Q: Which of your company's recent product introductions has you the most excited?
A: Actually, we have more than one product category that I'm very excited about. We have developed a line of wideband, very high IP3 mixers with IP levels up to +40 dBm. In all my years of experience, I feel that we have found the "Holy Grail." For us, and for the way the industry trend is going, this product fits in with applications that are being developed, and those that will be developed over the next few years. And in another product category, mixer/amplifiers, we used the technology of our semiconductor expertise for amplifiers and combined it with our technology for mixer design, resulting in a line of products that still maintain the traditional small size of a mixer but also includes amplifiers within the package. The size and, even more important, the matching between the amplifier and the mixer, is taken care of by our internal designs. This relieves our customers from designing a match between the amplifier and the mixer, which gives them additional value as compared to having two separate parts.We've committed a lot of resources into this particular area, adding designers so that we can proliferate the marketplace with many new designs.

To reiterate, this year we've put a lot of effort into several different product categories. In amplifiers, there is a class of amplifiers called balanced amplifiers. It uses technology of MMIC amplifiers in addition to passive components, such as 90° hybrids or 180° combiners. This year we have developed a number of connectorized balanced amplifiers offering very low noise figure, as low as 0.6 dB, high IP3 of approximately +48 dBm, and very high IP2, as high as +70 dBm. Very nice numbers, especially in applications where reliability, distortion, and wideband are key parameters. As a consequence of our efforts in this direction, we developed a line of matched amplifiers, which are used in our balanced amplifier designs. The uniqueness of our offering of matched amplifiers is that we are specifying the matching between amplifiers, both for gain and phase over the entire frequency range. The manufacturing techniques we developed to achieve very high matching enables matching of approximately 0.1 dB from low frequency, say, 10 MHz, up to 2.5 GHz. Similarly, in phase, the matching is less than 2° over the whole frequency. It is my understanding that there are no other companies offering specifications of matching that meet these very impressive numbers.

In another category, we have developed more than 60 different types of filters, remarkable in that the size is .12 by .06, the size of a chip resistor. What's more, its frequency response for low pass filtering goes down to as low as 80 MHz in this small package. I believe we are unique in the world with this type of filter. Our offerings for all these models, both in low pass and high pass, have the advantages of extremely small size and extremely low price, under a dollar. I believe this changes the dynamics of decision making with regard to using filters in systems because of size and price considerations.We're going to make a lot of customers very happy, and that's the bottom line. Another area in filters, which we believe is unique - I'm not aware of anyone offering this - is connectorized low pass filters with isolation, or filtering, more than 40 dB, rejection up to 20 GHz. For example, if someone were using a low pass filter at 100 MHz or 800 MHz, and they employed one of these filters, not only would they get very low insertion loss in the passband, but more than 40 dB rejection all the way out to 20 GHz. Based on our unique design, we have eliminated the problem of "re-entry," meaning that the isolation, or filtering, decreases to very low numbers as you go higher up in frequency. Of course, in Mini-Circuits' tradition, the price of these new filters is less than comparable filters without this feature.

This past year, we developed very, very miniature power splitters in both surface mount and connectorized packages. For example, four-way 0° surface mount splitters, very broadband, approximately 10 to 1000 MHz, in a size of only 0.3 inches, which I believe to be the smallest in the world covering this type of frequency. Additionally, in connectorized packages, we developed very small packages such that the limitation in the size of the package was determined by the spacing between connectors.

We've developed new bias tees, useful in many applications for amplifiers and other devices where a DC signal has to be supplied to an RF component. What makes this product so attractive is the very broad bandwidth, roughly 50 MHz to 5 GHz and a very small package size, .15 inch square.

Another product category in which we've achieved success this year is directional couplers. We were able to develop extremely broad band directional couplers, very small, approximately .2 inch square, that can handle different coupling values and can handle power in the order of 25 watts. We have applied for a patent on this design technique.

I would just like to bring out one more point - we'll be introducing a new product category that has not normally been associated with Mini-Circuits, and that's in RF and microwave coax cable. We decided to do this as a natural expansion of our product line. After extensive testing, evaluations, and environmental testing, we believe we have an extremely rugged cable that will outlast existing cable in the marketplace. One of our reliability tests determines how many times the cables can be flexed before breaking, which is a common occurrence in our industry. The cables have at least four times longer use that cables currently available on the market - more than 20,000 flexings without failure. In fact, we developed a machine to automate the flexing test. These cables are available in SMA and Type N, as standard catalog product available from stock, with a minimum buy of one piece - another Mini-Circuits characteristic! We want to be able to give more value to our customers, and of course, an underlying factor is that whatever we offer, at whatever price, the quality must be extremely high, the reliability must be such that our parts will outlast the equipment for which it is intended to be used. That's another Mini-Circuits policy.

There are many other products that we developed this past year, but these are the ones that stand out, and they're why I am very proud to be the president of Mini-Circuits. I'm proud to be associated with the fine group of people working at Mini-Circuits.

Q: Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) would seem to be the "next big thing." What effect do you think it will have on our industry? Consumers?
A: As you know, we're a component supplier, rather than systems. However, based on applications that are just being developed, VoIP is going to be a very, very hot area. It will change our social patterns and the way we operate in our daily life. As an example, VoIP will let you transfer a call from your local phone to any place in the world that you may be visiting, inexpensively and immediately. I believe it's another step in shrinking the size of the world to the distance between yourself and your PC. The applications and support for this application will result in the need for development of new products from component manufacturers, which is why I'm very excited about this application. A lot more data will need to be transmitted, which means you need less distortion, more bandwidth, etcetera, which means components and hardware will have to be able to handle this. I think that having voice and data basically at the same time will enable the world to shrink and costs to go down, so we'll all be more competitive. I believe there will be new applications that we haven't even discussed that will use VoIP, that will further enhance the need for technology.

Q: Last year, the majority of our "View"-ers saw the Far East, particularly China, as the part of the world with the greatest growth potential for their business. Would you agree with that now, or is another geographical market opening up?
A: It's my belief that the Far East will be the major engine for the world. However, certain areas of Eastern Europe are starting to create more demand, but nothing of the magnitude of what's taking place in China. There's also an increase in demand in India, but, again, not anywhere near what's happening in China. The world has shifted, and it's shifted towards the Asia/Pacific region.

Q: Other than VoIP, do you see any other emerging technology that will shake up the marketplace, either consumer or military?
A: I believe there's been tremendous technological advances over the last few years and it will continue, going forward. Consequently, there may not be one "killer application" but many very strong applications that will create the need for more technology. Examples might include a non-invasive test for breast cancer examination; the ability to see behind walls from a considerable distance; RFID technology, which I think will enhance the way we work, will increase efficiencies and the quality of transactions that take place. I could go on and on, but each one of these applications, by themselves, may not reach the level of VoIP, but together they can be just as significant. The benefit would be that the growth would not be explosive, but rather in a more orderly fashion, so that technology and applications are more in lockstep.

