog-Dissipator-William-Haight-ai.htm)" article described a device invented by William Haight that allegedly used high\-voltage electrostatic fields to "precipitate" fog over a radius of about 1\.5 miles and, by extension, might neutralize poison gas\. The concept was based on a real physical phenomenon \- charged droplets and aerosols can be moved, collected, or coalesced by electric fields \- but the article's large\-scale claims and Haight's atmospheric theory do not align with modern atmospheric physics\. The likely outcome was failure as a practical outdoor fog\-dispersal or poison\-gas\-defense system\. I found no credible evidence that Haight's electrodrome was adopted by airports, the U\.S\. government, military\.\.\. Electronic Crossword Puzzle [](https://www.rfcafe.com/references/radio-news/electronic-crossword-radio-tv-news-september-1958.htm)This "[Electronic Crossword](https://www.rfcafe.com/references/radio-news/electronic-crossword-radio-tv-news-september-1958.htm)" appeared in the September 1958 issue of Radio & TV News magazine\. Its creator, John Gill, designed specialty theme crossword puzzles for many other editions of Radio & TV News and Electronics World \(see the big list at the bottom of the page\)\. He considered this crossword to be a "fooler" because he claims to include many "unusual definitions and a number of obscure words which you will have to work around if your vocabulary of 'exotic words' is rusty\." It really doesn't seem so difficult to me, and anyone used to working my custom RF Cafe Crosswords will have no problem with it\.\.\. Building Your Own Audio Frequency Choke Coils [](https://www.rfcafe.com/references/radio-craft/building-af-choke-coils-october-1932-radio-craft.htm)One very satisfying aspect of 'rolling your own'[audio frequency coils](https://www.rfcafe.com/references/radio-craft/building-af-choke-coils-october-1932-radio-craft.htm)\(aka chokes, aka inductors\), is how well the simple inductance equations match measured end results\. Unless you really manage to mangle the job, if you use the right equation and are reasonably careful to observe wire size, spacing \(including insulation\), and core diameter, you will be amazed at how close practice matches theory\. Although strictly speaking audio frequencies run from a few Hertz up to maybe 15 kHz for people with really good hearing\. My experience is that similar success can be had even into the low MHz realm with just a little tuning required\. It's not until you get into the realm of self\-resonance\.\.\. Heath Company: Heathkit Advertisement [Heathkit's](https://www.rfcafe.com/references/radio-news/heath-company-radio-television-news-july-1955.htm)claim to fame was that it was able to offer user\-assembled kits of high quality electronic products at a price lower than what equivalent factory assembled equivalents would cost\. While that is probably generally the case, it is difficult to gauge what the relative quality really is\. Some of the kits were easy to assemble for even people with little experience, but a good portion of them required familiarity with soldering and how electronics were put together\. The instructions provided were very thorough, complete with photos and drawings of how each step should look\. In fact, according to a 1972 installment of Mac's Service Shop entitled "Philosophy of a Kit Manufacturer," every Heathkit kit\.\.\. RF Cafe Quiz \#92: Electric Fields [](https://www.rfcafe.com/miscellany/quizzes/rf-cafe-quiz-92-electric-fields.htm)An electric field is a vector field that surrounds electrically charged particles and exerts a force on all other charged particles in the field, either attracting or repelling them\. It is the fundamental manifestation of the electric force, acting as the intermediary through which charges communicate\. From the static potential of a charged capacitor plate to the dynamic, wave\-propagating fields of an antenna, electric fields are central to electronics, semiconductor physics, and electromagnetics\. This[Electric Fields Quiz](https://www.rfcafe.com/miscellany/quizzes/rf-cafe-quiz-92-electric-fields.htm)explores the principles that govern these invisible forces, including the inverse\-square relationship defined by Coulomb's Law, the concept of electric potential \(voltage\)\.