this post was submitted on 06 Feb 2026
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Science Memes

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[–] hedgehogging_the_bed@lemmy.world 6 points 1 day ago (1 children)

Had to go get my radio-tech spouse. His reply "Oh, that's the dumb name for a terminator...."

Apparently "dummy load" isn't what they call them in the USAF

[–] einfach_orangensaft@sh.itjust.works 3 points 1 day ago (1 children)

i might be wrong here but i think a dummy load is different from a terminator, they both 50 ohm, but a terminator is more like a connector cap, while a dummy load is designed to dissipate heat and can often take many watts of power over extended time without starting glow

[–] Eranziel@lemmy.world 1 points 16 hours ago

That's my understanding as well. I've seen dummy loads used when testing transmitters at power so that nothing gets too hot. They usually have a big aluminum heat sink.