Customized RF Spectrum Analyzer

Customized RF Spectrum Analyzer

Radio frequency analyzer is technically necessary as measuring tool. For electronic enthusiasts inclined to this specialized analysis of signals and frequencies, having rf spectum analyzer is one of the most wanted device for collection, just like the need for having oscilloscope for amateur and professional use. The question is: would you rather have a customized assembled rf spectrum analyzer or would you avail commercially available ones?

When it comes to rf frequency analyzers, there is no simplicity not directly proportional to the cost. The varying designs could mean a lot to the convenience of the user as far as function is concerned. Special IC chips are integrated to ease up the technology of rf frequency analyzers.

A good one must include the important elements necessary like amplifier, mixers and the visual display. It has the commercial requirement to read range of regions from 50khz to 70 khz, plus the capability to go through VHF and UHF. But above all of the most important aspect, it should produce accurate results. This is what makes acquiring spectrum analyzer critical.

Making your own customized RF frequency analyzer is the best solution for serious use. Nowadays, the equipment can be integrated to computer to save cost. The most expensive consideration is the display screen, which can be substituted by a computer monitor. It means, when computers are used in designing personalized RF analyzer, it is dealing with digital setup. With the visual capacity and accuracy of computers, the task is always better.

Analog RF spectrum analyzers still work well, but in the advent of modernity its components are replaced by IC (integrated circuits), making the assembly compact and rigid. Computer programmers and analysts can compile programs especially for this purpose.

The advantage of creating your own RF spectrum analyzer is already becoming popular even in the Internet. There is even an option to combine the analyzer with built-in oscilloscope as two powerful tools in one assembly. Doing this combination is not impossible. In fact, other customized add-ons can be achieved, aside from manipulating desired dynamic frequency ranges. It only takes the right diagram and knowledge to make it a goal.

Experimenters are more interested in using their skills with the help of a computer programmer to expand the capacity of their personalized RF spectrum analyzer. Even when computers get updated faster, the assembled kit will not be affected for quite a while. It will be at one’s discretion to adjust and make his equipment updated.

64-Bit Operating System

64-Bit Operating System

The 64-bit operating system is one that is capable of storing information in memory that is at least 64 bits or 8 bytes wide. They are also based on registers, address buses, or data buses of that same size. A bus is a subsystem that transfers data or power between computer components inside a computer or between computers. The bus is controlled by a device driver similar to those that control outside peripherals like a mouse or printer.

64-bit CPUs have existed in super computers since the 1960’s and work stations and servers since the 1990’s. While this architecture has been around for awhile, 64-bit operating systems are relatively new concepts in the computer world. Windows XP, Windows Vista, and Mac OS X Tiger are all 64-bit operating systems.

The advantages to 64-bit operating systems are far-reaching. They are more powerful and more reliable than the 32-bit systems. The 64-bit operating system can address more memory directly without using complex indexing or register-addressing schemes. Because internal memory is several orders of magnitude faster than storage, combining a 64-bit processing architecture with more RAM lets a processor pull more data into memory and operate on it directly, increasing performance manifold.
A 64-bit file system also can improve disk management. Rather than having to take a large disk, such as a 9 GB storage module, and segmenting it into 32-bit addressable chunks (2 GB each), you can address the entire disk. That can help, for example, both in database performance and the performance of the operating system itself.
64-bit operating systems are great for user who need to access very large data stores. The system is valuable in industries such as CAD (computer aided drafting), science and engineering, human resources, and financial modeling. Users working with these computer-intensive applications will probably see immediate improvement with 64-bit machines over 32-bit machines running at the same clock rate and with similar memory configurations.

There is a simple analogy that can help explain the difference between a 32-bit operating system and a 64-bit operating system. A 32-bit addressing environment can keep track of the name and address of every person who has lived in the United States since 1997. A 64-bit environment can keep track of the name and address of every person who has every lived in the world from the beginning of time. That’s a powerful system!

The advent of the 64-bit operating system is technology that has been sorely needed for some time. Users notice a marked improvement in performance, storage, and much more with these new, powerful 64-bit operating systems.

Buying Into Japanese and German Exporters

Buying Into Japanese and German Exporters

With the euro down nearly 15% this year and at a two-year low against the U.S. dollar, the world’s largest exporting nation is worth a good look. So is another country that has thriving exports in spite of a stronger currency. We’re talking about Japan and Germany, respectively, the world’s second- and third-largest economies.
The top lines at leading German industrial companies are rolling in with impressive numbers for an almost zero-growth economy. Quarterly sales at Siemens rose 13%, the fastest since 2003. BMW’s sales rose by 11% in the third quarter, although high raw-material costs and pricing pressure resulted in weak net profits. A bright spot is Asia, where BMW expects to sell 150,000 cars per year by 2008.
Overall, German exports are up for the third-straight month and sales to countries outside of the European Union rose 18% annually from a year earlier. Clearly, the Germans are good at making stuff and selling it to the world, and the weaker euro is helping spur growth. Germany’s DAX stock index is taking notice and is up nearly 20% year-to-date.
Meanwhile, U.S. exports are up a paltry 2% since 2000. Although exports to China are up 35% during this same period, Americans are now buying seven times more from China than we are selling to them. A good reason why is that, according to research by Morgan Stanley’s Stephen Roach, consumer spending represents 71% of America’s gross domestic product. The figure is 42% for China and 55% for Japan.
Speaking of Japan, the aftermath of the financial bubble has obscured the fact that it too, remains an exporting powerhouse, despite a currency that has risen more than 20% since 2002 and 13% this year alone. Just look at Japan’s current account surpluses over the past three years: 3 billion in 2002, 6 billion in 2003 and 2 billion in 2004. China is a major market, and despite political difficulties, bilateral trade between China and Japan now exceeds trade between Japan and America.
A majority of Japan’s exports are manufactured goods and components. Fifty percent of its exports to China in 2004 were electrical equipment and machinery, and its top exports to the world include autos, electronic components, optical instruments, imaging equipment and computer parts.
Much is made over China’s huge trade imbalance with America, which reached 6 billion in the first eight months of this year. No doubt a sizable share of Chinese exports to America are chock full of Japanese components. While some of these components were made in offshore facilities, many were made in Japan, which has been able to hold on to its industrial base better than America.
How do they do it? First, the Japanese are continually moving up the value-added curve and are careful to keep the R&D and manufacturing of sophisticated components close to home, while outsourcing the low-end to low-wage countries.
Secondly, even though China’s wages are about 5% of Japan’s, factory automation has lessened the importance of labor costs. For advanced high tech products, it accounts for only 10% to 15% of total costs. Having manufacturing closer to home also shortens new product lead times and increases cooperation between R&D and production teams leading to a crucial edge in staying ahead of its nimble competitors. Supply lines of 2,000 miles can be problematic.
Perhaps most important, there is the critical issue of protecting intellectual capital. Having research, development and production closer to headquarters better protects proprietary technologies.
Canon, Sharp, Hitachi, NEC and Toyota are all good plays on Japan’s manufacturing edge, while Sony will continue to lag until it boosts its R&D and catches up in product development.
The iShares MSCI Japan Index exchange-trade fund is an attractive option, since it has about 50% exposure to Japan’s manufacturing sector with an annual expense ratio of only 0.59%. Similarly in Germany, the iShares MSCI Germany Index is loaded with that country’s top exporters and would be an excellent proxy for overall German export growth.