One big area that our customers are focusing on is in 3G - the ability to transmit pictures and videos creates a tremendous need for technology and product to make this available around the world. I think that we're going to see a tremendous burst of new applications which will be very healthy for the technology industry, certainly very helpful in communications. Bluetooth is another technology where we're starting to see applications appear, such as wireless headsets for cellphones just for the sake of convenience. It's been developing slowly because of the relationship of technology and application - some technologies will require a lot more time to develop into applications because of their complexity, cost, and so forth. When there is a perceived advantage with the new technology, and where new technology gives value to the user, then the implementation will be swift. Of course, both capability and cost are two parameters that must be considered in predicting the applications of the new technologies.

On behalf of myself and all the members of Mini-Circuits worldwide, we appreciate the technology community in which we work, and we want to thank all in the industry for their support and recognition of Mini-Circuits' high status. ®

Q: Which of your company's recent product introductions has you the most excited?
A: RFMW Ltd. is a specialized distributor dedicated to providing RF/microwave customers and suppliers with focused distribution of components. We rarely introduce products on our own. However, consistent with our objective to selectively increase the component choices available to our customers, we do team with our suppliers on selected new product introductions.

During the last 18 months, the response to this approach from the RF and MW customer base has been extremely positive. Our experienced staff members are regarded by both our customers and our suppliers as valuable teammates who understand their business needs, their demanding
applications, and their unique RF/microwave technical requirements.

Some of the new products most highly regarded by our customers are:
. Cree's LDMOS devices for pulsed Avionics and radar applications as well as for commercial applications up to 2.7GHz.

. Johnson's new line of SMK (2.92mm) connectors to address mmwave and optical applications where high performance RF interconnects are required.

. M/A-COM - commercial versions of their microwave MMIC amplifiers for use in point-to-point radios as well as continually updating the broadest line of components for RF and Microwave customers for today's applications and RoHS requirements.

. RFHIC's hybrid module "building block" linear CATV and power amplifiers for driver and output stages along with LNAs provide OEMs lower cost and faster time to market solutions.

. RF Industries providing a 2nd source alternative for specialty connectors and cable assemblies in the WLAN and access point space.

. Rosenberger SMA and SMP connectors for high frequency performance critical in digital applications.

. Sangshin provides both standard and custom solutions on dielectric filters, duplexers, diplexers, and patch antennas for fast turnaround times on new designs and cost reductions on existing designs.

. Sirenza's new products include low phase noise CROs, active bias gain blocks, and LDMOS RF Power Modules.

. Skyworks - low cost switches meeting the high performance requirements of today's WLAN and Wi-Max applications along with components such as lead free versions of their world renowned diodes.

Many of our customers have shortened their development times and reduced their development and manufacturing costs by utilizing not only our staff's experience, but also RFMW's extensive data base. The technical knowledge of the RFMW staff delivers the added value of helping our customers select alternative/second source components and suppliers. Both purchasing and engineering personnel appreciate an extra "component engineering" resource. RFMW has helped them to better select the "right" components for their new product development, continuing production, as well as retrofit and redesign activities.

Q: In your opinion, which military or commercial product category may show the most growth?
A: The military/aerospace marketplace is an excellent area for profitable growth. There appears to be a decrease in emphasis on using ultra Hi Rel, ultra custom products and an increase in emphasis on using new, highly reliable, cost effective, application specific commercial technology. Several of our suppliers have responded to this shift by creating a range of new products aimed at specific military applications.

Some examples of this are:
. Cree has leveraged their highly reliable gold LDMOS RF/microwave power FET technology to address a range of high power pulsed military applications.

. M/A-COM has developed a specialized family of microwave MMICs for use in military applications.

. Sirenza has made an extensive commitment, backed by new investment, in military/aerospace products such as VCOs, mixers, and widebandtransformers. Hermetic packaging and Hi Rel testing/screening are also available for a variety of products.

The military and aerospace market is not a commodities style marketplace. It requires a personalized, highly technical customer interface. The RFMW team provides the responsive bridge between our customers and our suppliers to effectively address targeted military/aerospace applications. ®

Q: Which of your company's recent product introductions has you the most excited?
A: CEL has such a broad product offering it's hard to narrow it down to a single product. We're especially excited right now about our RFIC switches. More and more of our customers are building products that feature multiple bands, multiple antennas, and even multiple modes of operation. They all pose significant switching challenges. We saw the opportunity for a competitive, high volume RFIC switch supplier and, so far, our sales have proven us correct. This year we added a number of new NEC switches to our line, both SOI (silicon-on-insulator) CMOS and GaAs. Several of them are designed with unique features that address specific needs within this booming market.

We're also excited about the new NEC ASSPs (Application Specific Standard Products) we've introduced in the automotive market. NEC has made a tremendous investment in automotive RF technology and has assembled a broad line of parts targeting specific applications like Remote Keyless Entry, Tire Pressure Monitoring, GPS, satellite radio antennas, and radar detectors. Only large, world-class vendors are going to be able to meet the quality, volume, scalability, product lifetime, and pricing demands of the automotive supply chain. You won't see "fabless" companies playing here. The big players today will also be the big players tomorrow. As partners with NEC we feel we're well positioned to serve this growing market.

Finally, we love our low noise FETs. While many manufacturers are no longer committed to transistors, NEC continues to advance the technology. The performance of NEC parts is unsurpassed, and the company is the acknowledged leader in miniaturized RF transistor packaging. Our low noise devices continue to dominate high volume applications like DBS and Satellite Radio. Plus NEC is the only manufacturer to offer transistors across all three technologies: GaAs, Silicon and SiGe. It's no wonder NEC sells more low noise FETs and silicon bipolar transistors than anyone else in the world.

Q: Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) would seem to be the "next big thing." What effect do you think it will have on our industry? Consumers?
A: VoIP is opening up competition to new telephone service providers, which, in turn, is already stimulating infrastructure spending. But the real potential for RF component sales will come at the consumer level. Wireless-enabled laptops, new form-factor PDAs and phones, and other personal end-user products will all become voice capable. As voice, entertainment, and data delivery all converge, we're sure to see entirely new products emerge. We're glad to be part of it all.

