text:
|Publication number
|Publication type
|Application number
|Publication date
|Jun 27, 2000
|Filing date
|Dec 29, 1995
|Priority date
|Aug 30, 1993
|Fee status
|Also published as
|Publication number
|Hans-Gerd Krekels, Burkhard Schiek, Olaf Ostwald
|Original Assignee
|Rohde & Schwarz Gmbh & Co. Kg
|Export Citation
|BiBTeX, EndNote, RefMan
|Patent Citations (5), Non-Patent Citations (10), Referenced by (26), Classifications (8), Legal Events (3)
|External Links: USPTO, USPTO Assignment, Espacenet
This is a continuation, of application Ser. No. 08/277,513, filed Jul. 19, 1994 now abandoned.
1. Field of the Invention
This invention is directed to a network analyzer having one or two test ports, and a method of calibrating such a network analyzer.
2. Description of the Prior Art
In the field of radio-frequency engineering, network analyzers are used to measure scattering parameters by means of which components or networks are described. There exist network analyzers having two test ports each of which is in most cases linked to two measuring points so that four measured values are respectively obtained from a test object linked between the two test ports. A network analyzer of this type is described, for instance, in U.S. Pat. No. 4,982,164. There are also so-called unidirectional network analyzers which also comprise two test ports one of which is linked to two measuring points while the other one is linked to only one measuring point. Finally, there are also network analyzers which operate as reflectometers and which include only a single test port linked to two measuring points.
All of these network analyzers need to be calibrated prior to the actual testing of objects. To this end there are various possibilities which have been described for example by
EUL, H.-J., SHIEK, B., A generalized Theory and New Calibration Procedures for Network Analyzer Self-Calibration, IEEE Trans. on Microwave Theory and Techniques, vol. MTT-39, April 1991, pp.724-731, or
EUL, B.-J., SHIEK, B., Reducing the Number of Calibration Standards for Network Analyzer Calibration, IEEE Trans. on Instrumentation and Measurement, vol. MTT-40, August 1991, pp.732-735 or, respectively, in
German Patent Specification 3,912,795 or U.S. Pat. No. 4,982,164. A particularly simple calibration method of the specified kind requires only three calibration standards which can readily be realized (U.S. Pat. No. 4,982,164, hereby incorporated by reference).
With the so-called TMS or TMR calibration the test ports are initially through-connected (Through), then a calibration is performed with an attenuator which is linked between the test ports and matched to be reflection-free (Match), and finally a calibration is made with a short of the two test ports (short Circuit) or with a reflection termination (Reflection). With the so-called LMS technique, a line (Line) is initially linked between the test ports as a first calibration standard, and calibration is then continued with an attenuator and a short.
During calibration the transmission and reflection parameters of these calibration standards are measured and error parameters are determined therefrom which are then stored in a memory of the evaluation means of the network analyzer and will be taken into account for error correction in the subsequent object measurement.
It is not possible, however, to take into account any variations of the electrical properties due to temperature fluctuations or the like which occur immediately after calibration so that these variations are directly introduced as errors into the measuring results. It is the demand for accuracy made by the user of such a network analyzer in respect of the test results which determines the time interval between the calibration operations. This interval may be one or two days or may only be in the range of a few hours. In some cases the calibration efforts including the connection of the discrete calibration standards to the test ports are quite considerable. In the field of industrial measurement engineering a repeated calibration is frequently quite difficult and incurs high costs because sometimes the running production must be stopped or the analyzer setup must even be removed.
It is therefore the objective of the present invention to provide a network analyzer in which such calibration is performed possibly automatically in the apparatus itself.
Based on a network analyzer having one or two test ports, the specified objective is achieved by the features of the independent claims, and advantageous further developments of such a network analyzer and of a particularly simple method of calibrating such network analyzers will be apparent from the subclaims.
In a network analyzer according to the invention, a calibration twoport adapted to be switched between two or three switching modes is disposed directly between the test port and the fourport linked to the test points, said calibration twoport being implemented in calibration line technique from attenuators and r.f. switches of very high reproducibility, for instance in accordance with U.S. Pat. No. 3,319,194 or German Patent Specification 2,637,084. This calibration twoport is automatically switched between its different switching modes under control by the evaluation means of the network analyzer, so that the entire calibration process runs fully automatically. Under certain circumstances it may only be required that the test ports must be interconnected during such an automatic calibration process, which may easily be done by the user. The determination of the transmission and/or reflection parameters in the various switching positions of the calibration twoport is preferentially effected by one of the above-mentioned known calibration methods. Due to the high stability of the calibration twoport, which is built in the known calibration line technique, such a basic calibration of the calibration twoport will be required only, for example, at regular intervals of one year, so that the successive turning-on of known calibration standards and obtaining of corresponding error parameters is required only at widely spaced time intervals while in the meantime calibration is effected automatically by the apparatus itself. When the scattering parameters of the calibration twoport are known such basic calibration may be omitted completely. U.S. Pat. No. 3,319,194, is hereby incorporated by reference.
With the calibration method of the present invention, only the changes in the switching states of the calibration twoport need to be known while the absolute values thereof need not be known; this has to be seen as the special advantage of the instant invention.
It is preferred that the calibration twoport with its two or three different switching states is composed of attenuators in π- or T-connection and of associated electromechanically controlled switches. To realize the invention it is therefore only necessary to dispose a known calibration line between test port and measuring points of the network analyzer and then to provide for control via the electromechanical control means of the calibration switches in the sense of the inventive calibration method via the evaluation means of the network analyzer, said evaluation means being programmed correspondingly, so that the user calibration is effected fully automatically.
The calibration twoport which is designed like a calibration line may either be directly integrated in the network analyzer or, if there is insufficient space, such calibration twoport may also be incorporated in a separate housing which as an auxiliary device is fastened by screws to the test ports of the actual network analyzer and to which then the actual test ports are provided which offer external access by the user. In such a case it is only necessary to establish a corresponding connection between the control means of the calibration twoport and the evaluation means of the network analyzer which is provided with a memory, and it is thereby possible in a simple way to retrofit an existing network analyzer with such an automatic calibration.
Other objects, features and advantages of the invention, its organization, construction and operation will be best understood from the following detailed description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.
FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a prior art network analyzer;
FIG. 2 illustrates algebraic relations in the FIG. 1 network analyzer;
FIG. 3 is a block diagram of a network analyzer according to the present invention;
FIG. 4 is a block diagram illustrating a state other than the basic state of the FIG. 3 network analyzers;
FIG. 5 is a block diagram corresponding to the FIG. 4 block diagram;
FIG. 6 is a block diagram depicting error correction when measuring an unknown object;
FIG. 7 is a block diagram depicting distributed error correction;
FIG. 8 is a block diagram depicting an extended calibration network of the basic state of the network analyzer;
FIG. 9 is a block diagram depicting the use of two calibration networks;
FIG. 10 is a block diagram of a network analyzer of the present invention having a test port branch;
FIG. 11a is a block diagram depicting measurement of a reflection factor;
FIG. 11b is a block diagram depicting a reflectometer in its measuring mode;
FIG. 12 is a block diagram depicting the use of the present invention with a reflectometer;
FIG. 13 is a block diagram depicting all three calibration line positions of the FIG. 12 block diagram;
FIGS. 14a-14c depict three calibration network;
FIG. 15 depicts another calibration network;
FIGS. 16a-16b depict a further calibration network;
FIGS. 17a-17d depict a switchable calibration network;
FIG. 18 depicts another switchable calibration network; and
FIG. 19 is a block diagram of a unidirectional network analyzer according to the present invention.
FIG. 1 shows the basic circuit diagram of a network analyzer including two test ports 1, 2 as described, for example, in U.S. Pat. No. 4,982,164. Two separate measuring branches 12 and 13 are fed through a threeport 10 such as a reversing switch from an RF generator 1 which is frequency-variable within a predetermined frequency range. The two alternatingly connected measuring branches 12 and 13 lead to fourports 14 and 15 which are configured as measuring bridges or directional couplers and to which detectors or measuring points 3, 4 and 5, 6 are respectively connected by means of which voltage may be measured by magnitude and phase. These measuring points may be mismatched. To said fourports 14, 15 the actual test ports 1, 2 are connected between which a device under test (DUT) 16 may be linked. It is thus possible through the measuring points 3, 4 and 5, 6 to measure at the input and the output of an interlinked DUT 16 the respective complex reflection factors and complex transmission factors both in forward and reverse directions. The four measured values m1 to m4 from the measuring points 3, 4 and 5, 6 are evaluated in evaluating means 7; said evaluating means has a memory 8 cooperating therewith in which the system errors are stored which are obtained during a calibration operation and must be taken into account for object measurement.
FIG. 2 illustrates the algebraic relation between the measured values m1, m2 and m3, m4 measured by means of the measuring points 3, 4 and 5, 6, respectively, and the so-called error twoports G and H and a device under test N disposed between the two test ports 1, 2. Accordingly, the measured-value matrix M is given by
M=G.sup.-1 N H (2).
The measured-value matrix M is obtained from the measured values m1 to m4 in position I of the reversing switch 10 and from the measured values m1' to m4' in position II as follows: ##EQU1## The two matrices G and H contain the error parameters for describing the two error twoports G and H, and the DUT 16 is expressed by the transmission matrix N as follows: ##EQU2## in which Si11 S22 are the complex reflection factors and S12 and S21 are the complex transmission factors in forward and reverse directions, respectively.
FIG. 3 illustrates such a network analyzer according to FIG. 1 which is supplemented by a calibration network 20 designed as a twoport and disposed between the one test port 2 and the associated fourport 15. The link between said calibration network 20 and the test port 2 is characterized by a schematically illustrated transmission network 21. The calibration twoport 20 may be switched from a basic state, in which it may exhibit arbitrary transmission other than zero but may exhibit arbitrary reflection, to two further states, wherein in one of said further states other than the basic state it deviates from the basic state at least as to transmission while in the other one it deviates therefrom at least as to reflection. In the basic state the calibration twoport preferentially exhibits a transmission of the magnitude 1, i.e. the properties of an ideal line or an immediate direct through-connection (Through-connection). The basic state is defined by the transmission matrix E0, while the other two switching states of the calibration network 20, which differ from said basic state, are described by the matrix E0 �E1 and E0 �E2, respectively. The calibration network 20 is adapted to be automatically switched between these three states via the evaluation means 7 of the network analyzer. For automatic calibration this arrangement requires that the two test ports 1, 2 are directly linked by a through-connection T. The switching states of the calibration network are transformed to the test port plane. The basic state of the calibration network represents a through-connection in the test port plane. ##EQU3## For the two other states there holds the relationship calibration network test port plane
E.sub.0 E.sub.1 →E.sub.1
E.sub.0 E.sub.2 →E.sub.2 (2)
Hence the requirement that the series circuit illustrated in FIG. 4 must correspond to the representation of FIG. 5. Algebraically, this means: ##EQU4##
Hence, E1 may be mapped onto E1 by means of a similarity transformation. The transformation equation (5) emphasizes the technical requirement to the calibration network 20 and the transformation network 21. When E0 and E1 have been determined, the transformation can be used for calibration only while TN, E0 and E1 are not changed.
Basic Calibration
The network analyzer may be calibrated with the automatically controlled calibration network 20 provided the calibration network standards are known. These standards may be determined, for instance, by means of TMS or TMR calibration. To this end TMS must be performed in each one of the three states of the calibration network. In the basic state of the calibration network there holds
M1=G.sup.-1 N T.sub.N E.sub.0 H. (6)
TMS then leads to the calculation of
G.sup.-1 and H'=T.sub.N E.sub.0 H. (7)
The same holds for the first switching state
M2=G.sup.-1 N T.sub.N E.sub.0 E.sub.1 H, (8)
so that
G.sup.-1 and H"=T.sub.N E.sub.0 E.sub.1 H, (9)
follows from TMS. The second switching state leads to ##EQU5## Hence, the four error twoports G, H', H" and H'" result from the basic calibration. With these data the virtual calibration network standards E1 and E2 must be calculated.
H"=T.sub.N E.sub.0 E.sub.1 H (12)
with the aid of the transformation equation (5) becomes
H"=E.sub.1 T.sub.N E.sub.0 H=E.sub.1 H', (13)
and hence
E.sub.1 =H"H'.sup.-1. (14)
For the second switching state there holds analogously ##EQU6## The calculation of E1 and E2 completes the basic calibration. For practical use the matrices must be determined for every possible frequency point and stored in the network analyzer. As mentioned above, calibration networks may be realized with high reproducibility so that they maintain their properties over a prolonged period. For this reason the period between two basic calibrations is very long, it will be several months for practical purposes.
Transfer or User Calibration
For transfer calibration the user first has to link the test ports so that a through-connection is formed. Thereafter the calibration network is measured in its three switching states under control by the analyzer.
M1=G.sup.-1 K H
M2=G.sup.-1 E.sub.1 K H (17)
M3=G.sup.-1 E.sub.2 K H
in which K=TN E0.
Proceeding from the error twoport descriptions ##EQU7## and the combination of the waves applied to a DUT by means of scattering parameters ##EQU8## one may by elimination of the wave values (ai, bi) in (19) with the aid of the discrete matrix equations from (18) find the following relationship ##EQU9##
Transformation results in the set of equations
G.sub.11 m.sub.1 +G.sub.12 m.sub.2 -G.sub.21 S.sub.11 m.sub.1 -G.sub.22 S.sub.11 m.sub.2 -H'.sub.11 S.sub.12 m.sub.3 -H'.sub.12 S.sub.12 m.sub.4 =0,
G.sub.11 m'.sub.1 +G.sub.12 m'.sub.2 -G.sub.21 S.sub.11 m'.sub.1 -G.sub.22 S.sub.11 m'.sub.2 -H'.sub.11 S.sub.12 m'.sub.3 -H'.sub.12 S.sub.12 m'.sub.4 =0,
-G.sub.21 S.sub.21 m.sub.1 -G.sub.22 S.sub.21 m.sub.2 -H'.sub.11 S.sub.22 m.sub.3 -H'.sub.12 S.sub.22 m.sub.4 +H'.sub.22 m.sub.4 =-m.sub.3,
-G.sub.21 S.sub.21 m'.sub.1 -G.sub.22 S.sub.21 m'.sub.2 -H'.sub.11 S.sub.22 m'.sub.3 -H'.sub.12 S.sub.22 m'.sub.4 +H'.sub.22 m'.sub.4 =-m'.sub.3.(21)
Describing the virtual calibration network standards by scattering parameters, one obtains four equations from every discrete calibration network position for determining the seven unknown error matrix elements. However, only seven equations are required for determining the G- and H'-matrix elements. This redundancy may be used for a calculus of observations.
The calculus of observations, which corresponds to the least square method, is based on equation (21). For the first equation from (21) there holds
(m.sub.1 m.sub.2 -S.sub.11 m.sub.1 -S.sub.11 m.sub.2 -S.sub.12 m.sub.3 -S.sub.12 m.sub.4 0)V=0 bzw. X.sub.1 .sup.T V=y.sub.1 (22)
V=(G.sub.11 G.sub.12 G.sub.21 G.sub.22 H'.sub.11 H'.sub.12 H'.sub.22).sup.T.
The addition of an error z1 to (22) results in
