Tech Terms

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  • SAE International is a global professional association and standards organization for mobility engineering professionals across a broad spectrum of industries. SAE International provides educational resources and develops technical standards for aerospace, automotive, and commercial ground(...)
  • a

  • AC
    A signal or power source that varies with time, switching polarities.
  • Alternating Current
    A signal or power source that varies with time, switching polarities.
  • AM
    One of the principal methods of transmitting audio, visual, or other types of information using radio waves, the relevant signal being superimposed onto a radio-frequency carrier wave. The frequency of the carrier wave remains unchanged but its amplitude is varied in accordance with the(...)
  • Ambient Noise
    The level of the total noise in an area.
  • Ambient Temperature
    Temperature of the air surrounding a component.
  • American National Standards Institute
    A private non-profit organization that oversees the development of voluntary consensus standards for products, services, processes, systems, and personnel in the United States.
  • Ampere
    A unit for measuring the rate of electron flow or current in an electrical conductor. Current is defined as the amount of charge that flows past a give point, per unit of time.
  • Amplifier
    An electronic device that increases the power of a signal.
  • Amplitude Modulation
    One of the principal methods of transmitting audio, visual, or other types of information using radio waves, the relevant signal being superimposed onto a radio-frequency carrier wave. The frequency of the carrier wave remains unchanged but its amplitude is varied in accordance with the(...)
  • Analog
    Continuous signal for which the time varying feature (variable) of the signal is a representation of some other time varying quantity.
  • Anechoic Chamber
    A room designed to completely absorb reflections of either sound or electromagnetic waves; a chamber that is insulated from exterior sources of noise.
  • ANSI
    A private non-profit organization that oversees the development of voluntary consensus standards for products, services, processes, systems, and personnel in the United States.
  • Antenna
    A conductor by which electromagnetic waves are sent out or received, consisting commonly of a wire or set of wires often attached to metal rods.
  • Antenna Directivity
    A measure of how well an antenna radiates in its intended direction as compared to an isotropic radiator.
  • Antenna Factor
    The ratio of the incident electromagnetic field strength to the voltage V (units: V or µV) on the line connection of an antenna.
  • Antenna Gain
    The amount of power that is transmitted in the direction of peak radiation to that of an isotropic source.
  • Antenna Impedance
    A measure of the resistance to an electrical signal in an antenna; the ratio of voltage to current.
  • Antenna Polarization
    The orientation of the electric field lines in the electromagnetic field radiated or received by the antenna.
  • Aperture
    Diameter of the objective of a telescope or other optical instrument, usually expressed in inches, but sometimes as the angle between lines from the principal focus to opposite ends of a diameter of the objective.
  • Attenuation
    The reduction in level of a transmitted quantity as a function of a parameter, usually distance.
  • b

  • Bandwidth
    The range of frequencies an electronic signal uses on a given transmission medium; the width of a frequency range in the electromagnetic spectrum.
  • Base Station
    A wireless transceiver at a fixed location that is part of a wireless communications network.
  • Biconical Antenna
    An antenna consisting of two metal cones having a common axis with their vertices coinciding or adjacent and with coaxial-cable or waveguide feed to the vertices.
  • Bilog Antenna
    A combination (hybrid design) of a biconical and a log periodic antenna with an automatic crossover network. It has a frequency range from about 26 MHz to 2 GHz.
  • Bonding
    The use of low-resistance material to electrically connect a chassis, metal shield cans, cable shielding braid, and other supposedly equipotential points to eliminate undesirable electrical interaction resulting from high-impedance paths between them.
  • Broadband
    Wide bandwidth characteristics of a transmission medium and its ability to transport multiple signals and traffic types simultaneously.
  • Broadband Emission
    An emission that has a spectral energy distribution that is wide compared to a referenced bandwidth, such as that of the suseptible receptor or the measuring receiver.
  • c

  • Capacitance
    The ability of a a component or circuit to store an electric charge.
  • Capacitor
    A passive electronic component that consists of two conductive plates separated by an insulating dielectric.
  • CE Marking
    A symbol that indicates a product's compliance with EU legislation and enables the free movement of products within the European market. CE marking is a manufacturer's declaration that the product meets the requirements of the applicable EC directives.
  • CENELEC
    The European Committee for Electrotechnical Standardization. A body developing electrotechnical standards for the Single European Market / European Economic Area in order to help facilitate trade between countries, create new markets, cut compliance costs and support the development of a(...)
  • CFR
    The Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) is an annual codification of the general and permanent rules published in the Federal Register by the executive departments and agencies of the Federal Government of the United States.

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