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The European Southern Observatory (ESO) is an intergovernmental European organization for astronomical research, coordinating many projects. The leading one in radio astronomy is the construction of the Atacama Large Millimeter Array (ALMA), 1,2 a project for an interferometer aimed at the study of microwave and sub-millimeter signals coming from...

Four earthquakes and a tsunami warning not withstanding, the IMS 2005 Symposium and Exhibition in Long Beach, CA turned out to be a huge success. Cool ocean breezes and hazy days were the norm outside, while crowded technical sessions and a busy show floor were the norm inside the...

This article covers the basic concepts of antenna measurements, including definitions of the reactive near-field, radiating near-field and radiating far-field; primary antenna measurement parameters; and the various types of antenna measurements, including pattern, gain and polarization measurements. The most common types of measurement range configurations are detailed, including far-field...

In modern society, electronic systems impact significantly on everyday life, for individuals, commerce, industry and the community as a whole. Their safe and reliable operation is generally taken for granted, as is the humble surge protector that plays such a vital role in maintaining transceiver structures and ensuring the...

A series of high frequency relays has recently been developed that feature very small size and low power consumption. The most recent relay in this series is the model G9YA, a 26.5 GHz coaxial relay designed primarily for mobile communications base station and antenna applications. The new single-pole, double-throw...

Wireless technologies have developed in a way that can best be described as ‘unbelievable.’ Global mobile subscriptions rose to 1.7 billion in 2004 and the number continues to grow at a healthy pace. Furthermore, the production volumes of cellular phones are remarkable when compared to other consumer products —...

The demand for smaller communication devices for personal communication systems has led to a constant search for methods to reduce the cellular phone dimensions. However, the wavelength does not decrease with the same speed as the size of the mobile phones due to the higher frequency bands used. Even...

In present-day wireless communication equipment, the need for antennas of high efficiency has generated much interest in the study of microstrip antennas. These printed microstrip antennas exhibit a low profile and are lightweight. However, microstrip antennas have inherently narrow bandwidths and, in general, are half-wavelength structures, operating in the...

Calibration standards such as opens and shorts have traditionally been modeled by fitting the actual response of the standard to a third-order polynomial. 1 This approach has limitations as the frequency range of the standards increases. Multiple-band models for the same calibration standard were created in an effort to...

Several years ago, a new antenna was developed to address the increasing need for compact wideband antennas. 1,2 The new antenna was presented as a novel spiral configuration best described as a Tapered Area Small Helix (TASH). The original work drew the interest of the US Army Communications —...