y.sub.1 =X.sub.1 .sup.T V+z.sub.1.
Hence we obtain for all twelve equations ##EQU10## we obtain by the least square method the solution vector:
V=(X�.sup.T X).sup.-1 X�.sup.T y (24)
This solution vector allows calculation of the error twoports
G and H'=K H (25)
by means of which an error correction may be effected when measuring an unknown object to be measured. When measuring an unknown object to be measured according to FIG. 6, the calibration network is in its basic state.
Semi-Automatic Calibration Method With Two Calibration Networks
The calibration network 20 for performing the semi-automatic system error correction need not necessarily be inserted on a given side of the network analyzer. Moreover, it may also be implemented when distributed to both sides (FIG. 7). Then, the analyzer has a calibration network 30 and 31 at each test port, respectively. The calibration networks which are described by the two transmission matrices E and F will each have to realize only one circuit variation which deviates from the basic state.
Analogously to the procedure in the description of the system error correction with only a single calibration network, the arrangement according to FIG. 7 results in two transformation equations. For the first calibration network in its switch position other than the basic state there holds
G.sup.-1 F.sub.0 F.sub.1 T.sub.N1 T.sub.N2 E.sub.0 H=G.sup.-1 F.sub.0 T.sub.N1 F.sub.1 T.sub.N2 E.sub.0 H, (26)
so that the transformation equation
F.sub.1 =T.sub.N1.sup.-1 F.sub.1 T.sub.N1 (27)
will hold. The second calibration network leads to
G.sup.-1 F.sub.0 T.sub.N1 T.sub.N2 E.sub.0 E.sub.1 H=G.sup.-1 F.sub.0 T.sub.N1 E.sub.1 T.sub.N2 E.sub.0 H (28)
and, respectively
E.sub.1 =T.sub.N2 E.sub.0 E.sub.1 (T.sub.N2 E.sub.0).sup.-1(29)
Basic Calibration
From the TMS calibration there result for all three switching states the following equations:
a) Basic state
G'.sup.-1 =G.sup.-1 F.sub.0 T.sub.N1
H'=T.sub.N2 E.sub.0 H (30)
b) 1st switch position
G".sup.-1 =G.sup.-1 F.sub.0 F.sub.1 T.sub.N1
H"=T.sub.N2 E.sub.0 H (31)
c) 2nd switch position
G'".sup.-1 =G.sup.-1 F.sub.0 T.sub.N1
H'"=T.sub.N2 E.sub.0 E.sub.1 H (32)
Substituting F1 from (31) by the transformation equation (27) one obtains ##EQU11## Correspondingly, there holds for the 2nd switch position in conjunction with equation (29): ##EQU12## Transfer or User Calibration
When the two test ports of the analyzer are interconnected, measurement of the three calibration line positions results in the basic state of the network analyzer extended by the calibration network (FIG. 8), said basic state being required for system error correction. ##EQU13## wherein K1 =F0 TN1 and K2 =TN2 E0. Semi-Automatic Calibration Without Exact Through-Connection
The requirement for a through-connection (T) which is as precise as possible between the test ports during transfer calibration may be considered as a drawback of the methods documented so far. In contrast thereto, the method explained below requires merely an unknown connection NX of the two test ports which exhibits transmitting character and is reciprocal as a twoport.
The method requires two calibration networks 33 and 34 instead of one network, each having two different switching states other than the basic state. The two calibration networks are arranged as illustrated in FIG. 9 on either side of the network analyzer. Inbetween the two test ports 1 and 2 an unknown reciprocal object 35 is connected which is described by the unknown transmission matrix NX. In this case, basic and transfer calibration require some increased mathematical efforts but do not make any additional demands on the user.
Basic Calibration
The basic calibration is again based on the use of a common calibration method such as TMS, i.e. the exact through-connection is still required. The calibration must be performed for both calibration networks. Upon completion of the method--analogously with the procedure for the basic model of the semi-automatic calibration--the virtual calibration network standards F1, F2, E1 and E2 will be known.
Transfer and User Calibration
The transfer calibration also must be performed twice with both calibration networks, in which case the test port connection is now described by NX. In practice this means that, for instance, an unknown line is inserted between the test ports or that the test ports are fastened only slightly to each other whereby cross-talk is ensured. By way of the virtual standards F.sub. and F2 of the calibration network F the transfer calibration results in two error fourports as follows:
G.sup.-1 F.sub.0 T.sub.N1 =G'.sup.-1 (39)
N.sub.X T.sub.N2 E.sub.0 H=N.sub.X H'=H*. (40)
Use of the calibration network E results in
G.sup.-1 F.sub.0 T.sub.N1 N.sub.X =G'.sup.-1 N.sub.X =G*.sup.-1(41)
T.sub.N2 E.sub.0 H=H'. (42)
The parameters of the error twoports are not fully obtained from the basic calibration, they can only be determined in the form of a reference. The choice of such reference is practically arbitrary and shall be expressed here by the factors G'12 or H'21. For the error matrices determined with the calibration network F there follows ##EQU14##
In the first part of the transfer calibration, the choice of an element of the Matrix H* as a reference value is not suited because in that case the reference would depend on the unknown transmission matrix NX. From the use of the second calibration network E there follows analogously ##EQU15## and here, too, a reference independent of NX has been chosen. From equations (43) and (44) the two expressions ##EQU16## may be found with α=H'12 /G'12. A transformation of equation (45) or (46) leads to the expressions
U=HH.sup.-1 =αN.sub.X
V=GG.sup.-1 =αN.sub.X, (47)
from which the matrix NX is obtained except for the constant factor α. To determine NX it is only required to use an equation resulting from (47). For instance in respect of U there follows, written in the form of an S-parameter: ##EQU17## in which ΔSX =SX11 SX22 -SX12 SX21. By forming the proportion of discrete elements of the matrix U (or V) the factor a can be eliminated so that ##EQU18## Since the twoport NX is a reciprocal twoport there follows also ##EQU19## whereby NX has been determined except for the ambiguity of sign. The correct choice of the sign requires preliminary information about the phase of SX12.
Semi-Automatic Calibration Method Without Test Port Connection
The network analyzer shown in FIG. 10 is again represented by the two error twoports G and H. Moreover, a calibration network 36 is provided which is not, however, inserted in the test port branch 37. The analyzer uses two switches TS1 and TS2 for switching to and fro between the calibration branch 40 and the test port branch 37. The calibration branch 40 comprises two additional test ports 41 and 42 (system ports) accessible to the user. When the semi-automatic calibration method and subsequent measurement of the DUT is used, these system ports are interconnected permanently.
The switches TS1 and TS2 which are only required to exhibit long-term stability may be described with respect to their two positions by transmission matrices.
______________________________________Switch position______________________________________switch T.sub.S1 I → T.sup.I.sub.S1 II → T.sup.II.sub.S1switch T.sub.S2 I → T.sup.I.sub.S2 II → T.sup.II.sub.S2______________________________________
Basic Calibration
The basic calibration is performed separately for the calibration branch and for the test port branch.
Calibration Branch 40
With an LMS calibration of the above-specified kind the virtual calibration network standards E1 and E2 as well as the two error twoports X1 and Y1 are determined, which are expressed as:
X.sub.1 =G.sup.-1 T.sub.S1.sup.II E.sub.0 T.sub.N
Y.sub.1 =T.sub.S2.sup.II H. (51)
These four matrices are stored in the memory of the network analyzer for every possible frequency point.
Test Port Branch 37
For example, a TMS calibration is used to determine the error twoports
X.sub.2 =G.sup.-1 T.sub.S1.sup.I
Y.sub.2 =T.sub.S2.sup.I H. (52)
Moreover, the reflection factor Γi (i=1,2) is measured at the end of the two open test port leads. For the first test port, Γi =Γ1 and for the second test port, Γi =Γ2. These data are also stored for every frequency point. Subsequent to the basic calibration, the system ports 41, 42 must be permanently connected to the line L known from the LMS calibration.
Transfer or User Calibration
For a better explanation of the transfer calibration we shall assume that the network analyzer subsequent to the basic calibration has changed as to its electrical characteristics. Hence, the error twoports G and H have also changed.
G.sub.neu =GΔG
H.sub.neu =HΔH (53)
The changes of the error twoports as compared to their state during basic calibration are represented by the matrices ΔG and ΔH.
When the switches TS1 and TS2 have adopted their respective switching positions II, the error twoport matrices
X'.sub.1 =G.sub.neu.sup.-1 T.sub.S1.sup.II E.sub.0 T.sub.N
Y'.sub.1 =T.sub.S2.sup.II H.sub.neu (54)
will be obtained by the automatic calibration network calibration.
There follows with equation (53):
X'.sub.1 =ΔG.sup.-1 G.sup.-1 T.sub.S1.sup.II E.sub.0 T.sub.N =ΔG.sup.-1 X.sub.1 (55)
Y'.sub.1 =T.sub.S2.sup.II H ΔH=Y.sub.1 ΔH. (56)
Since the matrices X1 and Y1 were determined and stored during basic calibration, the changes of the analyzer setup may be calculated.
ΔG=X.sub.1 X'.sub.1.sup.-1,
ΔH=Y.sub.1.sup.-1 Y'.sub.1 (57)
Assuming that the switches TS1 and TS2 switch in a reproducible way and have not changed, there holds in switch position I for the two unknown error twoports of the test port branches
X'.sub.2 =G.sub.neu.sup.-1 T.sub.S1.sup.I =ΔG.sup.-1 X.sub.2(58)
Y'.sub.2 =T.sub.S2.sup.I H.sub.neu =Y.sub.2 ΔH. (59)
The above considerations have exclusively served to determine the error twoports of the network analyzer (behind the switches). Any changes of the test port leads have not been taken into account. The changes in the leads will be discussed below with reference to the test port 1, and they hold analogously for the test port 2.
At the completion of the basic calibration the reflection factor Γ1 of the open test port lead was measured (FIG. 11a). The test port lead shall substantially be characterized by changes in the electrical length and the attenuation, changes of the input reflection factor at the lead end shall be neglected. Under these prerequisites, the reflectometer in its measuring mode may be described as illustrated in FIG. 11b.
ΔNL 19 represents the change of the transmission matrix of the feeder cable. Since a change in reflection is to be zero and a change in transmission is reciprocal, there holds ##EQU20##
As the matrix X'2 =G-1 neu TI S1 is obtained from the transfer calibration, a reflection factor Γ'X is measured which is in a reference plane that does not correspond to so the test port plane. However, from the basic calibration the exact reflection factor ΓX of the test port is known so that ##EQU21##
Hence, there follows for the desired phase change due to a change in the electrical line length ##EQU22## and for the attenuation ##EQU23## Semi-Automatic Reflectometer Calibration
FIG. 12 shows the use of the invention with a reflectometer. A reflectometer has only one test port 60 which is connected to a fourport 61 having two test points 62, 63, said fourport being configured as a bridge or directional coupler. This commonly known reflectometer is supplemented, as illustrated in FIG. 12, by a changeover switch 64 and a calibration twoport 65 adapted to be changed over between three different transmission and/or reflection states under control of the evaluation means 66 which is connected with a memory 67 for storing system errors that have been determined during a calibration operating and must be taken into account when measuring the object. In switch position I, the test port 60 is connected via the changeover switch 64 through the calibration test port 65 to the measuring points 62, 63, while in switch position II the measuring points are connected via the calibration twoport 65 with a system port 48.
Basic Calibration
In the first step the calibration network 65 is in its basic state. A reflectometer calibration with known standards, which is performed in switch position I at the test port 60 and in switch position II at the system port 68 will lead to the two error twoport matrices Y1 and Y2 each of which comprises the three error parameters required for characterizing the reflectometer (the fourth matrix element is unity).
Y.sub.1 =T.sub.S.sup.I E.sub.0 H
Y.sub.2 =T.sub.S.sup.II E.sub.0 H (65)
Y1 and Y2 are determined for every possible frequency point and stored in the network analyzer.
The second step of the basic calibration resides in the objective of determining the reflection standards virtually generated by the calibration network in the plane of the test port. The switch 64 is in position II, and the system port is permanently terminated with a reflection-free termination (Match). The standards generated by the calibration network are transformed into the plane of the system port, i.e. between the output of the switch and the match. Hence, there result in said plane the reflection factors according to FIG. 13 for all three calibration line positions as follows: ##EQU24##
E1 and E2 are the virtual calibration network standards in the test port plane. As the error parameters of the reflectometer are known through Y2, the reflection standards Γ1, Γ2 and Γ3 can be determined and stored in the memory 67. Assuming that the calibration network 65 and the switch 64 are stable over prolonged periods, which is a reality in practice, it is only the error twoport H which will change with time, Hneu =HΔH.
Transfer or User Calibration
During transfer calibration the switch 64 is in position II. The system port is terminated by a match. From an automatic reflectometer calibration with the three virtual reflection factors there results the error twoport matrix Y'2. ##EQU25##
When the switch is moved to position I, the error twoport for the test port arrangement should be calculated as
Y'.sub.1 =T.sub.S.sup.I E H.sub.neu =T.sub.S.sup.I E H ΔH=Y.sub.1 ΔH=Y.sub.1 Y.sub.2.sup.-1 Y'.sub.2 (69)
whereby calibration is completed.
Calibration With Transmissionless Calibration Network Standards
Up to now, the system error correction methods for the calibration of dual reflectometers were based on the fact that the calibration networks had to exhibit transmission in any switching state. In order to allow also for transmissionless states of the calibration network (e.g. short-circuit), the calibration mathematics must no longer be formulated with transmission matrices because these are singular for transmissionless twoports.
Below, the mathematics of the semi-automatic calibration method for all possible calibration network standards will be explained with reference to the basic model (FIG. 3). However, it may be extended to all other analyzer setups.
Basic Calibration
Starting out from the error twoport description (FIG. 2) ##EQU26## and the combination of the waves applied to the DUT by means of scattering parameters ##EQU27## it is possible by elimination of the wave values (ai, bi) to find by means of the discrete matrix equations the following connection: ##EQU28## The values mi correspond to the measured values of the network analyzer when the test set switch 10 is in position I, and the values m'i correspond to the measured values for switch position II.
As in the previously described reflectometer calibration, the basic calibration is divided in two basically different method steps. Initially, in the basic mode of the calibration network for instance a TMS calibration is performed at the test ports of the network analyzer. Hence there result the two error twoport matrices
G.sup.-1 and H'=T.sub.N E.sub.0 H. (73)
This procedure is no longer performed for all three positions of the calibration network but is limited to the basic state.
With the error twoports of the basic state G and H' it is possible by means of equation (72) to determined the scattering matrix of a DUT. The virtual calibration network standards may be determined correspondingly. To this end the test ports must be connected. Measuring the calibration network in its first switch position and evaluating the measured values by means of equation (72) will lead to the scattering matrix of a DUT which is virtually disposed intermediate the two test ports. The procedure is analogous for the second position of the calibration network. Now, the virtual calibration network standards S1 and S2 are known and may be stored.
Transfer Or User Calibration
During transfer calibration the test ports are interconnected, and the calibration network is measured in its three switching states. Mathematically, this is similar to the measuring of a through-connection (T) and two known standards which are represented by the matrices S1 and S2.
virtual standard in switch position 1: T
virtual standard in switch position 2: S1
virtual standard in switch position 3: S2
From these three measurements the error twoports G and H' can be calculated.
Practical embodiment Of The Calibration Network
The calibration network (calibration twoport) necessary for performing the automatic transfer calibration must realize one of two different switching states other than the basic state. This may be achieved either with a single network or the two switching states are divided to two units. The networks have the task of automatically generating the calibration standards required for calibration and virtually to set these standards between the test ports of the network analyzer. It is not required that these should be precision standards but they may be simple resistance means which need not satisfy any exact prerequisites. Such resistive circuit arrangements are merely required to have long-term stability, which demand is satisfied in practice.
