RF Engineering Archives > From DC 2 Daylight

21 Best DC Power Supplies for Any Lab Budget

By Tommy Reed on September 28, 2021September 29, 2021Leave a Comment

If there was a singular piece of test equipment that is absolutely vital, it would have to be a great DC power supply. This humble little box was the topic of a recent “Ultimate Guide to DC Power Supplies” post we did. At the end of that post, there were a handful of top DC power supply options that are extremely powerful. Given the importance and sheer range of options we wanted to do a dedicated list post to cover a broader set of DC power supply options.

To that end, we compiled a list of 21 great DC power supply options below.

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Posted in: UncategorizedTagged: Engineering Guide RF Engineering Test Equipment

Live NOAA Weather with Nooelec GOES Weather SDR Bundle

By Tommy Reed on November 8, 2020November 10, 2020Leave a Comment

Introducing a new SDR radio bundle specifically designed for tuning into weather satellite signals.

SDR Weather Stations

Using an SDR to receive weather data from NOAA’s GOES satellite constellation is one of the most common applications for software defined radio enthusiast. There are a ton of tutorials and videos on how to setup your SDR rig, antenna, and SDR software to receive and decode weather images.

One thing that can slow folks down on their quest for home-brew meteorology is figuring out just what equipment is needed beyond a great SDR radio. There are antennas, LNAs, filters, etc. It can all become a bit overwhelming at times.

That’s where a new SDR bundle from Nooelec comes in. The folks over at Nooelec have taken all the guess work and hours of sifting through forums out of designing the best SDR weather station. They’ve created a bundle that includes everything you need to receive weather satellite images.

Posted in: Radios Reviews RF Software Defined EverythingTagged: RF RF Engineering SDR Software Defined Radios

What are Signal Generators? Plus 5 Common Types of Signal Generators

By Tommy Reed on October 8, 2020November 10, 2020Leave a Comment

One common piece of test equipment in any RF laboratory is the signal generator. The purpose of these devices is in the name itself “signal generator,” in that it generates signals with tunable properties such as amplitude, frequency, and wave shape. Signal generators are also called function generators, although, function generators often have more advanced features.

Signal generators are most commonly used to test the response of circuits using known and controllable input signal. In order to validate the output signal coming from the function generator it is common to validate that signal with an oscilloscope (but that’s the topic of a future post).

Posted in: Guide RF Test EquipmentTagged: Engineering Guide RF Engineering Signal Generator Test Equipment

15 Best Software Defined Radios (SDRs) For Any Budget [2021 Edition]

By Tommy Reed on June 22, 2020March 8, 20212 Comments

When it comes to Software Defined Radios or SDRs, the variety of offerings can be overwhelming when trying to pick the right set up. We scoured the web in search of 15 great software defined radios so you wouldn’t have to!

So what is the best SDR receiver or transceiver in 2021? The answer is… it’s complicated! When picking an SDR radio, there are many factors that come into play; frequency ranges, transmit/receive capability, complexity, available firmware and open source projects, and of course cost! The following list of great SDR radios covers this diverse spectrum and we hope any one interested in software defined radios will find something that will work for them.

Posted in: Radios Reviews RF Software Defined EverythingTagged: RF RF Engineering SDR Software Defined Radios STEM

What are Software Defined Radios (SDRs)

By Tommy Reed on June 9, 2020November 10, 20201 Comment

In this post we’ll explore SDR radios or software defined radios. There’s been a common theme in most things technology related lately and that is a move to Software Defined Everything, or SDx as it is often shortened. Radios and RF communications equipment in general have been moving toward a software-defined existence just the same.

A radio is any kind of electronic device that transmits and receives signals in the radio frequency (RF) portion of the electromagnetic spectrum. These signals (often called waveforms) are used to transfer information between radios. Radios are ubiquitous today and found in almost every electronic device you own thanks to the proliferation of “smart” and “connected” devices.

Posted in: Radios RF Software Defined EverythingTagged: RF Engineering SDR