Q: Last year, the majority of our "View"-ers saw the Far East, particularly China, as the part of the world with the greatest growth potential for their business. Would you agree with that now?
A: We still agree that the Far East, particularly China, offers the greatest potential for business growth. We expect China will continue to manufacture products for consumers around the world, as well as for its own growing domestic consumption. A myriad of bottlenecks - inadequate infrastructure, energy supply, political factors - make it a challenge. But the cost advantage, especially in manufacturing that does not require highly skilled labor, is so compelling that companies will learn to make it work. It will take time and there will be countless setbacks, but it will happen.

As markets expand and the world shrinks we are seeing new challenges arise. The headaches of overseas manufacturing are already well known. In companies that operate multinational offices and facilities, we're now seeing problems in the coordination of these facilities and their supply chains.
One problem is the matter of fair compensation for design-in activities. In many companies, products are designed - and component slots awarded - at design centers in the U.S. and other developed countries. To be cost competitive, these products are then manufactured at facilities overseas. All is well and good, as long as the original sales engineers get credit for their initial work securing the design win. Often they don't. This is especially true in the development of reference designs, where the sales groups' original legwork can result in broad sales to multiple customers. As markets expand, it's a problem all large companies must address.

Q: In your opinion, which military or commercial product category may show the most growth?
A: The majority of CEL's business is on the commercial side. We see growth in virtually all products that enjoy wireless connectivity, but we're expecting significant growth soon in HDTV. We're excited, because with NEC's expertise across multiple technologies - GaAs, Silicon and SiGe - our products will play a role in the growth of this technology.

Q: Other than VoIP, do you see any other emerging technology that will shake up the marketplace?
A: We wish we knew what the next killer technology will be. We do know that technologies like WiFi, RFID and 2.5G are already changing the way we live. New standards like 3G, WiMax, UWB and advanced WiFi are emerging. They continue to move us towards completely un-tethered connectivity. As these standards emerge, new products will leverage them and further shake up our markets. Our plan is to have parts on their circuit boards. All in all we are very optimistic about our future! ®

Q: Which of your company's recent product introductions has you the most excited?
A: At TECOM Industries, we have developed several new products that are new and very exciting. We recently announced a new Airborne INMARSAT High Gain SATCOM antennas that is the Best in Class among new low profile antennas. We think this system is ideal for commercial airlines and military transport aircraft connectivity. TECOM currently provides Intermediate Gain Inmarsat antennas for commercial and military transport as well as High Gain antennas for key military programs such as the C-17 and C-130.

In our military products we have several new antenna types used for surveillance, active radar and communications. The most promising in surveillance is our Electronically Scanned Direction Finding Systems. This antenna replaces traditional Spinning Direction Finding Systems and provides a quantum leap in system functionality. This system allows for multiple beam and multiple frequency simultaneous processing, using both the SUM and DIFFerence RF signal, which provides for exceptional amplitude monopulse signal processing. And we have eliminated all the mechanical spinning parts, which will dramatically improve system reliability. There are several upcoming military programs that can benefit from this approach.

We are also working with several customers on active antennas for radar and "on the move" applications. This can benefit the industry by extending the operating theatre to become nearly endless and unconstrained by fixed site. Ideal for UAV, Signal Intelligence and other reconnaissance applications.
In the data link area we are working on airborne and portable data link systems. These utilize the new common data link frequencies which will be the military standard and provide high levels of connectivity between airborne, ground and "on the move" platforms. Something that is greatly needed for future battle field deployments.

Q: Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) would seem to be the "next big thing." What effect do you think it will have on our industry? Consumers?
A: TECOM believes that several factors will influence future developments in VoIP products and services. Currently, the most promising areas for VoIP are corporate intranets and commercial extranets. Their IP-based infrastructures enable operators to control who can-and cannot-use the network. Another influential element in the ongoing Internet-telephony evolution is the VoIP gateway. As these gateways evolve from PC-based platforms to robust embedded systems, each will be able to handle hundreds of simultaneous calls. Consequently, corporations will deploy large numbers of them in an effort to reduce the expenses associated with high-volume voice, fax, and videoconferencing traffic. Throughout the remainder of this decade, videoconferencing with data collaboration will become the normal method of corporate communications, as network performance and interoperability increase and business organizations appreciate the economics of telecommuting.

Q: Last year, the majority of our "View"-ers saw the Far East, particularly China, as the part of the world with the greatest growth potential for their business. Would you agree with that now?
A: TECOM is primarily a provider for industrial wireless and government antenna systems. Today our customers are primarily domestic, much more so than several years ago. I believe that trend will continue. Moreover, with the creation of the Department of Homeland Security I think there is a potential for more innovative products developed by TECOM, tailored for this application.

Q: In your opinion, which military or commercial product category may show the most growth?
A: I believe that SATCOM communication will continue to be a very strong growth category. Whether it is for commercial airlines, military transport aircraft or man portable, people need to stay connected. This will require cost effective solutions for broadband satellite communications on the move.

Q: Other than VoIP, do you see any other emerging technology that will shake up the marketplace, either consumer or military?
A: In the military segment, TECOM believes that future emerging technologies for sensors and RF systems as they relate to Future Combat System (FCS) will compete for the limited real estate. New systems will employ directional, integrated, antenna subsystems that minimize the signature of the force and the ECM vulnerability. In addition, focused beam antennas will be needed to maintain the link with distant platforms including airborne and satellite relays. Most importantly, all future systems will be "on the move." The ideal antenna technology should support the need for multi-function, multi-spectral and multi-user capability. This new demand for mobile highly integrated broadband systems will ultimately translate into products that are used for military and SATCOM systems.

In the commercial segment, TECOM believes that WiMax, in addition to VoIP, will be the emerging technology. WiMAX is a standards-based technology that enables the delivery of last mile wireless broadband access as an alternative to cable and DSL. WiMAX will provide fixed, nomadic, portable (and eventually mobile) wireless broadband connectivity - without the need for direct line-of-sight with a base station. In a typical cell radius deployment of three to ten kilometers, WiMAX systems can be expected to deliver capacity of up to 40 Mbps per channel for fixed and portable access applications. This is enough bandwidth to simultaneously support hundreds of businesses with T-1 speed connectivity and thousands of residences with DSL speed connectivity. We expect WiMAX technology will be incorporated in notebook computers and PDAs in 2006, allowing urban areas and cities to become "MetroZones" for portable outdoor broadband wireless access. ®

Q: Which of your company's recent product introductions has you the most excited?
A: Applied Wave Research (AWR®,) is shipping 2004 software releases for all of our major design suites: Microwave Office®, Visual System SimulatorT (VSS) and Analog OfficeT.

