Thanks for the update Bob. Your work is much appreciated as having contributed to the increased satisfaction (since having been introduced to PSDR and Flex) that I have experienced from this hobby. Wishing only the best for you.
WX4L On Fri, May 27, 2011 at 7:27 AM, Bob McGwier <[email protected]> wrote: > I have the offer. I am leaning towards saying yes but I have sent it out > for advice and there may be negotiations. Everyone thinks this will work > out. > > In 2003 when Gerald, Frank, and I started working together and talking > about > doing DttSP we had no idea where it would go. Soon followed Eric being > hired > to write PowerSDR version 0.1. We were a serious team. Eight years later, > I can say my association with Flex has been a highlight of my adult life. > We were able, and allowed, to work closely together based on mutual need > for four intense years. I worked on software with others for the SDR-1000 > with the approval and sponsorship of my employer, IDA/CCR ( > http://www.idaccr.org/) . My employer benefited directly from this > association. I began to work in 2007, based on the work I did with Flex, > with Dr. Charles Clancy (KB9ZNF) of the Laboratory for Telecommunications > Sciences (http://www.ltsnet.net/ ). We worked very hard on GnuRadio and > also on versions of DttSP that were being used by our employers. In 2008, > Charles and I led a summer long intensive workshop on software defined > radio > and cognitive radio for the US Government at IDA/CCR. The impact has been > widespread throughout the government. We hired Tom Rondeau, KB3UKZ, at my > request at IDA/CCR. I met Tom while working with Charles, on a trip to Va. > Tech. to talk to the people there doing SDR and CR and Wireless work. > After the summer of 2008, Charles and I began a series of developments, > both software and hardware, which we believe we would be "enabling > projects" for all sorts of things at LTS. We put out contracts for > receiver > designs, etc. At my request, requests for proposals went out to many > companies, including Flex Radio Systems, Inc. and Ettus Research. Shortly > after hiring Rondeau, he won the US Council of Graduate Schools best Ph.D. > thesis in the country award for 2008. I began my association with the > world > famous engineer, fred harris. Competing against VERY large companies, all > of them regular suppliers of (ridiculously expensive, poor performing) > radios to the US government, both Flex and Ettus won the contracts on which > they bid based on price AND technical content. They were both the lowest > bidders AND THE ONLY COMPANIES MEETING THE SPECIFICATIONS. > > http://www.flexradio.com/Products.aspx?topic=CDRX-3200 > > is one of the results with Flex. A product that is not on the Ettus page > was the result with them. All of this work was great for Flex, allowing it > to hire great new people, but it was very time consuming for me and caused > me to have to slow down tremendously on the direct work I was doing with > Flex. > > Last year, Charles was hired away from LTS to work at the Hume Center at > Virginia Tech as an associate director. > > http://www.hume.ictas.vt.edu/ > > I was on its board of advisors. > > http://www.hume.ictas.vt.edu/people.php > > An announcement was made to find a director. Charles and I competed and we > were both in the four finalists for the job. THANK GOODNESS Charles got > the > job. I would hate what he is doing. And he is very very good at it. > > Tom Rondeau left IDA/CCR at the end of last summer and became director of > GnuRadio at the same time Charles left for Va. Tech. So I began to wonder > about what to do with the rest of my life. It should be clear that we have > been a big part of GnuRadio, SDR, and CR and Flex, directly or indirectly > and I wanted to continue or extend that as much as possible. I liked having > the impact. > > Charles and Jeff Reed of Wireless @ VT, both great friends, began > immediately to talk to me about being on the staff after Charles was made > director in December. They wanted me to be director of research and live > in > Blacksburg. Charles did not want to live in Blacksburg. It took so long > for them to work out, succeeding YESTERDAY, after months and months of > struggle and talk, that I actually wrote it off in April and made other > plans. Charles scored a coup after I had already made up my mind to do > other things and I was left to juggle things and make decisions based on > both personal and professional needs. In Blacksburg, I get to lead > research teams, manage research in a large facility there, and have lots > of interactions with students and faculty and work on great problems. If > the final talks go well, I will join next month and move to Blacksburg and > get to continue my long association with Charles. It is very exciting to > work with a person of his drive and intelligence. Did I mention he is .... > THIRTY YEARS OLD?. ;-). > > ALSO, and more important to this group, I will get to greatly increase the > amount of time I spend working with Flex and the relationship will be > formal > a thing which was prevented while I was at IDA. I really look forward to > my > long continued relationship with my friends in Texas. Flex is more like a > big family and I am proud to be a member of the clan, now and into the > future, irrespective of what form it takes. So you have not gotten rid of > me > just yet. Flex is a very different place these days and I had a big part > to > play in that. I am proud of it but more than that, I am SO proud of Gerald > and the guys in Austin. I wish people could understand by looking under > the > hood the way I have, what a SUPERB team of people Flex has assembled. They > are beginning to have a very large impact on the company and will make sure > that Flex is here to stay for a long long time with quality products for > you > and many others. > > Bob > N4HY > > On Thu, May 26, 2011 at 11:49 PM, Tim (W4TME) <[email protected]> wrote: > > > Our beloved and highly respected DSP guru Bob, N4HY has accepted the > > position of Director of Research for the Ted and Karyn Hume Center at > > Virginia Tech. Virginia Tech is already one of the strongest schools for > > SDR and Cognitive Radio research these days, so having Bob running the > show > > will just help them advance further. He also has to teach for his > dinner, > > so I guess we will now have to refer to him as Dr. Robert. I'm sure you > can > > pick up a nice tweed jacket with elbow patches and a long stemmed pipe at > > the Salvation Army store :-) > > > > Seriously, Congratulation on the new appointment, Bob. It is well > > deserved. > > > > -Tim > > --- > > W4TME > > FlexRadio Systems Internet Systems Admin. > > Product Verification Team > > Tune In Excitement^(TM) > > > > _______________________________________________ > > Flexedge mailing list > > [email protected] > > http://mail.flex-radio.biz/mailman/listinfo/flexedge_flex-radio.biz > > This is the FlexRadio Systems e-mail Reflector called FlexEdge. It is > used > > for posting topics related to SDR software development and > experimentalist > > who are using beta versions of the software. > > > _______________________________________________ > Flexedge mailing list > [email protected] > http://mail.flex-radio.biz/mailman/listinfo/flexedge_flex-radio.biz > This is the FlexRadio Systems e-mail Reflector called FlexEdge. It is used > for posting topics related to SDR software development and experimentalist > who are using beta versions of the software. > -- russ _______________________________________________ Flexedge mailing list [email protected] http://mail.flex-radio.biz/mailman/listinfo/flexedge_flex-radio.biz This is the FlexRadio Systems e-mail Reflector called FlexEdge. It is used for posting topics related to SDR software development and experimentalist who are using beta versions of the software.
