How to Make a Modern Radio
Column: Open Communication
June 2013, Page 62
Take a look at how digital techniques have changed and improved analog radios.

60 GHz Wireless Transports HDTV
Column: Open Communication
April 2013, Page 68
Transmitting uncompressed digital high definition television signals is no easy task. Learn about the technologies that are currently being used to accomplish these transmissions.

LTE — The Wireless Cell Phone Radio Technology
Column: Open Communication
February 2013, Page 68
The motivation to develop LTE comes from the explosion of data services now available on cell phones that are stressing current infrastructures.

White Space Spectrum Benefits All Wireless Applications
Column: Open Communication
December 2012, Page 62
Spectrum, of course, is the electromagnetic radio spectrum that all of our wireless devices occupy. This free space spectrum is allocated by governments to the various radio/TV broadcast and wireless services to avoid interference and conflicts between users. After years of wireless progress and growth, there is precious little spectrum left for further development.

Near Field Communications
Column: Open Communication
October 2012, Page
What do we mean by "short?" For cellular, short may be a mile or so. For Wi- Fi, short means less than 300 feet. Bluetooth and ZigBee are even shorter with a maximum range of about 30 feet.

M2M —Machine-to-Machine Communications
Column: Open Communication
August 2012, Page 60
M2M is essentially automatic communications between two “things.” An example is a vending machine sending data to a remote computer indicating that it needs refilling and the money box needs emptying.

Open Communication
Column: Open Communication
June 2012, Page 60
What is 4G Wireless? 3G/4G ... Does it really matter?

Open Communication
Column: Open Communication
April 2012, Page 68
How to get your ham license.

Open Communication
Column: Open Communication
February 2012, Page 68
Comm Kits — A radio kit is a great way to get familiar with electronics and communications.

Open Communication
Column: Open Communication
December 2011, Page 60
Building a crystal radio — is it a sane thing to do?

Open Communication
Column: Open Communication
October 2011, Page 64
Whatever happened to CB radio?

Open Communication
Column: Open Communication
August 2011, Page 62
Bluetooth: Forgotten Wireless Technology or Just Taken for Granted?

Open Communication
Column: Open Communication
June 2011, Page 67
New Communications Device: The Tablet Computer.

Open Communication
Column: Open Communication
April 2011, Page 67
The wireless frequency spectrum crisis.

Open Communication
Column: Open Communication
February 2011, Page 64
New Versions of the 555 Timer IC.

Open Communication
Column: Open Communication
December 2010, Page 68
Update On the Mobile Wireless Products We All Crave.

Q & A about Digital Radio
Column: Open Communication
October 2010, Page 57
Crystal radios are just a simple diode demodulator for amplitude modulation (AM) signals. Typically, crystal radios are built to receive local AM broadcast stations. And while those stations still exist, that might not be the case in the future.

Crystal Clock Oscillators: The Heart of All Communications Products
Column: Open Communication
August 2010, Page 62
If you look inside any electronic product today, there are a few circuits and components that are common to all of them. For example, every product contains at least one microcontroller that runs it. Another circuit that you will see — especially in communications products — is a crystal oscillator or clock. This circuit generates precise timing signals that control everything else — including that microcontroller. In communications gear like radios, that crystal is the source of the exact opera

Experimenting with Commercial Wireless Modules
Column: Open Communication
June 2010, Page 14
Wireless everything. That is what I am seeing more and more. Practically every electronic product these days has some kind of wireless component or function to it. That’s why it makes sense to learn more about wireless.

Shortwave Listening: What it is, how to do it, and what to buy.
Column: Open Communication
April 2010, Page 58
Once the vacuum tube came along, radio really took off and stations sprung up around the world. Even with a simple radio, you could hear local and far away stations.Today, there are still many of us who like to do this. The activity is shortwave listening (SWL) and it is both fun and a challenge.

What’s New in Home Networking?
Column: Open Communication
February 2010, Page 13
Home networking with wireless and wired technologies.

New Integrated Circuits Make Wireless Easier
Column: Open Communication
December 2009, Page 68
The one thing that has made wireless so easy to implement everywhere is the integrated circuit. The single chip radio transceiver is a common device and it is available in many forms to give us the huge number of communications options we have today.

E-Books
Column: Open Communication
October 2009, Page 15
E-books offer one more way to communicate electronically.

