Real-Life Communication
You are an RF engineer working for a large communications company.
It is your job to develop an antenna for a new cellular phone.
Technically
speaking, you are actually trying to develop a resistance-matching network
to connect a transmission line and an antenna. You've done this before. But
on this particular project, you're having a hard time getting the currents
to flow smoothly. The currents need to flow for the antenna to work properly.
Ensuring the voltages and currents flow smoothly is essential. If that doesn't
happen, it may reduce the efficiency or the rate of information flow in the
receiving systems. This can upset the transmitter behavior or cause electrical
breakdown in transmitting systems.
However, the antenna you've been
working on for the last few days doesn't seem to be receiving the signals
as it should. You decide to test the transmission of electromagnetic waves
one more time and take note of the results. These are the things you notice:
- The transmitter is operating at a higher temperature than normal. In fact,
it is noticeably warm to the touch.
- The power supply that you have used throughout these experiments suddenly
collapses.
- The voltage standing wave ratio of the antenna is extremely high and is
measured at 5.5 to 1.
You look back to your research from previous projects so you can
compare results. This is what you find:
Project A
- Transmitter operated at a normal temperature. There was no noticeable
heat and the transmitter could be handled comfortably.
- The power supply behaved normally and was able to supply enough current
and voltage to operate the device.
- The voltage standing wave ratio of the antenna was measured at a tolerable
1.2 to 1.
Project B
- The transmitter operated at a slightly higher temperature than expected.
- The power supply provided enough voltage and current to operate the device,
but the device seemed to need more current that the transmitter manufacturer
stated.
- The voltage standing wave ratio of the antenna was measured slightly higher
at 1.9 to 1.
Now that you've compared notes, can you point out which area in your
current project doesn't relate to the research from your previous projects?
How is project C different from projects A and B?