Wireless Technology News

In 2011, the total population of GPS-enabled, location-based services subscribers will reach 315 million, up from 12 million in 2006, according to a new study from ABI Research. Imagine wearing big box bought clothing and triggering GPS sensors every time you walk into a restaurant, another big box store, an airport, or a bank...the possibilities for data mining are endless. Driving your car through a toll gate will trigger sensors, track the RFID, and enable the GPS. The decoupler uses an advanced tracking system that decodes each signal. Local big box, automobile, television, cell phone, and computer purchases will be forever tracked and the data harvested for future use. Do you feel safer with this trend?

Traditional EMI shielding works by containing and reflecting unwanted interference. Thin, flexible Wave-X EMI absorbers from ARC Technologies suppress noise at the source. Paper-thin Wave-X can fit into even the smallest spaces and attenuate EMI from 5 MHz up to 10 GHz. ARC offers over 25 standard Wave-X products and custom solutions are their specialty.

M/A-COM has released new low-cost two-stage driver amplifiers extending the company's successful family of broadband, high linearity driver amplifiers. The broad frequency range, high linearity, and reliability make this M/A-COM product family ideally suited for a variety of wireless applications such as WiMax, WiBro, and UMTS/WCDMA Basestations.

The Johnson line of RF Coaxial Cable Fixed Length Cable Assemblies includes a variety of interfaces in multiple lengths and cable types. Let Emerson fulfill all your RF Coaxial Cable Assembly needs today.

ZigBee wireless mesh sensor networking technology promises to not only listen, but also take corrective action. Learn how ZigBee software operating system from Airbee is enabling manufacturers and integrators design everyday devices like motors, actuators, valves, and guages into a mesh network for monitoring and control applications.

Arbitrary waveform generators (AWG) are designed to meet the test needs of high-speed serial data buses and wideband digital RF devices. With 5.8 GHz bandwidth, 10 bit resolution, and sample rates up to 20 GS/s, this AWG can produce high-speed, real-life waveforms with imperfections including noise, jitter, pre/de-emphasis, and multi-level signaling up to 10 Gb/s.

When hooked to an IV drip, patients don't think about how that machine was welded and how the fluids are delivered. Yet manufacturers strive to create perfect welds to ensure patient safety. One method is using RF generators to deliver energy at 40.68 MHz. At this higher frequency, welding occurs with less power and more repeatable results.

The military, phone, and cable companies have it; now you can too. Tactical radio frequency jamming is coming to a location near you. Antenna Systems and Solutions has developed a portable Tactical Response Jammer that is designed specifically for simple airwave jamming, with corresponding "dead zones" often required by law enforcement.

Microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) could replace bulky mechanical systems. Mechanical (coaxial and waveguide) switches show good RF performance and high power handling capability up to a few hundred gigahertz, but are heavy and take up valuable real estate. The MEMS switch could revolutionize the RF component industry by providing a miniature switch with the staying power of large mechanicals.

ProSoft Technology's Industrial Hotspot Radios provide wireless real-time access across distances up to 20 miles for the most demanding industrial applications. The RLX-IH Wireless Communication device creates an alternative to running costly cable, particularly where connectivity is not feasible, is prohibitively expensive, or is physically impossible.

The MSI-9020 CellModem is an accessory of the CellScale and wireless weighing systems. It provides a wireless interface from a CellScale to any serial device. Support is provided for computers, scoreboards, printers, PLC's, and virtually any serial connected device. CellScale Virtual Monitor (CVM) software is available to enable your PC to act as a full-featured digital scale indicator. Learn more from Measurement Systems International.

Earth Systems Research Laboratory has developed unique microwave radars and radiometers to measure the ocean-atmosphere boundary. These models reveal the presence of internal waves and permit the determination of ocean surface winds and fluxes. By understanding wave propagation, scientists are able to more accurately determine microwave scattering and radiance emission.

The Ultraclave — a microwave based autoclave — combines microwave heating with high-pressure vessel technology, enabling researchers to conduct batch reactions at pressures and temperatures up to 200 bar (2,900 psig) and 280°C. This unit uses a 3 L reaction chamber to provide safe processing of hazardous substances.

Sensors magazine says that unlike cellular-phone-style radio links, using point-to-point or point-to-multipoint transmission, research at MIT's Media Lab indicates that today's wireless mesh networks offer flexible, redundant communication paths, shorter distances between nodes (that also are self-configuring and self-healing), and better reliability that results in fewer dropped signals and happier customers.

The Industrial Wireless Book presents information on secure wireless networks for industrial applications. Bruno Forgue, Prosoft Technology marketing manager, compares the relative strengths and weaknesses of Direct Signal Spread Spectrum (DSSS), Frequency Hopping Spread Spectrum (FHSS), Wireless Local Area Network (WLAN), Radio Local Area Network (RLAN), and more.

The TA-2404-2-160 is a vertically polarized, 160° sectoral antenna from TIL-TEK Antennae Inc. The antenna consists of a printed dipole array enclosed in an aluminum base with a UV stabilized radome for superior weatherability. The antenna is at DC ground to aid in lightning protection, and includes both wall and pipe mounting for increased flexibility during deployment.

These antennas from Comtelco Antennas can be used for omni-directional data communications applications where a tamperproof antenna is desirable. They can also be used in ceiling mount applications with an optional GP series ground plane. The simple installation and the asthetically pleasing design makes this antenna an excellent choice when looking for a full flooding maximum coverage application.

49th Annual Technical Conference & Expo, November 27 — December 1, 2006. Features ACCESS '06, an IEEE Executive Business Forum, 15 technical symposia, design, and developers forums. Be there!

DiceEngineering.com offers thousands of quality engineering jobs at top technology and engineering companies. Find jobs in your area of expertise. Search now.

Channel Microwave, Ventura, CA, a producer of commercial/military/space qualified signal control components for RF/Microwave systems, seeks a Microwave Engineer/Designer to be responsible for the theoretical design, prototype breadboard, and assembly/tune/test procedures. An EE/ME degree is required, as well as expertise in microwave isolators, circulators, couplers, filters, and power dividers in coaxial and waveguide mediums.

Combine a Project Management Professional Certification with your engineering background and start taking home the bacon. The Project Management Institute provides national certification to qualified individuals in any field who can pass their exam. Take the PMP test and add a new certification to your quiver when you go job hunting.

Who needs the old style analog/digital home phones and the associated bills when you can use Wi-Fi for all calls? It costs extra initially, but the dual-mode option enables your cell phone to act like a home phone. An ABI Research report expects more than 330 million dual-mode phones will be sold by 2011.

We all know that chocolate is good for lovesickness. Now you can have your chocolate, and listen to it too. Is it the rich dark color, the sleek slider body, or is there some secret scent inside, creating cravings for chocolate? You decide. By the way, if your pocketbook calls for low-fat Chocolate, you can get one for only $49.99 from Verizon. Yum.

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