1. History

Bird Technologies was created with the merger of two RF communications companies, Bird Electronic Corporation and TX RX Systems. The merged company was formed in 1995 but its timeline began in 1942 when J. Raymond "Ray" Bird teamed up with a college friend to form the Bird Engineering Company in Cleveland, Ohio. The company began operating as a "job shop," which then led Ray Bird to develop a line of products for measuring the power generated by television and radio transmitters. During his career, Ray Bird has been awarded 40 patents. The Bird Engineering Company later changed its name to the Bird Electronic Corporation.

TX RX Systems, located in Angola, New York was founded in 1976 by Dan Kaegebein and Elliot Johnson. One of TX RX Systems most successful product lines are RF Signal Boosters. In response to a requirement by Motorola Communications in 1978, TX RX Systems manufactured the first UHF two-way repeater amplifiers in an Inland Steel Corporation coal mine in Illinois.^[1]

In 2010, Bird acquired X-COM Systems located near Washington D.C. in Reston, Virginia. X-COM Systems was founded in 1994 by David Erisman as a technology firm specializing in the design and manufacture of digital communication hardware and software for military and commercial applications. The company's equipment is primarily used by the US Navy to support shore-based systems that are used for the development and training on Naval Tactical Data System (NTDS) equipment. Much of X-COM's equipment is used by the Navy in its land-based test and development sites which support the Cruisers and Destroyers that contain the AEGIS Combat System, considered to have the most advanced tracking and combat system in the world. These land-based sites often have multiple missions that include NTDS systems testing, systems development, and training personnel for the Fleet.

X-COM is the holder of multiple technical patents including Time-Shift Keying and other related technologies. TSK is a physical layer advancement that significantly improves bandwidth efficiency, noise immunity, and power consumption. TSK-based products provide low-cost solutions for communication links including twisted pair, microwave, satellite and RF.

Bird acquired DeltaNode from Scandinavian Health Ltd. (SHL Group) in September 2013. DeltaNode, located in Stockholm, Sweden was founded in 2005 by a group of engineers and established a strong presence in Eurpoe, the United States and Canada as a supplier of RF-over-fiber distributed antenna systems and repeaters designed to enhance the coverage of commercial wireless and public safety communication systems.

In January 2017, Bird Technologies consolidated it's group of acquired companies and products under the Bird brand.

Bird's Radio Frequency Products Division (RFIP), (formerly known as TX RX Systems), was acquired by the Combilent Group on August 31, 2018 and operates under the name TX RX Systems, Inc from their US headquarters in Angola, New York. Bird has retained it's RF Signal Booster and Distributed Antenna System product lines.

2. Milestones and Patents

2018 - Combilent US Acquires Bird's Radio Infrastructure Products Division^[2]

2017 - Bird Launches the SignalHawk SH-42S Handheld Spectrum Analyzer^[3]

2017 - Bird Consolidates all its Product Lines and Acquired Companies under the Bird Brand^[4]

2013 - Bird Technologies Acquires Distributed Antenna System Manufacturer DeltaNode^[5]

2013 - VSG5000A Multi-Channel Phase Coherent Vector Signal Generator launched^[6]

2013 - IQC5000A Series, RF Spectrum Capture and Playback System launched^[7]

2013 - X-COM Systems releases Spectro-X 4.0 Signal Analysis Toolkit^[8]

2012 - Bird Technologies Celebrates 70 Years^[9]

2012 - X-COM Systems releases Version 3.0 of RF Editor Graphical RF Signal Editor Software^[10]

2010 - Bird Technologies Group Acquires X-COM Systems for Its Advanced RF Military Technology^[11]

2009 - Radio Magazine Pick Hits Awarded at NAB Show for PC SignalHawk^[12]

2008 - Radio Magazine Pick Hits Awarded at NAB Show for Transmit Power Monitor^[13]

2007 - Ohio Governor's "E" Excellence in exporting award received (2nd time)^[14]

2005 - Radio Magazine Pick Hits Awarded at NAB Show for Broadcast Power Monitor (BPME)^[15]

