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Cornell Drentea - Technical Consultant

Cornell Drentea

757 North Carribean Avenue, Tucson, AZ 85748-1815
Email: CDrentea@aol.com


 


SUMMARY

Prime areas of expertise are in RF Systems, Communications Networks and Product design/development of complex Receivers, Exciters (Synthesizers), LSICs, and Control Systems at up to 100 GHz. A secondary area of expertise is in Strategic and Product definition and technology/market development for RF and Telecommunications products. Outstanding record of accelerated profitability.  Lead Technologist in aerospace engineering design. Extensive organizational and business development experience. Six Sigma Certified.


EXPERIENCE

Over forty years of hands-on and technical leadership in engineering, inventing creative concepts in four generations of RF products.  Manager and Director of RF Engineering.  Expert RF designer at up to 100 GHz.  High intercepts (+ 50 dBm), high spurious free dynamic range (>150 dB), low phase noise (-186 dBc/Hz@1KHz).  Background involves successful products using RF signal processing. Leading small and large groups of highly technical personnel.  Managed large engineering efforts with the following companies:

JZO Research (Cornell Drentea Engineering)                                  Technology/Business
President/Engineer, Consultant                                                               (2007 – Present)

Technical Consulting for technology development to several large companies: Raytheon and other Companies in the Washington, D.C., U.S.A. area. 



Hughes/Raytheon Systems, Tucson, AZ.,                                     Senior Engineer/ Scientist
                                                                                                           (1995 – 2007-Retired)

Group leader in Space RF transceiver design/development at 20/40 GHz.  Led proposal, design and development of Comm-Link fully agile - high resolution EHF transceiver for tactical space mission.  Managed $184 Million program for the Battle Management and Communications (BMC3).  Full responsibility for over 30 engineers designing state-of-the-art complex systems at up to 100 GHz.  Additional leader of development for high resolution EHF synthesizers with phase noise performance of -150 dBc/Hz.  Near-instantaneous (warm up < 2 Sec) Disciplined Master Reference Oscillators.  Full Program leadership.  IRAD development budget of $24 Million.  Development cycle - 2 years.

Accomplishments
  • Lead digital signal processing program using state-of-the-art Delta-Sigma modulator, digitizing RF/IF at up to 5 GHz, using Nyquist rates of 10 GHz and Indium Phosphade technology. See patented realization.
  • Technical leadership in other key airborne radar and communications networks programs.  This extends to satellite links, GPS - Guidance, high power IMPATT amplifiers, MEMS and advanced radar seeker design and development.

Honeywell Military Avionics, Minneapolis, MN., Honeywell Corporate Division, Minneapolis, MN., Engineering Manager/Technology Leader
                                                                                                                    (1978 -1995)

Engineering leadership for design efforts in excess of $250 Million per project.  Full responsibility for development of  internal and external strategic directions in communications technology.  Prepared complex proposals,  initiated, negotiated and designed mixed technology systems using RF (VLF, LF, MF, HF, VHF, UHF, SHF, EHF) and laser frequencies.  Managed budgets of $14 Million plus, per year.   Quality expert.  Signal processing, information technology and networking of factory and office systems over terrestrial and satellite (VSAT).  LAN/WAN media.  Multiple company teaming with Gould, Ford Aerospace, McDonnell Douglas, General Dynamics, Motorola and Hughes.



Accomplishments

  • Full technical responsibility in developing the LANTIRN system (Low Altitude Navigation and Targeting Infrared for Night for the F-16 aircraft) in record time.  Major contributions to image recognition and IR signal processing with Ford Aerospace.
  • Technology Assessment and Strategic Planning for the entire corporation as Manager of Technology Assessment.  This allowed for internal and external business development with dimensions in excess of $100 Million per year.
  • Led design and development of wide range military microwave and laser sensor and control technologies.  Flow, pressure and proximity sensors.  Systems were integrated over LAN/WAN and satellite communications.  R&D work on tunable wavelength multiplied optical broadband communications.
  • Managed development of RF guidance system (MRA) program in conjunction with McDonnell Douglas. Unique radar and sensors development.  Fully responsible for program negotiations and management using the WBS.  Managed staffs of 45+ and schedules to production phase.
  • Led development of sensors, controls and communications bus for the SR-71 (Black-Bird) aircraft.  Designed and developed crucial parts of the company's famous Laser-Gyro sensor as well as inertial navigation systems using piezoelectric technologies.  Brief involvement with NASA's Space Shuttle, and the Space Station.