The Microwave Office 2004 release fully integrates three-dimensional (3D) planar electromagnetic (EM) simulation with circuit simulation and layout tools, permitting arbitrary physical structures to be embedded within linear and nonlinear circuit simulations. AWR has improved the capacity of its industry-leading EMSightT EM simulator by over 5X. The simulator uses a full-wave spectral-domain approach based on the method-of-moments (MoM), and is multi-threaded to take advantage of multiprocessor computers. Through AWR's EM SocketT interface, more third-party EM solvers are integrated with, and directly accessible from, the unique AWR unified data model, including: Sonnet Software's EM product, Zeland Software's IE3D, MEM Research's EM3DS, Simulation Technology and Applied Research's Analyst, and Optimal Corporation's O-Wave.

The Microwave Office 2004 solution now has a dynamic EM-extraction capability that provides the ability to select schematic elements and target them for simulation using any of the popular EM solvers supported through the EM Socket interface. Users are no longer forced to make design tradeoffs-with Microwave Office 2004 software designers can combine the speed of circuit simulation, the accuracy of EM, and the control of the design process, all from within the AWR Design EnvironmentT, while optimizing designs simultaneously with their EM simulator of choice.

The VSS 2004 design suite boasts exciting new features such as radio-frequency (RF) budget analysis and a phase lock loop (PLL) system model. RF budget analysis is AWR's first-of-its-kind solution that enables designers, for the first time, to calculate cascaded performance of the RF link. Traditional RF/analog system analysis commonly requires several tools to achieve a complete analysis of end-to-end performance. VSS 2004 software, however, provides engineering teams with an efficient and comprehensive platform for making RF cascade calculations at interior points of the RF link to perform an error vector magnitude (EVM) measurement, all within a single system diagram. Working in one environment provides a seamless flow of information between traditional systems engineers and RF/analog engineers and enables designers to quickly discover system deficiencies and to eliminate design turns.

The addition of dedicated behavioral PLL blocks into VSS 2004 software enables designers to interactively investigate the dynamics of frequency synthesizers, frequency/phase modulators, and frequency/phase demodulators. Through simulations, engineers can establish practical PLL design guidelines. Ultimately, the best loop bandwidth, phase noise, transient response, and phase margin can be determined by working with the VSS 2004 PLL behavioral blocks.

AWR's Analog Office 2004 software release continues to drive the "open platform" approach for AWR. The software suite now includes interfaces to five different popular electromagnetic (EM) simulation tools, and two different circuit simulation tools, as well as an open socket interface for design-rule check (DRC) physical verification tools. This open platform enables designers to choose the best tools depending on the size and complexity of the design, as well the required analyses.

Analog Office 2004 design suite can be used to design the entire chip from system-level modeling and simulation through to final layout and tape-out. The software will generate the necessary industry-standard files, such as layout-versus-schematic (LVS) netlist, and GDSII, to interface to a final verification flow based on industry-popular IC physical verification tools from Mentor Graphics, Synopsys, and Cadence.

The Analog Office software can also be used to design complete RF blocks as part of a large mixed-signal systems-on-chip (SoC). In this flow, AWR provides complete, bidirectional data transport capabilities to and from industry standard mixed-signal IC design flows.

Q: Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) would seem to be the "next big thing." What effect do you think it will have on our industry? Consumers?
A: I think VoIP will have a profound effect on the individual consumer as well as on companies for many years to come. Already deployed internally at major telecommunications and networking companies, VoIP is now making inroads into consumer homes with a multitude of service solutions offered by major telecommunications companies. At AWR, one of our remote offices already utilizes VoIP 100 percent, and has completely phased out its plain, old telephone service (POTS) line. We are reviewing the cost of telecommunications across the company, and evaluating the timetable to move toward VoIP as the preferred communications method.

At the very least, VoIP will provide more flexible communications solutions to more people. In the long term, VoIP could certainly change the cost equation of telecommunications worldwide.

Q: Last year, the majority of our "View"-ers saw the Far East, particularly China, as the part of the world with the greatest growth potential for their business. Would you agree with that now?
A: China will continue to be the greatest growth potential for many businesses in the next decade or so, both as the largest consumption market as well as offering major production capabilities. Next on the list of big potential markets should be India. With a population second only to China, India has already established itself as a software export powerhouse over the last 10 years. With more international companies setting up branches in India and internal industries achieving parity with international counterparts, the standard of living will increase and inevitably consumption will rise to rival China and other consumer markets worldwide.

Q: In your opinion, which military or commercial product category may show the most growth in the
coming year? Why?
A: Mobile products will show the most promise in the next few years, both in developed as well as emerging and developing countries. As people become more mobile, they will need not only to communicate more with each other, anytime and anywhere, but also to be able to be located anywhere anytime. This is fueling the demand for more location-based mobile products, such as GPS-based devices. Beyond GPS-based mapping hardware and software to help consumers find nearby restaurants and gas stations, there are already GPS-based location devices in later-model automobiles that help unlock cars and give directions on a moment's notice. GPS and GSM combination devices utilize the popular digital cellular technology to help locate people anywhere and to provide emergency help when needed. The combination of GPS, GSM, Bluetooth, and WLAN wireless technologies, opens up possibilities for a host of new and exciting personal communications devices within the next few years.

Q: Other than VoIP, do you see any other emerging technology that will shake up the marketplace?
A: At the infrastructure level, I can see that new wireless technologies, such as WiMAX (IEEE 802.16), might emerge as the next "killer" technology to bring internet access to the other four billion people on the planet who are still not "on-line." Those of us in the United States and other developed countries are so used to high-speed cable modem and DSL that we tend to forget that most of people on earth still do not even have dial-up access to the Internet. WiMAX has the potential to change all that.

Q: Which of your company's recent product introductions has you the most excited?
A: I really like our AD1300 F to BNC adaptor. This product is designed for signal integrity and tuned for high frequency signal management, a perfect fit for the network capacity demands that we are seeing. The legacy F connector series has long been used in the cable television (CATV) network, particularly at the end user location - in the home itself.  However, this traditional F connector uses no center pin (the wire itself provides this contact) and compression crimping on the braid, making it a poor solution for applications where signal integrity (such as high bandwidth digital applications) is important.  What the AD1300 adapter brings to the picture is the ability to quickly and inexpensively upgrade the cable to device interface to a telco quality, high reliability 3-piece BNC connection.