The states realized by the calibration network must not be chosen arbitrarily because under certain circumstances calibration might not be possible. For example, an arrangement according to FIG. 14a comprising two shunt resistors combined with a through-connection T would result in a non-performable calibration because three conductance arrangements are concerned in this case. This will be shown hereinbelow. Likewise, the combination of two series resistances and the through-connection is not possible, because the through-connection may be considered both as a series impedance of the value 0 and as a conductance element of the value 0.
Measuring of a DUT can be represented algebraically by the series connection of the error fourport G-1, the transmission matrix N of the DUT and the error twoport H, the result being equal to the measured value matrix M.
M=G.sup.-1 N H (74)
Hence, the measuring of three calibration standards will lead to
M.sub.1 =G.sup.-1 N1H (75)
M.sub.2 =G.sup.-1 N2H (76)
M.sub.3 =G.sup.-1 N3H (77)
From the measurement of an unknown DUT there results ##EQU29##
The elimination of the matrix B in equation (78) by means of equation (75) will lead to
M.sub.4 M.sub.1.sup.-1 =G.sup.-1 N.sub.MO N1.sup.-1 G (79)
As this equation is a similarity transformation, there holds
trace(M.sub.4 M.sub.1.sup.-1)=trace(N.sub.MO N1.sup.-1) (80)
ξ=N.sub.11 N1.sub.22 -N.sub.12 N1.sub.21 -N.sub.21 N1.sub.12 +N.sub.22 N1.sub.11 (81)
in which ζ=trace(M4 M1 -1). Written as a vector:
ξhu 1=(N1.sub.22 -N1.sub.21 -N1.sub.12 N1.sub.11)V (82)
where V=(N11 N12 N21 N22)T. Assuming that the first calibration standard is a through-connection, ζ1 =(1 0 0 1)V. Accordingly, combining the equations (76) and (77) with (78) one obtains
ξ=(N2.sub.22 -N2.sub.21 -N.sub.12 N2.sub.11)V (83)
ξ=(N3.sub.22 -N3.sub.21 -N3.sub.12 N3.sub.11)V. (84)
A combination of equations (76) and (77)
M.sub.2 M.sub.3.sup.-1 =G.sup.-1 N2N3.sup.-1 H (85)
and subsequent multiplication with equation (79) leads to a fourth expression for the determination of V.
ξ.sub.4 =(N2.sub.11 N3.sub.22 -N2.sub.12 N3.sub.21 N2.sub.21 N3.sub.22 -N2.sub.22 N3.sub.21 N2.sub.12 N3.sub.11 -N2.sub.11 N3.sub.12 N2.sub.22 N3.sub.22 -N2.sub.11 N3.sub.12) V (86)
Thus, four equations are available to be used for determining the vector V. They may be combined to an inhomogeneous system of equations
L=PV with L=(ξ.sub.1 ξ.sub.2 ξ.sub.3 ξ.sub.4).sup.T(87)
For a proper choice of circuit arrangements and a proper choice of calibration standards, respectively, the determinant of the matrix P must be unequal to zero and the rank of P must be equal to 4. Based on this criterion it may be shown that a circuit arrangement of the kind shown in FIGS. 14a-14c is unsuited for calibration. To this end it would be suitable to use chain parameters for computation. Conversely, an arrangement according to FIG. 15 would always permit calibration provided the resistance values are finite and other than zero.
For the calibration network to realize a good test port matching, particularly well suited basic circuits are matched attenuator in π- or T-connection as shown in FIGS. 16a or 16b, respectively. FIGS. 17a-17b illustrate the switches S1 and S2 associated with the π-connection, whereby the three switching states shown in FIGS. 17a-17b are realized. The switches S1 and S2 are adapted to be controlled electrically by means of relays. FIG. 18 shows another possible realization for producing two switching states other than the basic state. In the basic state the configuration is a simple connection of the two termination ports. The two circuit variations are effected by insertion of the first and the second network NW1, NW2, respectively.
The requirement set out in the claims, viz. that the calibration twoport in one of the further switching states differs at least in transmission and in the other of said further switching states differs at least in reflection from the basic switching state, implies for all modifications of the network analyzer of the present invention the possibility that the calibration twoport in the two further switching states differs from the basic state only as to reflection, because a difference in reflection necessarily also means a difference in transmission relative to the basic state, so that this case also satisfies the requirement according to the invention.
Semi-Automatic Calibration Method For Network Analyzers With Three Measuring Points
The block diagram of a network analyzer with three test points may be derived from FIG. 1 by making the fourth test point m4 zero in the first switching position of the switch and making the first test point m'1 zero in the second switching position. It will be apparent therefrom that the calibration for both switch positions must be performed separately. If possible, in this method the switch 10 should not include any cross-talk.
The automatic transfer calibration requires a calibration network which realizes two different switching states other than the basic state, and at least one of said two different switching states must exhibit a transmission unequal to zero. The calibration network may be disposed according to FIG. 3 on one side of the network analyzer, or it may be distributed to both sides of the analyzer.
Basic Calibration
Initially, the calibration network is in its basic state, where H=TN E0 H. From the general mathematical description of the network analyzer ##EQU30## for the first switch position with G12 =1 and m4 =0 there follows ##EQU31##
Replacing the wave values ai, bi in ##EQU32## by means of equation (89), then ##EQU33##
Hence there result the two discrete equations
(m.sub.1 -S.sub.11 m.sub.1 -S.sub.11 m.sub.2 -S.sub.12 m.sub.3 0)V.sub.1 =-m.sub.2
(0-S.sub.21 m.sub.1 -S.sub.21 m.sub.2 -S.sub.22 m.sub.3 m.sub.3)V.sub.1 =0(92)
in which V1 =(G11 G21 G22 H11 H21)T. The measurement of three completely known calibration standards of which at least two must exhibit a transmission unequal to zero leads with equation (92) to a system of equations which is used for determining the solution vector V1.
For the second switch position there holds with H'21 =1 and m'1 =0 ##EQU34##
In connection with equation (90) there results ##EQU35## with the two discrete equations (1):
(m'.sub.2 -S.sub.11 m'.sub.2 -S.sub.12 m'.sub.3 -S.sub.12 m'.sub.4 0)V.sub.2 =0
(0-S.sub.21 m'.sub.2 -S.sub.22 m'.sub.3 -S.sub.22 m'.sub.4)V.sub.2 =-m'.sub.3 (95)
in which V2 =(G'12 G'22 H'11 H'12 H'22)T. Measuring of three calibration standards of which at least two must exhibit a transmission unequal to zero leads with equation (95) to a system of equations for the second switch position which system is used for determining the vector V2. In general, the elements of the two vectors V1 and V2 are different so that the basic state of the network analyzer, which has been extended by the circuit arrangement, may be described by a total of ten error parameters.
From the illustrated kind of determining the error parameters there result novel methods for calibrating analyzers with three test points. Measuring of a through-connection T, of a matched load M and of a completely known transmitting network N, whose input reflection factor is unequal to zero, thus leads to TMN calibration. Instead of the termination M it would also be possible to use other known oneports such as, for example, short or open (TSN or TON method). The exchange of the through-connection by a line of known length leads to the LMN method. As compared to the known 10 or 12 term method this represents a simplification because in the known case four fully known standards must be measured of which three do not exhibit transmission. Existing methods which also can do with three standards (TLR*) represent only an approximation.
The object of the basic calibration, among other things, is the determination of the calibration network standards which result virtually in the test port plane. To this end the two vector equations (91) and (94) are combined to a matrix relationship ##EQU36##
Transformation will lead to ##EQU37##
When the calibration network is measured in its two states other than the basic state, the scattering matrices of the respective calibration network standard (transfer standard) S1, S2 may be computed by means of the equation (97). The computation of the transfer standards may be performed independently of their transmission.
Transfer Or User Calibration
During the transfer calibration the test ports of the network analyzer, which has been extended by the circuit arrangement, are interconnected so that a through-connection results which is as accurate as possible. According to the procedure with four test-point analyzers, the calibration network is also tested in its basic state and in the two states other than the basic state for both switch positions. Mathematically, this is similar to the testing of a through-connection (T) and of two known standards represented by the matrices S1 and S2.
virtual standard in switching position 1: T
virtual standard in switching position 2: S1
virtual standard in switching position 3: S2
With these three measurements and the equations (92) and (95) the ten error parameters of the network analyzer may be computed. As already explained, the resulting redundancy in respect of the number of available equations may be used with a calculus of observations.
Semi-Automatic Calibration Method For Unidirectional Network Analyzers
The unidirectional network analyzer is illustrated schematically in FIG. 19. The setup comprises three measuring points 50, 51 and 52 and a reflectometer network 53. A changeover switch 10 as in the case of the bidirectional network analyzer is not provided. A calibration network 54 is disposed between the reflectometer network 53 and a test port 1. With the semi-automatic calibration method for unidirectional network analyzers the calibration network must have two switching states other than the basic state. All states must exhibit transmission other than zero.
Basic Calibration
As with the bidirectional network analyzer, the basic calibration may be performed with three test points, for example by means of the 10-term method or by one of the new calibration methods (e.g. TMN). It is performed for each of the three switching states individually. The determination of the error parameters is now reduced to the determination of five error elements. With G'-1 =G-1 E0 TN, H21 =1 and m4 =0, there holds ##EQU38##
In conjunction with equation (90) there result two equations which are used for determining the error parameters.
(m.sub.1 m.sub.2 -S.sub.11 m.sub.1 -S.sub.11 m.sub.2 -S.sub.12 m.sub.3)V.sub.1 =0
(0 0 S.sub.21 m.sub.1 S.sub.21 m.sub.2 S.sub.22 m.sub.3)V.sub.1 =m.sub.3,(99)
in which V1 =(G'11 G'22 G'21 G'22 H11)T.
In the first step of the basic calibration, in which the calibration network is in the basic state, for instance the TMN calibration will lead to the matrix G' and to the parameter H11.
G'.sup.-1 =G.sup.-1 E.sub.0 T.sub.N (100)
There follows for the first switching state of the calibration network other than the basic state: ##EQU39##
For the third switching state there holds analogously ##EQU40##
The parameter H11 remains constant for all switching positions. Taking into account the transformation equation
E.sub.1 =T.sub.N E.sub.1 T.sub.N.sup.-1, (103)
which combines the change of the calibration network E1 with the change E1 transformed to the test port plane, there result the transmission matrices of the virtual calibration network standards as follows:
E.sub.1 =G".sup.-1 G'
E.sub.2 =G'".sup.-1 G'. (104)
This completes the basic calibration.
Transfer Or User Calibration
During transfer calibration the test ports of the network analyzer extended by the circuit arrangement are interconnected so that a through-connection results which is as exact as possible. The calibration network is tested in its basic state and in the two states other than the basic state. Mathematically, this is similar to the testing of a through-connection (T) and two known standards which are represented by the matrices S1 and S2.
virtual standard in switching position 1: T
virtual standard in switching position 2: S1
virtual standard in switching position 3: S2
With these three measurements and the equation (99) the five error parameters of the network analyzer may be computed.
Although we have described our invention by reference to particular illustrative embodiments thereof, many changes and modifications of the invention may become apparent to those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit and scope thereof. We therefore intend to include within the patent warranted hereon all such changes and modifications as may reasonably and properly be included within the scope of our contribution to the art.
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|May 9, 1967
|Hewlett Packard Co
|Variable attenuator employing internal switching
|Jul 31, 1986
|Oct 25, 1988
|Centre National De La Recherche Scientifique
|High frequency impedance measuring apparatus using two bidirectional couplers
|Apr 17, 1989
|Jan 1, 1991
|Rhode & Schwarz Gmbh & Co. K.G.
|Method of calibrating a network analyzer
|Title not available
|Title not available
|ATN LP1 Load Pull System Product Brochure 5091 8311E dated Aug. 1993.
|ATN LP1--Load Pull System--Product Brochure 5091-8311E dated Aug. 1993.
|Engen: "The Multistate Two Port: An Alternative Transfer Standard"--ARFTG Digest--Spring 1993.
|Engen: The Multistate Two Port: An Alternative Transfer Standard ARFTG Digest Spring 1993.
|IEEE Transactions on Instrumentation & Measurement, "Reducing the Number of Calibration Standards for Network Analyzer Calibration", H. J. Eul et al., vol. 40, No. 4, Apr. 1991.
|IEEE Transactions on Instrumentation & Measurement, Reducing the Number of Calibration Standards for Network Analyzer Calibration , H. J. Eul et al., vol. 40, No. 4, Apr. 1991.
|IEEE Transactions on Microwave Theory & Techniques, "A Generalized Theory and New Calibration Procedures for Network Analyzer Self-Calibration", H. J. Eul et al., vol. 39, No. 4, Apr. 1991, pp. 724-731.
|IEEE Transactions on Microwave Theory & Techniques, A Generalized Theory and New Calibration Procedures for Network Analyzer Self Calibration , H. J. Eul et al., vol. 39, No. 4, Apr. 1991, pp. 724 731.
|Rabinovich: "An Instrument for Calibrating and Tuning Waveguide Reflectometers"--Telecomms & Radio Engineering--Sep. 73.
|Rabinovich: An Instrument for Calibrating and Tuning Waveguide Reflectometers Telecomms & Radio Engineering Sep. 73.
|Citing Patent
|Filing date
|Publication date
|May 18, 1998
|Feb 13, 2001
|Agilent Technologies Inc.
|Removing effects of adapters present during vector network analyzer calibration
|Oct 13, 1999
|May 8, 2001
|Modulation Instruments
|Method of characterizing a device under test
|Aug 3, 1999
|Mar 12, 2002
|Lucent Technologies, Inc.
|Multi-port programmable tester
|Feb 9, 2000
|May 27, 2003
|Avaya Technology Corp.
|Method for calibrating two port high frequency measurements
|Aug 24, 2001
|Nov 4, 2003
|Agilent Technologies, Inc.
|Calibrating a test system using unknown standards
|Apr 4, 2003
|Nov 23, 2004
|Agilent Technologies, Inc.
|System and method for determining measurement errors of a testing device
|Oct 17, 2003
|Jun 21, 2005
|Signal pre-processing for estimating attributes of a transmission line
|Jul 30, 2003
|May 23, 2006
|Localization of customer premises in a local loop based on reflectometry measurements
|Feb 18, 2003
|Jun 20, 2006
|Agilent Technologies, Inc.
|Network analyzer calibration employing reciprocity of a device
|Aug 5, 2003
|Jun 27, 2006
|Agilent Technologies, Inc.
|Method and apparatus for measuring a device under test using an improved through-reflect-line measurement calibration
|Jan 14, 2004
|Sep 12, 2006
|Agilent Technologies, Inc.
|Multiport network analyzer calibration employing reciprocity of a device
|Mar 31, 2006
|Jun 26, 2007
|Agilent Technologies, Inc.
|Re-calculating S-parameter error terms after modification of a calibrated port
|Feb 7, 2000
|Apr 15, 2008
|Multi-port analysis apparatus and method and calibration method thereof
|Mar 15, 2005
|Apr 14, 2009
|Advantest Corporation
|Network analyzer, transmission tracking error measuring method, network analyzing method, program, and recording medium
|Jan 17, 2008
|Aug 17, 2010
|Com Dev International Ltd.
|Method and system for tracking scattering parameter test system calibration
|Jul 30, 2003
|Feb 5, 2004
|Localization of customer premises in a local loop based on reflectometry measurements
|Oct 17, 2003
|Apr 29, 2004
|Signal pre-processing for estimating attributes of a transmission line
|Feb 18, 2003
|Aug 19, 2004
|Tiberiu Jamneala
|Network analyzer calibration employing reciprocity of a device
|Jan 14, 2004
|Aug 19, 2004
|Tiberiu Jamneala
|Multiport network analyzer calibration employing reciprocity of a device
|Apr 4, 2003
|Oct 7, 2004
|Blackham David V.
|System and method for determining measurement errors of a testing device
|Aug 5, 2003
|Feb 10, 2005
|Vahe Adamian
|Method and apparatus for measuring a device under test using an improved through-reflect-line measurement calibration
|Mar 15, 2005
|Dec 13, 2007
|Advantest Corporation
|Network Analyzer, Transmission Tracking Error Measuring Method, Network Analyzing Method, Program, And Recording Medium
|Jan 17, 2008
|Jul 23, 2009
|Albert-Lebrun Xavier M H
|Method and system for tracking scattering parameter test system calibration
|Mar 7, 2013
|Mar 5, 2015
|Rosenberger Hochfrequenztechnik Gmbh &Co Kg.
|Time frame measuring method with calibration in the frequency range
|Aug 25, 2014
|Apr 13, 2016
|Method for calibrating a test rig
|Aug 25, 2014
|Apr 26, 2017
|U.S. Classification
|324/601, 324/638
|International Classification
|Cooperative Classification
|European Classification
|Dec 1, 2003
|Fee payment
Year of fee payment: 4
|Dec 5, 2007
|Fee payment
Year of fee payment: 8
|Dec 20, 2011
|Fee payment
Year of fee payment: 12


