RF DesignLine Blog | Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, Cellular, Microwave, Options/Analysis

May 05, 2008
RF Puzzler: The Answer
By Janine Love

Bravo! It took about a week, but I finally got some correct answers to my RF puzzler. It is, in fact, a remote meter for water consumption, as you can see by the uncropped version of the picture below. In fact, in the picture you can see the abandoned telephone connection (which was the "high tech" way to monitor water consumption five years ago, that is until people started using companies other than the telephone company to run their phone calls, and these cable and fiber companies were not compelled to support the township's extra phone lines. Seemed a bit of a waste to have a dedicated phone number to call my water meter four times a yearbut that's another story.)

The actual designer of the product has not stepped forward, but a fair number of you guessed, and three answered correctly, with the first one being Robert Hahn from Wisconsin. Next, came Steve Jackson, CTO of RadarFind Corp., in Morrisville, NC. One more reader answered correctly as well, but I have not heard back from him with permission to post his name. I will add it if I can. Congratulations!

Hope you enjoyed this little exercise. If you know more about this device or if you have an idea for the next puzzler, email me at rfpuzzler@writesol.com.

Have an idea for the next puzzler? Email me at rfpuzzler@writesol.com.

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April 28, 2008
RF Puzzler: A "Radio Frequency" Device
By Janine Love

I recently had this gizmo installed in my house. When I asked the installer what it was, he said, it was a "radio frequency" device. It seemed shrouded in mystery. I started rattling on about what technology I thought it used, and why that would be so useful, and he looked at me blankly. I was wondering if any of you designed it? To make it interesting, I am posting a very cropped picture of this device. If you would like to take a guess at what it is, how it works, and what it does, send me an email at rfpuzzler@writesol.com. Include your name, and, if you wish, title and company affiliation. And, if you have an idea for the next RF puzzler, let me know. I'll post in a week and let you know how many guesses we got.

Can you identify this puzzler? Email your answer to rfpuzzler@writesol.com.

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March 31, 2008
See how to demodulate GSM off the air
By Janine Love

Today on the RF DesignLine we posted a new article from David A. Hall at National Instruments. David is one of the RFDL's most popular authors, and today, he's done something a bit different. This is the first article on the RFDesignLine with a video component, and David has taken advantage of the dynamic nature of video to show you how to demodulate a GSM signal off the air.

There is an accompanying article with it, which explains how using just a few basic signal processing algorithms can provide valuable data about signal characteristics such as time, frequency, and power information.

I strongly encourage you to check out David's article and video. And, as this is the RFDesignLine's first article with a video component, please comment at the bottom of the article and let us know how you like it.

Click here for the article.

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March 25, 2008
It's out of my hands
By Janine Love

Recently, in my home state of NJ, police received the authority to stop and fine motorists for using hand-held cell phones while they drive. To get us all on the same page, the blinking roadside signs that usually alert us with messages such as "Right Lane Closed Ahead" or "Merge Left Now" were changed to "Put the phone down now" and "Hang up the call or get a $200 fine." (I'm not kidding.)

Believe me, I have put the phone down. Or at least, on the passenger seat. Those of you who have read my past posts know about my latest addiction to my Bluetooth headset. Well, of course, nothing is simple anymore. And, the very same week our paper's headline read, "Statistics show hands-free doesn't mean accident-free."

Well, OK. Anyone who has lived or worked in NJ knows that having an accident free driving career is about the same as winning the lottery. With that said, days after going "hands-free" we had spokespeople for the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety observing that there is no difference in the level of distraction between using hand-held and hands-free phones. Well this may be true about the "level of distraction," but I have to wonder, have they ever seen a person at a busy intersection making a turn across traffic with a phone held to his or her ear?

According to the Newark Star Ledger, NJ police reported 3,580 accidents statewide involving cell phones in 2006, with 50% of these being hands free. And, although police have been noting cell phone use in accident reports in NJ since 2001, I have to wonder how many admit to using the phone during an accidentLogic tells me that hands-free just has to be safer. It just has to be, right?
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