Q: Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) would seem to be the "next big thing." What effect do you think it will have on our industry? Consumers?
A: VoIP is huge.  The "why" is packet data technology, an area where Trompeter is deeply involved.  POTS (plain old telephone service) is accomplished by establishing an open line from originator to called party, leaving that line open or "nailed up" during the entire voice transaction. (The voice signals are coded into digital bits for clarity and easy cleansing of transmission "noise".)  This "circuit switched data" technology is highly wasteful of network capacity since most of the transaction is "dead air". An alternative is packet data technology. It essentially removes the gaps and sends only the data comprising the sounds, compressing that information into small files and coding them to be unpacked at the call destination.  This process can now be accomplished so rapidly that our ears don't comprehend the difference. With the network "freed up" to handle more data, the result is greatly increased network capacity. So the impact of VoIP is enabling our existing data networks (like CATV) to handle voice traffic, creating a newly competitive telephony environment. Consumers will benefit from even more choices on where to buy their voice service.  Prices on voice traffic will continue to drop, forcing all the network service providers to turn to better internet services (such as high data rate wireless bandwidth) at lower prices for incremental revenue.  This will benefit us all.

Q: Last year, the majority of our "View"-ers saw the Far East, particularly China, as the part of the world with the greatest growth potential for their business. Would you agree with that now, or is another geographical market opening up?
A: China is a vast market but the consumers are largely underfunded.  Business products will do well in China but I would expect consumer products to lag due to a fundamental lack of disposable income. China needs a middle class.

Q: In your opinion, which military or commercial product category may show the most growth in the
coming year? Why?
A: Non-invasive security technology seems like a winner to me, particularly video versions.  We need to figure out a way to restore our freedom to travel and enter secure facilities without all the screening, searching, and standing in lines.

Q: Other than VoIP, do you see any other emerging technology that will shake up the marketplace, either consumer or military?
A: Optical transceiver technology has become so brutally commoditized that the OEO conversion is no longer expensive. This really takes the heart out of the pure photonics optical network that was so popular three years ago.  Most likely, this economic shift will move networking OEMs to develop boxes in which copper and optical solutions coexist. ®

Q: Which of your company's recent product introductions has you the most excited?
A: Richardson Electronics' family of cellular signal enhancers, which will dramatically improve our customers' cellular coverage in all of their personal environments.  The product line includes a wireless in-vehicle amplifier that reduces dropped calls.   It works in all automobiles, increasing cellular signal strength up to ten times and extending coverage.  We have also designed a similar product for use in RV and marine application, as well as a cellular signal enhancer for in-home and office environments. 

Q: Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) would seem to be the "next big thing." What effect do you think it will have on our industry? Consumers?
A: While VoIP will have a huge impact on the communications market in general, the effect in the RF/Microwave space will be more muted.  With VoIP, we'd anticipate some increase in demand for high speed data connections to the home as a result, which will translate to healthy demand in markets like broadband cable, broadband wireless and FTTx.

For consumers, that ties into my response to the prior question about our cellular signal enhancers.  We believe that as consumers increase connectivity, they will expect uninterrupted service.  We are expecting our cellular signal enhancer products to help create a robust system for the consumer.

Q: Last year, the majority of our "View"-ers saw the Far East, particularly China, as the part of the world with the greatest growth potential for their business. Would you agree with that now?
A: We still see China and the Asia Pacific area as the fastest growing geographical market for us.  Our business in Asia Pacific was up 33% last year, topping $100 million in sales, with the largest growth coming from China, up 83%.  We expect that over the next 3-5 years that the Asia Pacific region will account for 30% of our business. 

Q: In your opinion, which military or commercial product category may show the most growth?
A: We think that over the next few years, the use of radio frequency identification (RFID) in a number of products will produce one of the fastest growing product categories for Richardson Electronics.  Our expertise in engineering design, strategic alliances and technology infrastructure make RFID a natural extension of our current capabilities. Our company recently entered the RFID market with software and system developers' kits giving the developer a "plug-n-play" RFID solution.  The Richardson kits make "RFID simple" for anyone looking to implement or develop RFID technology.

Q: Other than VoIP, do you see any other emerging technology that will shake up the marketplace, either consumer or military?
A: The convergence of technologies required by our customers to provide complete systems solutions will give our company an opportunity for accelerated growth in the future. For example, today we sell approximately $27 million of high resolution medical displays and associated products for picture archiving and communication systems (PACS). Medical institutions are transitioning from x-ray film technology in diagnostic imaging applications to digital images, which are stored on computer systems and displayed on high resolution monitors that Richardson currently supplies. Medical institutions are also exploring the opportunity to add RFID technology to patient monitoring systems. In the future, bar-coded patient wrist bands will be replaced with RFID tags that will allow the medical staff to instantly view the patient's medical record, including prescription requirements, diagnostic images, and the entire patient's history. This system will require custom engineered high resolution displays which our Display Systems Group can supply, RFID tags and readers engineered by our RF and Wireless Group, and scanning and close circuit video equipment which our Security Systems Group can provide. 

The convergence of these technologies presents an exciting opportunity to dramatically accelerate sales and earnings growth for Richardson Electronics through our strategy of engineered solutions. ®

Q: Which of your company's recent product introductions has you the most excited?
A: I am pleased with our latest product in the insect family, introducing at the WiFi Planet show December 1st/ and 2nd in San Jose, CA called the Bumble BeeT. Over the past year many customers that have asked if we can provide a hand-held Spectrum Analyzer in the 900 MHz, 2.4 GHz, and the 5.8 GHz ISM bands all in a single unit. The Bumble BeeT is a precision calibrated spectrum analyzer that interfaces with HP's H2215 iPAQ¨ PocketPC¨. This handheld receiver measures 4 distinct wireless bands: 900 MHz, 2.4 GHz, 5.15-5.35 & 5.725-5.850 GHz. Bumble BeeT allows the user to capture, measure, display and record each of these bands for network installation, coverage and interference analysis. The iPAQ's touch screen allows field engineers to tap on points of interest in the waveform and "zoom in" for further analysis. Advanced features include 3 WAVEFORM TRACES, PEAK HOLD, PEAK SEARCH, and user selectable PACKET / INTERFERENCE TRIGGERS. Bumble BeeT allows for on-the-fly switching of bands for real-time spectral analysis of many wireless standards. Bumble BeeT does the job of multiple wireless test instruments all in a handheld.

Q: Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) would seem to be the "next big thing." What effect do you think it will have on our industry? Consumers?
A: The FCC's mid November decision to treat VoIP providers as different from traditional telephonic services and at the moment tax exempt. This coupled with Cisco's announcement on November 16, 2004 that it has sold more than 4 million VoIP phones ignited the industry. Since wireless VoIP phones are used in many companies alongside WLAN AP's (Access Point's) there are a tremendous amount of interference issues. Our WLAN Yellowjacket 802.11bg analysis tool continues to solve complex co-existence issues where user's are operating in the same wireless band such as the 2.4 GHz license-free spectrum. The IT Manager using a directional antenna on a Yellowjacket can easily locate sources of interference. Many times such sources of RF interference are a total surprise. Some of the items that the Yellowjacket has found that interfere are; Bluetooth enabled devices, toys, cordless telephones, medical appliances, wireless smoke alarms, vapor parking lamps, wireless video repeaters and cameras such as used for security or baby monitoring, and leaky 2.4 GHz microwave ovens we all use. I believe that the industry will continue to grow using wireless VoIP phones to reduce phone costs, compounded even more as the reliability improves and the interference is kept to a minimum.

