Anatech Electronics Newsletter - September 2011

WiMAX: A Fading Star?

As an article in The Wall Street Journal points out, the VHS-versus-Betamax war may be a good analogy (in some respects) for WiMAX versus LTE, which the latter is winning hands down. The article points out a good analysis of the subject on the TechRadar website, stating that  that Intel (the original champion of WiMAX) has changed its tune. There are currently 20 million WiMaX subscribers throughout the world and in some places it may survive – but probably not in a meaningful way in the U.S.

LightSquared Decision This Month?

LightSquared says it believes the FCC will allow it to become the first wholesale provider of LTE services in the U.S. when it makes it decision sometime this month, according toLightSquared's executive vice president, Martin Harriman at the Mobile Future Forward conference in Seattle, according to FierceWireless. Sprint has already lined up journalists and analysts to hear its 4G roadmap on October 7, and in July LightSquared gave Sprint the option to purchase its wholesale LTE network. A week later Sprint's WiMAX provider, Clearwire, declared plans to build an LTE-advanced network if it can get the money. This would leapfrog LTE and couldn’t be deployed until after LTE-Advanced becomes a standard. If the FCC gives LightSquared the green light, Sprint could be launching LightSquared's LTE network as early as next year. Regardless, LightSquared still faces the core issue of interference to GPS, which seems almost insurmountable.

Dead Satellite to Fall Soon

A functionally dead satellite will fall back to Earth during the last week of September, according to NASA. The spacecraft, an old NASA climate probe called the Upper Atmosphere Research Satellite (UARS), was decommissioned in 2005 and has since been slowly losing altitude. The 6 1/2-ton satellite will make a final uncontrolled plunge through Earth's atmosphere. The Department of Defense is one of the organizations monitoring it.Pieces of it could land from south of Juneau, Alaska to just north of the tip of South America. NASA estimates a 1-in-3,200 chance a satellite part could hit someone. Most of it will burn up after entering Earth's atmosphere. You can track the spacecraft’s demise here.

A Message from
Sam Benzacar

GOING TO MILCOM 2011? PLEASE STOP BY!

November 7 to 10
Baltimore Convention Center



With its list of exhibitors and attendees growing every year, it’s more and more important to attend MILCOM so you can stay on top of trends from the component through system and program levels. This year, we’ll be offering a greater range of information and activities at our booth than ever before, including demonstrations that show our products “in action”, so visitors can visualize their performance and especially see how they solve interference problems in the field. So please come visit us at Booth 800.

Dean Handrinos Joins Anatech as U.S. Sales

Please join us in welcoming Dean Handrinos, our new director of U.S. sales. He is responsible for developing new business and managing our sales activities throughout the country, including working with regional sales representatives. Dean was previously vice president had Stealth Microwave (a division of Micronetics), where he handled business development and technical sales of the company’s power amplifier products. Dean received his received his received his Bachelor of Engineering degree from Stevens Institute of Technology and is currently working toward his MBA degree from Lehigh University.

Answers to last month's Sports Trivia Questions

1. Who graciously switched to number 77 so Phil Esposito's number 7 could be retired in Boston Garden?  Raymond Bourque

2. What Red Sox catcher's erect posture earned him the clubhouse nickname "Frankenstein"?  Carlton Fisk's

3. What comic actor scored huge sales with his Bad Golf Made Easy instructional videos?  Leslie Nelson

Sports Trivia Questions!

1. What two players are tied for second behind Ty Cobb in total career runs?

2. Who was the first athlete to rap at a Pro Bowl musical gala in 1995?

3. What racing competition became a best-of-nine series in 1995?