Abstract: A hub (10) for a spoked wheel includes flanges (18) having a plurality of open-topped slots (20) for receiving spokes (22). The hub is designed for use with spokes having an elongated shaft portion (30) and an enlarged head portion (32). The slots have an open end (25) at a periphery of the flange and an enlarged closed end (27) located between the periphery of the flange and an axis of rotation of the hub. The enlarged end of the slot is wide enough to accommodate the enlarged end portion of the spoke. A narrowest portion (29) of the slot is only wide enough to accommodate the shaft portion of the spoke. Slots in a flange member are arranged in a pattern corresponding to a lacing pattern of spokes in a the wheel. A spoke may be laid into a slot with the enlarged head portion of the spoke in the enlarged portion of the slot, and with the spoke in its correct orientation in the spoke-lacing pattern.

Abstract: An apparatus for supporting concrete reinforcement bar within a form. The apparatus comprises a plurality of legs so formed that, when the apparatus is placed in any random orientation on a surface of the form, the ends of at least three legs contact the surface of the form and at least two legs extend upwardly to receive the reinforcement bar. Preferably, any given leg is adjacent to four legs and is non-adjacent to one leg, where the angle between the given leg and any adjacent leg is 90.degree. and the angle between the given leg and any non-adjacent leg is 180.degree..

Abstract: A female contact having a shell that encloses a collet that has an opening in a first end of the collet and that has a second end that is configured so that, when a male pin is inserted through the first end of the collet, it pushes on the second end of the collet either directly or indirectly through some mechanism such as a spring. This female contact has a small diameter that makes it particularly suitable for certain applications and in some embodiments extends outward from the shell to facilitate inserting a male pin into the collet.

Abstract: A precision transmission line in the form of a short airline, and calibration of a network analyzer using the short airline, are disclosed. The short airline is approximately one-quarter wavelength at the middle frequency of the measurement frequency range. One embodiment comprises a very short coaxial airline. The inner conductor is connected by an adapter to a mating inner conductor, such as the inner conductor of the network analyzer test port. For reliable interface at the other end of the inner conductor, a precision coaxial connector is preferably provided for connection to a device under test. The outer conductor is then attached coaxially to the inner conductor between the network analyzer test port and the device under test. The electrically short airline provides a very precise element for use in the TRL (Thru-Reflect-Line), as well as other, calibrations of network analyzers.