How To Achieve One Gigabit Per Second Data Rate Over Wireless
Column: Open Communication
August 2009, Page 85
Longer distances, interference, and other environmental issues usually prevent that, but what we get is typically enough. With the new 802.11n standard, Wi-Fi speeds will be going up as more of the access points adopt the multiple input multiple output (MIMO) technology that will make 100+ Mbps common.

Smart Phones Leading Cellular Growth
Column: Open Communication
June 2009, Page 22
The cell phone has become a must-have item in our modern life. You pick it up when you grab your car keys and wallet or purse every day.

Wireless Made Easy with a New Kit
Column: Open Communication
April 2009, Page 67
Think of your TV remote control, garage door opener, remote keyless entry on your car, and other wireless devices you use daily. Now you can bring that convenience and functionality to other projects.

Converting To Digital TV
Column: Open Communication
February 2009, Page 24
Fun with converter boxes and antennas.

A Femto in your Future?
Column: Open Communication
March 2008, Page 80
What the devil is a Femto? I suppose it had to happen sooner or later. With indoor cell phone usage as poor as it often is, it was inevitable that someone would come along to solve that problem. And here it is — the femto cell. It just could be one of the next big electronic purchases you make.

Wi-Fi Makes Internet Radio Wireless
Column: Open Communication
April 2008, Page 84
One more option for the radio enthusiast: You just don’t know how lucky you are. Just think of all the options you have in listening to radio. There are the old standbys like AM and FM stations that most of us still listen to mainly in the car. There are thousands of stations nationwide and dozens in your local area. Then there is the newer HD radio that puts digital broadcasts into the AM and FM bands for higher fidelity, better noise, and fading immunity, and more station choices...

The 700 MHz Spectrum
Column: Open Communication
June 2008, Page 88
If it weren’t for spectrum, there would be no wireless. The good news is that spectrum does exist. The bad news is that there is a finite amount of it. Spectrum is sort-of like real estate. There is only so much land on earth so it too is finite. When you use it all up, then what do you do?

Ten Things You May Not Know About Bluetooth
Column: Open Communication
August 2008, Page 76
Bluetooth is a very familiar name these days if you have a cell phone or laptop. It is a wireless technology that has been around a while and probably can be credited as the start of a whole boat load of short-range wireless technologies. But even if you have heard the name, you may not really know all about it. Here are 10 facts that will update your knowledge of this hot wireless method...

The Software-Defind Radio Is Real
Column: Open Communication
October 2008, Page 16
Reading Hardware for Software Makes for the Ultimate in Versatility

Six Things You Should Know About Wireless
Column: Open Communication
December 2008, Page 82
Wireless started changing the world just after it was invented by guys like Marconi, Tesla, and others in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. And that change is still going on. Here are a few wireless developments maybe you didn’t know about.

OPEN COMMUNICATION
Column: Open Communication
June 2004, Page 0
Despite the fact that spread spectrum (SS) technology is very widely used in every day wireless applications, few people — including technical types — actually know how it or its CDMA derivative works. It is one of the more complex wireless methods, but it has some really great benefits. With over 70% of US cell phones using this method, chances are you use a CDMA cell phone. Here is an introduction to this killer wireless technology.

Open Communication
Column: Open Communication
August 2004, Page 0
We seem to be on a path leading to a totally wireless electronic lifestyle. The progress has been continual over the years, thanks to semiconductor technology and other advancements. More recently, there has been a flurry of announcements that make wireless everything possible. ZigBee is an important aspect of this.

OPEN COMMUNICATION
Column: Open Communication
October 2004, Page 0
In my August column, I wrote about the new ZigBee wireless system. In this issue, I want to complete the coverage of the various short range wireless options available today.

Back to the Bands
Column: Open Communication
December 2004, Page 0
A weekend project to return to amateur radio with kits — it doesn’t get any better than this.

Back To The Bands - Part 2
Column: Open Communication
February 2005, Page 0
Refer back to the December issue for all of the details. In this article, I will describe my experience with the QRP30 transmitter and the QAMP30 optional power amplifier.

The Magic of Antennas
Column: Open Communication
April 2005, Page 0
If you really want to know what makes any wireless application work, it is the antenna. Most people working with wireless — radio to those of you who prefer that term — tend to take antennas for granted. It is just something you have to add on to a wireless application at the last minute. Well, boy, do I have news for you.

Radio Frequency Identification (RFID)
Column: Open Communication
June 2005, Page 77
Wireless technology comes in all shapes and sizes these days. Radio Frequency Identification or RFID is one of them. You have probably seen the initials RFID and didn’t really know what they meant. Yet, you may already be using it.

