Instruments that stretch with the customer

Francesco Lupinetti Chief Technology Officer Aeroflex Plainview, NY Francesco Lupinetti is the CTO and VP of engineering for Aeroflex Test Solutions. Joining Aeroflex in 2000, Dr. Lupinetti's background includes more than 25 years of experience in research, product development, engineering, general management, and business development. He has served with such companies as Ericsson, Italtel S.p.A., The Mitre Corp., and Sandia National Laboratories. Dr. Lupinetti received BSEE, MSEE, and PhDEE degrees from Mississippi State University. In a recent telephone conversation, contributing editor Larry Maloney asked Lupinetti about Aeroflex, its product lines, and the communications test industry. For more Q&A with Francesco Lupinetti on such topics as synthetic instruments, test equipment costs, and new testers for radio and homeland security, read the continuation of this interview.

A: Rather than catalogue products, Aeroflex develops specialized test instruments. We try to build in the best common functions—then add other features based on customer needs. We're better prepared to take this approach, because most of our instruments are what we call "synthetic," based on modular hardware and software.

We also follow a very well-defined technology development process, involving R&D, engineering, marketing, sales, and management. It takes into account market trends, as well as short and midterm sales opportunities. Then, we look at the roadmaps for technology development at customer companies, as well as product advances at our competitors.

Q: What role do acquisitions play in this effort?

A: We've been fortunate to gain valuable intellectual property through acquisitions. UbiNetics is a good example. The people in that company possess an entrepreneurial attitude that enables them to go very far, very fast, and that spirit is spreading throughout our engineering departments.

UbiNetics has done a great job not only in being the first to market but also in forecasting customer requirements. We see that in a product like the TM500, a real-time tester for infrastructure developers of 3G communications networks. At a time when there is a proliferation of standards, UbiNetics has also strengthened our ability to provide instruments such as the SystemAT, which provides a strong basis for quality of service (QoS) type measurements.

Q: What are some other promising areas in communications test?

A: Increasingly, we are asked to provide test solutions for monitoring and optimizing wireless devices and base stations while the network is operating. Another big opportunity is test solutions that help customers meet compliance and characterization challenges for devices that must operate in an environment populated by different generations of systems. New cell phones have up to four bands, as well as Wi-Fi.

Then there are the emerging WiMobile and WiMAX technologies. Our testers ensure that all these devices work together.

Q: How about testers for the military market?

A: We've been very proactive in providing innovative solutions without jeopardizing the installed base. Our new compact 6000 series for avionics can test transponders, distance-measuring equipment, collision-avoidance systems, and so on. Engineers can also use this product as a development tool in the laboratory, as well as for maintenance and flight-line tests.

In military radios, we're developing more features for our broadband waveform generators and analyzers. We can now attain 500 MHz of instantaneous bandwidth, which is very valuable in capturing and analyzing emitters in complex battlefields. The PN9500 phase noise tester, mostly targeted for military uses, now includes jitter-test and spectrum-analysis capabilities.

Q: Where does Aeroflex stand on open systems?

A: We're strong supporters. Aeroflex is a member of the PXI System Alliance, the LXI Consortium, the SDR Forum for software-defined radios, and the WiMAX Forum for broadband wireless. Still, we understand that customers, when testing their devices, don't want to be limited to the minimal operating parameters that appear in the standards. They need to stretch their equipment to get an edge on competition. That's why we must offer additional flexibility in our tester products.