Cultural Transformation [Microwave Bytes]

I have from time to time talked about cultural differences in electronics in this column, usually focussing on the divide between lower frequency analog design, and microwave techniques at GHz frequencies. This leaves something of a gray area in the middle, which we loosely term RF (this stands for radio frequency, in the unlikely case any readers were unaware of this, but IEEE copy editors insist on spelling abbreviations on first usage). Being a power amplifier (PA, here we go again) specialist I have always been very conscious that PA design is one specific culture conflict that separates and distinguishes techniques in the lower RF region, known as the HF and/or VHF, from those at GHz frequencies.