Issue 9, July 2009

Employee Profile: Frank Smith, Principal Designer and Newly Licensed Amateur Radio Operator

Frank recently celebrated his 11th anniversary with the company having joined VEMCO-AMIRIX in June of 1998. He holds a Master's Degree in Computer Science from the Technical University of Nova Scotia (now merged with Dalhousie University in Halifax).

The principal designer behind VEMCO's VR2W Positioning System (VPS) which performs advanced fine-scale positioning, Frank also designs and analyzes studies for customers. He especially enjoys working with clients to learn about their studies and help them get the best possible performance and results from their VPS.

In February of 2009, Frank earned his license to be an amateur radio operator (also known as a "ham") and was issued the call sign VE1FIS. Amateur radio operators enjoy worldwide wireless communications with each other and often support their communities with emergency and disaster communications, while increasing their personal knowledge of electronics and radio theory. An estimated six million people throughout the world are regularly involved with amateur radio.

"Ham radio isn't as popular as it once was because the internet has made worldwide communication so accessible," notes Frank. "My interest in ham radio is mostly because it isn't easy and offers no end of technical challenges to tackle."

Frank goes on to add, "Sure you can email someone in Australia from Canada, but where's the fun in that?"

When he's not designing or analyzing VPS studies for customers or "hamming" it up with his fellow amateur radio operators around the world, you can often find Frank building on his formidable Simpsons memorabilia collection.