| Abbreviation | Expanded Words | Comments |
| AC | Alternating Current | |
| ADC | Analog to Digital Converter | |
| AF | Audio Frequency | Low frequency signals usually below 100 kHz. |
| AGC | Automatic Gain Control | |
| ALC | Automatic Level Control | |
| AM | Amplitude Modulation | |
| Amp | Amplifier | |
| ASK | Amplitude Shift Keying | |
| BJT | Bipolar Junction Transistor | |
| BPF | Band Pass Filter | |
| CMOS | Complimentary Metal Oxide Silicon (IC) | |
| DAC | Digital to Analog Converter | |
| DBM | Double Balanced Mixer | |
| DC | Direct Current | |
| Direct Conversion | Refers to a receiver or transmitter topology with I and Q base-band processing | |
| DFM | Design For Manufacture | A collection of philosophies intended to streamline the manufacture of products and reduce overall cost |
| DFT | Discrete Fourier Transform | Fourier Transform applied to a time sampled system |
| DRFSA | Direct RF Signal Acquisition | Receiver topology based on the use of a high speed ADC used to digitize RF signals |
| DRFSS | Direct RF Signal Synthesis | Transmitter topology based on the use of a high speed DAC used to generate RF signals |
| DSP | Digital Signal Processing | |
| FET | Field Effect Transistor | Three terminal voltage operated amplifying device |
| FFT | Fast Fourier Transform | Computationally efficient physical implementation of a DFT |
| FIR | Finite Impulse Response (filter) | |
| FM | ||
| FPGA | Field Programmable Gate Array | Integrated Circuit "sea of gates" - configurable by software to form arbitrary digital functions |
| FSK | Frequency Shift Keying | |
| FT | Fourier Transform | Converts time domain representation to a frequency domain representation |
| GASFET | Gallium Arsenide FET | Microwave version of a FET using Gallium Arsenide (not silicon) |
| HPF | High Pass Filter | |
| IC | Integrated Circuit | Semiconductor "Chip" containing active and passive devices to form a circuit |
| IDFT | Inverse DFT | Inverse Fourier Transform applied to a frequency sampled system |
| I/F | Interface | |
| IFFT | Inverse FFT | Computationally efficient physical implementation of an IDFT |
| IF | Intermediate Frequency | Output signal following frequency conversion (usually below RF or LO frequencies) |
| IFT | Inverse Fourier Transform | Converts time domain representation to a frequency domain representation |
| IGBT | Insulated Gate Bipolar Transistor | Composite high power device based on a MOSFET + JFET + Bipolar structure |
| IIR | Infinite Impulse Response (filter) | |
| IQ | In Phase & Quadrature Phase | Complex signal representation Viq { t } = Vi{ t } + j · Vq{ t } |
| JFET | Junction FET | Depletion mode P-gate, N-drain-source or N-gate, P-drain-source |
| LASER | Light Amplification by Stimulated Emission of Radiation | Used to create a "coherent" light source (i.e. narrow spectral bandwidth) based on multiple internal reflections through an externally powered medium that increases optical energy energy |
| LC | Inductor-Capacitor | Series or Parallel tuned circuit reference |
| LCR | Inductor-Capacitor-Resistor | Series or Parallel tuned circuit reference with resistive loss |
| LDO | Low Drop Out (regulator) | Linear regulator with low differential input-output voltage (ΔV) requirement (good ones have ΔV < 0.2 Volts) |
| LDR | Light Dependent Resistor | Cadmium Sulphide or Cadmium Selenium based optical device with light dependent resistance. Has a similar optical response to the human eye |
| LED | Light Emitting Diode | Diode that produces moderate bandwidth light output from a DC power input. Used as a low cost indicator or torch bulb substitute. Versions are available from infrared to ultra violet |
| LPF | Low Pass Filter | |
| MOSFET | Metal Oxide Silicon FET | FET using an insulating oxide layer under a metal date |
| MUSCAF | Multiple User Software Configurable Arbitrary Format | Receiver or Transmitter architecture using DSP technology with flexible functionality |
| NN | Neural Network | |
| NPN | N-P-N | |
| OCXO | Oven Controlled XTAL (Crystal) Oscillator | Medium cost versions offer ±0.01 to ±0.1 ppm stability, expensive versions ca achieve ±0.001 ppm |
| OFDM | Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplex/Modulation | |
| OpAmp | Operational Amplifier | |
| PC | Personal Computer | |
| PCB | Printed Circuit Board | |
| PIN | P-Intrinsic-N Type | P-N junction with intermediate non doped semiconductor |
| PN | P-N Type | |
| PNP | P-N-P Type | P-Type semiconductor has excess of +holes, N-Type has excess -electrons |
| PSK | Phase Shift Keying | |
| PUT | Programmable Unijunction Transistor | |
| QAM | Quadrature Amplitude Modulation | |
| RC | Resistor-Capacitor | Simple series, parallel or 2-port filter combination |
| RF | Radio Frequency | Generic term for systems with frequency dependant parasitic contributions |
| SCR | Silicon Controlled Rectifier | |
| SiC | Silicon Carbide | |
| SiGe | Silicon Germanium | |
| SETI | Search For Extra Terrestrial Intelligence | |
| TCXO | Temperature Compensated XTAL (Crystal) Oscillator | Temperature stability of 2 ppm over a wide temperature range is typical |
| TL | Transmission Line | |
| TRF | Tuned Radio Frequency | Early receiver approach based on cascaded RF amplification prior to signal detection |
| TRIAC | ? | |
| TTL | Transistor-Transistor Logic | |
| UFO | Unidentified Flying Object | Any object regardless of origin |
| UJT | Unijunction Transistor | |
| USB | Universal Serial Bus | Trendy interface from a device to a PC |
| Varicap | Variable Capacitance (diode) | |
| VCO | Voltage Controlled Oscillator | Variable frequency oscillator controlled with a Varicap diode |
| XTAL | Crystal | |
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© Ian R Scott 2007 - 2008