Industry News,

Ohmite Manufacturing Co.announced that it has acquired both the Ultronix Precision Wirewound Resistor and Angstrohm Rheostat Businesses of Vishay Intertechnology Inc. Ultronix is a Pennsylvania-based manufacturer of precision wirewound resistors. Angstrohm, based in Hagerstown, MD, is a manufacturer of wirewound rheostats.


Elcom Technologies Inc.announced a strategic partnership with Frequency Electronics Inc. (FEI). FEI has acquired an approximate 20 percent interest in Elcom Technologies, which includes preferred stock, a convertible note and 10-year warrant to purchase additional stock in exchange for an undisclosed amount of cash and shares of FEI common stock.

Antenova Ltd. has acquired the RF design engineering team from a US-based developer of advanced RF power amplifiers for mobile handsets. The team will be housed in a new Design and Support Center in the Chicago area in the first quarter of 2007 and will complement the company’s North American sales organization already established in California and Texas. The initiative is a major advance in the company’s aggressive expansion from delivering embedded antennas to providing integrated radio antenna modules for the mobile device markets.

Agilent Technologies Inc. announced it has completed the acquisition of certain assets of PXIT Inc., a privately held company that provides signal integrity testing systems for broadband optical transceiver manufacturers. Financial details were not disclosed. All of PXIT’s Massachusetts-based employees have joined Agilent.

Freescale Semiconductor and IBM announced that Freescale will join the IBM technology alliance for joint semiconductor research and development. The agreement includes Complementary Metal Oxide Semiconductor (CMOS) and Silicon-on-Insulator (SOI) technologies as well as advanced semiconductor research and design enablement transitioning at the 45-nanometer generation. Freescale is the first technology development partner in the IBM technology alliance to participate in both low power and high performance technology research and development. This agreement brings together Freescale’s leadership in key embedded markets with IBM’s success in developing world-class technology and industry-leading systems expertise.

Andrew Corp. announced it has become the first company to manufacture both radio frequency cable products and antennas in India with the opening of its newly-built production facility in Goa. Andrew’s new Indian facility will serve the various equipment manufacturers and network operators in this rapidly growing market with technically superior, high quality products, which previously were available only through importing. For the first time, customers can benefit from the local supply of Indian-produced RF products, backed by in-country technical assistance and customer support. The new facility also hosts a staffed service and repair depot for Andrew RF repeater products.

TenXc Wireless Inc., an innovator in intelligent radio frequency solutions for enhanced wireless networks, and Coherent Designs Pvt. announced the establishment of a joint development center in Islamabad, Pakistan. The new development center expands TenXc’s existing research and development capabilities and will play an integral role in the development of evolving fourth generation (4G) access systems such as mobile WiMAX and 3GPP LTE with combined MIMO/AAS technology.

Val Jackson + Associates Inc., an established applications engineering-oriented sales and marketing company, has relocated within the Pacific Northwest area of the United States. The company has relocated from Scotts Valley, CA to Port Angeles, WA. Founded in 1994, Val Jackson + Associates represents leading manufacturers within the high technology, RF/microwave defense electronics and commercial wireless communications markets. For more information, contact: Val Jackson + Associates Inc., 818 N. Barr Road, Port Angeles, WA 98362 (360) 452-7308, fax: (360) 452-7306, e-mail: vjackson@cruzio. com or visit: www.valjacksonassoc.com.

Manncorp, a provider of SMT assembly equipment, announced plans to expand its West Coast location to meet increasing demands for machines including pick and place, lead-free wave solder and reflow ovens. The address and phone number remain the same: 4901 Morena Boulevard, Suite #314, San Diego, CA 92117 (858) 490-6266.

Alereon Inc., an ultra-wideband (UWB) technology leader for mobile WiMedia and Wireless USB solutions, announced its support for the USB Implementers Forum’s (USB-IF) plan to add support for ultra-wideband (UWB) frequencies above 6 GHz in the Wireless USB specification in 2007. The extended specifications will expand the current options for manufacturers in specific geographic regions and better utilize the total available spectrum allocated for UWB.

Aeroflex has announced it has added the ability to undertake live receiver testing and transmitter testing, including HSDPA on its highly successful 6413A UMTS base station test system. The capability is ideal for the ongoing maintenance of UMTS base stations to ensure they perform to specification. It enables testing to be undertaken without any disruption to live traffic caused by taking the base station out of service.