A Radio That Thinks
Column: Open Communication
August 2005, Page 26
An Introductory Look at Software-Defined/Cognitive Radio

Wireless Mesh Networks
Column: Open Communication
October 2005, Page 26
Today, what computer is not networked? If it is not connected to the Internet via a dial-up, broadband cable, or DSL modem, it is connected to a local area network (LAN), which, in turn, is connected to one or more other networks. And, LANs are not restricted to offices — they are also in many homes.

Internet Telephones
Column: Open Communication
December 2005, Page 94
By now, you have all probably heard of Internet telephones, or IP phones as they are sometimes called. They are also known as voice over Internet protocol or VoIP phones. In fact, you may already have one if you are one of those early adopters of high tech stuff. If you don’t have one, you can almost be sure that a VoIP phone is in your future. Let’s take a look at how these phones work.

Short-Range Wireless Explosion
Column: Open Communication
February 2006, Page 20
Wireless everything. If it seems like you are hearing and seeing more about wireless devices every day, it’s not just your imagination. Over the past few years, there has been a virtual explosion of new wireless devices and services.

Short-Range Networking
Column: Open Communication
April 2006, Page 12
Most of us think of long-range communications when we think of communications applications. Long-range is subject to interpretation, but is usually many meters to many miles. Short-range communications is typically 10 meters or less. We use short-range wireless devices virtually every day; some examples being our infrared remote controls, remote keyless auto entry, garage door openers, Bluetooth headsets on cell phones, and wireless thermometers. But short-range wired communications are...

TV On A Cell Phone
Column: Open Communication
June 2006, Page 79
I suppose it had to happen. You can do almost everything else with a cell phone these days like play music, take digital photos, send and receive text messages and emails, play games, and even surf the Internet. Why not TV?

Testing HD Radio
Column: Open Communication
August 2006, Page 12
Back in the April ‘04 issue of NUTS & VOLTS, I introduced some of you to digital radio broadcasting. It was mostly a theoretical discussion because there were few stations on the air and even fewer radios available. But today, digital radio — now called HD Radio — is actually here.

The Ultimate Wireless Hobbyist
Column: Open Communication
October 2006, Page 100
Wireless has been a hobby for well over 100 years. And looking back, I have actually been a wireless hobbyist for most of my natural life. I have tried almost all aspects of this hobby and have witnessed an amazing evolution along the way...

OFDM - Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing
Column: Open Communication
December 2006, Page 84
Have you heard of orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) yet? If not, your knowledge of communications techniques is definitely lagging behind the real world. Here is a quick look to bring you up-to-date on thiswireless technology that is being adopted across the board in most new communications and networking systems...

Tesla Inventerd Radio, Not Marconi!
Column: Open Communication
February 2007, Page 0
Okay, I am probably as guilty as you in believing that Marconi actually invented radio. But he did not and it has taken decades — actually, over a century — for the truth to come out. In fact, I am convinced that the truth is still not well known. Not to burst your bubble or anything, but here is the real story.

MIMO 101: Next Generation Wireless Technology is Finding Its Way Into Most New Systems
Column: Open Communication
April 2007, Page 89
In case you haven’t heard, MIMO means Multiple Input Multiple Output which — by itself — still does not explain very much. It is a relatively new wireless technique that makes use of two or more transmitters, receivers, and antennas to greatly improve...

Fiber Optics — The Invisible Communications Network You Use Every Day
Column: Open Communication
June 2007, Page 0
The world has been rewired many times over the decades. Telegraph and telephone wiring came first. Then electrical power. (Yes, electrical power wiring actually came after the telegraph and telephone wiring. Doesn’t seem right does it?) ...

Cell Phones — 10 Pounds of Technology in a 5 oz Package
Column: Open Communication
August 2007, Page 88
No other electronic product incorporates as much of the latest technology as a cell phone, and especially in such a small package...

HD Radio In Your Future?
Column: Open Communication
October 2007, Page 79
I just finished testing Radiosophy’s new HD100 digital radio and was impressed enough to want to tell you about it. In case you are still in the dark about this radio technology, HD radio is the digital radio service that...

How Far Can You Go?
Column: Open Communication
December 2007, Page 14
With the number of wireless standards, products, and applications increasing almost hourly, it is a rare day in which any of us will go without some wireless usage.