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Wulfsberg Electronics
Proud Lineage, Meeting the Challenges of Tomorrow
by Robert Foley
- Reprinted with permission of Avionics News, Aircraft Electronics Association -
Getting right to the point, Wulfsberg Electronics, based in Prescott, Arizona,
about 90 miles northwest of Phoenix, is an acknowledged world leader in the design
and manufacture of airborne FM/AM radio communications systems and air-to-ground
radio telephone systems.
Additionally, Wulfsberg designs and manufactures a complete line of nav/com
products for the corporate aviation, military trainer, and helicopter markets.
Wulfsberg’s FM communication systems are designed for rotor and fixed wing aircraft
used in law enforcement, fire control, medical evacuation, search and rescue, oil
exploration, electronic news-gathering, and military applications, so it is very safe to
assume this company has touched the lives of thousands of people all over the world.
Wulfsberg Electronics, a Chelton Group Co., is a division of Chelton Avionics,
Inc. Chelton Avionics is a wholly owned subsidiary of Cobham plc, which is based in
the UK. Cobham Inc. has sales of £700 million ($1 billion).
Wulfsberg’s Prescott operations — including engineering, manufacturing, repair
and overhaul, customer service, and sales — are housed in a 60,000-square-foot, ISO9001 certified facility adjacent to Prescott’s municipal airport. Wulfsberg is one of seven
Chelton companies — including Comant Industries, Northern Airborne Technology,
Artex Aircraft Supplies, ACR Electronics, Chelton Flight Systems, and Chelton
Antennas.
The early days of aviation were blessed with a number of pioneering spirits who
set out to explore new frontiers. All of them people of vision, some of them had
entrepreneurial skills as well and they founded great aviation companies. Such a
person was Sir Alan Cobham. He was unique in that he set his sights on solving the
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vexing problem of extending aircraft range. His early experiments with aerial refueling
were imaginative and clearly led the way to its worldwide use today.
Cobham plc, the company he founded, designs and manufactures equipment,
specialized systems, and components for the aerospace, defense, industrial and
communications markets. The firm operates, maintains and modifies aircraft,
particularly in support of special mission flight operations.
Another pioneer, Paul Wulfsberg, founder of Wulfsberg Electronics, had a vision
of communications between aircraft passengers and colleagues on the ground resulting
in air-to-ground radiotelephones and two-way mobile radios designed and developed for
the demanding requirements of rotor-wing aircraft. Wulfsberg Electronics was acquired
by Sundstrand Aerospace in 1984, then by AlliedSignal Aerospace in 1994, before
finding a permanent home in 1997 with Chelton Avionics. Chelton acquired all rights to
the design, manufacture, and repair of Wulfsberg FM and AM product lines as well as
the AlliedSignal nav/com product line.
Vice president and general manager Ron Montgomery smiles and sums up the
odyssey this way: The Company was founded in 1970 in Overland Park, Kan., by Paul
Wulfsberg, who was considered one of the geniuses in the industry at that time. In
1984, when he sold the business to Sundstrand, he was told Wulfsberg would be “left
alone.” Two years later, it was moved to Prescott, Arizona — lock, stock, and barrel.
When AlliedSignal took over, again the message was that Wulfsberg would be “left
alone.” And two years later, they closed the doors in Arizona and moved everything
and everybody back to Olathe, Kan.— a scant five miles from the original location!
Chelton Avionics acquired the company name and product line (plus the former Bendix
Series III nav/com product line) and the Prescott facility, and back we came to stay.”
Since its founding in 1970, Wulfsberg Electronics has produced air-to-ground
communications systems that incorporate the latest technologies. Beginning with one
of the first FM synthesized transceivers, the RT-9600/ARC-513, which was introduced
in 1977, and continuing into the ’90s with the RT-5000 multi-band (29.7 - 960 MHz)
FM/AM transceiver, Wulfsberg has constantly sought to provide the best in
communications equipment for rotary- and fixed-wing aircraft. The RT-5000 transceiver
is considered the flagship in Wulfsberg’s communication products line.
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Flexcomm II systems include a C-5000 Communications Management Controller,
and any combination of RT-5000 Flexcomm II multi-band and Flexcomm I transceivers
and antennas.