text:
Distinct Views: 32,536
Photo Added: September 28, 2008
Photo Added: September 28, 2008
Comments (9)
How could they throw away such photos! That's part of their history, they should be proud to show these pictures. At least they let you share them with us. I love the heat trails from the engine.
This one is the coolest I've seen for days...
I am sure these are probably from some Finnair stock photo library as they look similar if not the same images I have seen on old postcards. Nevertheless it is great they are hear for everyone to see on airliners; its a bit like preserving a piece of history online!
...Can`t understand that "The National Airliner of Finland" (Finnair) was destroying pictures of "The History of them self and AERO "= The Finnish proudness of historic civil aviation!
Big thanks for saving those pics.
Ps! I`ve been flying with many of em!...and one of their former DC-3s are My passion !
Big thanks for saving those pics.
Ps! I`ve been flying with many of em!...and one of their former DC-3s are My passion !
Unbelieveable old pic!
A book should be published with these magnificent photos... This image of a DC-9 flying so low above the Finnish lakes is really impresive and has a strong nostalgic scent.
This is a great picture on so many levels. A classic Finnish landscape on a sunny summer day: forest and lakes. A sentiment of progress and improving prosperity of Finland in the early '70's. And of course those heat trails...Five stars.
Absolutely lovely image. Thanks for sharing. Frank frm BUE
Beautiful. Just beautiful!
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Cheeseburger Macaroni Skillet Recipe
- 1 pound lean ground beef (90% lean)
- 8 ounces uncooked whole wheat elbow macaroni
- 3 cups reduced-sodium beef broth
- 3/4 cup fat-free milk
- 3 tablespoons ketchup
- 2 teaspoons Montreal steak seasoning
- 1 teaspoon prepared mustard
- 1/4 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 cup shredded reduced-fat cheddar cheese
- Minced chives
- In a large skillet, cook beef over medium heat 6-8 minutes or until no longer pink, breaking into crumbles; drain.
- Stir in macaroni, broth, milk, ketchup, steak seasoning, mustard and onion powder; bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, 10-15 minutes or until macaroni is tender. Stir in cheese until melted. Sprinkle with chives. Yield: 6 servings.
Reviews forCheeseburger Macaroni Skillet
My Review
Average Rating
"I made this tonight because it used just a few ingredients and looked quick. This was incredibly tasty! I thought the Montreal steak spice gave it some extra kick, and I'm surprised that some other reviewers found it bland. It thickened just right for me (again, many reviewers seemed to have a problem with this). I made this exactly as is and will definitely make again! My picky two year old gave it a huge thumbs up and had 2nds...then 3rds!"
"This is a keeper! I think the flavors work very well together, particularly the addition of the steak seasoning. I used whole milk because it's what I had on-hand and I used slightly more than the 3 cups of broth (I used two cans which is almost four cups), but the recipe turned out wonderfully."
"This has quickly become a family favorite. easy to make, and if there are leftovers, they heat up great for lunches later in the week."
"I just made this today (7/10/14) and it is a huge hit even with my little guy that doesn't like Hamburger Helper. I did it exactly like the recipe with out problems. I'm not sure why anyone would have problems with it thickening unless they didn't read the ingredients to see that it is uncooked pasta. I will be making it again!"
"Simple, family friendly dinner!"
"Way too bland for my family. So, I added garlic and chili powder, still not very good. I would not recommend. I did not have too much broth as others mentioned."
"The dish was okay. I added more pasta which absorbed the extra liquid."


