Pasternack Blog

RF limiters and detectors are used widely throughout the RF and microwave industry in a wealth of circuit applications. For example, radar transceivers, telecommunication radios, test and measurement equipment, and other circuits rely on RF limiters for receiver protection, as well as the protection of critical circuit components that may experience high-peak voltage and current ..

Passive intermodulation (PIM) distortion is a wireless communication system degrading phenomenon that has been a concern for cellular telecommunications, satellite communications, and wireless network development. PIM is such a concern in cellular/wireless communications that there are entire distinct Low PIM Components and Cable Assemblies product lines designed to aid in preventing or mitigating PIM distortion. ..

A reverse polarized coax connector is a variation of a standard polarity connector in which the gender of the interface has been reversed. The term “reverse polarity” refers not to the signal polarity of the connector itself but to the gender of the center contact pin. A reverse polarized connector will have the same external ..

RoHS, also known as Lead-Free, stands for Restriction of Hazardous Substances. RoHS originated in the European Union and restricts the use of six hazardous materials found in electrical and electronic products. All applicable products in the EU market after July 1, 2006 must pass RoHS compliance. The substances banned under RoHS are lead (Pb), mercury ..

Packaging dimensions, weight, pinouts and material construction are critical features of any RF amplifier. These factors heavily weigh into the cost and feasibility of using a particular amplifier in a given design. Regardless of electrical and RF performance, if an amplifier can’t fit into the required footprint, the device won’t be serviceable for that application. ..

Though there are many reputable and high quality waveguide vendors, some vendors, specifically offshore vendors, may use machining techniques that reduce time and cost of manufacture. These short-cuts could have dramatic impact on a waveguide component and system performance. Any misalignments or machined geometries beyond specified levels can reduce the VSWR performance of a waveguide, ..

Introduction to Mixers A microwave frequency mixer is a 3-port electronic circuit that combines two or more signals into one or two composite output signals, and are categorized as switching mixers or nonlinear mixers– although many mixers are configured with both. Using diodes, the mixer is passive and has a conversion loss. Using active devices, ..

RF attenuators are fundamental components of RF and Microwave circuits and systems. Often found in virtually every RF application, attenuators play a vital role in receivers, transmitters, test and measurement systems etc. The main purpose of attenuators is to reduce the signal strength, such as prior to the signal reaching a sensitive circuit element. Attenuators ..

The input and output power characteristics of an RF amplifier are dominant characteristics, as increasing signal strength is the primary purpose of an amplifier. An RF amplifier will be specified with a maximum and nominal range for input and output power based on certain conditions. These specifications will further extend to a maximum and nominal ..

RF filters are some of the most important components in receivers. The main functions of the filters are to reject undesirable signals outside the filter pass band and to separate signals according to their frequency. RF filters modify the amplitudes and phases of sinusoidal waveforms that pass through them or, more simply, RF filters remove unwanted ..