\.\. The Tecnetron: Competitor to the Transistor? [](https://www.rfcafe.com/references/radio-electronics/tecnetron-competitor-transistor-may-1958-radio-electronics.htm)Breaking news from May 1958: "Hardly a month passes nowadays without the announcement of some 'sensational' new amplifying device\. The great majority of these startling inventions, after their brief flurry in the popular and technical press, disappear into oblivion\. But we believe that the[Tecnetron](https://www.rfcafe.com/references/radio-electronics/tecnetron-competitor-transistor-may-1958-radio-electronics.htm), just announced in France, has a brilliant and enduring future\." Have you ever heard of a Tecnetron? I didn't think so; neither had I before reading this article in Radio\-Electronics\. I guess that pretty much negates the preceding prediction\. The holy grail of the Tecnetron, whose etymology in and of itself is worth reading about \(it's not what you would guess\), is that its transconductance\.\.\. Simpson Electric Company Advertisement [](https://www.rfcafe.com/references/radio-news/simpson-electric-company-radio-television-news-may-1954.htm)Before the days of cheap stuff from China, the supply of most common items\- particularly high technology \- were the domain of relatively few companies\. In some ways it was not entirely a bad thing because, at least theoretically, the economy of scale enabled larger producers to leverage bulk buying, well\-equipped development labs and manufacturing equipment, and pooling of talent resources to sell quality products at a lower price\. Of course it required that the company had serious competitors or monopolistic tendencies resulted in gouging \- it's human nature, unfortunately\. Hewlett Packed, as much as I appreciate what the company did for[electronics test equipment](https://www.rfcafe.com/references/radio-news/simpson-electric-company-radio-television-news-may-1954.htm), had gotten\.\.\. Varian Associates Radar Illustrations by C\.E\.B\. Bernard [](https://www.rfcafe.com/miscellany/cool-pics/varian-associates-radar-illustrations-bernard.htm)Frequent RF Cafe visitor who goes by the moniker "Unknown Engineer" sent me a hyperlink to a PDF file on Amazon's CloudFront\* content delivery network \(CDN \- basically a file server\) that contains no fewer than 17 amazing radar and vacuum tube related line[drawings published by Varian Associates](https://www.rfcafe.com/miscellany/cool-pics/varian-associates-radar-illustrations-bernard.htm)' TWT Division, Palo Alto Tube Division, Solid State Division, Eastern Tube Division, Western Tube Division, Solid State West Division\. These highly detailed and busy drawings were done around 1975 by British illustrator/artist C\.E\.B\. Bernard; a search for his works did not reveal much\. The events shown are fictitious, as are the accompanying hand\-printed stories\. Some of the puns\.\.\. [](https://www.rfcafe.com/miscellany/history/day-in-engineering-science-history.htm)Loading history\.\.\. --- [](https://www.rfcafe.com/miscellany/homepage-archive/homepage-archive.htm)The[RF Cafe Homepage Archive](https://www.rfcafe.com/miscellany/homepage-archive/homepage-archive.htm)is a comprehensive collection of every item appearing daily on this website since 2008 \- and many from earlier years\. Many thousands of pages of unique content have been added since then\. [](https://www.rfcafe.com/references/radio-news/spot-radio-news-radio-news-june-1945.htm)This June 1945 issue of*Radio News*magazine reported on the passing of President Franklin Delano Roosevelt; he died on April 12th\. While radio was building its presence as a relatively new form of communication, Roosevelt exploited the technology often with radio speeches and his well\-known series of "Fireside Chats\." At the outbreak of World War II, many Americans first learned of the December 7th, 1941 \("a date which will live in infamy"\) Pearl Harbor attack via the radio \- before newspapers hit the stands\. Calvin Coolidge, Roosevelt's predecessor \(and of Herbert Hoover's\), actually made the very first radio address\. It also included some unwelcome news about the availability of new radio receivers being delayed due to parts shortages\. Unbeknownst to me prior to reading\.