2004 - Bird RF Technology (Suzhou, China) Co., Ltd founded

2003 - Radio World Cool Stuff Awarded to Bird Site Analyzer^[16]

2002 - Bird Component Products facilities relocated to Solon, Ohio

2002 - Ohio Governor's "E" Excellence in exporting award received

1999 - Antenna Tester patent granted^[17]

1995 - Bird Technologies is formed/TX RX Systems is acquired

1994 - Bird Component Products established in Largo, FL

1972 - Presidential "E" Award received for excellence in exporting

1963 - Bird Electronic Corporation is incorporated under the laws of the State of Ohio

1962 - J. Raymond Bird dies

1959 - Thruline power measurement patent granted^[18]

1952 - Model 43 Thruline Directional Wattmeter introduced

1949 - Coaxwitch patent granted, to Ray Bird, first of more than 40 patents

1948 - First international shipment completed (UK) beginning the tradition of global sales excellence

1942 - Bird Engineering Company founded by J. Raymond Bird

3. Model 43 Thruline Directional Wattmeter

Bird Model 43 Wattmeter. https://handwiki.org/wiki/index.php?curid=1858268

The Bird Model 43 Thruline Wattmeter was created in the early 1950s. The self-contained instrument used microwatts of energy from the transmission it measured. Its reference line section made it economical and provided built-in reference accuracy that remained consistent with age. The patent was granted for the Directional Wattmeter in 1958.^[19]

In the 1960s the mobile radio had the majority of its components stored in the trunk of a car and was comparable in size to a microwave oven. A Model 43 wattmeter was used to test the power output of the two-way mobile radio transmitter and to match it to an antenna most commonly mounted on the trunk. The transmission line to the antenna was very short providing easy access to the equipment which in turn made measuring the equipment convenient. Additionally, the same wattmeter was used to measure the RF power in the operational base station.

In the 1970s, the mobile radio had advanced from the trunk of the car to the car's front interior. The Model 43 was still used in the same capacity of testing the RF output and matching the transmitter to the antenna. However, the new interior position of the mobile radio, and the existing rear antenna position required a longer transmission line. This still provided easy access to test and measure the system.

The Model 43 was also used in the aviation industry to accomplish identical results. Measure the power from the transmitter and match the antenna to the system.

4. RF Signal Boosters

Signal Boosters are also known as Two-Way Repeater Amplifiers, Bi-Directional Amplifiers (BDA), RF Reperaters.

The Bird Signal Booster lineup consist of the 700/800 MHz Signal Booster I, performance and value series, Signal Booster II series which provides in-building coverage in basements, parking garages, correctional facilities, courthouses, hospitals and malls, subways, rapid transit systems, airports, stadiums/arenas, high-rise buildings, large private enterprise facilities, schools and campuses. Channelized and Digital Signal Booster III series, offering user programmable center frequencies and filter characteristics and intuitive user interfaces and the RescueLine Signal Booster, designed to comply with the new International Fire Code and National Fire Protection Association standards. The objective of this series is to ensure that first responders have reliable radio communications in large structures.

5. Spectro-X, RF Signal Editor Software Applications and IQC5000 Series, Spectrum Capture and Playback System

Bird's Spectro-X, Signal Analysis Toolkit graphically displays I & Q sample files and provides menu-driven signal search and analysis tools. The software lets users visualize and analyze up to four recorded RF and microwave spectrum files at the same time making it a valuable tool for system and test engineers developing and analyzing the performance of radar, ELINT, SIGINT, ECM, ESM, multi-channel communications, telemetry, and MIMO systems, or for characterizing and testing conventional and AESA radar systems.

Spectro-X is compatible with Bird's RF Signal Editor software and IQC5000 Series, Spectrum Capture and Playback System. The RF Editor, Graphical Signal Editing software lets users modify signal data, insert new spectra and waveforms, modify spectrum in the frequency domain, and move any waveform or slice of spectrum anywhere among 10 tracks in the recording. The IQC5000 Series, Spectrum and Playback System can record and play back one or two independent channels of signal activity up to 160 MHz in bandwidth from HF through millimeter wavelengths.