RF Cafe(rfcafe.com)
205 points by gregsadetsky 4 days ago | 37 comments
tl;dr: RF Cafe's homepage aggregates short posts on vintage and modern RF/electronics topics, including an AI-assisted biography of Hugo Gernsback, tutorials on series/parallel circuits and Thévenin's theorem, and historical articles reprinted from magazines like Radio-Craft, QST, and Popular Electronics. Featured items include Exodus Advanced Communications' AMP20005 18–40 GHz 20W SSPA, a custom amateur radio crossword, and retrospectives on Lee de Forest's Audion, Heathkit, the Tecnetron, and Jodrell Bank. The site is maintained by Kirt Blattenberger and mixes engineering nostalgia with practical hobbyist content.
HN Discussion:
  • Nostalgic appreciation for the old-school ham radio website design and aesthetic
  • Praise for the high information density compared to modern minimalist sites
  • Frustration at being geo-blocked from accessing the site
  • Curiosity/questions about specific technical content like the 40GHz amplifier
  • Commentary on RF engineering's decline as a prestigious/lucrative EE field