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Pop Culture
Hollywood Now: Chris Pine, Rachel Weisz & Ari Graynor, Plus So Many Babies!By Gerri Miller
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European Leaders Changing Ways on Intermarriage?
Most European Jewish leaders support liberalizing their approach to intermarriage and conversion, a new survey shows.
As the JTA reports, 85 percent of the 251 respondents to a pan-European survey of Jewish leaders felt it was "not a good idea to strongly oppose intermarriage and bar intermarried Jews and their spouses from communal membership." Further:
Pope Lifts Excommunication of Anti-Semitic Bishop
On Friday, Pope Benedict XVI announced that the Catholic Church would reintegrate four bishops that the church had excommunicated in 1988 because they were ordained by Archbishop Michel Lefebvre, the founder of a breakaway Traditionalist Catholic sect, Society of St. Pius X. Jewish groups around the world have protested the reinstatement of Richard Williamson, a Briton who denies the historical truth of the Holocaust. Liberal Catholics in the US are also waking up to the fact that Williamson apparently denies that terrorists flew planes into the World Trade Center on September 11, 2001. It's one of the many anti-Semitic conspiracy theories to which Williamson subscribes. For a comprehensive run-down on Williamson's anti-Semitism, see Professor Rebecca Lesses' blog, which has a translation an article from the German newspaper Der Spiegel on some of the scary things that Williamson has said, including suggesting that conservative Catholics arm to fight other Catholics.
Though Williamson is the most colorfully, scarily anti-Semitic (and also anti-gay and apparently just generally prone to saying wildly offensive things) of these four bishops, it's not surprising that followers of Archbishop Lefebvre hold extreme right-wing positions. The Catholic Church is not a monolithic body, any more than Judaism is a monolithic body. Even within a single country, leaders in the Church can take left, right or centrist positions. Lefebvre supported the Vichy collaboration with the Nazis, the right-wing neo-fascist politician Jean-Marie Le Pen and right-wing dictatorships in other countries as well. His Society of St. Pius X has long been a source of anti-Semitic rhetoric.
It's difficult for me as a Jew to figure out why this Pope, who is the first to visit a US synagogue and only the second to visit a synagogue at all, would make such a decision. One would think that he would be eager to distance himself from his past, apparently forced, membership in the Hitler Youth. My guess is that he decided that it was more important to have unity within the Church, and possibly to have support for other traditionalist positions on gender and sexuality, than it was to maintain the positive relations with the Jewish community that he and his predecessor had so carefully fostered.
One Catholic blogger points out that though the bishops' excommunication was reversed, the Pope has not reinstated them to "exercise their ministry," and also has not said that the original excommunication was wrong. Still, it looks to those of us outside the Church like the Pope is throwing his relationships with Jews under a bus in order to promote Church unity.
I don't regard this position as reflecting anything about the Catholic leaders here in the United States who have reached out to the Jewish community, nor indeed does it have anything to do with centrist Catholic clergy in other countries. I'm going to continue to forge alliances and build friendships with the devout Catholics in my life who have consistently reached out to me as a Jew.
Jewish Mourning in Mexico–A Comedy?
I've been meaning for some time to write about my Twitter pal, Rabbi Joshua Kullock, the rabbi of Guadalajara, Mexico. He blogs at Kol Ha-Kehila. If you are looking for Spanish-language resources to share information about Judaism with Spanish-speaking extended family, Rabbi Kullock does a regular online class on the prophet Amos in Spanish, and you can watch the class after it as aired as a recording, though you have to register. (I'm posting this now in part because I finally registered and figured out how to listen to it.)
I thought of Rabbi Kullock when I saw this crazy movie trailer. This is the second movie trailer I've seen about a shivah, the Jewish traditional week of mourning after a funeral–but this one is a comedy. Continue reading
American Heaven
As a North American Jew, I'm accustomed to reading the endless kvetching of Jewish traditionalists about how American Judaism is inauthentic, assimilated or corrupted. It's our default position as a community. We often bewail each other's creativity and spirituality in the process. What I like is learning that all the other religions in the United States are similarly Americanized, unruly and individualistic, and similarly annoying their religious authorities. It makes me think of Whitman's Song of Myself in Leaves of Grass.
When I read Charles M. Blow's New York Times column, Heaven for the Godless, it lit me up inside. Here's a good summary:
And that's not all. Nearly half the respondents thought atheists would go to heaven, and most thought that people with no religious faith could also go. Continue reading
Getting Ready for Election Night!
If you are like me, you are getting ready to stay up all night tomorrow, watching the election returns. I do not remember an election in my adult life that seemed as important to the United States' future.
Jews in the Presidential Campaign and the Blogosphere
I get a lot of Jewish blogs in my RSS reader, and one of the ones I follow, The Velveteen Rabbi, had a link to another blogger who had liveblogged a conference call with Barack Obama. A group of rabbis has started a group called Rabbis for Obama, which the Jewish Telegraphic Agency has called "a first in US politics." Apparently 900 rabbis from all denominations were on the call; three rabbis asked questions of the candidate. Obama quoted from the Talmud and used Hebrew phrases with some facility.
Interesting! As both candidates court the Jewish vote and attract Jewish supporters, we're going to get to see a lot about Jewish culture in the news.
In other Jewish blogging news, and on a completely different, non-political note I have been digging Sefer Ha-Bloggadah. It's a group blogging effort by a group of diverse Jewish writers. They have begun a three-year reading ofThe Book of Legends (in Hebrew, Sefer Ha-Aggadah) by Haim Nahman Bialik, in honor of the 100th anniversary of the publication of the collection of Jewish legends by the famous Hebrew poet. I love the diversity of the writers' perspectives.
Jewish-Irish Cultural Links
My 5-year-old son is really interested in holidays, especially ones that have special costumes. How do you explain St. Patrick's Day to a Jewish boy–who lives in Boston? We passed people wearing green clothing and sparkly hats on the street yesterday, probably on their way to the famous St. Patrick's Day Parade, which is the oldest celebration of Irish heritage in the United States. Being Irish is cool in Boston. But is it a Jewish holiday? Maybe!
You can be Jewish and Irish at the same time; it's not only the stuff of jokes. (I bow to Philologos of the Jewish Forward for having published the aged but still effective Sean Ferguson joke in his column this week–great timing!) Jews have a long history as a tiny minority in Ireland. There was probably a community as early as the 1200s, and unlike the Jews of England, Ireland's Jews never underwent expulsion. They have had a small, visible and audible presence in the modern period as political and cultural figures.
The Jewish Advocate ran an article this past week in their print edition about Carl Nelkin, recently featured in the documentary Shalom Ireland. Nelkin, a Jewish community leader and a lawyer, is also a musician who has released an album of Yiddish music played on traditional Irish instruments. Jewish-Irish cultural blending goes beyond Leopold Bloom. I now have a small list of Jewish-Irish music CDs I'm going to be forced to acquire. Research for my job here, essential, very important! Continue reading
Tahiti's 200 Jews
Keeping with the theme of island paradises, Ben Frank of JTA has written a story on the tiny Jewish community of Tahiti, where more than half of the Jews are intermarried.
The island is home to one Orthodox synagogue and while Shabbat services attract only about 20 regular worshippers, most of the island's 200 Jews attend High Holiday services.
Having an Orthodox shul as the isle's only religious option makes for some interesting situations. For years, the synagogue's sunday school has admitted children of intermarriage, but it recently started barring children of non-Jewish mothers from attending.
Despite the tension between inclusion and exclusion and tradition and modernity, Joseph Sebbag, a former president of the community, says, "It is not a problem; everyone knows everyone else. …. We are all friends. We're not so many, we are a family. Just that everyone knows we have an Orthodox synagogue."
The Jewish Al Sharpton
I was going to write about Reform Judaism magazine's impressive package of articles on outreach, but I felt the need to respond to the latest instance of Abe Foxman-related controversy.
In the most recent issue of The (Boston) Jewish Advocate, Raphael Kohan reports on Boston Jewish leaders' reaction to Abe Foxman's Oct. 24 Q&A with JTA's Ami Eden. In that Q&A Foxman discusses, among other issues, his position on the pending Congressional resolution calling the Turkish expulsion of Armenians in 1915-17 a genocide, and the Boston Jewish community's reaction to his position. In the Q&A, Foxman is critical of Boston Jewish leaders' support of the resolution, saying "What I didn't realize was to what extent the American Jewish community has reversed Hillel [referring to Rabbi Hillel's famous quote, "If I am only for myself, who will be for me? If I am only for myself, what am I?"], or at least in Boston and Massachusetts." He directly calls out Combined Jewish Philanthropies President Barry Shrage and Jewish Community Relations Council of Greater Boston Executive Director Nancy K. Kaufman: "The last thing we need now is for Barry Shrage and Nancy Kaufman to be fighting us."
Three Little Birds
It's been two weeks since Hurricane Dean left surprisingly little damage in Jamaica, a place filled with shoddily constructed housing and tenuous infrastructure. A few days after the storm, Paul Rockower wrote an essay for The Jerusalem Post about Jamaica's "small, vibrant Jewish community" of 250-300.
Despite the community's microscopic size–down from a one-time high of 5,000-6,000–Rockower reports that 20 people were at the island's only synagogue, Sha'are Shalom, on Shabbat when he visited. The sounds of the synagogue's pipe organ filled the room, and the floors were carpeted with white sand. The community's spiritual leader, Stephen Henriques told Rockower how intermarriage was common but that "nearly all children from those unions were raised as Jews."
I've always found it interesting how the Jewish establishment in the U.S. makes a stink about intermarriage, while far smaller Jewish communities–such as Jamaica and Nicaragua–accept it as a fact of life, and move on. Better to keep up the important business of living a rich Jewish life and building Jewish community, and whoever wants to participate does so. Even a few days before Hurricane Dean, when water was thigh-deep in the streets of Kingston, nearly 10 percent of Jamaica's Jewish population came out for services.
As Bob Marley sang, "Every little thing's gonna be alright."