The ZigBee® Alliance, a global ecosystem of companies creating wireless solutions for use in residential, commercial and industrial applications, announced that Eaton Corp. is now a Promoter level member and the newest member of the ZigBee Alliance Board of Directors. Eaton has been a Participant level member of the ZigBee Alliance since the Alliance’s inception in 2002. As a key early member of the Alliance, Eaton provided valuable input into the development of the ZigBee standard.

Vishay Intertechnology Inc. announced that its Asian subsidiary, Vishay Intertechnology Asia Pte Ltd., recently received a certificate of accomplishment from Agilent Technologies in recognition of its excellent support to the latter between November 2005 and December 2006. Vishay had successfully supported and fulfilled Agilent’s quick orders for electronic components, which in turn, had enabled Agilent to enhance its quarterly sales forecasts.

Contracts

Comtech Telecommunications Corp. announced that its Melville, New York-based subsidiary, Comtech PST Corp., received a $4.8 M contract from a major domestic OEM to supply high power amplifiers. These amplifiers are key components in a complex Identification Friend or Foe (IFF) system used to interrogate aircraft to determine their friend or foe status. This order supplements a significant installed base of Comtech IFF high power amplifiers previously delivered to this customer.

Micronetics Inc. announced that its subsidiary Stealth Microwave Inc. has been awarded a $2.5 M order from IP-Wireless for high power amplifiers on the Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS) platform. IP-Wireless is planning to incorporate these high performance amplifiers as part of a comprehensive wireless network to be installed in New York City. This wireless network is expected to enhance the existing mobile wireless communications network with secure high speed data and video capabilities, and deploy several new, advanced wireless applications to support first responders and other public safety personnel.

Applied Radar Inc., a small business based in North Kingstown, RI, is the recipient of a $1.4 M congressional earmark to develop a Wideband Digital Airborne Electronic Sensing Array for the US Air Force. Supported by Senator Jack Reed (D-RI), the set-aside will be used to develop an advanced prototype of a novel digital radar receiver initiated under a Department of Defense (DoD) Phase II Small Business Innovative Research (SBIR) contract with the Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) at Hanscom Air Force Base, MA.

RF Monolithics Inc. announced that its subsidiary Cirronet Inc. received an initial production order as part of a wireless sensor network contract with an industrial original equipment manufacturer (OEM). The production order combined with its associated development contract represents approximately $500K cumulatively from this OEM customer, a Fortune 500 company. The order, consisting of wireless sensor nodes, routers and base stations, will permit deployment of several thousand sensor nodes in an industrial application. The overall market opportunity for this industrial application includes a million or more of existing potential sensor points.

Unity Wireless Corp. announced that it has successfully concluded the first phase 18-month trial of the company’s patented synchronized multi-source transmission technology with China’s second largest wireless carrier. Unity’s unique technology overcomes multi-path fading and economically increases existing network capacity and coverage.

Financial News

Merrimac Industries Inc. reports sales of $6.8 M for the third quarter ended September 30, 2006, compared to $7.9 M for the same period in 2005. Net loss for the quarter was $599,000 ($0.19/per share), compared to a net income of $228,000 ($0.07/per share) for the third quarter of last year.

Auriga Measurement Systems LLC announced that it has accepted additional funding from White Oak Partners Inc. in order to develop and launch its next generation of products for RF and microwave modeling, characterization and test industry customers. After achieving worldwide acceptance in its first two years, Auriga is now refining its product suite to offer enhanced products that incorporate key features to protect its customers’ capital equipment investment while maximizing its test capabilities.

For more information, visit www.auriga-ms.com.

Inphi® Corp. announced it has won the FSA award for “Outstanding Financial Performance by a Private Fabless Company.” FSA, the voice of the global fabless business model, made the announcement at its 12th annual FSA Awards Dinner in Santa Clara, CA. This award recognizes private companies that doubled either revenue or net income with no negative quarters over eight consecutive quarters ending June 2006.

New Market Entries

RFMD’s newest RF switches—the RF1200 and RF1450—utilize RFMD’s industry-leading GaAs manufacturing capability and leverage the switch technology developed for use in the company’s transmit modules. These high performance switches enable front-end applications in multiple market segments, including multi-mode GSM/WCDMA cellular handsets, antenna tuners, IEEE 802.11a/b/g WLAN and cellular infrastructure. RFMD expects to grow revenue in the RF switch market as it introduces new products and enhances its growing leadership position in cellular RF.

Comarco Inc., a supplier of wireless test systems for field applications, announced that its Wireless Test Systems division is expanding its range of test, optimization and Quality of Service (QoS) measurement products. In November, Comarco announced that it had formed an alliance with Ascom to develop and market advanced QoS test and measurement solutions for 3G and 4G wireless standards. The company further intends to accelerate the introduction of several products that will help wireless carriers optimize the performance of new cellular networks. Comarco is also increasing its sales and marketing resources in Asia and Latin America to better serve its customers in these growing markets and to the position the company for the deployment phase of 3G systems in China, Mexico and elsewhere in Latin America.