Q: Last year, the majority of our "View"-ers saw the Far East, particularly China, as the part of the world with the greatest growth potential for their business. Would you agree with that now?
A: Yes, as long as the Chinesse do not keep trying to re-invent the WiFi standard that is well accepted around the world already. Backed by the Chinese government the proposed technology was called the Wireless Authentication and Privacy Standard, or WAPI. Several key companies have already refused to provide equipment to the Chinesse such as Intel who is known for WiFi chipsets in all the latest laptops. Currently estimates are that over 80% of the WiFi gear is manufactured in China, yet the majority of the designs come from the US. If this shift changes, the Asian market may be tougher to sell to when the design and manufacturing are done within China using their own unique standard.

Q: In your opinion, which military or commercial product category may show the most growth?
A: We have seen a substantial surge in our international business for Gator GSM & UMTS test transmitters. The majority of build-out for cellular telephones has been completed in the US. US carriers are faced with consolidation because of the increase in competition. Many countries outside the USA are in early stages of mobile phone build-out. Many carriers are positioned for solid growth and can only get there by quickly building more base stations. This results in increased revenue for Berkeley because we provide the most economic and advanced test transmitters and receivers on the market. The Gator has the unique ability to provide either CW or GMSK modulated transmissions with live data that would be the same as a "live" phone transmission. Carriers typically raise a GSM Gator transmitter 100' in a bucket or a crane and start transmitting. They will then drive with a Coyote receiver and collect data that correlates signal strength with GPS Latitude and Longitude coordinates providing automatic complex propagation and coverage analysis. This simulation can be done with a Gator transmitter and Coyote receiver before they have to go through the expense of procuring access to land and erecting a tower (not to mention dealing with the local ordinances). We sell our transmitters and receivers to both the commercial and military sector who are continually looking for the ability to measure complex signal propagation in a mobile environment.

Q: Other than VoIP, do you see any other emerging technology that will shake up the marketplace, either consumer or military?
A: Berkeley has and will continue to focus on unique products that no one else in the wireless industry has. Shareholders have a long-term view of growth that enables Berkeley to add each year to the 45 wireless products. Each year we spend 20% of our revenue on R&D; keeping us unique position with 'first to market', technology. A good example of this is our ButterflyT WLAN power meter. Many of our customers have asked for an inexpensive way of validating low power devices such as AP's (Access Points). The ButterflyT directly attaches to an AP or wireless network card at the antenna port (for either 2.4 GHz or 5 GHz standards) and can verify the power levels from 0 to 30 dBm in 1 dB steps. There are expensive, bulky power meters on the market, yet The Butterfly is a portable, rugged hand-held priced at under $500. This December we will introduce these two newest insects to our growing family of animal products. ®

Q: Which of your company's recent product introductions has you the most excited?
A: Our new Satcom-On-The-MoveT mobile RF terminal introduced this year provides continuous, high-bandwidth voice and data over Ku-band for tactical battle vehicles. This Satcom-On-The-Move product brings true, continuous satellite communications to a wide variety of military vehicles, something the military market sector has been seeking for a long time.

Q: Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) would seem to be the "next big thing." What effect do you think it will have on our industry? Consumers?
A: Since voice over IP can bypass the Telcos, it will have an effect on both the SATCOM and Wireless industries. With VoIP, consumers can get toll-quality voice over their PCs at a very low cost. The big challenge will focus on how VoIP is regulated - how it's taxed and who gets the revenue.

Q: Last year, the majority of our "View"-ers saw the Far East, particularly China, as the part of the world with the greatest growth potential for their business. Would you agree with that now, or is another geographical market opening up?
A: TriPoint looks at market sectors (commercial, military and government) rather than geographic areas. By far the US and European military and government sectors are performing stronger than the commercial sector in our core markets.

Q: In your opinion, which military or commercial product category may show the most growth in the coming year? Why?
A: The Military sector seems to have the best potential for growth. The Commercial sector is built on the years of promise for 'Direct-to-Home' products that have turned out to be under capitalized and not brought to market properly. As a result, the consumer market has not developed as expected. The Military market, in contrast, has been strong and may continue to be so for the foreseeable future due to the War on Terrorism and tactical requirements to connect and interconnect military units on a digital vs. analog basis. The US and international military sector is funding programs to improve communications, weather prediction, reconnaissance, missile defense and other applications.

Q: Other than VoIP, do you see any other emerging technology that will shake up the marketplace, either consumer or military?
A: For the consumer, there are two technologies that rise above others: VoIP and HDTV. Consumers have shown over and over again that they will pay to talk and watch TV. Both of these new technologies will succeed on strong consumer acceptance.

For the military, the universal demand to communicate with any deployed unit, anywhere, anytime and while on the move is driving new product introductions to market. ®

Q: Which of your company's recent product introductions has you the most excited?
A: Our new solid-state microwave amplifier line continues to show great promise. As we have expanded the product line to higher power levels, the number of applications has expanded significantly. We have customers in both military and commercial activities that are using these products in both development and test. There are a number of applications for the 0.8 GHz to 4.2 GHz version and the uses for the higher frequency version, between 4 GHz and 11 GHz, are developing rapidly. The superior linearity of these designs has made these products a staple in all sorts of communications testing applications. These products have also found wide acceptance in our "classic" EMC markets as our argument about "cost of ownership" vs. TWT amplifiers takes hold.

Q: Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) would seem to be the "next big thing." What effect do you think it will have on our industry? Consumers?
A: A VoIP does not seem to be a significant impetus to our business. You could argue that the new Wireless technologies will be impacted by VoIP and indirectly that might affect AR's markets.

Q: Last year, the majority of our "View"-ers saw the Far East, particularly China, as the part of the world with the greatest growth potential for their business. Would you agree with that now, or is another geographical market opening up?
A: We have seen significant growth in Asia even with the new restrictions by the Department of Commerce. EMC and other testing requirements are driving towards higher power and higher frequencies, those that have classically been in the military realm. We could see a further expansion in the coming year.

Q: In your opinion, which military or commercial product category may show the most growth in the
coming year? Why?
A: The further deployment of the new 802.16 technologies could have a significant impact on our business. These are applications that fit our new solid-state microwave amplifier line to a tee.