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GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — With gas prices fluctuating in the early days of 2009, retailers are honing their fuel incentive programs.
While Spartan Stores here held a short-term promotion last week offering gas at 99 cents a gallon with a $100 purchase in the supermarket, other chains showed signs that they were decreasing the incentives in line with the drop in gas prices.
For example, Ukrop's Super Markets, Richmond, Va., extended its fuelperks! program through March 28, b


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Money and R eal Economy. Money, Bonds, Monetary Policy, GDP. Money and Bonds There are many things in the economy Cash Chequing accounts Saving accounts Treasury bills Bonds Business shares (equity) etc Simplify Yields no interest = money Medium of exchange Cash Chequing accounts
Download Policy: Content on the Website is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use and may not be sold / licensed / shared on other websites without getting consent from its author.While downloading, if for some reason you are not able to download a presentation, the publisher may have deleted the file from their server.
Money, Bonds, Monetary Policy, GDP


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We know that our accents, clothing styles and even driving habits vary from state-to-state, but did you know our candy eating preferences hugely differ depending on where we live as well?
According to Influenster's poll of 40,000 people, the most popular candy in each state varies widely. Some of the state picks are right on par for what you'd expect, but others are a little wacky (really, West Virginia?).
See if you agree with your state's top candy choice.
Life Savers are for Grandpa and/or a road trip. They're better than nothing, but a favorite? Come on, California.
Candy corn is waxy, overly sweet and just boring... but not according to OR, WY, TN, TX and SC.
Apparently in West Virginia, there's a statewide conspiracy that Oreos are a candy. They're not.
Florida's candy choice? Mediocre chocolate with rice in it. Disney World's home state can do better.
Arizona's pick is totally unexpected. Who gives out Toblerone on Halloween? Duty-free shops? Santa?
New York thinks it's such a cosmopolitan state, but Sweet Tarts are pretty much as basic as candy gets.
OK Georgia, Pixy Stix are basically just ground-up Sweet Tarts in a straw wrapper. You. Deserve. Better.
Kisses are clearly a Valentine's candy, but apparently Mississippi and Missouri think that love is scary enough for Halloween.
Wisconsin probs should have chosen a dairy-based candy, not this denture-destroying taffy.
New Hampshire's fave candy is pretty much as exciting as the state itself (I can say that — I'm a New Englander).
People in Maryland and Vermont are still eating Almond Joy? We're as surprised as you are.
We thought this way-too-chewy candy went out with the '90s, but boy, were we wrong. Alabama and Washington disagree.
You might be a resident of Louisiana or Pennsylvania if you're still eating Swedish Fish like they're going out of style.
The folks in New Jersey and North Dakota still think that burning a hole in your tongue makes for a fun Halloween.
We've long suspected that these oddly flavored choking hazards are part of a dental conspiracy, but who's going to tell the good people of Nevada?
Reese's... are great. Reese's was the right choice, Rhode Island and Connecticut. You win because I say so.
Since each state's candy preference held steady this 2015 Halloween candy map reamains accurate for 2016.
Originally published Oct. 2015. Updated Aug. 2016.
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Item# US80446
Prime Time Eyeshadow Primer
Primer Base for Eyeshadow
Silky and lightweight, this eye primer ensures smooth, striking eyecolor application and ultra-long wear. Read more
Size: 3 mL/0.1 fl. oz.
Additional Information
What it is:
An essential for maximizing color intensity, our Prime Time® Eyelid Primer provides the perfect base for your favorite bareMinerals® eyeshadows. It's designed to combat creasing and color fading to help ensure your eye looks are smooth and long lasting.
Why you'll love it:
*Helps our eyeshadows last longer, build color intensity and maintain smooth texture *None of our products are tested on animals
Our team suggests:
Smooth onto eyelids with fingertips or a brush to instantly prime the eyelids. Suggested usage: Wear it alone for a barely there look or layer with bareMinerals® eyeshadows.
What's inside:
Isododecane, Barium Sulfate, Cyclopentasiloxane, Disteardimonium Hectorite, Trimethylsiloxysilicate, Glyceryl Triethylhexanoate, Polyethylene, Trihydroxystearin, Sorbitan Sesquioleate, VP/Eicosene Copolymer, Propylene Carbonate, Dimethicone, Beeswax (Cera Alba), PEG-40 Stearate, Ascorbyl Palmitate, Retinyl Palmitate, Tocopherol, Mica (CI 77019), Titanium Dioxide (CI 77891), Iron Oxides (CI 77491, CI 77492, CI 77499), Bismuth Oxychloride (CI 77163)