\.\. [](https://www.rfcafe.com/miscellany/cool-products/heathkit-cr-1-crystal-receiver-kit.htm)This vintage[Heathkit CR\-1 Crystal Receiver](https://www.rfcafe.com/miscellany/cool-products/heathkit-cr-1-crystal-receiver-kit.htm)kit is one the latest unbuilt Heathkit kits which appeared on eBay, and can still be found there occasionally both in kit form and fully built sets\. I have been saving the images in order to preserve the history\. The constantly growing list is at the lower right\. A PDF version of the Heathkit CR\-1 Crystal Receiver Manual can be found here, but I captured the pages \(below\) in case it disappears someday\. Note the information included on the operation of detectors and oscillators\. The copyright on the manual is 1956, and it appears in the 1958 Heathkit catalog for $7\.95 \($75\.10 in 2021 money per the BLS\)\. From the catalog page: "This crystal radio is just\.\.\. [](https://www.rfcafe.com/references/radio-craft/radar-operation-radio-craft-october-1945.htm)Here is a brief synopsis of radar \([radio detection and ranging](https://www.rfcafe.com/references/radio-craft/radar-operation-radio-craft-october-1945.htm)\)\. Today, most people who would be reading a magazine like*Radio\-Craft*would have at least a layman's level of knowledge of what radar is and how it works\. However, in late 1945 when the transition from a wartime society to a "normal" existence was solidly underway, many new terms and types of inventions previously withheld for defense security reasons were being released into the public domain\. I have mentioned previously that some people were vehemently against making a lot of the stuff known, but government agencies wanted to get the information out in order to promote innovation for improvement, to provide new technology\.\.\. [](https://www.rfcafe.com/references/radio-news/univac-january-1957-radio-television-news.htm)The Remington Rand "Univac" \([*UNIV*ersal*A*utomatic*C*omputer](https://www.rfcafe.com/references/radio-news/univac-january-1957-radio-television-news.htm)\) computer was delivered on March 31, 1951\. Its main memory consisted of liquid mercury delay lines arranged in 1000 words of 12 alphanumeric characters each\. A Univac famously calculated the first presidential race forecast \- Eisenhower vs\. Stevenson \- and was correct\! This 1957 report in*Radio & Television News*magazine mentions how "giant electronic computers no longer rank as laboratory curiosities or frightening science\-fiction robots\." The Unisys company is today's descendant of Remington Rand\.\.\. [](https://www.rfcafe.com/references/radio-news/delco-all-transistor-auto-radio-august-1957-radio-tv-news.htm)In 1957, only a top\-of\-the\-line automobile deserved a radio containing 13 discrete transistors and four crystal diodes\. Only buyers of such a top\-of\-the\-line vehicle could afford the luxury offered by an electronic marvel that promised instant\-on music with superior sensitivity and selectivity over the vacuum tube models that lesser humans endured\. As shown in this 1957 issue of*Radio & TV News*magazine,[Delco's Model 7268085](https://www.rfcafe.com/references/radio-news/delco-all-transistor-auto-radio-august-1957-radio-tv-news.htm)was up to the task as it populated the dashboards of Cadillac's Eldorado Brougham\. Modern day radios use a single IC for performing all reception, filtering, amplification, and tuning functions, with superior performance compared to the Delco without\.\.\. [](https://www.rfcafe.com/references/radio-craft/microwaves-part-3-radio-craft-october-1945.htm)Major Eugene Skinner \(a mere Captain when the previous two parts were written\) wrote many articles about radar and microwave technology for*Radio\-Craft*magazine\. In 1945 he provided a three\-part series entitled "Microwaves\." This third part focuses on[antennas and radiators](https://www.rfcafe.com/references/radio-craft/microwaves-part-3-radio-craft-october-1945.htm), including waveguides and feedhorns\. The discussion is high level covering the basic operation of basic circuit elements, so it is excellent fodder for people new to the field \- hobbyists, students, technicians, and engineers\. The previous two parts are also available if you want to start at the beginning\.