Company Profile: AR

Company History

Amplifier Research (AR RF/Microwave Instrumentation) began in 1969 with just two men in a cellar, moonlighting from their regular jobs. Don (“Shep”) Shepherd and his late partner, Dan Roth, worked for AEL (American Electronics Laboratories), producing radio frequency designs for military applications. They saw a market for their skills in designing amplifiers for test applications, but AEL was not set up for such jobs. So they decided to try and make it on their own, working out of a makeshift laboratory in Shep’s cellar. The first sale was a 2 watt, 250 MHz amplifier that sold for $600 including $60 for special connectors.

In 1973, AR moved its headquarters to Souderton, PA and 3 years later introduced a 10,000 watt, 10 kHz–100 MHz tube amplifier that’s still available today. AR expanded its capabilities in 2001 with the acquisition of Kalmus in Bothell, WA to include amplifier modules and amplifier systems. A year later, Carnel Labs in Canoga Park CA joined the AR family.

Company Today

Today, AR, celebrating 40 years in business in 2009, has grown dramatically from the 2-person company that started in Shep’s cellar to a corporation that employs over 200 people and continues to lead the industry with innovative, superior quality, technologically-advanced products and a global support system that’s second to none.

AR, comprised of 3 divisions, provides products and solutions for RF and EMC testing, Wireless & Military communications and beyond. AR RF/Microwave Instrumentation is the world-class source for broadband high power, solid state RF and microwave amplifiers, TWT amplifiers, transient generators, log periodic and high-gain horn antennas, EMC test software, field probes and much more. AR Modular RF provides RF amplifier systems, RF modules and booster amplifiers for a wireless and military communication, electronic warfare and a variety of industrial/scientific/medical applications. AR Modular RF also helps customers find the best solutions to their most demanding requirements by offering customer-specific designs and semi-custom modifications to our existing product line. AR Receiver Systems manufactures a quality line of products for EMC testing including EMI receivers, impulse generators and measurement systems and leak detectors.

At AR, there’s no substitute for quality. It’s the foundation of our business and the AR value that’s recognized around the globe. With the combined resources of all the AR companies, we simply have more of the best people making the best products to overcome your toughest challenges.