Q: Other than VoIP, do you see any other emerging technology that will shake up the marketplace, either consumer or military?
A: As I said last year, the automotive technology continues to "emerge". Automotive testing applications are growing rapidly as more automotive functions are digitized and standards are "globalized". Our US and European solutions fit directly into Asia. In addition, some of the new "wireless" activities are an important driver as the new higher frequencies, above the classic cellular and PCS bands, are utilized. Another piece of technology that is saving lives in the military marketplace are booster amplifiers developed by our Modular RF division. They increase the power, and thus the range, of man-carried and vehicle mounted military radios to insure communications over a much greater geographic area than previously possible. ®

Q: Which of your company's recent product introductions has you the most excited?
A: Aeroflex has launched a number of very interesting and industry leading products in 2004. These products range from individual tester products that address the Private Mobile Radio and Avionics markets, Protocol Conformance and Functional testing products for 3G based applications to RF testing products and systems for the wireless cellular and military/aero R&D and Manufacturing applications.

For years, companies have struggled with coming up with test stations that address new generations of devices that test quicker and cost less. The traditional method of using stand-alone boxes has been the approach used over the past 20 years. The benefits of this "rack-and-stack" approach had been the ease of transition of the tests created in DVT in the lab, applied in the production area, minimizing issues such as test debug and test results correlation. Some of the "costs" of this method were the difficulty of assembling systems with minimum total measurement uncertainty, the cost of upgrading the systems that "crossed the frequency barrier", and the limitations in test throughput using discrete, box-level components.

The Aeroflex synthetic test system defined a way to implement a more modular test architecture, which allows a given organization to re-program as needed, incrementally upgrade and augment as needed, while accelerating their test throughput. The benefit is a higher throughput and lower total cost of test.
The Aeroflex synthetic system is such a solution. Using modular hardware and software, we have a system architecture that allows an organization to start with their initial needs (frequency range, number of channels, particular test functions) and incrementally grow as their needs increase. By using basic modules (A/D, D/A, upconverters, downconverters, digital i/o cards) and modular software, Aeroflex is able to allow a tester to be used to test base stations one day, handsets on another, and power amplifiers on yet another. Aeroflex enables an organization to move from one cellular standard to another by using different stimulus/measurement algorithms. Aeroflex can extend a 6GHz system to a 40GHz system by adding a different upconverter module vs. changing an entire system. The Aeroflex synthetic system can be a spectrum analyzer in one instance, a VNA in another, and a noise figure meter in yet another. Best of all, Aeoflex's ability to provide a fully calibrated system to the level of that achieved by stand-alone boxes takes out much of the system integration and error/uncertainty budget efforts that today's test engineers are all too familiar with.

From our perspective, the introduction of the Aeroflex RF Test System for Manufacturing and R&D applications has us most excited. Our excitement is based on the fact that it's the first industry introduction of a synthetic based system, and the first to address the requirements of handset and infrastructure testing for the wireless cellular market. This synthetic system is modular in design and is currently offered in a PXI and VXI form factor. We have been working with the major baseband semiconductor, handset and base station technology and product developers and experiencing a high level of interest and success. This product/system/solution offering has the potential to change the way the industry tests their respective products and applications.

In addition, Aeroflex has been very successful in positioning our synthetic test system into major military programs. The capability of the synthetic platform has been a point of differentiation for Aeroflex and a key reason for our success.

The Aeroflex synthetic system offering provides the targeted customer base with significantly improved testing time, resulting in higher product test throughput and increased volumes. All of this translates into savings for our customers and a true value proposition for our customers.

Q: Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) would seem to be the "next big thing." What effect do you think it will have on our industry? Consumers?
A: From Aeroflex's perspective, higher rate applications of all types will serve as a major catalyst for our business. Within in this environment, the challenges associated with Metropolitan Area Networks (MAN), WiFi AND WiMax will serve as a key driver for the products Aeroflex develops. From our perspective VoIP is just one of a number of data related services we will need to support.

From an industry perspective, the service providers will focus on making available services that will engage consumers and stimulate additional monthly spending. From a technology perspective, systems that offer high bandwidth and data rates will be necessary. For this reason, CDMA 1xEV-DO, WCDMA FDD & HSDPA and WiMax will be an integral part.

Q: Last year, the majority of our "View"-ers saw the Far East, particularly China, as the part of the world with the greatest growth potential for their business. Would you agree with that now, or is another geographical market opening up?
A: We are seeing continued and significant growth opportunity for Aeroflex within the Far East region. The Far East region offers Aeroflex growth potential within the R&D and Manufacturing applications space. It is estimated that 64% of all Far East growth is attributed to China, specific to the wireless cellular commercial market. As a result, Aeroflex is encountering a high level of activity within the product development and manufacturers' organizations and the service providers.

Although China, specifically Southern China offers a large growth opportunity, Aeroflex sees growth opportunities in other Far Eastern countries as well. Beyond China, Aeroflex is targeting Korea, Japan, Taiwan, the Philippines and India. All of these countries will contribute to the growth Aeroflex will experience in 2004 and 2005.

Q: Other than VoIP, do you see any other emerging technology that will shake up the marketplace, either consumer or military?
A: From the consumer market perspective, we see the need to address application specific testing - a key requirement of the products we plan to launch in the future. Much of the wireless cellular market's attention is on testing specific to the wireless standards (i.e. GSM, GPRS, EDGE, cdma-2000, WCDMA/UMTS, etc.). As higher data rate systems are deployed and higher data rate applications are engaged, much of the industry's focus will turn to the service and application side of the equation.
From the military/aero market perspective, military radio is moving toward a software defined radio system supporting approximately 30 families of military communications protocols - the current Joint Tactical Radio System (JTRS). This effort will challenge the marketplace from a technical and deployment perspective. ®

Q: Which of your company's recent product introductions has you the most excited?
A: Our satellite simulator product has been one of the most exciting products we have released. We offer a standard Quad Band Satellite Simulator but we have also provided many variations of this products i.e. extended range, various antenna options, addition of beacon frequencies, single band version (known as the mini sim). We are finding a lot of interest in the Quad Band product because our customers do not have access to Ka band satellites yet. This product has helped give us exposure at the prime contractor level, which opens up a whole new customer base for us.

Q: Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) would seem to be the "next big thing." What effect do you think it will have on our industry? Consumers?
A: I think VoIP will be transparent to most in our industry. We are already providing IP over satellite and the beauty of VoIP is that it is just more data on the datastream. As long as we can continue to expand bandwidth, it should be transparent to even consumers. Today cable companies are providing standard telephone service over cable, via VoIP. A typical consumer will not even know their service is VoIP, just that they are getting it via cable instead of wire.

