radio frequency Archives

20 11, 2024

Understanding Unity Gain

Mia Colabrese2024-11-20T16:11:13-05:00November 20th, 2024|

Join us for our next livestream event, understanding unity gain is an important concept that applies to the forward and reverse paths of most cable networks. Without it, network performance can be degraded. In this episode, Brady Volpe and Ron Hranac will walk you through the principles and practices of unity gain, what it is, and the importance of managing it in our networks. The goal of unity gain is to maintain the same signal strength from the headend (the central distribution point) all the way to

14 08, 2024

Very big and very small numbers

Mia Colabrese2024-08-14T11:02:10-04:00August 14th, 2024|

RF with Ron and Brady - This topic is a little different than previous presentations, but is important considering the widespread use of very big and very small numbers in cable. Ours is a world of numbers, and in cable we tend to use a lot of really big and really small numbers. In reality, it’s hard to grasp just how big or small numbers can be. Examples include the speed of light (a very big number) and RF signal levels in millivolts or microvolts, or even nanowatts

13 06, 2024

Coaxial Cable Impedance, Attenuation and Beyond

Mia Colabrese2024-06-13T09:40:50-04:00June 13th, 2024|

Some people say coax but Ron likes coaxial cable. Coaxial cable has been a key component in our networks dating back to the industry's early days. As such, it's easy to take coax for granted without really understanding just what it is. Here's your chance to learn more about coaxial cable, along with a high-level look at some of its characteristics such as impedance, attenuation, velocity of propagation, DC loop resistance, and more. Please tell us your thoughts in the comments. Coax or Coaxial? 📡 --- Ron's Bio:

26 04, 2024

The half-wave dipole antenna

Mia Colabrese2024-04-26T11:09:08-04:00April 26th, 2024|

The simple half-wave dipole antenna has played a role in the RF side of the cable industry for decades. Many are familiar with its use for signal leakage measurements. The half-wave dipole antenna also forms the basis for other types of antennas, such as Yagi-Uda and log periodic dipole array antennas used at many headends and antenna sites. This livestream will cover a few of the basics of dipole antennas, followed by some fun guidelines on how to make your own. 📡 Dive into the Fascinating World of

20 03, 2024

Myth of capacitance effect

Mia Colabrese2024-03-25T09:14:04-04:00March 20th, 2024|

Ready to level up your RF knowledge in the world of HFC plants? Our next episode is a must-watch just for you! Get pumped as our host extraordinaire, Brady Volpe, teams up with the renowned Ron Hranac for a knowledge-packed session. The presentation will cover the widespread myth of a so-called capacitance effect supposedly being discharged when disconnecting and reconnecting a drop cable. The real culprit is not quite as mysterious as the myth, and is nothing more than good ol' corrosion. Ron is all set to take

13 02, 2024

What is Signal Leakage Field Strength? Back to Basics in HFC

Mia Colabrese2024-02-13T13:35:01-05:00February 13th, 2024|

What is signal leakage field strength? Are you keen to expand your knowledge on RF leakage within HFC plants? Our upcoming episode is tailored just for you! We're excited to have our host Brady Volpe and our well know guest Ron Hranac lead an insightful session on Signal Leakage Field Strength. Ron is set to guide us through an engaging exploration of field strength. We'll uncover the intricacies of how radiated RF signals from a loosely fitted or improperly terminated F-connector are measured. Beyond that, we’ll delve into

27 11, 2023

What is RF?

Mia Colabrese2023-11-29T14:46:49-05:00November 27th, 2023|

What is RF? Join us as we venture into the world of "What is RF" RF (Radio Frequency) . I'm Brady Volpe, and alongside the incomparable Ron Hranac, we're set to guide you on this next phase of our signal journey. Diving into the Details: In the context of Hybrid Fiber-Coaxial (HFC) networks, RF (Radio Frequency) refers to the range of frequencies used to transmit data signals over the coaxial cables in the network. In HFC networks, data signals are transmitted from the Headend (or Hub) to customer