Expert’s Corner Category: Playback and Reproduction Three Key Technologies That Power the RF Recorder RF recorders are still the new kid on the block compared to the ubiquitous spectrum analyzer. The foundational technologies behind the spectrum analyzer have existed for over 50 years. That’s not the case for RF recording instrumentation. So why did it take us so long to get … Read More
RF Field Tests and the Silver Screen (Episode 5): Turning RF Capture into Residuals is the Endgame
At a reported cost of over $350 million, Avengers: Endgame was not simply a film project—it was an expansion of a multi-billion dollar franchise. From the global marketing plan to the themed products, amusement parks, and restaurants worldwide, Marvel approached the creation of the film as an investment in a long-term asset and not a one-time box office hit. Marvel … Read More
RF Field Tests and the Silver Screen (Episode 4): Share and Collaborate
Directors Anthony and Joe Russo dedicated years of their lives crafting the film that became the top box office movie of all time. Avengers: Endgame is more than a typical sequel. It ties 21 films together, including The Incredible Hulk, Captain America: The First Avenger, The Avengers, and Thor. No one believes that the Russo brothers spent those years creating … Read More
RF Field Tests and the Silver Screen (Episode 3): OPTEMPO on the Range
When the camera stops rolling, the critical moments have been captured, and the stars are tucked into their trailers, a new team emerges on the scene. Their names may be embedded deep in the credits, but they play a key role in making the blockbuster film come to life. Every night, with a handful of memory cards, the data management … Read More
RF Field Tests and the Silver Screen (Episode 2): Capture Critical Moments
When Marvel Studios decided to create the sequel to Avengers: Infinity War, they took on Anthony and Joe Russo as returning directors and assembled a long line of A-list actors, including Robert Downey Jr., Mark Ruffalo, Scarlett Johansson, Paul Rudd, Bradley Cooper, and Gwyneth Paltrow, aka the Avengers’ surviving members and their allies. Much of the filming was done at … Read More
RF Field Tests and the Silver Screen (Episode One)
It’s Iron Man vs. Thanos, the final battle scene of Avengers: Endgame. 93 million ticket holders sit on the edge of their seats. Thousands of warriors span the screen as the two armies collide—explosions and carnage on all sides. With a snap of his fingers, Thanos declares: “I am inevitable”. But there’s one more plot twist that renders Thanos powerless … Read More
Technical Leadership Lessons from Edison
If Thomas Edison was working at a defense contractor today, he would probably be the world’s most effective principal engineer, teaching us valuable technical leadership lessons. Although he’s most widely known for the invention of the light bulb, Edison holds a total of 1,093 patents in the United States. To date, he is acclaimed as America’s most prolific inventor. That … Read More
Dinosaur Bones and Wireless Signals
The American Museum of Natural History is known for its iconic Tyrannosaurus Rex, the centerpiece of the museum’s Hall of Dinosaurs. As visitors stare up at this magnificent skeleton, they see this 4-foot-long jaw studded with its 6-inch teeth and could imagine this creature chasing its prey across the plains of Texas millions of years ago. (Don’t worry, we’ll get … Read More
About those Specs…
It’s easy to write specs on a datasheet. Product engineers might feel a little queasy about some of the specs claimed on their own product’s datasheet, but marketing and sales folks almost never do. Unfortunately, when it comes to real-world RF performance, there often are no real specs or benchmarks in the datasheets–just unsubstantiated claims. Whose device or product can … Read More
Avoid an Avalanche of Regression Test Costs
Sometimes the tiniest tweak can trigger an avalanche of regression test costs. It may be very tempting to upgrade to the latest technology from a vendor or the latest algorithm from the PhD’s in the signal processing group. But what’s the risk of that upgrade vs. the actual benefit? Do you dare push forward with that upgrade without commissioning a … Read More