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England: Worcester and the Malverns Trailer (2008)
01 January 2008
Accompanied by the works of celebrated post-Romantic composer Edward Elgar, this musical excursion explores the heart of western England, from the Malvern Hills to the ornate cathedrals and charming half-timbered houses for which the region is known. Much of Elgar's work -- including the "Pomp and Circumstance" marches -- was inspired by his love for his homeland, and he remains the classical composer most closely associated with western England.
Watch the official England: Worcester and the Malverns 2008 trailer in HD below or find more England: Worcester and the Malverns videos on Vidimovie.


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Loyal customers spend more, stay longer and tell their friends about their experiences. In the Net Promoter System Podcast, Bain & Company's Rob Markey talks to business leaders who are using the management system to create experiences that keep customers coming back.
Birchbox cofounder Hayley Barna discusses how the beauty e-commerce company got its start (3:02), how it rigorously tracks customer buying behavior (14:36) and its decision to open physical stores (27:46).


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Over 1.8 million nonprofits and charities for donors, volunteers and funders
Causes: Human Service Organizations, Human Services
Mission: Assisting low-income individuals
Programs: Council on agingprovide administrative, in-home care, meals, transportation, and health promotion services for elderly and older individuals with economic need in eastern montana.
head startprovide services to disadvantaged preschool children in eastern montana.
weatherizationprovide weatherization assistance for individuals in eastern montana.


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Christine F.
Willits, CA, 95490
Joined on October, 2012
Gender: Female
Average Rating:
Any day after 12 Noon
Lives Near:
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Up to 15 minutes away for no additional charge
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Up to 30 minutes away for a flat fee
EducationCalifornia Multiple Subject Credential
California State University, Fullerton
California Single Subject Credential—English
California State University, Fullerton, CA
MS coursework in Education, Curriculum & Instruction
California State University, Fullerton, CA
BFA coursework in Art and Illustration
California College of the Arts, San Francisco, CA
Cornish College of the Arts, Seattle, WA
BA, English Language and Literature
Westmont College, Santa Barbara, CA
Experience6th-Grade Teacher (Language Arts, Social Studies, Art)
Baechtel Grove Middle School, Willits, CA 2011-2012
After-School English Teacher/Test-Prep Classes
Optimus Language and Learning School, Brea, CA 2008-2011
TOEFL Test-Prep Classes
Language Systems International, Placentia, CA 2008
After-School English Teacher
Bright Child Learning Center, Brea, CA 2007-2008
HobbiesI write and draw for pleasure. I also enjoy listening to music, exploring all kinds of subjects on the Internet, video-chatting with my brothers, and watching movies and documentaries.
Preferred Subjects
English, Language Arts, Writing, Test Preparation
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I'm often guilty of over complicating things. Does that sandwich cookie need an extra glaze? Should I drizzle white chocolate over the semi-sweet chocolate ganache on top of the cheesecake? But often, it's the simplest, unadorned baked goods that offer the sweetest, most unadulterated flavors. Such is the case with this classic, elegant pear cake.
Right now pears are near the top of my food obsession list - surpassed probably only by chickpeas. In addition to being one of the few fruits in season (aside from citrus, of course), pears are sweet, soft and juicy. But they only last a few days - so bake them up quick into this delicious cake/quick-bread hybrid. I love that the pears are grated in this recipe - it ensures they blend right into the cake adding texture and flavor without any big pear chunks.
This was a cake we kept going back to again and again to just cut one more slice - and, as promised in the original recipe, it did improve with age - but I couldn't really say if that continues past day 2. The experiment was...cut short.
This was also the cake that gave me sustenance during the great cookie decorating trial of 2010. See there it is - all the way at the end of the table.
Previously: Pear and Bittersweet Chocolate Cake, Pear-Filled Shortbread
Tip of the Day: Pears will begin to brown quickly after peeling and grating, so make sure to leave that step until you're ready to add them to the batter.
Recipe: (adapted from Smitten Kitchen)
3/4 cup vegetable oil
3 eggs
2 cups sugar
3 medium pears
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
3 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon cinnamon
Mix the oil, eggs, sugar, and vanilla together. Peel and grate the pears and add them to the mixture, stirring to combine.
Add the flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt and cinnamon and stir just until there are no more streaks of flour.
Scrape the batter into a greased 10" tube pan or two 9" loaf pans. Bake at 350 F for 60 to 70 minutes, until nicely browned and tests done. Cool in the pan for 10 minutes before turning out.