\.\. [](https://www.rfcafe.com/miscellany/factoids/dave-leeson-engineering-technology-history-wiki-ethw-kirts-cogitation-331.htm)If you have not yet discovered the Engineering and Technology History Wiki \(ETHW\) website, now would be a good time to surf on over and take a look at the vast resources there \- particularly the "Oral\-History" series of in\-person interviews of our field's top scientists and engineers\. Among them are Dr\. Harold Beverage, Dr\. Ulrich L\. Rohde \(N1UL\), Harold S\. Black, Harold A\. Wheeler, Dr\. Irwin Jacobs and Dr\. Andrew Viterbi, and of particular significance to me,[Dr\. David B\. Leeson \(W6NL\)](https://www.rfcafe.com/miscellany/factoids/dave-leeson-engineering-technology-history-wiki-ethw-kirts-cogitation-331.htm), founder of California Microwave and Ham radio contesting champion\. Many of the oral interviews were conducted in the pre\-Internet era and some of the people are no longer with us\. A few days ago\.\.\. [](https://www.rfcafe.com/miscellany/smorgasbord/Drone-Based-Field-Measurement-System.htm)Here is a million dollar idea for you to consider\. I hereby dub it the "[Drone\-Based Field Measurement System™"\(dB\-FMS™\)](https://www.rfcafe.com/miscellany/smorgasbord/Drone-Based-Field-Measurement-System.htm)\. The concept came to me while reading a column in QST magazine discussing the use of the EZNEC antenna radiation pattern prediction software\. As you know unless an antenna is situated in a perfect, unobstructed environment like in the middle of a desert with a perfectly uniform ground or on a space\-based platform, physical obstacles and variations in surface conductivity can significantly alter the 3\-dimensional field distribution\. Columnist Joel Hallas \(W1ZR\) is a master at EZNEC and is routinely called upon to model antenna systems for people\. As important\.\.\. [](https://www.rfcafe.com/references/radio-craft/radio-bomb-radio-craft-october-1945.htm)I frequently refer to magazine editor, inventor, author, and futurist Hugo Gernsback as a genius who accomplished as much in his lifetime as just about anyone has\. He often noted in his magazines, including as in the 1945 issue of*Radio\-Craft*, where products, methods, and events he predicted ended up coming true\. It might seem like a case of "blowing his own horn," so to speak, but the fact is that then, as now, you have to publicize your successes because competitors and those who wish to cause you harm will not do it for you\. Here, he had described a year previous a "[Radio Bomb](https://www.rfcafe.com/references/radio-craft/radio-bomb-radio-craft-october-1945.htm)" which had the capability of radio controlled guidance, including onboard navigation for pinpointing targets\.\.\. [](https://www.rfcafe.com/references/qst/stable-microwave-oscillators-july-1966-qst.htm)Long before digital communications was widely adopted, there was a great need for stable frequency\-determining devices / systems\. That is to say, low bit error rates \(BER\) for digital communications are not the sole motivation for[oscillators](https://www.rfcafe.com/references/qst/stable-microwave-oscillators-july-1966-qst.htm)with low short\-term and long\-term stability and low levels of jitter\. One obvious need for precise frequency control is radar, in order for accurate ranging \(the second "R" in radar\) and in the case of Doppler systems, for accurate radial velocity reporting and clutter cancellation\. Those capabilities existed long before digital systems came online\. Aside from radar, precise frequency was needed in order to reduce guard band width between assigned channel\.\.\. [](https://www.rfcafe.com/miscellany/smorgasbord/A-O-Smith-Gas-Hot-Water-Heater-Flame-Sensor-Repair.htm)Without warning, a couple days ago our hot water heater became just a cold water storage tank\.