Personnel

Superconductor Technologies Inc. (STI), a provider of high performance infrastructure products for wireless voice and data applications, announced the appointment of David Vellequette to its board of directors. With the addition of Vellequette, STI’s board has seven members. Vellequette currently serves as chief financial officer of JDSU, a position he has held since June of 2005.

Tower Semiconductor Ltd., a pure-play independent specialty foundry, announced that its board of directors has nominated Dov Moran to serve as the company’s new chairman of the board. Moran is co-founder of msystems Ltd., a leader in flash memory development, which was recently acquired by SanDisk Corp. Moran was president, CEO and chairman of the board of directors of msystems from 1989 until September 2006.

Walt Dollman

Credence Systems Corp. announced the appointment of Lavi Lev as president and chief executive officer. Lev succeeds Dave Ranhoff who has stepped down. Lev has more than twenty years of experience in the design tool and semiconductor industries at companies including National Semiconductor, Intel, Sun Microsystems, Silicon Graphics, MIPS Technologies and Cadence. He most recently served as the executive vice president and general manager of the products and solution business at Cadence Design Systems Inc., where he had responsibility for Cadence’s worldwide product portfolio.

Remtec announced that Walt Dollman has joined the company’s management team as vice president of sales and marketing. Dollman has nearly 30 years of previous experience in senior sales, marketing and management positions in the ceramics and electronics industry. Serving as a senior manager, Dollman’s most recent position was with CeramTec North America Corp.

Glenn A. Johnson

Tundra Semiconductor Corp. announced that Robert Fischer has been promoted to the position of vice president of sales. In this new role, he will lead Tundra’s global sales effort across all markets. Fischer will be responsible for defining and implementing strategic and tactical sales plans to accelerate growth and increase the company’s market share while exceeding customers’ expectations. Fischer previously held the position of North American sales director at Tundra, having joined the company in July 2006.

M2 Global Technology Ltd. announced that Glenn A. Johnson has joined the company as director of operations. Johnson is a senior management professional with over 20 years of diverse experience in industrial engineering, manufacturing operations, plant management, and marketing and sales. He is proficient at restructuring companies and developing and imple-menting business, manufacturing, and marketing strategies that achieve rapid turnarounds and dramatic improvements in productivity and profits.

Carsten Barth

Elcoteq SE has appointed Carsten Barth as director, corporate strategy and global marketing. He brings marketing experience in the automotive, plastics and financial services industries to direct the company’s focus on total customer orientation from design through a product’s lifecycle. Prior to joining Elcoteq, Barth spent eight years in marketing leadership positions with General Electric in Germany as well as technology companies in the Netherlands, Austria and Switzerland.

Nextreme Thermal Solutions has recently named Phil Deane as senior technology fellow. Deane, formerly the director of packaging for the Advanced Optoelectronic Components Group at JDS Uniphase, joins Nextreme to address thermal management and thermoelectric packaging issues. Deane will define product and packaging strategies for insertion of Nextreme thermoelectric coolers into customer’s products.

Rep Appointments

Richardson Electronics announced a North American distribution partnership with Avago Technologies, San Jose, CA, to distribute its complete line of RFIC, transistor, Schottky and PIN diode, and millimeter-wave (mmW) products. Avago’s extensive line of RF semiconductors provides solutions for numerous markets including cellular base station, WLAN, WiMAX, GPS, ISM, RFID and mmW including radio links, VSAT and military.

Digi-Key Corp. and Cree Inc. announced the signing of a global distribution agreement for Cree’s silicon carbide-based power devices. Digi-Key is currently stocking Cree’s Schottky diodes with voltage ratings ranging from 300 to 1200 V and current ratings from 1A to 20A. These products are featured in both Digi-Key’s print and on-line catalogs and are available for purchase directly from Digi-Key. This new distribution agreement will enable Digi-Key to fulfill both the design and production quantity needs of its diverse customer base.

Triton Electron Technology Division (ETD) of Triton Services Inc. has made several new rep appointments. CDB Enterprises Inc. will be responsible for the territory of metropolitan New York and northern New Jersey. Matrix Sales Inc. will handle the territory of Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Rhode Island, Massachusetts and eastern Connecticut. Northern Technical Sales Inc. will cover the territory of northern New York state and Anglia Microwaves Ltd. will be responsible for the territory of the UK.