Management and Engineering Team

Bill Howell, Principal/RF Engineer - has developed wireless and other mixed-signal products for over 30 years including 5 years with Chaparral Communications and 11 years with Diablo Research/Cadence Design Systems. Bill and his two fellow Diablo Research engineers started First Contact Engineering in 2003 where many diverse mixed-signal products were designed. A few samples of these are:

• 800MHz and 900MHz wireless audio distribution systems used in fitness centers
• Wireless audio distribution systems OEM modules.
• 800MHz and 900MHz antenna systems for professional quality wireless home weather stations.
• Custom designed antenna systems for 13.56MHz, 49MHz, 88-108MHz, 433MHz, 806MHz, 863MHz, 902-928MHz, GPS, WiFi, Bluetooth
• FM band stereo transmitters for MP3 player to car radio audio distribution.
• RFID tag antenna systems.
• 18km fiber optic delay line for delay of 100MHz to 2 GHz analog signals.
•  Modified wireless telephone system currently used in a popular TV game show.
• PC serially controlled microprocessor based stepper motor driven turntable for RF and optical systems testing.

Extended Engineering Staff- In addition to the core members, First Contact Engineering relies on a broad spectrum of consultants including software engineers, digital engineers, mechanical engineers, PCB designers, and system engineers. This virtual organizational structure enables us to quickly assemble a team with the right skill set for any project. In most cases these are individuals who have worked with us for years on a variety of projects.