[Our A\.O\. Smith GCV 40 100 HWH](https://www.rfcafe.com/miscellany/smorgasbord/A-O-Smith-Gas-Hot-Water-Heater-Flame-Sensor-Repair.htm)had been functioning perfectly since we acquired it with the house in 2008\. Being a gas hot water heater, I had a bit trepidation about messing with it since gas has a way of exploding at the most inconvenient times \- like when your face is staring into a burner chamber\. I attack electrical problems with near\-reckless abandon from having dealt with AC and DC supplies and controls for nearly five decades\. Nevertheless, last December when our Trane VX95 gas furnace decided it was time to be a cold air storage container, I sought advice on the Internet for how to exact\.\.\. [](https://www.rfcafe.com/references/radio-craft/broadcast-equipment-radio-craft-october-1945.htm)Don Hoefler, widely credited for being the first author to use the term "Silicon Valley" in print\* to refer to the rapidly building semiconductor region of the San Francisco Bay area, published a series of articles in the 1944\-1945 timeframe in*Radio\-Craft*magazine about radio and television broadcast equipment\. This particular installment is part XII, covering[broadcast antenna towers](https://www.rfcafe.com/references/radio-craft/broadcast-equipment-radio-craft-october-1945.htm)\. At the time, commercial installations were few and far between as priority was given to scarce resources for military applications\. He discusses the tradeoffs involved in various vertical antenna designs, including the tower structures: top\-loading, center\-loading, etc\. When I first looked at the traditional tapered\.\.\. [](https://www.rfcafe.com/references/radio-news/bell-telephone-labs-salutes-nobel-prize-winners-february-1957-radio-television-news.htm)Anyone visiting RF Cafe \(other than by accident\) almost certainly knows of[Drs\. Bardeen, Brattain and Shockley](https://www.rfcafe.com/references/radio-news/bell-telephone-labs-salutes-nobel-prize-winners-february-1957-radio-television-news.htm)fame for their transistor invention while jointly working at the Bell Telephone Laboratories\. The trio shared The Nobel Prize in Physics in 1956\. Bell was so proud of their employees' efforts that they ran full page advertisements to boast of the accomplishment\. This one appeared in the February 1957 edition of*Radio & Television News*\. Alas, Ma Bell's moment of glory was a bit diminished by needing to add a footnote admitting that Drs\. Bardeen and Shockley no longer work there\. Note that while the ad says the transistor was announced in 1948, the first demonstration to Bell managers was in December of 1947\.\.\. [](https://www.rfcafe.com/business/software/rf-cascade-workbook-2018/rf-cascade-workbook-2018.htm)*[RF Cascade Workbook](https://www.rfcafe.com/business/software/rf-cascade-workbook-2018/rf-cascade-workbook-2018.htm)*is the next phase in the evolution of RF Cafe's long\-running series,*RF Cascade Workbook*\. Chances are you have never used a spreadsheet quite like this \([click here for screen capture](https://www.rfcafe.com/business/software/rf-cascade-workbook-2018/images/rf-cascade-workbook-infographic-log-log-bkg.jpg)\)\. It is a full\-featured RF system cascade parameter and frequency planner that includes filters and mixers for a mere $45\. Built in*MS Excel*, using*RF Cascade Workbook*is a cinch and the format is entirely customizable\. It is significantly easier and faster than using a multi\-thousand dollar simulator when a high level system analysis is all that is needed\.\.\. [](https://www.rfcafe.com/miscellany/crosswords/2021/physics-science-theme-crossword-puzzle-8-1-2021.htm)This[Physics & Science Theme crossword puzzle](https://www.rfcafe.com/miscellany/crosswords/2021/physics-science-theme-crossword-puzzle-8-1-2021.htm)for August 1st, 2021, contains only words and clues related to engineering, mathematics, chemistry, physics, and other technical words\. As always, this crossword contains no names of politicians, mountain ranges, exotic foods or plants, movie stars, or anything of the sort unless it/he/she is related to this puzzle's technology theme \(e\.g\., Hedy Lamarr or the Bikini Atoll\)\. The technically inclined cruciverbalists amongst us will appreciate the effort\. Enjoy\!