Plantronics, Inc., Tracor, Inc., Watkins Johnson Inc., Washington D.C.
                                                                                                                          RF Engineering Manager
                                                                                                                                    (1974-1978)

Managed top notch engineering group to design and develop complex RF communications products and systems.  Used novel common platform approach to designing products for superior profitability.


Accomplishments

  • Developed multiple-loop fast-switching synthesizers to production (1575 exciter).
  • Designed and developed radio communications systems for the NAVY (TACAMO, L-29).
  • Designed and developed dynamic agile filters at RF to cancel interference aboard aircraft.
  • Developed high dynamic range receivers and multi-platform data communications stems/modems.
  • Designed and developed data acquisition and ATE systems.



GOULD Inc., Digital General, Cleveland, OH.,
                                                                                                                          Design Engineer
                                                                                                                             (1965-1974)

Accomplishments

Designed and developed state-of-the-art circuits for data loggers, sensors and optical character recognition systems. Total involvement from R&D through the development of multiple layer boards, hardware and documentation.



Patents:

    §        Ultra - wide band fully synthesized high-resolution receiver and method
              United States Patent 7,139,545
    §        Automatic dual diversity receiver
              United States Patent 4,584,716
    §        Ultra - wide band (20 MHz to 5 GHz) analog to digital signal processor
              United States Patent 6,492,925
    §        Direct Sampling GPS receiver for anti-interference operations
              United States Patent 6,882,310
    §        Bragg-cell application to high probability of intercept receiver
              United States Patent 7,324,797



EDUCATION

  • BSEE Equivalent - University of Bucharest, Polytechnic Institute
  • Additional Graduate Studies and Continuing Education
  • Mini-MBA, AMA, American Management Association, New York, 1985
  • TQM, ISO - 9000, 9001, 6 Sigma  Quality Programs,  Raytheon, University of Arizona, 1994
  • Modern Marketing Practices, AMA, American Management Association, NY, 1990
  • Digital Microwave Communications, Avantek/HP, San Jose, California, 1993
  • Modern Telecommunications Networking, UCLA, Los Angeles, California, 1993
  • Amplifier & Oscillator Design by the S-Parameter, RF-Expo, Los Angeles, CA, 1988
  • Principles of Radar, Honeywell Aerospace, Minneapolis, Minnesota, 1983
  • Competitive Strategy, AMA, American Management Association, Boston, MA, 1990
  • Finance and Accounting for Marketing, University of Minnesota, 1992
  • Microwave Techniques, RF Expo-88, Los Angeles, CA, 1988
  • OSI, Open Systems Interconnection, Data Communications, Boston, MA, 1983
  • Sensors Expo West, Los Angeles, CA, 1992, 1993
  • Raytheon RF Symposium, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006 - Lecturer



RECOGNITION

  • Authored Two Books - Radio Communications Receivers, McGraw Hill, 1982.
  • Modern Communications Receivers Design and Technology, ARTECH House 2010.
  • Author of over 90 technical papers and articles.
  • Lecturer at SENSORS EXPO, Dynamic Range Considerations for DSP in Sensors.
  • Lecturer at RF EXPO, Designing Frequency Synthesizers.
  • Lecturer – Raytheon – The Art of RF System Design.
  • Extra Class Amateur Radio Operator,  KW7CD.  Designer and constructor of state-of-the-art synthesized receivers and transceivers -  Star 10.


Other consultatory design activities:  Tri-Tronics Inc., a $25 Million private company.  Include, but are not limited to development of  low cost - high profitability RF equipment for animal behavior control using AFSK logarithmic RFIC and patented automatic threshold computer,  positive packet delivery with reliabilities of 99.9999% in a multipath intense environment.  Brought line of 40 products to production in one year in an ISO 9000 environment.  Strategic Plan Development for Cargill Inc., the world’s largest private corporation.  Designed the MLA-2500 HF linear amplifier, the World’s smallest full duty cycle linear amplifier by any standards (6000 copies in use World - wide).