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Read Air Canada enRoute
What began as a studio and an online shop is now a small storefront that stocks the owners' most sought-after creations in a palette of warm beiges, creams and pastels. Pick up delicate, vin- tage-inspired pieces. You can even sign up for ceramics workshops where you can learn to make your own dishware – now that's some- thing to bring to the table.


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INTERSEX--Are you intersex (someone born with neither male or female genitalia)? Do you know someone who is? Are you curious about it? Come hear intersex activist Emi Koyama describe what's going on in the political intersex battlefield. KD
In Other Words Bookstore, 3734 SE Hawthorne Blvd, 232-6003, 7 pm, free
ART--If you doubt connections between art and life, you should subject yourself to a bombardment of flashing light bulbs and ominous-sounding phrases like "airplane seat assignment" at the Savage Gallery. Pete McCracken and Jeremy Bitterman have collaborated on an installment geared towards explaining how random events (think flat tire) change the course of one's life. Try not to let random events change the course of your ass on your way there. MS
Savage Gallery, 416 NW 10th, 223-2868, through Sept. 15, Open 10-6 pm
GAMING--PC gamers, it's time to strut your stuff at the Million Man LAN, the Northwest's largest LAN party. Compete singly or with a team in challenging computer games like Quake III, Counter-Strike, Unreal Tournament and more! For further info on system requirements, check out www.mml2k.com. Then limber up those fingers and get your geek-freak on! WSH
Holiday Inn, 8439 NE Columbia Blvd, www.mml2k.com, noon, $30 signup fee
REAL JAZZ--I know there is a stigma against independent rockers doing free jazz, and that's understandable. But when Chicago's HIM pulls a crazy drum or sax solo live, the party bumps and you cannot call it ironic. Instead, you'll call it young people with an ass-load of potential. JS
w/ FCS North Blackbird, 3728 NE Sandy, 282-9949, $8
BOOZY BENEFIT--Like the Oregon Humane Society? WHO DON'T?? Then shell out seven for this great cause, and have a hoot 'n' hollerin' good time at the Night of a Thousand Stars, sponsored by P-townies fave drinking rag, Barfly. On deck will be the sing-a-long stylings of Karaoke from Hell, hotsy-totsy hula-hooping dance steps from Thee Denyce, and the back to the future cross-dressing palmistry of Super Frida. Plus drinking, games, drinking, and more! WSH
Hawthorne Eagles Lodge, 4904 SE Hawthorne, 813-9999, 9 pm, $7
MUSIC--Hey! What have those gals at the Rock 'n' Roll Camp for Girls been doing all week? Trot down to the Meow Meow tonight to see the girls play in front of a live audience, along with the All-Girl Summer Fun Band and special surprise guests! WSH
Meow Meow, 527 SE Pine, 230-2111, 8 pm, $5
COUNTY FAIR--The last time I went to a hypnotist, I watched my best friend become convinced he was a chicken! It was the type of shameful public performance that time can never erase. Four stage performances today from the kind of hypnotist only a county fair can provide. If that's not enough entertainment for your jaded hipster ass, how about the Spam recipe cook-off or the microwave-a-potato contest? PB
County Fair Grounds, 2330 17th St, Salem (west off I-5 exit 256), (503) 947-3247, Aug 23-Sept 3,10 am-9 pm, $7
All-Adult Soapbox Derby, Mt. Tabor, Noon, free
MUSIC--If Sid Vicious and Patsy Cline were ever to have a lovechild (god bless), it would be Neko Case. The barbed-voiced cow-punk returns for a not-to-be missed intimate show. (Cross my heart, hope to die: Miss this show and I'll personally kick your ass!) PB
Berbati's, 231 SW Ankeny, 224-TIXX, 9 pm, $8-10
AGONY OF DORKINESS--Du-Huu-Huuude! It's Sheila E.! And Howard "What is Love?" Jones! And the guy from Mott the Hoople, and Greg Lake from King Crimson/Emerson, Lake and Palmer, and Roger Hodgson from Supertramp/Yes! OH MY GOD! Only... they're playing in a band with... Ringo...Starr? Arghh! JS
Schnitzer, 1037 SW Broadway, 224-TIXX, 7:30 pm, $35-55
ZINES--You know what I think of when I think of zines? Gremlins. Dump a little water on them or, in this case, ink, and you have tons of furballs in virtually no time. Of course, I'm thinking of the cute lovable gremlins, not the evil ones. Get ideas on how to find your informative little friend (and I'm talking about zines, not gremlins) a home. KS
Independent Publishing Resource Center, 917 SW Oak St, 232-5673, 7-9 pm, $5-7
METAL--What's better than hot mammas and beer? Hot mammas, beer, and heavy metal. It's like you've died and gone to a perfect heaven (although I think mine would include Benicio clones). Metal heads, don't hide your face under your butt rock hair, come out to the Satyricon, watch the ladies spin the classics, and prove that METAL WILL NEVER DIE! KS
Satyricon, 125 NW 6 th Ave, 243-2380, 9 pm, free


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Trend Beyond Colours
The "gray area" has no clear rules. There are no lines that can be crossed, no glass that can be broken. Living in a boundless online society, we see and experience other cultures, and open up to the estranged. Gray Knight NP N 2001T eludes mysteriousness and acts as the perfect blank canvas, allowing us to explore further, not just in knowledge, but also in life. Expressing a secretive ambiance, we innocently share desires without hesitation, escaping from our real lives, into a world where nothing is unknown.
The Inspiration: Gray Knight NP N 2001T reflects the concept of "gray areas" where nothing is set in stone and is opened to our personal definition. This makes it a rare colour that offers us infinite creative possibilities.


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The Numbers Speak for Themselves
We delivered to the YMCA of Greater San Francisco is dramatically faster, more visually engaging and much easier to use than the old site. It's the kind of successful work that makes us proud.
Building a Cohesive User Experience
With content fragmented across 14 different microsites (one for each branch), visitors had a hard time finding classes and programs they were interested in. To solve this, we needed a radical departure from their existing structure. We consolidated their content into cohesive list pages on a single site, so visitors can see Classes (and other content, like Programs or Job Opportunities) across all branches and easily filter by category. Consolidating content made information easier to find and supported their new membership model for 2016, where members can use any branch facility with a single membership.
Delivering Intuitive Navigation
The new site quickly conveys the cohesive story of 14 branches coexisting beneath the overarching YMCA of Greater San Francisco umbrella. We house the branches within the global site structure but maintain a local navigation that's specific to each location.
Designing Consistency with Flexibility
While most of the branches share similar content, we had to account for a few outliers. We provided a default set of navigation for each branch site, with the ability to add additional pages as needed. This gave YMCA's content authors flexibility and consistency, making it easy to maintain all aspects of the site.
To showcase the unique offerings of each branch, we designed the facility pages to feature large scale photos of the physical spaces. This helps visitors see what they can expect when joining the Y, and in turn helps drive membership sales.
Bring the YMCA Story to Life
The YMCA is the oldest nonprofit in the country, with a legacy of changing lives, connecting communities and improving lives for countless people. We illustrated this story throughout the site with rich photography which encapsulated the YMCA experience.
Photos became a central element of our design system. Their prominence helps visitors understand what it's like to be at the Y. We also decreased the amount of text across the site and upgraded the site's typography to improve readability.
The net result is an easy-to-use site that draws in the visitor while projecting positivity and optimism with a new vibratant look and feel.
Taking the vision of a global leader in API management and turning it into reality
Pioneering a Fortune 500 Drupal 8 site for a top ranked engineering innovator
Replacing a legacy system with a scalable, maintainable Drupal platform


text:
Clowod.org ranks
#21,773,512 in the world and generates
98 Page views for daily.
FreeWebsiteReport estimates Clowod.org for a valuation of
$214 USD for it's visitor traffic that has the potential for CPC and Display-based advertising.
This traffic data suggests the Advertisers with a Traffic Acquisition Cost (TAC) of
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$8.80 for monthly to spend on advertisements with Clowod.org. Clowod.org's page load time for
90th percentile measures at 3 sec. Clowod.org receives most of it's
organic referrals traffic from 92 websites around the world. Clowod.org servers are located in the United States.
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3 Month
Google Safe Browsing - Safe website. Clean from Viruses, Malicious Worms, Adwares, Trojans, Spywares and Suspicious Phishing Attacks.


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You Are Here
- Artist: Keith Lynch
- Genre: New Age
- Release Date: 10/2/2007
Hello, I am delighted that "YOU ARE HERE" has found it's way to you. This music is intended to take you to a place of total relaxation. It can be very healing to "feel" the music rather than just "listen" to it. "YOU ARE HERE" was written at a very difficult time of my life. I was dealing with nearly 10 years of chronic back pain when this project began. During my ongoing search to find out why I was having so much pain, I was introduced to a woman who suggested I put my energy into writing music about my pain, instead of putting my energy into the source of my pain. I was then introduced to the 7 Chakras (7 tonal centers of the body). The 7 Chakras correlate with the 7 colors of the rainbow and the 7 tracks of music. With no preconceived idea of what I was going to write, I simply got quite and asked for guidance and this music is what came to be. I now have no more back pain! "YOU ARE HERE" is great for Yoga, Massage Therapy, Meditation, Pain Management, or just plain calming you down. There are 7 tracks that will take you through the 7 Chakras and hopefully bring you to a place of ease and comfort for your mind, body and spirit. Life is what we make of it. Our difficulties and accomplishments are of our own making. I hope you enjoy this music that has passed through me. Love to all, Keith Lynch.
|You Are Here
|Keith Lynch
|New Age
|CD Baby
|Release Date:
|Product Type:
|Item #: