A CMOS (Complementary Metal-oxide Semiconductor) inverter is a device that produces logic functions and is the primary component of all integrated circuits. A CMOS inverter is a field-effect transistor that is composed of a metal gate that lies on top of an insulating layer of oxygen, which lies on top of a semiconductor. CMOS inverters …
A Butterworth filter is a signal processing filter that has an extremely flat frequency response in the passband. It is referred to as a maximally flat magnitude filter and is commonly used in both analog and digital audio crossover filters in home, commercial, and car stereo systems. Who Invented the Butterworth Filter? British engineer, Stephen …
Television antennas are generally installed on top of buildings, which makes the entire structure susceptible to lightning strikes. In order to protect the building that the TV antenna is attached to, the antenna has to be grounded properly. Another danger of mounting a television antenna that is not grounded properly is the excessive static electricity …
A heterodyne is a circuit that transfers a signal from one carrier wave to another with a different frequency. It mixes the input signal with a wave generated by an oscillator to create two new signals, called beats. While heterodyning is a simple process governed by the laws of trigonometry, most heterodynes are complex devices …
Business band stands for a series of frequencies in the UHF and VHF two-way radio bands, which are exclusively reserved for businesses to communicate within limited ranges. Of course, not just anyone can use this bandwidth. Anyone that wants to use the business band must first receive a license from the Federal Communications Commission, also …
Fixed Satellite Service (FSS) is a type of mobile telephone service that allows users in a specific area to make and receive cell phone calls. FSS systems or cell phone towers are placed in strategic, fixed locations and provide service to thousands of individual users simultaneously. Generally, FSS systems provide reception for several square miles …
The feedhorn is the part of a satellite dish system which gathers the reflected signal from the dish and focuses it towards the LNB. It is a type of horn antenna that is deployed to convey radio signals between the transceiver and the reflector antenna. Horn antennas basically effect a transition between waves propagating through …
The term wire gauge refers to a measurement of what the diameter of a wire is. This measure can then be used to determine what the electrical resistance, weight per unit of length, and the amount of current that can safely be carried by the wire. There are two internationally accepted measures for wire gauge, …
An opto isolator is an electronic device that prevents high voltages from components in one side of a circuit from damaging or interfering with components on the other side of the same circuit. Opto isolators regulate voltage levels by converting electricity into a beam of light. This prevents voltage spikes from impacting more than a single …
Portable radios are limited in the power at which they can transmit, usually somewhere between .5 watts and 5 watts. A very rough rule of thumb is that one watt equals one mile of range over flat and open terrain. Buildings and mountains will, of course, greatly modify effective range. When two radios communicate directly …