Archive for August 2017

Filter measurements with RF noise source

I got my BG7TBL RF noise source to make some RF measurements. To make those measurements, I needed some instructions how to make them. I first started with filter measurements because I could make them with the devices I have. Two good tutorials for doing measurement are Measuring Filters and VSWR With RTL-SDR and RTL-SDR

High-Dimensional Quantum Encryption Performed in Real-World City Conditions for First Time

http://www.osa.org/en-us/about_osa/newsroom/news_releases/2017/high-dimensional_quantum_encryption_performed_in_r/ For the first time, researchers have sent a quantum-secured message containing more than one bit of information per photon through the air above a city. The demonstration showed that it could one day be practical to use high-capacity, free-space quantum communication to create a highly secure link between ground-based networks and satellites, a requirement

The first thorium salt reactors in over 40 years were just switched on in Europe – ScienceAlert

http://www.sciencealert.com/researchers-have-conducted-the-first-thorium-salt-experiments-in-over-40-years#.WaUkb5ppSUB.facebook Netherlands-based nuclear power provider, NRG, are taking a gamble. They’re conducting experiments that could see a shift from uranium-based nuclear power to thorium. There has been the historical battle between using uranium or thorium as a nuclear fuel. Uranium provided a potential source of weapons-grade plutonium. A significant advantage of using thorium over uranium is it doesn’t

Should I use Machine Learning? – SC5

https://sc5.io/posts/use-machine-learning/?utm_content=59645558&utm_medium=social&utm_source=facebook Did you know that without a single hour invested in development, you can approximate the usefulness of machine learning techniques in your product or digital service by answering two simple questions. Read and learn!

Researchers want to redefine the threshold for scientific discovery from 0.05 to 0.005 — Quartz

https://qz.com/1055287/an-error-made-in-1925-led-to-a-crisis-in-modern-science-now-researchers-are-joining-to-fix-it/?utm_source=parVG In 1925, Fisher published Statistical Methods for Research Workers, whete he explained the concept of statistical significance. Somewhat arbitrarily, Fisher chose to define statistical significance as a difference that had less than a .05 probability of occurring by random chance (in technical terms, this is called a p-value).  Fast forward more than a century later,

BG7TBL RF noise source

I have played with software defined radio using cheap DVB-T stick for some time. Receiving radio transmissions is interesting, but it works also for other applications. By reading RTL-SDR Tutorial: Measuring filter characteristics and antenna VSWR with an RTL-SDR and noise source article I understood that I could use my RTL-SDR stick for many RF

People Are Using Old Laptop Batteries to Build Their Own Versions of Tesla’s Powerwall

https://futurism.com/people-are-using-old-laptop-batteries-to-build-their-own-versions-of-teslas-powerwall/ Tesla’s Powerwall was intended to provide a convenient way for homeowners to store electricity for future use, such as when the power goes out. But with a $5,500 price tag, they haven’t been affordable for many consumers.  Some who had been interested in the tech, however, decided to try to make their own: constructed their own powerwalls by utilizing