(CINCINNATI, Ohio--February 21, 2008) Harris Corporation (NYSE:HRS), an international communications and information technology company, has named Geoffrey N. Mendenhall the 2008 recipient of the Harris Fellow Award, the company’s highest recognition for achievement.
Mendenhall, who is vice president of research and technology with the Transmission Systems business unit at Harris Broadcast Communications, received the prestigious award as part of the company’s celebration of National Engineers Week 2008 (February 17-23).
As the radio broadcast industry's leading expert on FM transmission, Mendenhall has contributed to improvements in the technical quality of FM transmitters for more than 35 years. Best known for his work with FM exciters, many of Mendenhall’s designs have become industry standards. Today, more than 10,000 FM exciters currently on the air worldwide incorporate Mendenhall’s innovations.
“From our roots as Gates Radio in 1922, through today’s transition to HD Radio™, Harris has introduced more radio technology innovations than any other broadcast equipment manufacturer — and Geoff has been a key contributor to these developments,” said Howard L. Lance, Harris chairman, president and CEO. “Geoff’s vision and technical expertise have been a driving force behind the company’s leadership, and his most recent work on products such as the FlexStar® HD Radio™ exciter has enabled Harris to remain at the forefront of the industry. Geoff’s significant contributions to the company make him ideally suited for recognition as a Harris Fellow."
Harris Fellows are selected based upon significant contributions to the state-of-the-art in the industry; recognition among industry peers; demonstrated technical depth, breadth and leadership; mentoring of others in the industry; and continuous contributions of importance to Harris Corporation’s business.
“Geoff has had a significant impact not only on Harris business, but also on the broadcast industry,” said Tim Thorsteinson, president, Harris Broadcast Communications. “Geoff’s pioneering work and innovations have provided Harris the differentiated capabilities needed to be a leader in this market and consistently helped our customers to improve their competitive position and business results.”
Mendenhall joined the former Gates Radio Division of Harris as an electrical engineer designing directional antenna phasing equipment in 1973 after receiving his B.E.E from the Georgia Institute of Technology. While at Georgia Tech, Mendenhall designed, hand-built, and FCC type-accepted the student station's 425 W FM broadcast transmitter. Highlights of his career include the development of Harris DIGIT®, the world’s first digital broadcast FM exciter, as well as the first 2 million-watt, solid-state AM transmitter and CD-Link, which was also the broadcast industry’s first uncompressed digital studio transmitter link. Recent product developments under his leadership include the FlexStar® FM/HD exciter, the Z-FM family of transmitters and the Apex™ ATSC exciter, which together have contributed well over $60 million a year in revenue over the past several years.
Mendenhall’s body of work has led to significantly reduced distortion and improved signal-to-noise ratio of FM transmitters, making FM broadcast quality comparable to digital compact discs. He has also had a major impact on the design of modern FM transmitter power amplifiers, including many breakthroughs to high-efficiency, high-power, single-tube RF amplifiers and solid-state RF systems. Additionally, he authored the FM Transmitter chapter of the past three editions of the “NAB Engineering Handbook.”
In 1999, Mendenhall received the National Association of Broadcasters’ Radio Engineering Achievement Award for his significant contributions to the broadcast industry. He holds five U.S. Patents for innovations to broadcast equipment, and has three patent applications in process. Geoff is a registered professional engineer in Illinois and Ohio, is a senior member of IEEE, and is a member of the Association of Federal Communications Consulting Engineers (AFCCE).
Harris Broadcast Communications offers products, systems and services that provide interoperable workflow solutions that span the entire broadcast delivery chain. The Harris ONE approach brings together highly integrated and cost-effective products that are ideal for emerging media business models and for customers upgrading media operations to digital and high-definition services.
About Harris Corporation
Harris is an international communications and information technology company serving government and commercial markets in more than 150 countries. Headquartered in Melbourne, Florida, the company has annual revenue of almost $5 billion and 16,000 employees — including nearly 7,000 engineers and scientists. Harris is dedicated to developing best-in-class assured communications™ products, systems, and services. Additional information about Harris Corporation is available at
http://www.harris.com.
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