Briefs: FirstNet names Farrill as acting general manager

FirstNet board members this week voted unanimously to have board member Craig Farrill serve as FirstNet’s acting general manager until a full-time person can be hired for the position.

Farrill officially was named to the post during the FirstNet board’s second meeting on Tuesday, although Chairman Sam Ginn said Farrill effectively had been functioning in the role for the past six weeks. FirstNet has received 27 applications for the general manager position, and 3-5 candidates are expected to selected by the end of the year, according to FirstNet board member Charles Dowd. The final selection for the full-time general manager must be approved by the FirstNet board.

In addition, FirstNet board member Jeff Johnson was named as FirstNet’s acting user-advocacy officer. Like Farrill, Johnson will step down from this role as soon as a full-time person is hired to fill the position.

Kenwood unveils new portable radios

Kenwood USA today introduced new series of portable radios for use in the VHF and UHF bands. The 2-watt TK-2400/3400 — available in 4-channel or 16-channel configurations — and the 5-watt TK-2402/3402 portables have twice the audio output power for use in high-noise environments and can be integrated into a fleet-management system with the addition of an optional GPS mic. The 5-watt radios employ a mechanical stopper to prevent “blind channel selection,” according to the company.

Kenwood also has announced that the latest addition to its NEXEDGE line of mobile radios — the NX-720/820HGK — has GPS as a standard feature. It also features a backlit 10-character display that can be read in any lighting conditions and 10 programmable function keys to allow the radio to be easily customized for fleet use.

Aeroflex announces new test system

Munich, Germany-based Aeroflex Ltd. unveiled a modular 802.11ac test system, which is based on its PXI 3000 Series modular instrumentation and has been designed to offer measurements over a 160 MHz bandwidth at operating frequencies up to 6 GHz.

In addition, the company announced that it now offers its 5800 Series multi-functional test system with a Virginia Panel interface — an industry-standard mass-interconnect interface that is suitable for all production test requirements. The system allows seamless integration of third-party PXI instruments in a single test system for fast and configurable in-circuit test, functional test, and device programming, the company said.