Q: In your opinion, which military or commercial product category may show the most growth in the
coming year? Why?
A: We see interest in Wireless LAN on the move. This applies to both the commercial and military markets. We have many military customers who are implementing 802.11 secure wireless networks and want to extend the range of coverage and move into a less crowded band. We have been able to provide converter based products that allow them to do this and preserve the security of the network.

Q: Other than VoIP, do you see any other emerging technology that will shake up the marketplace, either consumer or military?
A: Most of our business over the last year has been in the ground based military communications market. What we see is the demand to take existing technology and repackage it into smaller, lighter more rugged manpack type enclosures without compromising performance. ®

Q: Which of your company's recent product introductions has you the most excited?
A: Freescale Semiconductor, formerly Motorola's Semicon-ductor Product Sector, has had another exciting year of product development and product introductions. Our plastic RF power device portfolio continues to expand on its market leadership position. Freescale continues to add higher power options to the portfolio at both the 900MHz and 2GHz frequencies. These devices are typically used in cellular infrastructure equipment, primarily the BTS amplifier. Additionally, for this same market, we have introduced multi-stage ICs that allow for simpler, high-performance and cost-effective designs for our customers. Another exciting area we are expanding into is the general purpose RF amplifier market, or GPAs. GPAs are wide bandwidth gain blocks that are used ubiquitously throughout a multitude of wireless applications. We have already introduced several devices and will have a complete portfolio by early next year.

Q: Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) would seem to be the "next big thing." What effect do you think it will have on our industry? Consumers?
A: Many applications have been proposed as potential drivers for broadband growth. Only time will tell if the business plans for those applications will realize their potential. However, VoIP has already gained traction and should prove to be a viable alternative to traditional cellular and the PSTN. As this traction grows, the need for broadband connections should grow, be it through WiFi, broadband cellular or future alternatives such as WiMax. The benefits to consumers should be positive. Any time competing alternatives are introduced into the market, consumers are the winners. This should be no different for VoIP. Many VoIP alternatives are already available at substantially reduced costs and as quality of service and security issues are resolved, VoIP should see dramatic growth.

Q: Last year, the majority of our "View"-ers saw the Far East, particularly China, as the part of the world with the greatest growth potential for their business. Would you agree with that now, or is another geographical market opening up?
A: China, as well as the entire Asia Pacific region, has been without question a top growth area for Freescale. We believe that this will continue to be the case. Specifically for wireless, not only will cellular penetration rates continue to rise, driving the need for further infrastructure installation, but outsourced manufacturing and indigenous design efforts should also continue to grow.

Q: In your opinion, which military or commercial product category may show the most growth in the coming year? Why?
A: Speaking specifically for the RF infrastructure market, I believe the product category with the greatest growth in the coming year will be plastic packaged RF power devices, of which I spoke of above. Traditionally, RF power devices have been in metal-ceramic packages. While metal-ceramic offers the required device performances, it is a limiting factor for achieving sustained cost reductions. Plastic offers both performance and cost-effectiveness. Freescale has experienced a tremendous growth in demand for our plastic RF devices this year and all indicators point to an increased adoption rate and ongoing growth. Last year we introduced 30W plastic drivers at 2GHz and this year introduced high power transistors at 60W and 100W in plastic packages. This year our production runrate for plastic RF devices exceeded our production runrate for ceramic packaged devices. With the planned introduction of even higher power RF transistors in plastic, we feel this product category will continue to have the greatest growth in the coming year.

Q: Other than VoIP, do you see any other emerging technology that will shake up the marketplace, either consumer or military?
A: An exciting emerging market on the horizon is WiMax, especially with the proposal supporting mobility, 802.16e. While there is still debate on the potential for WiMax, ranging from wildly optimistic to wildly pessimistic, with major PC OEMs involved in the standards process, it may become a standard function in future PCs, thus driving broad adoption and substantial growth. This could provide the demand to justify the deployment of a cellular based infrastructure for high speed broadband data. ®

Q: Which of your company's recent product introductions has you the most excited?
A: Our recent product introductions of GSM antenna switches are very exciting. The market size is huge, our customer traction is significant, and our competitive advantages over existing solutions are many. Being the first company to be able to put a CMOS solution at the antenna of a GSM handset is also very rewarding, as this was an extremely challenging technical achievement.

Q: Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) would seem to be the "next big thing." What effect do you think it will have on our industry? Consumers?
A: VOIP will be a big thing. I read a recent article that stated that more than 2/3 of the world's biggest companies will begin deploying VOIP services to employees' desktops within the next two years. We are a wireless company, and eventually we see VOIP migrating into handsets in a big way, although this may take some time. As a company focused on RF integration and the size reduction afforded by highly integrated solutions, the trend toward more complexity in a handset plays to our strength, as space continues to become more and more valuable.

Q: Last year, the majority of our "View"-ers saw the Far East, particularly China, as the part of the world with the greatest growth potential for their business. Would you agree with that now, or is another geographical market opening up?
A: Certainly China and Asia are becoming increasingly important as buyers of electronic components. More and more of our business follows the route of getting a design win in North America or Europe with the end product being manufactured at a contract manufacturer or manufacturers in Asia. This also happens with reference designs. These trends have profound implications for sales reps, regional sales managers, and distribution. Learning how to adapt and motivate a sales channel to these macro changes will be a key differentiator in the next few years.

Q: In your opinion, which military or commercial product category may show the most growth in the coming year? Why?
A: Consumer electronics has huge growth potential for us. The idea of the PC as the center of the home entertainment system (Media Center), and the roll out of digital television both have significant implications for our business. Our participation in this space is in the RF tuning section of these devices. We provide some very key solutions in this technically demanding part of the system, and expect to see dramatic volume and revenue growth moving forward. In addition, wireless distribution of video and other content inside the home could also lead to significant upside potential - whether it is done by WiFi, UWB, or some other protocol.

Q: Other than VoIP, do you see any other emerging technology that will shake up the marketplace, either consumer or military?
A: Smart antenna technology and homeland security applications are both areas where I expect to see additional opportunities for us. In the area of homeland security, there is a great deal of effort underway using GPS for anti-terrorism activities. Some of the limitations of these current solutions are that they are easy to jam (hence defeat) and the power consumption is too high. We have demonstrated GPS products that offer significant improvements in both of these areas. We have been involved in the electronics associated with smart antenna technology for military applications for some time. There are clearly signs that this technology is beginning to find its way into the commercial sector. Cellular base station sectored antennas for spatial processing have been used for some time, but MIMO systems are becoming increasing mainstream (most notably as a result of the 802.11n initiatives), and huge potential gains in data throughput, interference reduction, and channel capacity appear possible.