Wulfsberg Flexcomm II transceivers include the RT-5000 series of FM/AM
synthesized multi-band radios. Each unit contains a frequency synthesized main
receiver/transmitter capable of operating from 29.7 to 960 MHz. In addition to the main
receiver, a synthesized 29.7-960 MHz Guard receiver can be utilized to provide the
operator with the maximum flexibility to receive two channels simultaneously.
Wulfsberg recently introduced a new family of RT-5000 Transceivers that include
APCO Project 25 compliant functionality and interoperability. These units can be
configured with internal Motorola SmartNet and SmartZone Trunking, built in DES-OFB,
DES-XL, DVI-XL Encryption Systems, and external interfaces to the military KY-xx
Encryption Systems. The system now provides the world’s only one box, one control
and one antenna communication system for total inter-agency interoperability
communication throughout the world.
While the list of basic functions is impressive, when multiple radios are
connected to a C-5000 control, the power of the Flexcomm II really comes to life. It has
the ability to route audio from one radio system to the other to perform in-band relays,
cross-band relays, simulcast on multiple radios, relay and simulcast at the same time,
operate full duplex, and even function as a repeater.
The company also offers a complete line of Nav/Com systems directed toward
the general aviation market. These systems are mainly installed by OEM’s in mediumsize twin-engine aircraft and larger, and extending into the regional airline and military
trainer markets.
The remote mounted, Series III nav/com product line consists of the traditional
comm, nav, VOR, localizer, Gideslope, marker Beacon, DME, transponder, and ADF
functions.
In addition to analog interfaces for retrofit aircraft installations, ARINC 429
digital bus control allows the Series III remote mounted units to be controlled by
Wulfsberg’s uniquely small individual controls, standard ARINC controls, flight
management systems, or the powerful Wulfsberg RMS 555 Radio Management
System.
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The All NEW VC-401C VHF comms and companion CD-402C controls, are form,
fit and functionally interchangeable with previous units, and include 8.33 KHz selectable
or fixed channel spacing and tuning to 151.975 MHz. More importantly, they are the
first newly developed units in the Wulfsberg nav/com remote mounted product line to
include new technology electronics tested to the latest environmental standards of DO160.
There can be no question that Wulfsberg Electronics has an outstanding — some
would say incredible — product offering, effectively serving the needs of the company’s
specific markets. What makes it all happen, of course, are the people.
Montgomery has been with Wulfsberg since 1979. Describing his team, he said,
“Since moving back to Prescott, we have gone out and hired the cream of the crop in
the industry. — people with a solid work ethic, many of whom have worked for
Wulfsberg in the past. We now have a team that is highly dedicated, highly motivated,
and highly skilled.”
As to the future, Wulfsberg is currently developing a complete new line of
nav/com products. Montgomery anticipates doubling the size of the business in the
next 3-to-5 years.
Walter Crawford recently re-joined Wulfsberg as Vice President and has
responsibility for sales, marketing, product management and new product development.
During an earlier 12-year stint he was director of engineering and instrumental in
developing the automated direct-dial Flitefone System and companion direct-dial
ground-based telecommunications system, the original Flexcomm System, and the
system architecture for the current Flexcomm II System.
Other key members of the Wulfsberg team are Walt Barron, sales and marketing
manager, who brings many years of avionics marketing to his desk every day.
Bob Evans recently joined Wulfsberg as a product line manager for the nav/com
product line. Evans brings with him a wealth of experience as acquired from his more
than 20 years experience with AlliedSignal and Honeywell.
Scott Hovelsrud is product line manager and successfully led a multi-disciplined
team for the development and market introduction of the newest Flexcomm RT-5000
products. Hovelsrud has been associated with Wulfsberg communication products for
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about 15 years and was with E.F. Johnson (two-way communications) prior to
Wulfsberg.
Cliff Estes runs the in-house repair and overhaul organization in addition to
overseeing worldwide product support through ten authorized repair and overhaul
facilities around the world. Estes gained extensive experience in the R&O arena with
AlliedSignal.
Wulfsberg excels in meeting customers' needs through superior technology,
aircraft system design support, on-time delivery, and off-the-shelf product availability for
all standard configurations, and dependable service.
Looking at Wulfsberg Electronics, the word “standards” easily comes to mind.
This is a group of professionals who are constantly setting new standards in the
industry. It would be foolish to bet against their achieving any goal they set.
SmartNet and SmartZone are trademarks of Motorola, Inc.
Flitefone is a registered trademark of Chelton Avionics, Inc., and Flexcomm and Series III are trademarks
of Chelton Avionics, Inc.
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