Spectrum is the magazine of the Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers (IEEE). Think of it as the IEEE’s QST. There are often articles in Spectrum that are of interest to radio amateurs. Here are three that were recently published:
The Long Road to Maxwell’s Equations. Maxwell’s equations are the four equations you see at right. They describe how radio—all electromagnetic radiation, actually—works. This article describes the how Maxwell built upon the work of scientists such as Faraday and Ampere and Oersted in devising his theories, and how those that followed, sometimes called the Maxwellians, developed this work. For example, while we call the four equations at right Maxwell’s equations, it was actually Oliver Heaviside who took the 20 equations that were in Maxwell’s original work and boiled them down to the four equations that we now know as Maxwell’s Equations.
Electronic Noise is Drowning Out the Internet of Things. RF noise pollution is everywhere, and while this article is aimed at the problems noise can cause to Internet of Things devices, which use wireless, i.e. radio, connectivity, RF noise pollution causes problems for radio amateurs, too. What’s more alarming, is that fueled by an irrational political view that any kind of regulation is bad, the FCC is being cut back exactly when it will be needed the most. Make sure that you read the comments—from practicing engineers with EMC experience—as well as the article.
Disney Seeks to Make Visible Light Communication Practical. If anyone can make visible light data communications work, it’s the Disney “imagineers.” This might be something to consider if you’re looking for some kind of ground-floor opportunity. It might be one way that Internet of Things devices connect to one another.